Winter at West Sands Guest House

by Maggie Conway

  Of course the visit from his new neighbour hadn’t exactly helped. Images of her had kept flitting into his head as he tried to fall asleep. He might be dog-tired and sworn off women for life but he still recognized a beautiful woman when he saw one. With her honey-blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, not a scrap of make-up – unless you counted what looked like a smudge of blue paint on her face – she was stunning.

  But this was definitely not the time to start noticing the colour of your neighbour’s hair. She’d just been so friendly, acting all neighbourly, but he hadn’t been in the mood for twenty questions and to be honest, he hadn’t known quite how to handle it. He knew he lived in a small community now and that’s probably what neighbours did – talk to each other, borrow things – or in her case fix heating systems.

  Their conversation last night was longer than any he’d had with his old neighbours in London. He’d never known their stories and hadn’t wanted to; a nod in the hallway had sufficed. But he got the uncomfortable feeling it was going to be different with Eva Harris.

  Was it just two of them living there? He’d noticed her hands were bare of rings and she’d only mentioned living with her son. If she was on her own running a business and bringing up a son, she’d have her hands full yet she had made time to bring him home-made soup. He’d found the gesture curiously quaint and he was well aware he hadn’t exactly been gracious accepting it but it hadn’t stopped him devouring the lot. It had tasted delicious.

  He didn’t know why her visit had irked him so much but he’d felt wrong-footed in some way, her questions reinforcing his isolation. Having to say out loud that he was on his own felt like admitting his dream lay in tatters and that had hurt more than he cared to admit and had been enough to drive his manners away. Next time he saw her he would make a point of thanking her but that didn’t mean he wanted to get involved.

  Giving himself a mental shake, he checked his tie in the mirror and headed downstairs. Today the house felt even bigger, his footsteps echoing on the polished wooden floorboards in the hall. He had no doubt it had been a well-loved and lived-in house, but it was crying out for some attention and updating. At least the shower had worked this morning even though it was rickety and had made a slightly alarming noise.

  Wandering through to the dining room at the back of the house he could see the potential to make it a beautiful home if you knew how to go about it. He wouldn’t have a clue where to start. Clearly it was too big for him. He’d be rattling about here on his own. A door led him through to the kitchen. Most people would want this as one big space, he imagined as he walked over to the large window overlooking the garden.

  ‘What the – ?’

  In dungarees on her knees at the bottom of his garden was his new neighbour, Eva Harris. She appeared to be chasing a chicken around his back garden. Other chickens were clucking around in her own garden and a small manic dog seemed to be getting in on the action also. Watching for a few moments Ben realized she seemed to be coaxing the chicken from his garden back into her own.

  Unlike last night, her hair was loose, tumbling down her back in soft waves. He watched as she made a sudden lunge for the chicken and then hoisted it over the fence back into her own garden. Ben couldn’t help smiling. God, she looked mad. And utterly beautiful. He shook his head and forced himself away from events in the garden, as enticing as they were.

  Ben started to get some papers ready for his meeting. Walking back through the hall, an envelope caught his eye lying on the mat by the front door. Opening it, he found a set of keys. Clearly Eva Harris was an early riser and had returned the keys to his house. He tossed them onto the sideboard, ignoring the inexplicable stab of guilt he felt, and went to get ready.

  ***

  ‘Come on, Betsy … this way!’ Eva used her best chicken voice but Betsy was choosing to ignore her and instead seemed intent on pecking something interesting on the ground. There were times when Eva questioned her decision to rescue six chickens especially when it came to the weekly cleanout and even more so when they decided to go on walkabouts into other people’s gardens.

  She should have fixed that gap in the fence ages ago and hadn’t noticed it had got big enough for an escape party. She loved her girls and it was wonderful being able to provide her guests with fresh eggs. But there was no doubt it had been a labour of love and it had been hard work to get them from the sad-looking creatures they once were to the cheeky happy characters they were now.

