Page 62 of Lilly
“I’m fine, what have youdone?
“Oh, I slipped in the bathroom a few days ago and broke my damn ankle. On the plus side though, I’ve had a lovely young nurse looking after me,” she says with a wink that makes mesmile.
Shelia and her husband never had any kids. She’s been alone since he died a few years ago. Taylor and I try to stop in and see her every now and then. I feel awful that I got swept away by Lucas and haven’t managed to seeher.
“If it’s okay with you, I’d like to come up and help get you settled in. Perhaps I can bake something foryou?”
“That would be lovely,dear.”
I’m thrilled she says yes, because it means I’ll have something to focus on for the next fewhours.
The second I step into her flat, I realise that she might need a little more doing than just a pot of tea and a cake. The shock on my face must be evident as I look around, because Sheila cringes before saying, “Things have got a little on top of merecently.”
I just about manage not to say,you’re telling me. Instead I go with, “We can get it sorted in notime.”
I spend the afternoon making some space in her living room so she can sit comfortably before blitzing the kitchen. It’s a health hazard. By the time I’ve finished, every surface is gleaming and I’m brave enough to grab some ingredients from my flat and make Shelia her favourite lemon drizzlecake.
“You really didn’t need to do all of this. I would have got toit.”
“Shelia, you have a broken ankle,” I point out in case she’s forgotten already. “Plus, I’m more than happy to help. I actually needed thedistraction.”
“Oh,” she says, prompting me tospill.
“It’s a long story and you look like you need to have an early night,” I say in the hope getting out of talking about it any more today. “I’ll come back in the morning to finish the living room if that’s okay withyou.”
“Don’t you have your job at thehotel?”
“Uh…no, I actually handed my notice in. I’mfree.”
“Only if you’re sure. I don’t want to take up yourtime.”
“I’m more than happy,Shelia.”
After helping her to her bed, I leave her to it and head back downstairs. I see a parcel sitting in the middle of the sofa the second I walk in. It’s wrapped perfectly and has Taylor’s name written all over it with its pink and blue ribbons hanging from it. I carefully open it open and I almost cry with relief when I see an entire box of my favourite Teapigs tea bags staring back at me. The only difference to my usual order is that every single one in here is decaf. I make myself a quick pasta dish for dinner, seeing as Taylor is nowhere to be seen, before falling into my bed with a mug of rhubarb and ginger tea and a pregnancy magazine I picked upearlier.
* * *
IknowI’ve been putting it off, but I convinced myself that talking to Mum and Dad could wait until this morning. I thought I’d go around a couple of hours before everyone usually appears for Sunday dinner and tell them everything. That way, they’ll have all the details before I tell everyone else atdinner.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come?” Taylor asks from his slobbed out position on the sofa. It’s obvious from here that he’s still nursing last night’shangover.
“No, I’m fine. I think it’s best I do this alone. They’re going to be mad that I didn’t tell them before now; I don’t need to rub their noses in it that they were almost the last ones to findout.”
“I guess. Well, if you change your mind, ring me and I’ll be there,” heoffers.
“I will. Thank you.” I walk over to him and place a kiss on his cheek. “Go and shower; you stink,” I tell him before walking over to the front door and sliding my flip-flopson.
“Love you, too,” he calls afterme.
I pull the door open but I’m too busy rummaging inside my handbag for my car keys to pay much attention, so when I bump up against another person, I jump out of myskin.
“Ahh,” I shout inpanic.
“I’m so sorry,” a soft female voice says in response as she puts her hands on my shoulders to steadyme.
“What’s wrong?” Taylor says, rushing to thedoor.
I look up to see a familiar sophisticated face looking back atme.
