Summer at the Lakeside Cabin

I laughed bitterly. ‘Well, you’re hardly going to say no now!’

I was being petty, I knew, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted more from a relationship than this …

‘Hey, listen. Of course I’m interested.’ Gently he removed the glass from my hand and took me in his arms. I stood there, rigid, desperate not to respond.

‘The thing is, though, I’d much rather read your story when it’s printed in the magazine and your name is right there on the page in big letters! How proud will I feel then?’

I twisted away from him. ‘That’s easy to say.’

‘It’s easy to say because it’s true.’ He sighed. ‘Look, you know I’m no good at English. The only thing I ever read is books about finance. And take-away menus.’

‘That’s true.’

‘But when that magazine comes through the door, believe me, I’ll be the first to read your prize-winning story.’ Smiling, he put a finger to my chin and gently turned my face to his. ‘You’re brilliant, Daisy Cooper.’

When he kissed me, I relented and kissed him back, relief flooding through me.

The thought of us splitting up terrified me. It was too soon after Mum to cope with something else so emotionally devastating.

I might have had misgivings about Toby and I being right for each other, but the fact was, Toby and his family – especially Rosalind – had been totally there for me when Mum died. I wasn’t sure I could bear the thought of doing without them now.

The doorbell rang, announcing our take-away. Toby bounded to the door, calling, ‘Let’s do something special for my birthday in July? I’ll book a week off work and you can have me all to yourself!’

Grudgingly, I agreed. Perhaps a holiday was what we needed.

I’d book a surprise romantic trip and then we’d see …

CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_c497f50b-68f9-55e9-82b5-c30c0450d3f1)

It’s a month later and I’m sitting on the floor of Toby’s bedroom, sorting through the latest load of boxes I’ve brought over from Rachel’s garage.

I always thought moving in with a man for the first time would be a mark of how responsible and grown-up I’d become. It would be a conscious, level-headed decision to move the relationship to the next stage.

But there was nothing remotely level-headed about the speed with which this latest life-changing decision was made.

Not that I’m complaining!

The past few weeks since my short story triumph have passed in a mad whirl, mainly due to the fact that Rachel’s boyfriend, Adam, proposed to her right out of the blue. Rachel was ecstatic and, after we’d celebrated for the best part of a week, she told me she’d decided to sell her house and move in with Adam. So obviously I needed to find somewhere else to live.

It was the following Sunday, when we were over at Toby’s mum’s house for lunch, that everything crystallised into an obvious solution …

*

I was in the kitchen, helping Rosalind make cauliflower cheese to go with the roast.

I suppose I was feeling more emotional than usual at the thought of my flat-share with Rachel coming to an end.

Rosalind seemed to pick up on my feelings.

‘So how are you, my love?’ she asked, her tone filled with empathy. I knew she was thinking about how I must be missing Mum and, immediately, the pain of loss – which was never far away – came crashing in.

‘I’m fine. Absolutely perfect,’ I said, pasting on the bright smile I used when people started asking questions that brought on the panic. I could feel Rosalind’s kind eyes watching me as I stirred the bubbling cheese sauce on the hob.

‘Yes, but how are you really?’ Her voice was soft and loving, and my throat closed up. To my alarm, my hand started to tremble and I had to stir extra fast to stay in control, with the result that some of the hot sauce splashed onto my hand.

Rosalind gently took the pan from me and I ran my hand under the tap, grateful to turn away so she couldn’t see the tears of panic that had sprung up when she tried to probe deeper.

Why did people always want me to talk about Mum and what had happened?

Didn’t they realise that was the worst thing they could possibly make me do? I needed to get over this, otherwise I was in danger of losing my sanity, and in order to move on, I needed to concentrate on the present, not keep going over and over what I couldn’t change.

Why couldn’t they see that?

With an effort, I pulled myself together and turned. ‘I’m in a bit of a fix, actually,’ I said. ‘Rachel’s selling the flat.’

‘Oh, Daisy, you poor thing. So you have to move out?’ Rosalind looked horrified.

‘Well, not immediately. She won’t even be putting it on the market until later in the year.’

‘But still … it’s a bit unsettling.’ Her look said: As if you haven’t already been through the mill enough …

I shrugged and started grating more cheese for the topping. ‘Something will turn up.’

‘Perhaps it already has.’

‘Sorry?’

Rosalind smiled, dimples appearing in her rosy cheeks as she stood up, flushed from checking the beef in the oven. ‘Toby was telling me only the other day how well things are going between you.’

‘He was?’ I looked at her in surprise. I didn’t think Toby confided in Rosalind about such personal stuff.

She shook her head and laughed. ‘Well, he was actually talking about the rising cost of living and how it was probably true that two could live just as cheaply as one. But when I cheekily asked if he was thinking of sharing his place, he didn’t deny it. Quite the opposite, in fact.’

‘Did I hear my name there?’ Toby walked in at that moment.

‘Daisy was telling me about her housing situation and I was just pointing out that a solution might be staring you both in the face, that’s all.’ She gave us a mischievous smile. ‘Keep an eye on the roast, will you? I’m just going to make sure those kids aren’t actually killing each other out there!’

When she’d gone, Toby and I looked at each other. We both laughed a bit awkwardly.

‘Mum wants you for a daughter. You do realise that,’ Toby said with a sheepish grin.

The idea of that squeezed my heart so that I had to look away and blink rapidly.

‘It does make sense,’ he added. ‘I mean, you moving into my flat.’

I swallowed hard. ‘Really? You’d like that?’ All sorts of feelings were tumbling around inside me. A while ago, I’d doubted that we were right for each other. But then Mum got ill and I was just so grateful for Toby’s support that I forgot all about my concerns that we were suited for the long haul. It just seemed important to get from one day to the next.

Could I really move in with Toby? It was such a huge commitment. Shouldn’t I at least take a week to decide?