Meet Me at Wisteria Cottage

by Teresa F. Morgan

  ‘Hello,’ Maddy said, answering the door.

  On the doorstep stood a tall brunette in her mid-thirties, wearing a black trouser suit. ‘Hi, I’m Carol Campbell,’ she said, showing her ID badge, which confirmed her job title and the company she worked for. ‘Are you Maddison Hart?’ She checked her notes.

  ‘Yes, that’s me.’ Maddy smiled. ‘Come in.’

  ‘Oh, yes, I never get used to that charred, burnt smell,’ Carol said, entering. The stench was mild by the front door and in the lounge, but when they walked into the dining room, it really hit them.

  ‘I’ll be glad when that smell’s gone.’

  ‘We’ll try to be as quick as we can. Are you living here?’

  ‘No, no … I’m staying in a cottage in Tinners Bay now, but I was staying across the road for a bit. My neighbour took me in on the night it happened – well, actually he slung me over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry, and locked me in his house.’ Carol’s eyes widened. ‘I was being rather hysterical.’ Maddy could feel her cheeks burning, probably turning pink as she spoke.

  ‘Sounds very Neanderthal.’ Carol chuckled.

  Maddy shrugged her shoulders. ‘Yes, but at the time, he did me a huge favour. I needed to calm down. And he’s been so good to me since.’ He was being good in so many ways. Maybe Carol didn’t quite need to know they were now having fabulous sex with one another, though. The thought of how Harry turned her on set off butterflies low in her belly and she feared her cheeks were reddening again.

  Stop thinking of Harry and concentrate.

  As Maddy showed her around the house, Carol, as efficient as her appearance suggested, made notes about everything.

  Carol was methodical and meticulous with her notes, nodding to herself at times. As she went through the house, she explained to Maddy what she could claim for and what she couldn’t.

  The insurance company would allow up to a certain amount of money for the kitchen. Basically, they would pay to replace everything to its original standard. She wouldn’t be able to replace it with an all singing and all dancing one from an expensive range with those fancy soft-closing drawers – not that Maddy would want that. What’s the point if you can’t slam a drawer in anger?

  ‘This is my direct line, but if I’m busy you’ll get redirected, so ask for me, Carol Campbell.’ As Carol handed over her business card, Maddy noticed her wedding and engagement rings. All sparkly and shiny. ‘I know – the soup jokes I’ve had from friends.’ Carol chuckled. ‘But when you fall in love, you can’t be choosy about their surname, and Campbell is more interesting than my maiden name, which was Smith.’

  Maddison Tudor.

  Dear Lord, why was she even thinking that?

  Stop it! If past relationships were anything to go by, this could end as fast as it started with Harry.

  Maddy hoped not. She and Harry were neighbours after all.

  How awkward is that going to be?

  If it wouldn’t look unusually stupid in front of Carol, Maddy would have slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand right then. What had she been thinking, sleeping with Harry? That’s just it, you hadn’t been thinking. You get horny, and thinking goes out the window.

  He’d swept her, quite literally, off her feet.

  Once Maddy had shown Carol out, she called Valerie to tell her she’d be late arriving at the gallery, so she could look at kitchens and organize a quote.

  ‘Take your time, love,’ said the ever-accommodating Valerie. ‘It’s very quiet today as the sun isn’t out.’ Maddy looked out of her front window. Cloud had come in off the sea and had made the day much cooler and gloomier. It even looked like it might rain. You could tell the school summer holidays were about to start. Rain was coming.

  No wonder people chose to holiday in Spain.

  Maddy drove to Bodmin, where she knew there were a couple of retail outlets that supplied and fitted kitchens. She started to get excited about the prospect of shopping for a new kitchen. Maddy’s heart sank with disappointment when she saw the kitchen fitted in Wisteria Cottage that she loved so much. It was out of her price range.

  ‘Fancy seeing you here.’ Maddy recognised the voice and turned, in the middle of opening a cupboard with an ‘open me’ sticker.

  ‘Oh, hello, Simon,’ she said. ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘Getting some supplies.’ He waved a couple of small bags which contained nails or screws, she couldn’t make out which. ‘Didn’t see you this morning.’

  ‘We … I mean, I had to leave early,’ Maddy said. She couldn’t meet his gaze.

