Page 11 of The Runaway Wives

And there was no mention of the bouquet of flowers. Maybe Annabel had sent them.

‘You should block him for a bit, that’ll teach him,’ Babs said. ‘Actually, I’d better unblock Geoff now or he’ll be having a fit.’ She felt in her pocket, took out her phone and swiped the screen. ‘Wow. A dozen missed phone calls and God knows how many messages from Molly.’ Then she swore.

‘What it is?’ Dee asked.

‘Apparently Geoff’s been trying to call me. The estate agent has taken the photos and they’re putting the house on the market right away.’

‘That’s quick!’ Dee said.

‘Well, he can whistle, I’m not going home.’ Babs followed Dee’s gaze out to the sea. ‘Gorgeous here, isn’t it?’ She turned to Dee. ‘Fancy an ice cream instead of a cuppa?’

‘You know, I think I will,’ said Dee.

They both bought a 99 cone and sat on the wall overlooking the harbour.

‘There’s a lovely-looking restaurant over there, shall we book a table for tonight?’ Babs asked. ‘We can celebrate your birthday.’

‘I’d like that.’ Dee licked the soft ice cream that was dripping down the side of her cone. This birthday was completely different to any she’d had before, but she had a feeling she was going to really enjoy it.

7

‘Hey, this is gorgeous!’ Babs exclaimed as Dee opened the back gate to Sunset View a little later. After eating their ice creams and booking a table at the restaurant, they’d walked up to the cottage, taken their suitcases out of the car and gone in the back way.

‘It is, isn’t it?’ Dee felt her heart lift as she looked around. The courtyard was small but pretty with lots of colourful potted plants, a wooden bench, a cute blue shed with a white seagull motif on the side and a small wooden table with two chairs, perfect for sitting and having your morning cup of tea. If the outside was so pretty, she couldn’t wait to see the inside. It certainly looked promising with its granite walls, and judging by the modern white window frames it was double-glazed, probably to cater for any holidaymakers who wanted a winter break.

They wheeled their cases over the cobbled courtyard to the back door. ‘Let’s get these cases inside, unpack and unwind before we go to the restaurant.’

Dee took the keys Sylvia had given her out of her handbag, then unlocked the door. It was a bit stiff but a big push and it was open. They walked into a small galley kitchen with light wooden cupboards lining the walls, a slate-grey floor and dark grey worktops. A large window across the sink helped let in the light, as did the small glass panel in the back door. And there, standing in a bowl of water in the sink was the most gorgeous bouquet of irises, freesias and lisianthus in different hues of blue, exquisitely contrasting with white roses, Eryngium and Tanacetum. A small envelope was stuck on the outside of the cellophane.

Her heart jumped a little, wondering if they were from Nigel after all. They really were spectacular. She pulled off the envelope and opened it. The little card inside read:

Happy Birthday, Mum. Enjoy a well-deserved break. Love Annabel, Gareth and Hallie. Xx

‘Don’t tell me you were hoping they were from Nigel,’ Babs said, obviously noticing Dee’s disappointed face.

‘I did wonder,’ Dee admitted. More fool her, of course, they would be from Annabel. She was such a thoughtful daughter. She and Gareth were so busy working that they didn’t get chance to visit Dee often, but they exchanged messages regularly and Annabel sent lots of photos of Hallie. They caught up on Facetime every weekend if they could and Hallie always shouted ‘Nanna!’ and blew her a kiss when she saw her on the screen. Modern life, but at least it meant she got the chance to build a relationship with her little granddaughter.

‘It looks very spacious and clean,’ Babs remarked, putting her suitcase by the wall. ‘No table though, that could be awkward. Although there’s a lot of worktop space.’

‘There’s a pull-up table over on that wall, and two high stools,’ Dee noticed. ‘It’s only for a week, we’ll manage fine.’

‘Yeah, we don’t want to be spending our time cooking anyway, we’re here to enjoy ourselves. Let’s explore the rest of the house,’ Babs agreed.

There was an archway leading to a lounge diner. They walked through it and gazed around at the small but bright room, thanks to the double windowed aspect. A couple of beige rugs were scattered on the grey floor, a dark green chesterfield with cream velvet scatter cushions ran along the far wall, and two matching chairs filled most of the other space. A boarded white wooden staircase led up to the bedrooms, with a small light wood unit with a TV, books, magazines and knick-knacks running along the wall underneath it. A coffee table and an emerald-green velvet pouffe were the only other furniture. Thick cream drapes hung at the front bay window and at the French windows which led out into the courtyard. The white radiators on the walls were evidence that it was centrally heated. It would be cosy in the winter, Dee thought. The owners had obviously given a lot of thought about the comfort of their guests.

‘This is very nice,’ Babs said approvingly, going over to the bay window. ‘There’s a little front garden with table and chairs and some statues.’

Dee walked over to join her, gazing out at the cobbled street. ‘I think we made a good choice coming here,’ she said.

‘Let’s take a look upstairs,’ Babs suggested. ‘With a bit of luck one of the bedrooms will have a sea view.’

If it did, Dee decided that she would let Babs have it. Although her friend was trying to put on a brave front, she knew that this business with Geoff had really upset her. However, when they reached the top of the stairs, she saw that both bedrooms were at the back of the house, the doors were wide open and, over the rooftops, they could see the sea from the windows of both.

‘You take the one you prefer,’ she told Babs. ‘I don’t mind.’

‘No, it’s your birthday,youdecide,’ Babs insisted.

Both rooms were spacious with en suites and large multi-paned windows that let a lot of light in the rooms. A bright floral throw covered each double bed, and they were furnished with light wood bedroom furniture and a chair with a padded seat. They were identical apart from the colour scheme, one floral throw was turquoise – Dee’s favourite colour – and the other one was coral – Babs’ favourite colour. It was almost as if it was meant to be. Babs caught her eye and grinned. ‘I guess it’s a no-brainer which room we’re each having!’

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