‘I’m not expecting you to pay me any rent. You are here to get yourself back on track, and I’m not adding to your worries.’
‘But—’ Ella went to object, but Callie was having none of it.
‘No buts, you’d do the same for me.’
‘Thank you.’ Ella swung a look towards the mountains. ‘This does beat the city.’
‘It does, and wait until you see The Lakehouse. There’s no point me even trying to describe it to you, as it wouldn’t do it justice. It’s stunning.’
‘I can’t wait, even though I have to admit, I’m not sure I’ll make the best waitress. I’m the clumsiest person ever and am always dropping stuff or tripping up. Remember when we were at university, and I got sacked from the pub on campus after the plate of spaghetti I was holding slipped into the lap of the woman wearing the white dress?’ Ella rolled her eyes. The manager had sacked her immediately and at the time Ella thought she’d never work again.
‘Oh my God, don’t remind me of that now!’ Callie burst out laughing. ‘You can’t go throwing spaghetti over the diners at The Lakehouse.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ This was what Ella had missed, old friendships full of banter. Even though her debts were weighing heavily on her mind, she knew being here with Callie would do her the world of good.
‘Hindsight is a wonderful thing.’
‘And love has a lot to answer for, Callie. What’s that noise?’
Their conversation was interrupted by the sudden sound of singing coming from the balcony below them. Ella raised her eyebrows.
Callie was chuckling. ‘That’s Dolores! She’s amazing. I absolutely love her and you’re going to absolutely love her too. Come and meet her – you’re in for a treat.’
Ella took another sip of wine before following Callie down the stairwell to another duck-egg blue door. There was no answer after Callie rapped on the knocker, so she pushed down the handle and walked straight inside.
‘Dolores, it’s me, Callie,’ she shouted over the noise of the music.
Wide-eyed, Ella thought she’d walked into some sort of hall of fame. The walls were lined with faded photos and magazine cuttings of Dolly Parton, and there was an old-fashioned olive-green telephone on a small round table with a brown velvet stool tucked underneath it.
‘Dolores, it’s me,’ Callie called again, competing with the warblings that were belting out from the balcony. ‘She’s a huge fan of Dolly – I mean fangirl!’
‘No shit, Sherlock,’ whispered Ella, still staring at the walls in the small hallway and wondering what she was going to find on the other side of the door.
‘Is that you, Callie dear?’ Suddenly the music was turned down.
‘It is. I’ve brought a friend to meet you.’ Callie pushed open the door and walked into the living room.
In her head Ella had pictured a minimalist space with a wooden floor, neutral colours on the walls and a little old lady wearing a grey cardigan with her hair in a bun, singing along to the radio, but instead Ella was mesmerised. Standing in front of her was a tiny, slim woman wearing cherry-red lipstick and a matching bright-red beret on the top of a mass of blonde curly hair, a vivid peacock-blue blouse over a large chest that was draped in orange beads, a black skirt and green tights. The outfit was completed by a black feather boa draped around her neck and fluffy animal-print kitten-heel slippers.
The living room was cosy with two armchairs, a sofa and a coffee table facing a pretty tiled fireplace. To the left a bookcase was stacked with romantic comedies, and to the right an old record player sat with hundreds of vinyls piled next to it. There was a TV like no other Ella had ever seen, the carpet was a vision of brown paisley swirls, and the walls, decorated in red and gold stripes, were covered in frame after frame of photographs.
‘Wow, what an amazing room,’ exclaimed Ella, feeling like she’d stepped inside some sort of museum.
Dolores smiled at Ella and stared from underneath her heavily mascaraed lashes. ‘Who do we have here?’ she asked, taking a seat. ‘You look like you are in need a good meal.’ Dolores clearly wasn’t afraid to say what she thought.
Callie tipped a wink at an astonished Ella who was captivated by Dolores’ appearance. She knew she was staring but she couldn’t take her eyes off her.
‘Dolores, this is my friend Ella. She’s staying with me for a while.’
‘A while? Are you in trouble or mending a broken heart?’ Dolores was watching Ella carefully. ‘In my experience, it’s usually one of the two.’
Ella snagged a fleeting glance towards Callie, who was grinning. ‘She doesn’t miss a trick,’ whispered Callie.
