A Village Vacancy by Julie Houston

Author:Julie Houston [Houston, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781789546651
Publisher: Head of Zeus

20

Why she’d put her lippy on to speak on the phone with Ross Haddon, Grace couldn’t quite work out. She wasn’t even sure, as she toyed with a glass of white wine later that evening, if she was actually going to ring him anyway. Who did she think she was kidding? Of course she was going to ring him. If only to find out what he wanted, Grace argued with herself. Well of course to find that out, you daft woman. She tutted, picking up the TV remote and immediately putting it down once more on the arm of the sofa, her thoughts drifting to David Henderson rather than Mr Haddon.

She’d left school that afternoon and immediately bumped into David in the carpark on his way to see Cassie in his capacity as Chair of Governors at Little Acorns.

‘You’re always here.’ Grace had smiled as David reached into his pocket for two packets of chocolate buttons, handing them to Jonty and Pietronella with the usual warnings not to eat them until Mummy said so. ‘Haven’t you got a home to go to?’

‘Not much there for me at the moment, Grace.’ David smiled back, and Grace wanted to kick herself for her insensitivity. ‘Anyway, Cassie has asked me in to go over some safeguarding issues with her and Josh.’

‘Oh, God, David, I’m so sorry. Look, you know you’re welcome to come round anytime. Come for lunch on Sunday,’ she added. ‘I’ll ask Libby and Seb and then you can have all your grandchildren round you at once.’

‘I’m fine.’ David smiled again. ‘I really am. But you know, what with my mother trying to fix me up—’ (and my mother as well, Grace nearly added, but thought better of it) ‘—with her friends’ divorced daughters as well as that dreadful woman who’s living down at the Holly Close cottages—’

‘What dreadful woman?’

‘Esme somebody? She’s the owner of the new Turkish Hamman where Horsforth’s hardware store was. Ridiculous idea in a rural village like Westenbury.’

Grace grinned. ‘Stop it, David. You’re sounding like Victor Meldrew. And you’re only mad because you didn’t think of it first.’

‘Not at all,’ David protested. ‘I really think a rural village should be just that: you know, rural. How on earth did the woman get planning permission to turn a perfectly good little hardware store into a Turkish bath for heaven’s sake?’

‘David, stop it,’ Grace said once more. ‘You, more than anyone, should know the excitement of starting up a new business. I’m off for a damned good pummelling as soon as it’s up and running. Give this Esme woman a chance.’

David started to laugh, his brown eyes dancing with the mirth much absent since Mandy’s death.

‘Tinder.’ Grace laughed in turn.

‘Sorry?’

‘Get yourself on Tinder. Just for a bit of fun.’

‘Hell no, I might meet Esme on there.’ He paused and, stroking Grace’s arm briefly, laughed. ‘Tell you what, Grace. If you do it, I’ll do it. We could do it together,’ and, grinning down at her, he patted the kids on the head before heading for reception.

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