by Jenny Kane
Cass laughed. ‘Most of the confidence is fake or forced to be honest, but yes, that sounds about right.’
Pouring himself a glass of water, Max asked, ‘What is this big new life plan then, Cass?’
‘I’m going to take a course with Jo in Truro doing furniture restoration. She has already offered me an apprenticeship in exchange for free interior design advice. I’ve always had a flair for colours and seeing what goes with what. Until I’d met Jo I hadn’t seen it as interior design. Just something I did.’ Cass sounded as bemused as she felt. How had she not noticed this whole creative side to her world that presumably had always been inside her, waiting to be fulfilled?
‘Eventually I want to open an Interior Design workshop. Somewhere to do up the furniture Jo can’t find time to do – and isn’t too complicated – and where people can come for advice or to book me to redesign their living spaces.’ Cass turned to Max. ‘Can I recommend you as the decorator to go to when people ask for more than I can provide?’
‘Hell yes.’ Max beamed. ‘Thanks, Cass.’
Beth stifled a yawn, her curiosity greater than her desire to sleep despite the fact it was past midnight. ‘Where will you do all this? I mean, it would be easy for you to put a shed in your garden like Abi has, and work from there.’
‘True, but I have to start fresh.’ Cass looked at Dan who gave her a reassuring wink as she went on. ‘As much as I like it here, and as lucky as I’ve been with my incredible neighbours,’ turning, Cass smiled at Abi, ‘I have to live a tiny bit more inland to satisfy the part of me who’ll be forever a city girl.
‘Sadie and I have been to see Maggie at the estate agent’s. She thinks she has found the right sort of place for me on the other side of Penzance. A small shop-cum-studio, with a tiny office downstairs, and a flat above. Dan and I are going to take a look tomorrow afternoon.’
Reaching out for Beth’s hand, Jacob asked, ‘If we said yes to your incredible offer, how would it work?’
‘You could either buy number two, or rent it, while you rent out your own flat, I guess. Up to you.’ Cass held up her hand as Beth and Jacob exchanged glances, obviously not at all sure what to do. ‘I don’t expect a quick answer. This is a big decision. Why don’t you have a think about it for a few days? It’s so late; we should all get some sleep.’
Pushing her spare house keys across the table, Cass spoke to Beth. ‘My meeting with Maggie is at ten tomorrow morning. Go take a look if you like while I’m out. If you don’t want to take the place then I’ll see if Maggie can rent it out for me.’ Standing up, Cass said, ‘Thanks ever so much for a lovely evening, Abi, but I have an appointment with my bed.’
Dan got up as well. ‘And I ought to go back to the flats. Thanks, all.’ Kissing Cass on the cheek, he quickly disappeared out of the house.
Cass was about to follow Dan, when Abi and Beth laughed, speaking in unison. ‘Spill the beans, Ms Henley!’
‘Honestly! I think you two have been picking tips up from the new Mrs Abbey!’ Cass laughed. ‘Let’s say that the next time Dan sends me roses they may be nearer red than yellow. Orange, perhaps? I’ll give you all the news tomorrow! Now it’s bedtime.’
Cass got to her front door, to find Dan sat on the doorstep.
‘Did you get lost on the way to Chalk Towers?’
‘Nope.’ Dan’s eyes shone with desire. ‘I’m exactly where I intended to be.’
‘Good. Then you’d better come in.’
The four friends stared at each other across the kitchen table, not one of them quite believing what had just happened.
It was Beth who spoke first. ‘What do you think, Jacob? I mean, I love Grandad’s flat – it’s so full of memories – but we really will need more space in time, won’t we? But could we afford to live here if we rented the flat out? The rent won’t be cheap, will it? I know we could never afford to buy it.’
Jacob was doing rapid calculations. ‘We could probably afford the rent if you kept working like you said you would, but you might not want to any more.’
‘I do want to. For my sanity’s sake really. But only part-time. No point in having a child if you never see them.’
Max picked up Cass’s spare keys, and passed them to Beth. ‘Go and have a look tomorrow. Just the two of you; on your own.’
