Oliver and I are lying in bed, divided by our pillow wall. I don’t know about Oliver, but ever since we left Mr Ellis’s cottage, my body has been flooded with warm tingling sensations. We shared a bowl of casserole while we waited for the food to cool. It was delicious and comforting.
‘That felt so good, Nelly.’ His voice in the darkness makes me smile. ‘He was so happy.’
‘I still can’t believe you suggested cooking the casserole for him.’
‘Mr Ellis was poorly. That cough sounded nasty. I felt sorry for him.’
I turn to face the pillow wall. ‘Mr Ellis has so many casserole portions in his fridge.’
‘It will do him good.’
‘Yes, it will. He can also sit and look through Joan’s favourite recipe book.’
We both go silent for a while. I think back to Mr Ellis talking about Joan and telling me all his favourite memories of her.
‘I needed to cook that meal for Mr Ellis tonight,’ says Oliver. ‘It got me out of my head.’
‘Are you in your head a lot?’
‘Yes, I am.’ He quickly changes the subject. ‘The wall of pillows hasn’t let us down, Nelly.’
‘There’s still time for me to use my rolling pin. All it needs is a stray arm or a wandering leg calf.’
He chuckles before saying, ‘I’ll keep my wandering leg calves to myself.’
‘We made a good team in Mr Ellis’s kitchen earlier.’
‘We did. Let’s hope we can do something similar for Juliet Armstrong and her Spanish love.’
I remember Juliet, her three teenage children and her desire to get back in contact with Miguel, the author of the romance book she was trying to track down. I wished I had touched her when I had the chance. ‘It’s been years. She could be wasting her time.’
‘Nelly, you and I need to start giving love a chance,’ says Oliver.
His words make my body tense. ‘But we know what?—’
He interrupts me. ‘We both need to heal, and I believe helping people like Mr Ellis and Juliet will be good for us.’
I think about Juliet and how she’s had no contact with Miguel for twenty-five years. ‘Oliver, it’s been years since she saw Miguel.’
He pauses and then says, ‘Love has a way of lingering. Years pass; lives change but our hearts still remember.’
I think of Mr Ellis and how the love for his wife has lingered. It’s still in his eyes and between the pages of Barbara Plum’s recipe book. ‘You might have a point.’
‘Are you going to see your aunt tomorrow?’
‘Yes, she has chemo.’
‘What’s her name?’
I smile into the darkness. He wants to know my aunt’s name.
‘She’s always been Aunt Polly to me.’
I can feel Oliver turning over. I think he might be facing the pillow wall. ‘Does Aunt Polly live on her own?’
‘Yes, she does – in Tide-Leigh which is on the coast. Years ago, she lived with her girlfriend, Sandra, but they split up.’
‘Oh, I see. Did you like Sandra?’
