‘Oh, hi,’ he said, stepping down from the lecturn. ‘Everything okay?’
‘Can I talk to you for a minute?’
‘Of course. Come on, let’s sit down.’ He gestured to a pew and I sat down next to him, feeling weirdly nervous – maybe because he suddenly felt like a minister, and not Brodie, in his dog collar. But perhaps that was what I needed. ‘What’s up?’
‘I’ve had a letter from Greg,’ I explained, telling him briefly about its contents. ‘I want to write back but I’m scared of saying something that might, I don’t know, halt his progress somehow. I can’t say it’s all okay, because it isn’t. He lied. He hurt me. I’m up here alone, our life together over, you know? And a baby on the way who I might have to raise as a single mother. But I know he’s trying. He reached out for help and I want to encourage that. And I want him to know that I do want him to be a father to our baby. If he’s up to that.’ I sighed. ‘It’s so hard putting how you feel into words, isn’t it?’
Brodie nodded. ‘Definitely, especially to people who mean a lot to us. But I really don’t think you’ll set anything back if you’re as honest with him as he was with you. You’re obviously a forgiving person. You realise that he was ill and that this disease isn’t him, it’s a separate thing that made him do things that he’s sorry for, that he’s ashamed about, and that he’s getting help for. That is admirable. And the fact that you’d like him to be in your baby’s life is also admirable, and something that can only help him in his treatment, I think. Give him something to strive for perhaps?’
I nodded. I had been hoping that. ‘That’s what is important, isn’t it? Not looking back and blaming him, but letting go of the past and focusing on making the most of this opportunity. And our baby needs her father so I need to support him.’
‘And you will. It sounds like you know exactly what to write.’ He smiled. ‘All any of us can do is try to be better people moving forward than we have been before.’
‘That’s a nice thought. There’s always a second chance; that’s what you said in your sermon.’
‘I’m glad what I said sunk in to someone.’ He chuckled. ‘But it’s true. I think good people aren’t those that have always been good in everything they’ve ever done, that’s impossible. But instead they are the ones who keep trying to do better, to be better.’
‘Thanks, Brodie.’ I stood up. ‘I think I’ll go and write it now while I know what I want to say.’ I smiled. ‘I know I told you I’d never met a minister like you before, and I haven’t, but I think that’s what makes you a great one.’
He looked surprised but pleased as he stood up to let me out of the pew. ‘Well, I’m honoured that you think that. I’m glad you’ve moved to Glendale, Emily.’
I smiled. ‘Me too.’ I walked out and went straight to the bakery where I sat down and wrote Greg my reply.
Dear Greg,
Thank you for your letter. I know how sorry you are. I just wish you could have told me how bad things had been getting for you sooner. I would have wanted to help you. I still want to help you.
I’m already proud of you. You finally reached out and I know how much you’re trying to battle your demons. I know our little girl will be proud of you too. You haven’t given up, and I know you won’t because of our baby waiting to meet you.
I want you to know that I’ve moved to Glendale for our baby. To give her the best life I can but I never want you to feel like you can’t be part of that. I want you to be part of it. We may no longer be together but we will always be parents, and she needs both of us. Maybe you can come up when you’re feeling up to it. I want you to see the cottage she’ll be growing up in, and my bakery. I want you to help me get ready for our little girl. Please think about it.
But most of all, I want you to concentrate on the future. The past is behind us both now. We can’t change it, we can’t erase it, but we can learn from it. Being up here in Glendale, I’ve learned that the past can make you stronger if you let it. We will both be stronger because of all of this, I know it, and I hope it will make us stronger for our little girl. So, we can protect her and help her not to make the same mistakes. So she can follow her dreams.
Take care of yourself and know that I’m always here for you,
Love, Emily
I posted off the letter straight after writing it in case I lost my nerve, hoping that he would read it and know that I was speaking the truth. That it might help him in some small way.
I really did want him to be part of my life, and our baby’s life, and I was sure that he would be if he kept on working on his problems. Our house was sold now, and our accountant was busy paying off our debts. It was a relief to not have all of that hanging over us.