Finally alone with Max, Abi was trying hard not to show any form of excitement on her face at the prospect of their best friends becoming their neighbours in case Beth and Jacob decided not to take up Cass’s offer. ‘We could help with babysitting.’
‘We could,’ Max said. ‘And we wouldn’t have to worry about not getting on with the neighbours, or having people to Sadie-sit if we wanted to have another romantic weekend away.’
‘Which we would.’
‘Which we would.’ Max got up and held out his hand.
‘Bedtime.’
Allowing herself to be escorted to the king-sized bed that was just large enough for Max, but massive for Abi, she said, ‘They could say no.’
‘Will depend on the rent, I suppose.’
‘Cass wouldn’t make it too expensive, would she?’
‘No idea, but I doubt it. She probably won’t insist on a deposit either. That’s usually the sticking point with renting.’
‘It’s funny,’ Abi sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off her T-shirt, ‘half an hour ago I was sure our new neighbours would be Cass and, eventually, Dan. Now I want our neighbours to be Beth and Jacob. I like Cass and everything, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if. . .’
‘Out of our hands, lass. Out of our hands.’
Max had just returned from delivering Stan and Dora back to Chalk Towers, and Abi was getting ready to go and open the gallery, when Sadie got to her feet seconds before the humans heard the knock on the front door. ‘They can’t have looked around already?’
Following Max into the kitchen Beth and Jacob’s faces were flushed with excitement, as Abi, desperate to hear the verdict said, ‘You can’t have decided already?’
Jacob laughed. ‘We only got as far as the living room and kitchen.’
‘Why, what happened?’ Abi was confused. ‘You can’t have got lost. The house is a mirror image of this one.’
Beth’s eyes were wide with joy. ‘Basically, we got to the kitchen, looked at each other and simultaneously wondered who we were kidding. Of course we want to live there.’
‘You do?’ Abi’s face lit up. ‘For real?’
‘For real.’
‘Forgive me, but can you afford it?’ Max asked. ‘And what about your flat? Will you rent it?’
‘Cass left a note with the expected sale and rental price. We can’t buy it, but we can rent it.’ Jacob oozed delight as he spoke. ‘In the meantime, I know someone who might want to rent our place.’
‘You do?’ Abi had to fight back a childish urge to jump up and down with excitement.
‘Dan.’
‘Oh, yes!’ Max clapped his huge palms together. ‘Dan was only saying the other day he wanted somewhere to live out of Chalk Towers, so he could have time away from the place when he was off duty.
Abi began to rummage in her coat pocket. ‘Come on!’
Beth and Jacob were confused. ‘Come on where?’
‘Into the garden.’ Abi rushed to the bench where the best phone signal could be found. ‘I know we’re supposed to be opening the gallery, but it can look after itself for another hour or two.’
Following Abi with bemusement, Beth, Jacob and Max watched as she hammered a number into her phone. ‘Chalk Towers first, then we’ll call Cass.’
Beth rubbed her bump as she looked at Max for an explanation, but he just shrugged as Abi’s call was obviously answered.
‘Stan!’
Beth smiled as she understood; nodding her approval at Abi, she hugged Jacob and Max at the same time.
‘Stan, guess what? Beth and Jacob are going to move into Miners Row. They are going to be our neighbours! Are you and Dora free this afternoon? I can feel
an enormous Cornish Cream Tea coming on.’
THE END
If you loved A Cornish Wedding, why not try. . .
Abi’s life is turned upside down when she is widowed before her thirtieth birthday. Determined to find something positive in the upheaval, Abi decides to make a fresh start somewhere new. With fond childhood memories of holidays in a Cornish cottage, could Cornwall be the place to start over?
With all her belongings in the boot of her car but no real plan, a chance meeting in a village pub brings new friends Beth and Max into her life. Max soon helps Abi track down the house of her dreams but things aren’t as simple as Abi hoped.
Can Abi leave her past behind and finally get her happy ending?
When one book ends, another begins. . .
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