  ‘We, huh?’ He raised an eyebrow.

  What was this? The third degree? Why was Simon so interested in her whereabouts? He was worse than her mother.

  ‘Harry stayed over.’ Maybe honesty was the best way to rid herself of Simon’s interest. She certainly only had eyes for Harry. Maddy continued looking at the kitchen displays. Simon still followed her.

  ‘So you two are an item now?’

  Harry and Maddy hadn’t exactly sat down and discussed whether they were in a relationship, as such, but the regular sex – these past few days – said something, didn’t it?

  ‘I suppose we are. Yes.’

  Simon’s expression betrayed a brief hint of disappointment. ‘Shame, we never had that drink.’ A young man came to Maddy’s rescue, noticing she was opening cupboard doors where it said ‘open me’ or ‘look inside’.

  ‘Can I help you both?’ he said, addressing them as if they were a couple. Maddy felt the need to make it clear she wasn’t with Simon.

  ‘Yes, actually, you can help me,’ she said. ‘I’m looking for a new kitchen – obviously.’ Clearly, she wasn’t looking for a bathroom in the kitchen department. She focussed her attention fully on the young assistant. ‘I had a fire in mine, and need to get quotes off to my insurance company.’

  Fortunately for Maddy, Simon took the hint and waved at her, ‘I’ll catch you later.’

  She nodded then returned her attention to the shop assistant.

  ‘Shall we book you in for a quotation? It’s the easiest way. We send someone to come along and measure up and create a design?’

  ‘Yes, that would be perfect.’

  Twenty minutes later, with Simon long gone, Maddy had a date with a kitchen designer.

  When she arrived in Tinners Bay, she parked in her usual spot behind her gallery. Wanting to share her news, albeit not that exciting, she quickly sent a text to Harry as she walked – slowly. She had a habit of bumping into lampposts or people. Texting on the move was dangerous. How people sent texts while driving she would never know.

  ‘Hey, how’d it go?’ Valerie said as Maddy walked through the door.

  ‘Oh, great, I got an appointment in a couple of days.’ Maddy nodded and gave a thumbs up to Valerie who was standing out the back in their tiny kitchen area waving the kettle at her and pointing. ‘Come and have a look at these brochures then.’

  ‘Hang on, hang on, kettle’s boiling.’

  Valerie perched herself next to Maddy, who was setting up at her easel in her corner, carrying two mugs of tea. They thumbed through the brochures, Maddy showing Valerie her favourite designs. Valerie’s taste was a little different to Maddy’s, favouring the more old-fashioned pine styles or plain white surfaces. Maddy saw those as a pain in the arse to keep clean.

  ‘I’ll reserve judgement until I see the designs. Apparently, the software will be able to show me my kitchen in my choice. I like the shiny modern styles, but I do love the oak effect look too.’ Shutting the brochures, Maddy said, ‘Right, best get to work. Time is running out.’

  An hour into her painting, Maddy looked up as the gallery door opened. It was Harry.

  Her heart lifted like an excited teenager. She really did need to get a handle on this reaction to him.

  ‘Fancy a late lunch and a stroll across the beach?’ he said. ‘I was at the cottage and thought I’d call in.’

  Maddy looked at Valerie guilti
ly: she’d not been in the gallery long. ‘I don’t know; I’ve only really just got here. Valerie’s been slaving away for me.’

  ‘Don’t be daft. You two go out for a bit. I’m fine here,’ Valerie said, with a mischievous expression. Maddy thought Val was jumping the gun slightly: she wanted to buy a new hat and dress, clearly. ‘Declan said he’d pop in soon, too. So he can help me out if we get busy.’

  ‘Okay, if you don’t mind.’ Maddy left her brushes in water, it wouldn’t harm them for a bit, washed her hands and grabbed her bag.

  Harry took her free hand into his, and even though he’d held her hand last night, at first it felt alien, not used to the show of public affection a relationship involved, but she enjoyed the sensation of touching him in its simplest form. She soon became at ease with his touch, actually hating it when he wasn’t touching her in some way. They reached the cafe at the top of the beach where they made freshly prepared sandwiches right in front of you.