This was a fresh start now, and I hoped Greg would grasp that as tightly as I was trying to.
Chapter Fifty-Three
The next couple of weeks just flew by. August was beginning to fade away, and I was well into panic mode because of it.
‘You’re up early,’ Brodie said, leaning around the open door to the bakery one morning.
I jumped a little at the sound of his voice. ‘I needed to start painting so it would dry before the furniture gets here,’ I explained, pausing to look over my shoulder at him. The kitchen was finished and the bakery shelves had been installed; the ceiling and walls were freshly painted white, and the floors were shiny but that was it – it was still a shell. I thought all white would make the place bright, which it had, but it also didn’t feel as if it had any character. I decided in the early hours, when I was tossing and turning unable to sleep, that what it needed was a coloured wall to bring it to life. So I was painting one of the walls lemon to complement the blue tables and chairs that had been ordered. The sign was going to be blue and lemon along with the menus, so it seemed like a perfect choice.
‘Should you be doing that?’ He came in, frowning at me on the ladder reaching up to paint the top of the wall. ‘Let me help.’
‘I’m fine,’ I said, dismissively, carrying on. I had to get it done, and couldn’t wait for someone else to help. Besides, it was only painting. ‘I’m pregnant, not an invalid.’ I knew I was being snappy but I was anxious to finish it.
‘Well, let me make you a cup of tea at least,’ he said, marching into the kitchen before I could protest. I sighed and pushed a stray strand of my hair back into my ponytail. I wiped my brow; it was warm already in the shop and I was beginning to work up a sweat from painting. I already loved the burst of lemon. It had been a genius idea. A bit annoying that it had happened at three a.m. as I really was tired but it would be worth it in the end, I knew.
‘Come down and have this, you need a break,’ Brodie called then, coming back in with two mugs of tea in his hands. ‘Emily, please?’ he pleaded, looking up at me.
‘Okay, okay,’ I said, knowing that I could do with a break really. It was annoying though. I wanted to do things that my body didn’t approve of. I climbed down the ladder and when I reached the bottom rung, I swayed a little.
Brodie quickly put the mugs down and took my arm. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, anxiously, helping me to put my feet on the floor.
‘A little dizzy, that’s all,’ I admitted. I felt light-headed suddenly and a little wobbly.
‘Here.’ He pulled out one of the folding chairs from the table and helped me sit down. ‘Have a sip of this,’ he said, handing me a mug. ‘You’ve gone really pale.’
‘I’m okay,’ I said but I did feel a little shaky. I took a sip of the tea, suddenly worried that I might faint.
‘I’m going to call Drew. No arguments,’ he added when he saw me about to protest. He walked away a little bit to make the call and I heard him speak in a low voice to Drew. ‘Right, he’s on his way. Have you had breakfast?’
Miserably, I shook my head.
Brodie sighed. ‘Emily, you need to look after yourself. Stay there. Do not move,’ he said, somewhat fiercely, and disappeared into the kitchen again.
I nursed m
y tea, sipping it slowly, beginning to feel less light-headed. My legs still felt shaky though.
‘Eat all of it,’ Brodie said, coming back out and handing me a plate with two slices of toast spread thickly with butter and jam. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘A bit better,’ I said, chewing on a piece of toast. I had been so focused on painting, I hadn’t noticed how hungry and thirsty I had been. When I had finished up the toast and tea, a car pulled up outside and out toppled Drew and Beth. ‘You really didn’t need to come,’ I said when they came in, feeling embarrassed about all the fuss.
‘Yes, they did,’ Brodie argued with me, telling Drew what had happened. He and Beth stepped back as Drew sat down next to me.
‘How do you feel now?’ he asked, in full doctor mode, taking out a stethoscope and blood pressure machine from his bag.
‘A bit shaky but not too bad. I hadn’t eaten. And I slept badly last night. It was probably that.’
Drew took my blood pressure in silence and then he sighed. ‘It’s very low, which explains why you felt faint. You’re doing too much, and you really need to take care of yourself. Eating regularly and drinking lots of water, and you need to rest more.’ He looked at the ladder. ‘What if you had fallen?’
