‘Sounds great.’ Mara sipped her coffee. ‘And let’s all write to the council about the breast cancer screening. We could get one of those online petitions going too.’
Ellie was very aware that no one had mentioned her specifically in this conversation: her cancer. Her missing breast. But the implication was there.
‘You don’t have to do this, just for me. Or because of me,’ she said, quietly. ‘It happens to so many women. It’s not about me.’
‘We know.’ Simona gave her a level look. ‘But it’s always about someone, Ellie. That’s the point. Cancer affects almost everyone these days, in one way, shape or form. We’d care about this even if you weren’t here. But you are. So, we care about you.’
Ellie felt a lump thicken her throat. ‘Okay,’ she muttered.
Fee stood up and gave her a hug. ‘You all right?’ she asked, mussing Ellie’s wet hair. ‘Come on. I thought you were tough. One ladies’ breakfast and a fundraising plan and you tear up like a mum at a Christmas carol concert.’
Ellie laughed. ‘I am tough. Just, maybe not as immune to kindness as I used to be.’ She wiped her eyes.
‘Not a bad thing, my love. Life softens us as we gets older.’ Esther sighed. ‘Still, all the knocks are what makes us human. Eat your pancakes. Put a bit o’ weight on them bones.’ She pushed Ellie’s plate towards her.
Ellie acquiesced. She got the feeling that people didn’t often say no to Esther Christie, one of the wise, older women of Magpie Cove. But, also, she didn’t want to. It was a relief to have these women in her life: women who were older than her, had been there and done it already and didn’t seem to be shocked by anything. The Wild Sisterhood. She’d missed having a strong maternal figure in her life since her mum died, and she appreciated it.
Sometimes, you never knew something was missing until it came along and claimed you.
As she ate her pancakes, Ellie was wondering whether the thing she’d always felt was missing in her life was, in fact, Magpie Cove. She still knew she had to go back to London, but she realised that she’d stopped looking forward to leaving. Part of her never wanted Mark to finish working on Marilyn. Part of her wanted to stay.
Ellie gazed at the women around the table, smiling at their jokes and easy friendship. Would it even be possible to stay here? Ellie had no idea what a life outside London would look like for her, and she couldn’t imagine how it would work, but for the first time, she thought seriously about leaving London. What would she really be leaving, apart from her work, which she loved? If it wasn’t for that, she couldn’t really think of anything she’d miss all that much. And that, in itself, was kind of sad.
