Valentina’s beaming smile only grew broader. ‘It’s number 1 Fishermen’s Cottages on the Quays in Rothach Bay.’
Ezz felt a jolt of delight. ‘Here?Seriously? You’ll be here for holidays?’
‘Epic,’ Thea breathed. ‘That’s fantastic.’
Gary slid his face into view, wearing a conservative haircut and a wry smile. ‘I tried to talk her into somewhere warmer, preferably somewhere that wouldn’t need gutting and starting again, but she’s being stubborn.’
Valentina gave him a little shove. ‘Stop raining on my parade. I wanted that cottage.’
Ezz’s brain was ticking. ‘If you’ve bought it already, this has been going through for ages and you haven’t said a thing? Have you visited Rothach without telling us?’
‘Of course not. I’ve done video walk-throughs with the agent.’ Valentina made jazz hands. ‘Ta-dah! I wanted it to be a surprise.’
This time, Gary grimaced. ‘And she thinks she’s going to arrange all the building work remotely.’ His tone was sceptical.
‘She will,’ Ezzie defended her sister stoutly.
They chatted for twenty minutes, then Valentina checked her smartwatch. ‘I have to collect Barnaby from his friend’s house.’
A lot of husbands might have protested,I’ll go, darling. You chat with your sisters.But Gary, never the most thoughtful of men, just nodded.
Once the call was over, Ezzie retrieved her coat from the back of the sofa, her mind buzzing. ‘Won’t it be awesome that they have a place here? We’ll see more of Barnaby, as well as Valentina. And Gary,’ she added. ‘He didn’t seemexcited for Valentina, did he? Maybe because she’s the one funding the cottage.’
Thea’s nose wrinkled as she followed Ezz into the hall. ‘He and his brother William were spoilt by older parents. They’ve grown up competitive and self-orientated.’
‘True,’ Ezz conceded. ‘It makes Gary a successful careerman but a less successful human being. Maybe he’ll be all the better for playing a supporting role this time.’ Ezzie popped into the kitchen to say goodbye to Dev and was soon picking her way down the icy path to her car, pausing to gaze at the neighbouring cottages sloping away from Thea’s, their pastel colours muddy in the golden glow from old-fashioned streetlamps.
It was impossible to pick out Fishermen’s Cottage down beside the rocky beach, but she still stared into the darkness and tried to fix the likely location in her mind. As the cottages stood right at one end of the bay, she usually saw them from the beach or from Harbour View. They nestled at the foot of the cliffs beneath Rothach Hall, on the Quays beside Causeway and Harbour View. No fishermen now lived in the row of four small residences, as far as she knew.
Ezzie hugged the knowledge that soon the sisters could be together more often. She climbed in her car and texted Valentina.If you ever want to work remotely from Rothach, I’ll help where I can with childcare on days off. XxBarnaby adored the rocky beach, and Ezz, never having had kids of her own, enjoyed scrambling around with him. It would bring fun into days off that were often spent on solitary walks or even wasted on chores.
Then she eased her little yellow car down the frosty lanes to her cosy cottage feeling happier than she had for ages.