  Spotting her moment, she grabbed Betsy with two hands and lifted her back to the safety of her own garden. Hamish, happy to have Betsy home safely, barked in approval. Eva had very carefully introduced Hamish and the chickens but she needn’t have worried. They were all firm friends now and Eva suspected Hamish had assumed the role of pack leader.

  Finding a piece of wood from her shed she dragged it over and managed to prop it up against the gap in the fence, hoping that would secure it until she could fix it properly. She doubted her new neighbour would appreciate a chicken on the loose in his garden; he was more likely to be the type to slab everything over with concrete.

  Disappointment had given way to anger when she thought about him now. Eva began vigorously brushing up the dirty pine shavings from the coop, thinking just how rude he had been. She tossed the shavings onto the compost heap at the bottom corner of the garden and with some help from Hamish, rounded up the chickens. Ushering them back into their clean coop Eva left them to settle down and roost in peace.

  Early morning was Eva’s favourite time of day and getting up early to deal with guests had never been an issue. She loved being outside in her garden, and was making the most of it before the clocks went back and she would lose light in the morning. She trudged down to the bottom of the garden where she kept a small vegetable patch, enjoying the feel of muddy earth under her feet. It had been hit and miss with the success of her vegetable growing and her latest offering of carrots – slightly shrivelled and sorry-looking – had done nothing to convince Jamie eating vegetables could be a pleasurable experience.

  Still, she loved that she had created a little safe haven for the two of them. Sometimes she wished she could lock the outside world out and just keep things the way they were. Ben Matthews’s arrival had rankled her. Almost as if she blamed him – unfairly she knew – for making the MacKenzies leave and change everything.

  A light rain was now falling and Eva started to feel chilled so she headed back towards the house with Hamish at her heels. She went in through the back door to the utility room, which had become a dumping ground for shoes, jackets, tools, and old toys. Eva had cleared way to make room for Hamish’s feeding bowls and basket, hoping she could train him to stay in this area and out of the kitchen.

  ‘Hamish, here boy.’ She pointed to his basket and was delighted when he obediently flopped into it. She gave him a treat and patted his head, thinking just maybe she was getting the hang of this training lark. She pulled off her wellies, slipped out of her dungarees, and washed up before heading upstairs.

  In his darkened room Jamie slept soundly. She picked up a few random items of clothing and a Harry Potter book discarded on the floor by the side of his bed. Eva took a moment to watch him sleep, marvelling at the innocence of his sleeping young face. The smallest of smiles played on his lips as if he was in the middle of a lovely dream and Eva felt guilty for waking him.

  She wished she had some sort of parental magic wand she could wave over him to keep him safe. He had been just four the day she’d woken him to go to the hospital after Paul’s accident and Eva couldn’t bear that she was about to wake him and bring tragedy into his life. Of course he wouldn’t fully understand but somehow she was going to have to try and explain he would never see Daddy again. She could only hope the love and stability she provided would make up for his loss. Eva had always made sure Jamie knew who Paul was, sharing memories of him so her son knew he’d had a father who loved him very much.

  Eva began the ritual of waking him, clic
king on the bedside light and opening the curtains just enough to allow a sliver of grey morning light in through the gap. Jamie, not sharing his mother’s love of mornings, rolled over in protest at the sudden intrusion into his slumber. ‘Morning, love,’ she said, giving him a gentle shake. Once she knew he was fully awake and in no danger of falling back to sleep, Eva left him to get dressed.

  Returning to the kitchen with hot coffee on her mind, Eva felt the distinct crunch of cereal under her feet. Not necessarily an unusual occurrence but when she followed the trail of crumbs she found Hamish in his basket with his nose buried deep in a box of cereal. Clearly he had jumped up and taken it from the table, probably violating at least half a dozen health and safety regulations, thought Eva grimly.

  ‘Oh, Hamish!’ She snatched the box away and he looked up at her with guilty eyes. ‘What am I going to do with you?’ she sighed. Hamish, seeming to understand Eva’s annoyance, crouched low in his basket, ears flattened against his head.

