The Little Bed & Breakfast by the Sea

The shop had been pretty quiet for the rest of the afternoon, so Willow had managed to finish off her repurposed jam jars, though she’d really wanted to get stuck into the chest of drawers she was planning to update, as sanding it down would have been a great stress reliever. However, she couldn’t commit to any of the bigger jobs without Gary around to keep an eye on the shop. She’d also used the quiet time to scour the local newspaper for any houses – or even single rooms – up for a short-term lease in the next couple of weeks but hadn’t had any luck. She’d keep looking – she had little choice as she couldn’t stay at the bed and breakfast long-term. She’d been lucky to secure the room for a couple of weeks in the first place.

Once she’d closed up at the end of the day, she’d loaded the Monopoly table and chairs into the van with the reluctant help of the bloke from across the road (who’d complained about missing his gaming time non-stop, right up until the moment Willow handed over a fiver for his help). She’d taken a massive detour to catch a glimpse of the house, desperate to cling on to a tiny shred of hope, to feel the same elation as when they’d bought the property. Instead, she’d been left feeling lost, confused and slightly sick.

The family were delighted with their new purchase and the children set up a game of Kerplunk as soon as the table was set down in the playroom. A smile twitched at Willow’s mouth as she watched them thread the straws through the holes, little tongues poking out from their lips in concentration, the smile spreading slowly across her face until her cheeks started to ache.

‘I think they approve,’ the mum said, also smiling as she watched her children. ‘Thank you so much.’

Willow cleared her throat and nodded, already backing out of the room. ‘It was a pleasure. I hope you have lots of fun with it.’

Saying goodbye to the family, Willow hopped back into the van and headed to the bed and breakfast. She usually kept the van near the shop, preferring to walk to and from work, but she was tired after a day of running around, and the thought of trekking through town didn’t fill her with any sort of enthusiasm. She’d go back to the B&B, enjoy a soak in the bath, phone Ethan and then have an early night. She yawned at the thought of crawling into the sumptuous bed at Mae’s place, at snuggling beneath the smooth sheets and sinking into the soft pillows.

Mae was in the kitchen, singing quietly to the radio as she stirred a pan of something delicious-smelling on the stove, when Willow arrived back at the bed and breakfast. Willow’s stomach growled at the hint of food and she suddenly realised she was ravenous. When was the last time she’d eaten? She’d had a pastry that morning during her walk to work, but had she eaten since? She thought back over the day and realised she hadn’t, so it was no wonder her stomach was protesting.

‘Oh, hello.’ Mae stopped stirring and placed a hand on her chest. ‘I didn’t hear you come in.’

‘Sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump,’ Willow said. ‘I was just wondering if it was okay to commandeer the bathroom? I could do with a soak after the stressful day I’ve had. I won’t hog it for too long, I promise.’

‘Of course,’ Mae said. ‘Would you like to join us for dinner first? It’ll be ready in a few minutes.’

‘That’s really kind, but I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble.’ Willow ignored her stomach as it roared in protest.

‘It’s no trouble at all. It’s only spaghetti Bolognese and I always end up making way too much. I don’t know how it happens: I put the right amount of spaghetti in the pan, yet enough comes out to feed Italy.’ She shrugged and picked up the spoon to give the sauce another stir. ‘It’ll be nice to have some adult company, actually. That’s if you don’t mind eating with me and Hannah. I must warn you – she can be a bit of a chatterbox at times.’

‘I wouldn’t mind at all. It sounds lovely.’

‘Then sit down and relax.’ Mae indicated the table. ‘Shall I open a bottle?’ She grabbed a bottle of wine from the rack integrated into the kitchen units and held it up.

Willow waved her hands in front of her. ‘Not for me, thanks. Red wine always gives me a terrible headache.’

‘I can open white instead,’ Mae said, already slotting the red back into place.

‘I’m fine with water, really.’ Willow sat down at the table. ‘You go ahead, though. Don’t let me spoil your evening.’

‘I’m probably better sticking to water too, actually.’ Instead of reaching for the bottle of white, Mae moved across the kitchen and grabbed three plates from a cupboard. ‘A hangover with a child who seems to think jumping on your bed before dawn is acceptable isn’t such a good idea.’

‘No, I’d imagine not.’

‘She’s great, though,’ Mae said, opening a drawer and grabbing three sets of cutlery. ‘Drives me up the wall sometimes, but I wouldn’t be without her.’ She placed the cutlery on top of the plates and carried them over to the table.

‘Let me do that,’ Willow said, rising from her seat. She took the plates and cutlery and set them out on the table while Mae grabbed glasses and filled them with water, still chatting away.

‘I never really thought about having kids before Hannah came along. I was happy being free to go out there and do what I wanted, when I wanted. I suppose I thought I’d have a family one day, just so far into the future I didn’t have to think about it. I never thought for one minute I’d end up having a baby, on my own, at twenty-six.’

‘So Hannah’s dad isn’t around?’ Willow asked and Mae shook her head.

‘I haven’t heard from him since I broke the news I was pregnant.’

‘What a tosser,’ Willow said. She didn’t know the man, but she despised him immediately. How dare he leave Mae – or any woman for that matter – to shoulder sole responsibility for a child he helped to create. And what sort of scumbag abandons their child?

‘I’m probably better off without him,’ Mae said as she added the glasses of water to the table. ‘But it isn’t fair on Hannah. She doesn’t really understand why some of her friends live with their dad and she doesn’t.’

‘You’re doing a great job, though.’ Willow didn’t really know Mae, but she seemed to have her life sorted. Her house was immaculate, her little girl was delightful, judging from the brief encounter they’d had earlier, and Mae herself was so poised and polished.

‘I have a great support network,’ Mae said as she returned to the stove. ‘My mum is fantastic. I don’t know what I’d do without her, to be honest. She’s a school librarian, so luckily she can look after Hannah for me during the school holidays and at weekends. And then there are Hannah’s godparents, who are amazing, and Mrs Hornchurch from next door is happy to step in and help in an emergency. I’m so lucky to have them.’

Mae did sound lucky, despite her useless ex. For a moment, Willow imagined what it would be like switching places. Would she be happier in Mae’s shoes? Her slingbacks didn’t look particularly comfy, but then Willow was more used to ballet pumps and trainers. She wasn’t glamorous like Mae – the lovely dress she was wearing now would be ruined after a day in Willow’s workroom – but there were aspects of Mae’s life that Willow was sure would be a perfect fit.

The doorbell ringing nudged her out of her musings. Mae headed for the door while Willow took a sip of her water. She didn’t really want to switch lives with Mae, but sometimes the grass did seem lush and green on the other side, especially when you were feeling low.

‘Hello again.’

Mae had returned to the kitchen with a man in tow. Willow frowned at him, wondering why he looked vaguely familiar. Had he been in the shop recently?

‘Sorry, we met in the pub earlier. Local vet, bloke with a bag of chips?’

Ah, yes. Willow remembered now.

‘This is Alfie,’ Mae said. ‘He helped me track you down this afternoon.’

Willow flashed a grateful smile. ‘Thanks for that. I don’t know what I would have done if Mae hadn’t offered me the room. I’d probably be staring at a pile of canvas and poles, wondering why they didn’t look like a tent.’

Alfie laughed. ‘I have to admit, erecting tents isn’t really my thing either. Camping in general has little appeal, actually.’

Willow shuddered. ‘Just think of the bugs. Ugh.’ She shuddered again before turning to Mae. ‘I really can’t thank you enough.’

Mae gave a wave of her hand. ‘There’s really no need. It’s what I’m here for.’

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