  ‘What sandwich do you want?’ Harry asked, eagerly looking up at the board. ‘I think I’ll have a chicken salad with plenty of mayonnaise,’ he said to the member of staff behind the counter, keen to take his order.

  ‘I’ve already eaten in Bodmin. I’ll have a smoothie.’

  Another member of staff threw the fruit into the blender while the other made Harry’s doorstop sandwich. Harry paid, and then they walked along the beach, Maddy slipping off her flip-flops to stop flicking sand up. They wandered along the warm sand, Maddy enjoying the dry sand between her toes. A seagull cry made her wonder if it would be mad enough to attack Harry for his sandwich, but they managed to walk along without being harassed.

  ‘I work in a couple of those houses, too,’ Harry said, pointing up above the beach to a line of houses with seafront views on the cliff. ‘That’s how I found out about the cottage.’ He balled up the paper bag that had contained his sandwich and put it in his pocket.

  ‘I would adore one of those houses,’ Maddy said, thinking how much she loved Wisteria Cottage. Its location was perfect. She would love to work from there, but the noise from the builders would not be a good working environment for her to paint in. She needed peace and calm, not banging and hammering, and men singing along badly to songs on the radio. ‘I would be able to work from home and not have to paint from memory.’

  ‘Yeah, it would be lovely to live in Tinners Bay. Look at the size of their gardens. The couple of places I maintain have fantastic grounds, but they’re holiday homes. Sadly half the places get bought up to be just that – only lived in during the summer. Wisteria Cottage will probably end up as a holiday home too.’

  ‘We can dream,’ she said, looping her arm through his.

  They walked to the water’s edge – the tide was only half way up the beach, so they hadn’t as far to walk as if it had been low tide. Maddy paddled as she had bare feet, but Harry stayed back. The shock from hot sand to cold water caught her breath. Gradually, she got used to the freezing temperature, but she didn’t let the water go past her ankles. Quickly, when he wasn’t looking, she flicked up some of the salty water with her foot at Harry.

  ‘Hey!’ He laughed, arching his body to avoid any more splashes. ‘Careful, or I’ll have to put you over my knee.’

  ‘Well, you’ve already put me over your shoulder.’ She laughed. ‘Right, I’d better be getting back. It’s not fair on Valerie. I’ve been out most of the day.’

  ‘I’ll walk you back – before you get me any wetter.’

  Outside the gallery, Maddy gave Harry a kiss on the lips, but not too lingering. ‘See you later,’ she said. ‘Thanks for the smoothie.’

  ‘It was good to have company for lunch.’ He gave her a wink and walked back down the small high street. She watched, wanting to pinch herself. Harry was a catch, and she’d caught him.

  For the rest of the day she remained engrossed in her painting – although Harry appeared in her head quite a lot. Valerie left early, leaving Maddy to lock up, as she’d opened. Valerie had done her so many favours, she deserved a break from the gallery.

  Maddy was in the mood to continue, every brush stroke she made feeling therapeutic. The painting was going effortlessly today. Sometimes, she couldn’t get what she wanted right, and it would frustrate her, but today it flowed and thinking about Harry helped. She locked herself in the gallery at seven o’clock, turning the ‘open’ sign round to ‘closed’, deciding she could do another hour undisturbed. If she didn’t think what she was painting would be any good, or her mood wasn’t in it, she’d have packed up and gone home. But she was in the mood to stay and paint. She sent Harry a text to tell him she was staying on, made another cup of tea and found a couple of chocolate digestive biscuits to tide her hunger pangs over, then settled to work on her seascape. Her earlier anger meant she had painted the waves crashing fiercely on to the rocks. Her intention had been to paint a much calmer piece, but this actually worked. She enjoyed creating the foam of the surf, the way the water moved around the rocks. She had so much freedom in painting the ocean.

  Half an hour in, her phone beeped. She put her paint brush down and reached for her phone. It would be Harry, probably. Anxiety nestled into her chest when she saw the sender ID. Connor.

  Your mum needs you. You need to come home, Maddy.

  Chapter 22

  ‘Is everything okay, Mum?’ Maddy asked, when her mum answered the phone. She hadn’t texted Connor back but immediately called her mother. She wasn’t stupid.