  Eva tidied up and made herself a now much-needed coffee. She sat at the table with her hands wrapped around her mug, thinking of the day ahead. She glanced at the pile of papers and envelopes stacked on top of her laptop sitting in front of her on the table. The guest house always generated paperwork but she wasn’t sure she was in the mood to face insurance quotes or marketing matters.

  She’d do more work on the guest bedroom today. After several encouraging calls to Jamie he finally emerged from upstairs. Eva smiled to herself at his sudden interest in his appearance. Hair gel, spot cream, and a particular brand of deodorant had recently been added to Eva’s weekly shopping list. Now his hair was neatly gelled into place and his school tie adjusted to what Eva presumed was an acceptably cool angle.

  Donald MacKenzie had often stepped in to help Jamie master certain skills, including doing up his tie. His youngest grandson was a couple of years older than Jamie and Donald had always made a point of including Jamie when they did things together.

  ‘Don’t you look smart.’ Eva smiled. He grunted as he plonked himself down at the table, tipping a huge amount of cereal into a bowl and splashing milk on the top. Eva started to spread butter on slices of bread and cut cheese for Jamie’s lunch, going through her morning checklist.

  ‘Have you packed your homework?’ They’d spent a torturous hour last night doing his homework. Biology and then maths.

  ‘In my bag.’ He smiled sweetly before cramming a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

  ‘And you’ve got your PE kit?’ Although Eva knew there wasn’t much chance of him forgetting that.

  ‘Yeah. And Mark’s Mum said it be okay for me and Fraser to go back to his house for a bit after badminton today.’

  Eva racked her brain trying to remember if he had mentioned Mark before. ‘Where does he live?’

  ‘I dunno. It’s near the school though.’

  ‘Can you text me his address when you get there?’

  ‘Yeah, all right.’

  Eva was pleased he was making new friends but had to know all the details – the who, where, and when – before she could begin to feel anywhere near comfortable.

  ‘So what time will you be home?’

  He shrugged. ‘Just like whenever.’

  ‘I’ll want you home for dinner though, okay?’

  ‘Probably,’ he sighed, clearly overwhelmed by the relentless questioning.

  ‘I can come and collect you from Mark’s house. Just text me but don’t make it too late please,’ Eva said squashing the sandwich with an apple and yogurt into his lunchbox. He nodded taking his empty bowl over to the sink.

  ‘You go and brush your teeth and I’ll get Hamish ready for his walk.’

  Going over to Hamish’s basket, Eva stroked his velvety ears realizing just how grateful she was to have his company these days. She thought of the hours stretching ahead of her. Winter days could be long on her own and she was glad she had the bedroom to finish today.

  She turned to Hamish, the cereal incident now forgotten. ‘Come on, boy, it’s you and me again. Time for your walk.’ Hearing the magic word, Hamish jumped out of his basket and barked excitedly. Eva insisted on leaving the house together even though Jamie went to meet his friends to walk to school while she took Hamish in the opposite direction to the beach. When they were all ready to leave, Eva opened the front door, relieved to see it had stopped raining.

  As if they had synchronized it, Eva heard her new neighbour’s front door shut at the exact moment she closed her own and, glancing over, she saw Ben Matthews leave his house. She turned to Jamie and spoke between gritted teeth.

  ‘Come on, we don’t want to be late.’ If they hurried they might miss him. It went against every bone in her body, but she didn’t want to come face to face with Ben Matthews this morning and try to be friendly. A simple acknowledgement might be interpreted as unwanted attention.

  Her mind was still processing their first meeting last night and she didn’t know what to think. All she had wanted was neighbours like the MacKenzies but clearly that wasn’t going to happen.

  ‘We’re not late, Mum. We’re never late,’ Jamie huffed, well used to his mother’s efficient timekeeping.

  ‘Well we don’t want to start today, do we?’

  Halfway down the path, her plan to forge ahead was thwarted by Hamish who stopped abruptly and cocked his leg, having found the perfect spot for his morning pee, which always took ages. Perfect. Waiting as patiently as she could while Hamish did his business, Eva surreptitiously glanced over at Ben now walking down his garden path. His navy suit looked expensive and showed off his broad chest and long legs but wasn’t something she’d expect a university teacher to wear. With Hamish finished they continued down the path where to her surprise, Ben had made a point of waiting for them.