‘And there’s no need for whispering. I may be old but I’m not deaf – not yet, anyway.’
‘No, I’m not in trouble,’ replied Ella with a smile.
‘Mmmm… boy trouble, then? It will tell me in your leaves.’
‘Leaves?’
‘Dolores can see your future in your tea leaves.’ Callie gave her a knowing look.
‘They aren’t worth it, you know… boys. Everyone needs a McCartney and Fred instead.’
Ella looked bewildered. ‘A McCartney? A Fred?’
Dolores pointed to the bird cage on the balcony. ‘Fred, my canary.’
‘Named after Fred Astaire, as he dances around the cage,’ chipped in Callie.
Ella glanced at the blue-and-yellow canary that was happily pecking away at the bird food before bobbing his head. He looked comical.
‘And McCartney,’ Dolores pointed her stick to the tiny Yorkshire Terrier asleep on the bed in the corner of the room.
Ella was surprised he hadn’t moved a muscle since they arrived.
‘Please tell me he’s not stuffed,’ whispered Ella, looking for the rise and fall in his chest.
‘He’s deaf,’ mouthed Callie. ‘But very much alive.’
‘Obviously named after the great Paul McCartney. Well, sit yourselves down, there’s tea in the pot. And take a biscuit, but only if it’s one of those rich tea ones – they’re so boring, and they stick to the root of my mouth.’ Dolores nudged the plate towards them. ‘Go on, take one. I have to get rid of them somehow. Hamish brings them. He thinks I’ve not noticed they are past their sell-by date.’
‘Thank you,’ replied Ella, eyeing up the chocolate biscuits but only daring to take a rich tea.
‘More importantly, do you like Dolly?’ asked Dolores, eyeing Ella with interest.
‘I absolutely love Dolly!’ Ella replied enthusiastically.
Dolores stood up slowly and, with the help of her stick, walked over to the old-fashioned record player. She placed the needle back on the stand and the record stopped spinning. Then she slowly walked back to her seat.
‘Where was Dolly born?’ asked Dolores, watching Ella carefully.
‘Tennessee,’ answered Callie, thankfully coming to Ella’s rescue.
‘Which Bee-Gees song did Dolly and Kenny Rogers score a hit with?’ continued Dolores, leaning back and stretching her arms out along the arms of the chair.
‘I know this one…’ Ella clapped her hands together. Callie looked at her with amusement. ‘“Islands in the Stream”.’
Dolores nodded, clearly impressed. ‘Who is Dolly Parton’s god-daughter?’
‘I know this one too… Miley Cyrus.’ Ella beamed, getting into the swing of things and thankful for the pub quizzes at university.
‘Last one…’ Dolores was thinking. ‘Who wrote Dolly’s hit, “9 to 5”?’
Ella looked towards Callie for help, who mouthed ‘Dolly’. ‘That’ll be Dolly, herself,’ answered Ella triumphantly.
Dolores’ mouth hitched into a smile. ‘You, Ella, are a friend of mine. Take a seat and you can have a chocolate biscuit – but only one, mind.’
Ella was chuffed she’d passed the test and sat on the floral sofa covered in a patchwork crochet blanket of many colours. Callie sat next to her.
‘I might even open up the fruitcake.’
‘Sa
ve the cake for another day – we’ve just finished dinner and are stuffed. We just heard your beautiful voice and thought we’d say hello. We’ll pop back tomorrow for cake,’ replied Callie warmly, finishing her biscuit and catching the crumbs with her hand.
Dolores looked please, then nodded towards Ella. ‘Let me read your leaves.’
‘Of course, I’d like that,’ replied Ella, giving her a wide smile followed by a yawn. ‘Please forgive me! We’ve been travelling all day.’ She would have liked nothing more than to pull on her PJs whilst finishing the wine.
‘I feel very much the same,’ admitted Callie.
‘You get yourselves off, but come and see me tomorrow,’ instructed Dolores, waving her stick in the air.
After they said their goodbyes and before the door was even shut behind them, the record player crackled, and Dolores began singing again.
‘Oh my God, are you sure that dog is alive?’ exclaimed Ella, stepping into the stairwell. She was convinced he wasn’t breathing.
‘He’s definitely alive,’ confirmed Callie, much to Ella’s relief.