  ‘Yes, of course, why?’ Sandra trilled down the phone. Maddy was sure Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced ‘bouquet’ obviously) from Keeping Up Appearances had been based on her mother, only a lot frumpier.

  ‘Oh, well,’ God, how did she put this? ‘This is going to sound weird, Mum, but Connor texted me to tell me I needed to come home, that you needed me.’

  ‘Did he? Are you sure? Why on earth would he do that?’

  ‘I don’t know, but I’ve got the text on the phone.’

  ‘Maybe he sent it to you by mistake and it was meant for someone else. Does he have a sister or brother?’

  ‘Yes he does, but no, the message had my name in it. It was for me,’ Maddy said, frowning. Was this Connor trying to scare her into returning to Bristol?

  ‘Oh, well, I don’t know why he texted you, I haven’t even seen him,’ Sandra said. ‘And anyway, you know your father and I would contact Edward if we needed help. He lives closer, and we wouldn’t worry you unless absolutely necessary.’

  This was true. Ed was very good at supporting their parents. ‘So everything’s okay? Nothing for me to worry about?’

  ‘Absolutely not, I’ve had a fabulous day with your nephew and niece as it happens.’ Alfie and Izzy were Ed and Clare’s children. Next minute she’ll be going on about how they need cousins. ‘However, if you wish to come home and stay with us, rather than with your neighbour …’ Sandra’s tone sounded disapproving, ‘then you’re more than welcome. It wouldn’t take me long to make up the spare room.’

  If only her mother knew the half of it where Harry was concerned.

  They’d at least been practising for making cousins …

  ‘I’m not living with Harry, I’m staying at a cottage in Tinners Bay.’ That ought to keep her quiet.

  ‘What? When? You never said.’

  ‘Sorry, I’ve just been so busy. Val organized it for me, so thanks for the offer, Mum, but I am fine.’ Maddy tried to sound grateful, rather than lick her finger and tally an imaginary score sheet against her mother. ‘I saw the loss adjuster today, too, and work should start on my kitchen soon.’ Maddy then filled her mother in about all the details and lost another good twenty minutes – omitting the information about her and Harry having shared the same bed. By the time she’d got off the phone, her mother catching her up on Ed and Clare, and how adorable their kids were – which they were – all her creative energy to work on her painting had drained away. While she was on the phone, Harry had also sent her a message which implied he wanted
her to come over – he was cooking dinner.

  ‘Shit! Is that the time?’ Maddy said, glancing at her watch. It was getting late. The sun was low over the sea, a pink sunset forming with the clouds scattered in the sky. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her she was hungry, too. Maddy hated eating late. It made it more difficult for her to sleep.

  Harry will make it difficult for you to sleep.

  No, no, no, come back to the cottage after dinner.

  She washed out her brushes quickly, and headed ‘home’ – she seemed to have three at the moment. Throughout the whole journey, her thoughts rattled around in her head caused by the annoyance of Connor’s text. But she knew better than to reply to him. It was best to ignore him.

  ***

  ‘There you are,’ Harry said, tucking the oven gloves under his arm to greet Maddy. He kissed her. This afternoon when he’d last seen her felt like weeks ago.

  ‘Something smells good,’ she said, but he watched her smile fade and her shoulders slouch as she threw her handbag over the bannister at the foot of the stairs. He frowned, anxiety creeping into his thoughts, but mentally shook it off and squeezed the top of her arm reassuringly. He hoped this wasn’t about him … that she’d had second thoughts …

  ‘Everything okay?’

  Maddy shrugged. ‘I didn’t get to do half of what I wanted to with my commission. I spent half an hour needlessly on the phone to my mother.’

  ‘Oh. Why needlessly?’ He went to the hob and turned down a saucepan bubbling with their vegetables for dinner, easing the lid to stop it rattling. At least it wasn’t about him … or had he been the topic of conversation?

  She shifted her weight, and wouldn’t look at him.

  ‘You can tell me, Maddy.’

  ‘Can I?’

  ‘Yes, we’re friends …’ Now he was worried.

  ‘We’re a bit more than friends now.’ Her determined green eyes narrowed on his.

  ‘Exactly. So tell me what’s wrong. You look like someone’s died.’ Harry drew her into an embrace, tucked her head under his chin and massaged her back. She relaxed into his arms, reciprocating the hug.