‘They can see too much,’ he muttered. ‘I might have to let the hedge grow higher.’
‘We’re pretty private here though, don’t you think?’ Sarah couldn’t bear the barrier being raised.
‘Ithinkyou should clear this mess away.’ Richard stood up, his chair dragging across the flags. ‘Get inside now. It’s enough that you’ve been seen.’
Sarah piled the tray with the dirty dishes and took them into the house. There was no modern kitchen with a dishwasher for her. The kitchen was an old farmhouse style but purely because it was over twenty years old. She rinsed everything quickly, dried it and put it away.
She checked her watch: one thirty-five. She had a whole afternoon ahead of her. What she would give to be able to sit in the garden and read a book. But she couldn’t do that now there were people next door.
She wondered how much it would change their lives.Richard was right, they would have to be careful. Equally, this could be Sarah’s chance to change things, slowly but surely. For now, she would bide her time and hopefully get to know them better. Garner their trust.
With a sigh, she made her way upstairs to enjoy what little time she had left of the afternoon.
CHAPTER FOUR
Having made a dent in the bulk of the unpacking over the weekend, Juliette had driven Danny to Stoke Station late Sunday night and waved him off with a sigh. All that was left for now was to empty the smaller boxes and put everything in its relevant place. She could handle that in the evenings after she’d finished her work. It would keep her busy, not letting her mind wander too much.
It had been a good Monday. Three potential clients had emailed her, all being referred by other people. It was great to be getting some testimonials and referrals after two years. Now she had fifteen clients and after another two or three she would stop adding to her list. There was no point in working too many hours. The pay was regular, her clients were respectful of her time, and she was providing a decent level of income to help with the mortgage until she fell pregnant again. Havinggrateful clients was something that made her happy. Keeping the business running had given her a purpose and it had worked.
Already she was missing Danny, even though he’d often come home late every evening when she’d been in London. They had met when she was eighteen. He was finishing his final exams as she was just starting hers. They were in the student union bar when she spotted him looking her way. He smiled, she smiled back and they did the smile-but-don’t-look-too-interested dance for a few minutes. Eventually she and the two girls she was with finished their drinks and headed off to the next pub.
Danny reached for her arm as she passed by.
‘You’re not off already?’ he asked, looking forlorn. ‘I haven’t even got to the corny one-liners.’
‘We’re going to The George,’ her friend, Nicola, said pointedly. ‘Come on, Juliette.’
She’d left him standing there but knowing he would follow. Sure enough, after making a lady wait for thirty minutes, he sauntered in with his friends. As they stood at the bar, his eyes searched her out and he’d waggled his hand in front of his mouth, the obligatory symbol fordo you want a drink?She nodded, raised her bottle so he could see what she was drinking.
He joined her and they moved to the edge of the room. There was music playing in the background, but it couldn’t be heard above the sound of laughter and chatter. The George was her favourite pub off campus.She would spend all night in there if it was up to her. She much preferred it to a pub crawl. And they always ended up here anyway, so why get achy feet after all the walking?
‘I saw you earlier today,’ Danny said.
Juliette raised her eyebrows quizzically. ‘So you’re a stalker?’ she teased.
‘Very funny. I mean, in the lecture changeover. I saw you walking from Minton to Crawson. I’d just taken economics. I’m doing a master’s in architecture – I’m in my final year. You?’
‘Media Arts and Design. First year.’
‘Enjoying it?’
‘Hard work but yes, I am. You?’
‘It’s been good, but I can’t wait to finish now. What are your plans afterwards?’
‘I’d like to go into web design, marketing, that kind of thing.’
Having a mutual topic, they chatted for a while before leaving together. They met up the following day and had been together ever since. Of course they had their ups and downs, but they were a team.
Life before Emily had been good. They had a steady income coming in. Juliette had enjoyed her job, but after Emily died for a while it became both a chore as well as a welcome distraction. Something to focus on, to blot out what had happened. Before that, it had invigorated her. Now, it only made her crave her old life even more. And she couldn’t cope with the way peopletiptoed around her because of what had happened. Emily was dead: she wasn’t coming back, not like her friends’ children did when they were taken ill.
The grief still haunted her, mostly during the early hours of the night, but the silent days would often drag and could be just as bad. She would hear a song and be reminded of Emily racing up and down the stairs, doing silly dance routines and making her laugh. Now she was glad to be somewhere different.
There was a knock at the door and she glanced at the clock. It would probably be the Amazon order that she placed last night. She looked through the living room window to see the van at the bottom of her drive. She went out to meet the driver.
‘Hi.’ The man looked to be in his early thirties, wearing long denim shorts, a black T-shirt and aviator sunglasses. ‘Nice to see someone in the old place. I’ve been delivering around here for a couple of years and all that time it’s been empty.’
‘We moved in at the weekend.’