I followed his gaze. ‘I didn’t think, I was just so focused on the bakery,’ I said, cupping my bump, suddenly worried. If I had fallen… it didn’t bear thinking about.
Drew got up and came back with a glass of water. ‘Drink this, and then I’m taking you home. No arguments, you need to rest for the day.’
‘But…’
‘We can finish this,’ Beth said, quickly, pointing to the wall. ‘Let us help more,’ she added. ‘You can’t do everything yourself.’
‘The baby comes first,’ Drew added, pointedly.
‘I’m not busy, I can help,’ Brodie said then. ‘Go home and don’t worry about this place, we’ve got this.’
‘I can’t ask you to do that,’ I protested, but weakly because I really did feel like I just wanted to lie down.
‘For goodness’ sake, Emily,’ Beth said, crossly. ‘Just go home. Now!’
I looked at the concerned expression on their faces, and felt a lump rise up in my throat. I really did have great friends. I nodded. ‘Thank you,’ I said, and let Drew help me out of the chair. I followed him out to his car and he drove me back to the Hall.
Once I got back to the cottage, Drew made me take another glass of water, and watched me go upstairs to my room. I heard him tell Aunt Sally in the kitchen what had happened, and that I needed to rest for the remainder of the day.
I threw open my bedroom window to let in some air and then I laid down on my bed, still in my clothes. I rested my hands over my growing bump. I was exhausted. I hadn’t even realised. I hadn’t let myself notice. They were all right – I hadn’t taken good enough care of myself. Letting my eyes close, I promised my baby girl I would do better, and then I quickly fell asleep.
Chapter Fifty-Four
At breakfast the next day, I came down to find our small kitchen full of people. Aunt Sally was pouring tea and sat at the table were Drew, Beth, Heather and Brodie; they all stopped talking abruptly at my entrance and turned to look at me.
‘What’s going on?’ I asked, stopping in the doorway in surprise. They all looked so serious.
‘This is an intervention,’ Beth said, gesturing to the table. ‘Come and sit down, Em.’ I shuffled over, feeling sheepish. ‘We were all so worried about you yesterday so we have a proposal for you – let us help finish the bakery.’ She held up her hand as she saw me open my mouth to protest. ‘Em, you need to slow down. You are doing too much, and you don’t need to. We’ve all cleared our diaries today, and we’ll come with you to the bakery and do whatever you tell us to. We can finish it together. Well, we will finish it and you’ll sit down and instruct us from there,’ she added, sternly.
‘I can’t ask you to do that for me,’ I said when she let me speak, a lump rising up in my throat.
‘You have no choice,’ Brodie said. ‘We will take no arguments. We want to help, okay?’
‘I keep telling you that you’re not alone,’ Aunt Sally added, kindly, as she passed me a glass of juice and a plate piled high with pancakes, fruit, and honey drizzled all over it. My stomach rumbled on cue. ‘Are you sure you all have the time?’ I asked, uneasily.
‘I can think of no better way to spend my time,’ Beth said with a wide smile.
My eyes were now definitely welling up. ‘I can’t thank you all enough.’
‘Wait until we’ve done it,’ Brodie said then with a grin. ‘You haven’t seen how bad I am with a paintbrush.’
‘Tuck in,’ Sally said, handing around more plates. ‘It sounds like you’re all going to need it.’
As I took a sip of my drink, I glanced at my friends eating pancakes, and my heart swelled. I really had made an excellent decision in coming back to Glendale. I wasn’t used to leaning on others, Aunt Sally had told me off enough about it, but I realised that for once I wanted to. And it felt good.
After we had all eaten far too many pancakes, we set off in a convoy to the High Street, and opened up the bakery. I was planted in a chair with my copious notes on the bakery and issued instructions to everyone. It was quite a sight, seeing Brodie in scruffy jeans hanging pretty baskets of flowers either side of the door; Heather telling him to straighten them from below, holding the ladder; Beth arranging flowers in vases to place on the tables; Drew rearranging the chairs over and over until he thought they were just right; and Aunt Sally writing the menu up on the chalkboard hung behind the counter.