  ‘Morning.’

  His tone was formal and his expression uncertain. Part of her hoped he might not be quite as handsome as she remembered last night. But looking at him now she knew there was no chance of that. If anything he was more attractive than she remembered. Unlike the previous evening he was clean-shaven, revealing the shape of a strong jawline, and his dark hair was neatly swept back. Up close Eva noticed he looked tired, but the shadows under his eyes didn’t take away from the potency of his gaze.

  ‘Hello,’ Eva replied, trying for a nonchalance she wasn’t feeling.

  ‘I wanted to thank you for the soup last night – and the heating.’ He looked down at the ground and rubbed a hand around the back of his neck, a gesture Eva found annoyingly attractive. Deciding to accept this little interchange as an apology of sorts for his abruptness last night, she returned his smile.

  ‘No problem,’ she said, turning to Jamie who was mucking about with Hamish. She looked at him encouragingly. ‘Jamie, this is our new neighbour: Ben Matthews. This is my son: Jamie.’ She put her hand on his shoulder, unable to keep the pride from her voice.

  ‘Hi, Jamie. Nice to meet you.’ He smiled and it was a proper smile that transformed his face – nothing like the scowl he had worn last night Eva noted. She really must have caught him at a bad moment. Ben held out his hand, in a proper man-to-man way, which her son responded to albeit rather self-consciously. Eva watched them. For some inexplicable reason this moment felt significant. She was relieved to see her son act politely but could tell he was eager to be off and meet his friends, his eyes scanning the street. Ben nodded towards the racquet on Jamie’s shoulder.

  ‘You play badminton?’

  Jamie did a double take now, clearly impressed that their new neighbour, unlike Eva, could recognize a badminton racquet when he saw one.

  ‘Yeah, I go to a club after school,’ he explained just before his attention was diverted by a call from one of his friends. ‘Fraser’s waiting for me, Mum. Remember the trip! I need to know,’ he called back as he ran off.

  ‘I will. Be careful! Love you!’ The rush of words left her mouth as she watched him go. She turned to Ben and blushed, aware she probably sounded like a m
adwoman. She cleared her throat. ‘So, your first day at the university then?’

  He nodded. ‘I thought I would use the walk to try and get my bearings.’

  ‘Are you going to the main building or the physics building?’

  He shot her a surprised look. ‘Um, the physics building.’

  ‘Just walk to the end of this road, turn right onto Doubledykes Road, and take the second left into Kennedy Gardens. From there, you’ll start to see university buildings, which are all signposted. You should easily find the physics building.’

  ‘That’s helpful, thanks.’

  ‘No problem. Oh, and I returned your house keys this morning through your letterbox. Did you get them?’

  ‘Yes, I did.’ He looked down again, his eyes not meeting hers.

  On a roll, Eva continued. ‘There’s also a gap in the fence between our gardens, which I’ll come and fix.’

  ‘That’s all right, I can get someone in –’

  ‘No, I can do it. I’ve already got the replacement panels. I just need to measure and cut them to size, then nail them in. Easy.’

  He regarded her for a moment before replying. ‘Of course. I forgot how practical you are.’

  ‘Good. That’s settled then.’

  Out of the corner of her eye, Eva saw a familiar car trundling along the road towards them. Eva knew immediately it was Heather who had just dropped Fraser. Grinning like a maniac, she flew by in her people carrier full of assorted children. Not only did she have her own three boys, she was also a childminder and every morning she could be found depositing various children at various locations.

  Seeing Eva and Ben, she blasted her car horn, giving a thumbs-up sign. Eva groaned inwardly, hoping Ben didn’t see her friend’s gesture. ‘My friend Heather on the school run,’ she explained with a weak laugh just as Hamish, for reasons best known to himself, decided to launch himself at Ben’s legs. Thankfully Hamish’s front paws only just made contact but enough for two small muddy stains to appear on his trouser leg.