‘I hope I’m just as wacky as that one day – living with my canary, my deaf dog and obsessed with Dolly.’ She giggled, thinking the whole visit was surreal.
Callie let herself back into her flat and they sat back out on the balcony and poured the wine. ‘Dolores is Hamish’s ninety-something-year-old mother.’
‘Ninety-something?’ Ella let out a low whistle. ‘Wow… just, wow!’
‘She’s as bright as a button, doesn’t miss a trick and on the whole is still able to take care of herself, but since I’ve been here, I do check in on her every day. She brightens up my days to no end.’
‘Amazing.’ Ella was in complete awe. Ninety-something years old! She couldn’t believe it. ‘She seems wonderful, absolutely wonderful,’ confirmed Ella, thinking if their first meeting was anything to go by, Dolores must have a very interesting and colourful past.
Having only arrived in Heartcross an hour ago, Ella was already feeling relaxed and very much at home. They sat in a comfortable silence, staring out over the mountainous terrain. ‘I hope I’m as switched on as Dolores when I get to her age,’ Ella thought out loud.
‘I’m just hoping I’m still alive,’ replied Callie with a chuckle.
‘Can you believe we are both sitting here… single?’ Ella looked at Callie. ‘I really can’t thank you enough for inviting me to stay.’
‘You don’t have to thank me – you’d do the same for me. It’s a funny old world, isn’t it?’
‘It certainly is. You know what, Callie? We need to be more like Dolores.’
‘What – idolising Dolly Parton, owning a canary and a deaf dog?’ Callie gave her a funny look.
Ella threw back her head and laughed. ‘No! Living life to the max… that’s my new motto… be like Dolores.’
‘You’ll be getting a T-shirt made next,’ teased Callie.
They were still chuckling as they finished their wine. With her feet propped up on the balcony, Ella tilted her face up towards the sky and shut her eyes. It was late September, and the weather was still glorious. Ella inhaled and they exchanged contented smiles. In her heart she knew that Heartcross was a good place to get her life back on track after leaving her old life behind. ‘Today is the start of the rest of my life,’ she announced.
‘I’ll drink to that.’ Callie reached forward and clinked her glass with Ella’s.
‘So Dolores reads tea leaves – that’s what she said, isn’t it?’ asked Ella, who had only ever had her fortune told once before, by Gypsy Petrulengro on Blackpool’s seafront after getting totally inebriated on a hen weekend.
Callie let out an involuntary laugh. ‘I can see where this is going.’
‘Have you had yours read?’ Ella was intrigued. She didn’t disbelieve the whole theory about seeing into the future, but of course was a little sceptical. ‘This could be fun.’
‘Whoa!’ Callie held up her hand. ‘Don’t bring me into this! I’m not sure I believe in all that looking-into-the-future malarkey. I’m a firm believer in letting fate take over. But as your friend, I’m willing to participate, if I have to.’
This perked Ella right up and a flicker of a smile spread across her face. ‘You know what I love, even after all this time? We just fall back into being the best of friends. It’s just so easy being in your company. Thanks for all this, and sorting out a job for me too.’ Ella was genuinely grateful.
‘It’s exactly the same for me, after splitting with Dan after all that time. If it wasn’t for Flynn and Julia giving me a job and a home when I first arrived… There’s something about Heartcross, and you being here will do me the world of good. It’s great to have some company, especially when it’s yours. We used to have the best times.’
Ella was unexpectedly moved. Callie was a loyal friend with a good heart, always kind and a well-meaning person. She’d stepped up to the mark, and that was what true friendship was all about. ‘Let’s have a toast to us.’ Ella held up her glass and tapped it against Callie’s. ‘Here’s to life, happiness and my new job. Let’s hope it’s all happy sailing.’
‘I hope so too, as the only way to work is by water taxi.’ Callie gave a little chuckle.
Ella’s mind glimpsed back to her younger self – slender, gorgeous and maybe a little gobby at times. Now in her mid-thirties, she’d never thought it would be written in the stars that she was going to be a waitress, bunking up with her old uni friend, miles from home. But now she was here, she was going to grasp the opportunity with both hands. Of course, she was going to throw herself into life in Heartcross, and hopefully soon she’d have more of a clue about what she was actually going to do with her life.