It was amazing how the finishing touches all came together with everyone pitching in. It was hard sitting back and letting them do the hard work but it was also more enjoyable than I thought, bossing everyone around. I was soon ticking off everything on my list with a satisfied swipe of my pen.
‘And now for the final touch,’ Beth said, excitedly, as a van pulled up outside. I was allowed to finally get out of my chair to see this. We all piled outside as two men climbed out of the van, carrying the sign for the bakery. We stood in a line as they climbed on their ladders to attach it above the shop.
‘I think we need to say something,’ Beth said as they worked. ‘Brodie – could you?’
‘Right, okay.’ Brodie cleared his throat and gestured to the bakery as we all turned to look at him. ‘Well, this is an important moment. Emily, you’ve worked so hard over the past couple of months to get this bakery ready for its opening. It’s been a real labour of love. We’re so proud of what you’ve created here. It looks amazing – mostly down to my paintwork, I have to say,’ he added with a grin, making us chuckle. ‘And I for one can’t wait for opening day. I will definitely be putting on weight eating your cakes, as I think we all will. Anyway, here’s to making your dream come true!’
The others clapped as I lifted my eyes to look at the sign now hanging above the shop: ‘Emily’s Bakery’.
The curly, pretty letters were in bold blue against a lemon background, matching the colour scheme inside and on the menus, standing out clearly on the High Street. Even to my own biased eyes it looked welcoming. Especially with the hanging baskets either side full of blue and yellow flowers. I felt my eyes well up. ‘I did it,’ I whispered.
‘You sure did,’ Beth said, by my side. She wrapped an arm around my waist and squeezed me.
‘We all did it,’ I added in a louder voice, smiling through my tears. ‘I can’t thank you guys enough for today, for all your hard work, and support!’
‘Go on through,’ Aunt Sally, opening the door with a merry jingle. ‘Make sure it’s all exactly how you want it.’
I stepped inside, conscious of their eyes on me. I stood in the doorway and looked around. The lemon wall made the room look even brighter and had a sign hanging on it, which read ‘There is always time for tea and cake.’ The blue tables and chairs were all arranged, each with a yellow vase in the middle with flowers in
. A menu stood on each table too. There were lights under the counter now and behind it, shelves ready for baked goods. To the side was a chalkboard with the menu written on it in blue and yellow chalk. I picked up a menu. Heather’s logo was on the front and inside was the list of drinks and food in writing to match the sign out front. Every last detail was just right. The wooden floors were polished and the white walls practically sparkling. It looked cosy and pretty and inviting – somewhere I would love to sit down to have a cup of tea and a slice of cake.
It was exactly how I had pictured it.
‘Do you like it?’ Brodie asked from behind me.
I turned around to face them all. ‘No,’ I said, shaking my head. They exchanged worried looks. I waited a beat to let them sweat before breaking into a smile. ‘I love it!’
‘God, you actually had me for a minute there,’ Heather said, chuckling.
‘Me too,’ Beth said, relieved.
‘It’s perfect,’ Brodie said, smiling along with me.
I walked behind the counter. I looked at the new coffee machine, all sleek and silver, ready to be used. Then I ran my hand along the counter. ‘It’s actually real. I have my own bakery.’ And then to my immense embarrassment, I let out a sob.
‘Aw, Em!’ Beth rushed around the counter and pulled me in for a hug. ‘Don’t worry – it’s pregnancy hormones.’
‘Let me thank you all by doing dinner at the cottage for everyone tonight,’ I said when I managed to tide the stem of tears. ‘I promise I won’t cook it,’ I added, knowing I was still banned from doing too much. ‘But we have to celebrate this.’ I gestured around. I turned to Brodie. ‘You’ll come, won’t you? You can bring Jen too,’ I said, having to push the words out of my mouth.
He smiled. ‘Of course I’ll be there. I’m not sure about Jen.’ He looked around. ‘So, apart from the food, you’re all ready for opening.’
New Beginnings At Glendale Hall Page 26