‘You never know what’s around the corner,’ added Callie, holding up her glass. ‘To us! And our future, which starts right here, right now.’
‘To us,’ mirrored Ella. ‘And the start of a brand-new chapter.’
Chapter Two
The next morning Ella woke just after 9am, pushed back the duvet and swung her legs to the floor. Already she knew it was going to be another magnificent day ahead. The sun was beaming through the gap in the curtains, leaving horizontal patterns across the carpet. Sliding back the curtains, she stared at the splendid view. What could be more glorious than waking up to the view of Heartcross Mountain? She pushed open the window and breathed in the air before pulling on an oversized jumper and wandering into the living room.
Callie was already sitting out on the balcony reading a newspaper. ‘Good morning!’ She gave Ella a huge smile. ‘Did you sleep well?’
Ella sat down opposite and smothered a yawn. ‘Ha, look at me, still yawning – but yes I slept well.’
‘I’ve slept well every night since arriving in Heartcross – it must be the mountain air.’ Callie nodded to the breakfast laid out on the table. ‘Help yourself. There’s cereal, croissants, fruit, and tea in the pot.’
Breakfast was a small feast and Ella reached across the table and grabbed a croissant from the basket, along with the pot of strawberry jam. ‘Is that Dolores, singing already?’ Ella swung a look over the balcony and saw Dolores sitting below at the table and chairs on her veranda. Fred was chirping away in the cage on the table whilst McCartney was curled up on her lap. Dolores was belting out a song like she didn’t have a care in the world.
‘Every morning, without fail.’
‘She has got a pretty amazing voice,’ remarked Ella, tilting her ear towards the balcony.
‘The dog thinks so,’ joked Callie.
Ella laughed, pouring herself a glass of orange juice from the carton. ‘So, what’s the plan for today?’ Ella was curious to get out and explore Heartcross, maybe meet some of the locals too.
‘It’s up to you. We could wander around Heartcross so you can get your bearings. There’s The Boathouse, which is perfect on a day like today. I’ve got the day off work, and we do need to go over to The Lakehouse to pick up your uniform re
ady for Monday at some point, but you choose. We can do whatever you want to do.’ Callie folded the newspaper and pushed it to one side. ‘And the postman has pushed this through the wrong door by mistake – it’s a letter for Dolores. I’ve got a little bit of paperwork to do, but apart from that I’m all yours.’
‘I’ll have a shower and drop the letter into Dolores’,’ offered Ella. ‘And once you’ve finished your paperwork we can go and do some exploring.’
Ella couldn’t wait to go out and about. She’d woken in a good mood and as far as she was concerned, today was going to be a good day. Ella had every intention of grabbing it with both hands, and hopefully she could begin to put the past behind her.
Thirty minutes later, after a quick shower, Ella found herself standing outside Dolores’ front door clutching the letter. It was hand-written with spider-like writing in an old-fashioned ink pen. Ella knocked but there was no answer. Dolores was probably still sitting outside, so she turned the handle and gave a little shout.
‘Dolores, it’s Ella!’ She stepped into the living room.
Dolores was sitting in her chair with her eyes closed and McCartney was curled up on her lap.
‘Dolores,’ Ella spoke softly. The last thing she wanted to do was frighten her. Maybe she should just leave the letter beside her for when she woke up. Padding lightly over the carpet, Ella was just about to place the letter on the arm of the chair when Dolores opened her eyes and screamed. McCartney didn’t move a muscle.
‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to make you jump!’ exclaimed Ella, sitting down on the couch. ‘It’s just me.’ Ella touched Dolores’ arm, then brought her hand up to her own chest to calm her beating heart.
‘We didn’t hear you, did we, McCartney? Must have dozed off for a second.’ Dolores patted McCartney’s head, who eventually opened his eyes and jumped down from the chair and straight on to Ella’s lap.
‘He’s adorable.’
‘Don’t be fooled, he’s a grumpy old man. I often joke about which one of us will go first. I’m hoping it’s him, even though it will break my heart. I just couldn’t leave him in this world alone.’ Dolores was staring at McCartney with such love that Ella immediately felt emotional and swallowed down a lump in her throat. ‘And what have you there?’ asked Dolores, noticing the letter in Ella’s hand.
The Lake House Page 3