Always With Love (14 page)

Tuesday 8
^th
March 2016

Dearest Sophie,

I haven’t received
the grumpy letter you phoned to warn me about yet, but I hate to think of you so far away and down about the situation. Please know I’m not finding this easy either. I imagine it’s simple to think I’m over here ‘living the life’ on a film set, but you know how boring these things actually are. I’m keeping my head down other than being there. My life is literally here at home, there on set, in the rehearsal room, or in my trailer. I’m enjoying the work though. I don’t want you worrying about me either.

Now, I know you might tell me off for this, but you miss me (sounds like your letter is going to declare it quite plainly) so I’m hoping it won’t make you too angry … I’ve phoned and spoken to Rachel, Colin and your mum. They’ve cleared a week for you to come and visit …
SURPRISE
! The flights are all booked. Once you get this I’ll email all the booking confirmation over so you know all the details. I’ll be honest, I was going to organize it for you to be here for two whole weeks, but figured you’d worry it was too long away from the shop – you are a businesswoman nowadays and I respect that you have your own life to lead and can’t just drop everything as and when. I hope me helping plan it has lessened your guilt or worry though. So sorry it’s you having to travel to me and not the other way round. Soon I’ll be back in Rosefont – albeit jobless. ;-)

Hopefully you’re wearing a great big smile now or dropping a few tears of joy.

I love you.

Always with love,

Your Billy Buskin xxx

Yes, his words make me smile and cry, but mostly they make me laugh. I can’t help but giggle at the thought of finally seeing him as I cover my face with the letter he’s sent me. Four weeks is such a long time to be separated from someone when you’re used to seeing them every day.

I should have just booked the flights. I didn’t realize just knowing I would be seeing Billy would bring me so much happiness. I should have known there was a simple solution and that Rachel and my wonderful family would selflessly help out. Besides, Rachel has been here a month now and has proved she’s more than capable of coping without me.

I grab my phone, unlock it and tap on Billy’s name. There’s a short delay before the all-too-familiar international dialling tone starts. He doesn’t pick up. Hardly surprising as it’s after midnight over there and we’ve already spoken this morning. I opt to text him instead.

I just opened your letter – I can’t tell you how excited I am. I want to know more. Wake up! Love you. Thank you!

‘Something’s certainly made you smile today,’ smirks Rachel as she walks through the shop door a few minutes later. ‘I can only imagine what.’

‘You!’ I smile, pointing my finger at her accusingly as laughter spills from me, causing my body to shake.

‘What? What have I done?’ she asks innocently, her hand on her chest in protest, unable to hide the knowing look on her face.

‘Billy sent me a letter telling me he’s spoken to you guys about looking after this place and that he’s booked me a flight to America.’

‘Finally!’ she dramatically sighs. ‘I’ve been so scared I was going to trip up and ruin the surprise. You wouldn’t believe how many times something’s been on the tip of my tongue and I’ve had to run off and stick my head in the fridge.’

‘Well, I know nothing! I’ve tried calling Billy but he went to sleep an hour or so ago.’

‘How useless!’

‘So you have to tell me!’

‘Really?’ Rachel asks, her big blue eyes looking panicked. ‘I’m not sure I’m allowed to divulge any information. I was sworn to secrecy.’

‘But I know now.’

‘True …’ Rachel says with a pained expression on her face.

‘Can’t you just tell me
when
I’m going? That’s not a big deal,’ I shrug innocently.

A frown appears on her forehead as she looks at me and continues to size up the situation. ‘I think you should call your mum or Colin. They’ll know what they can tell you and that way I won’t get into trouble.’

‘Seriously?’ I laugh.

‘Absolutely.’

I chuckle as I pick up my phone once more and call Mum.

‘Sophie! I’m just walking to work. Have you forgotten something?’ she asks, slightly out of breath.

‘No, I’m just calling because a certain little letter has arrived from a certain someone telling me about a certain trip he’s booked me.’

‘Ah!’ she giggles.

‘But Billy’s asleep!’ I say with exasperation.

‘Oh …’

‘Please give me a little more info. Rachel’s proving to me that she’s totally trustworthy by withholding any further information,’ I say, causing Rachel to laugh as she organizes the chairs and tables in the shop, which were stacked up on Saturday night so that we could give the main floor a proper mop.

‘Well that is a tough one …’

‘Not you too!’ I shriek, knowing another person is going to keep me guessing.

The shop phone rings, causing Rachel to stop what she’s doing and dash to answer it.

‘It’s for you,’ she says with an innocent shrug while her mouth splits into a beaming smile.

‘Billy,’ I whisper, realizing it’s been days since I actually heard his voice thanks to his busy schedule and the time difference. ‘Mum, I’ve got to go. Billy’s called back,’ I say, putting down the phone and leaping to the landline.

‘What have you done?’ I grin, feeling light and giddy, my breath rising to my chest.

‘Ah, there’s my smiling girl,’ he chuckles sleepily, causing my heart to swell. ‘I can’t wait to see you this weekend.’

‘This weekend?’ I repeat with excitement, my voice high pitched and shrill. ‘I’m seeing you this weekend?’

‘If that’s good with you?’

‘It’s perfect,’ I sigh, laughing as tears spring from my eyes.

‘You pleased?’

‘Pleased doesn’t quite cover it.’

‘Good.’

In that moment I love him more than ever, and it’s not because he’s paid for me to fly out there, but because he’s dealt with the whole thing. More than anything it shows that he must really be missing me as much as I’m missing him and that makes me so absurdly happy. Because as much as I hate to admit it, the distance between us has made me worry that I’ll be forgotten, that Julie could be whispering in his ear again about the difficulties within our relationship. Or what if he’d realized he doesn’t love me quite as much when I’m out of sight? Actually, it’s not even like I’ve only been out of sight, we’re in two different worlds living totally separate lives. So it’s comforting to know I’ve not evaporated from his memory and that he’s sticking to his word.

That afternoon my head, arms and the rest of my upper body are practically inside the glass counter display cabinet, giving it a good spring clean, when I hear the door open and heavy footsteps walk inside.

‘Just a sec,’ I sing loudly at the shadow looming in my peripheral vision, still feeling giddy from the morning’s excitement and knowing I’ll be reunited with Billy in just a matter of days.

‘No rush,’ says a deep, male voice, a sound I wasn’t expecting.

I jump so high I bash my head on the glass above me and let out a strangled ‘Ouch.’

‘You OK?’ asks the voice, sounding amused and just a touch concerned.

‘Sorry,’ I say, straightening up slowly whilst rubbing my head and turning towards the bronzed man who has entered. ‘Peter!’ I exclaim, taking in the face I barely know, yet feel has been present for a large chunk of my life. I can’t believe I didn’t notice how much he resembled his mum Molly the last time we met. Although that was such a sad time, having just said goodbye to my dear friend, I don’t think I was up to absorbing much. But now I see Molly in the fine wrinkles around his twinkling blue eyes, in the sharpness of his nose and in the way his mouth opens to give such a welcoming smile. The similarity is pretty breathtaking.

‘I thought I’d find you here,’ he grins, ruffling a manly hand through his sun-kissed hair as he stands in the middle of his mum’s old shop, looking dapper in his dark grey suit.

‘Where else?’ I say, reciprocating the grin. ‘What are you doing here? Why aren’t you in Australia?’

‘Long story.’

‘Want a cuppa while you tell it?’ I ask, already grabbing a pot and two mugs. It’s ten minutes before closing, so I know I’m fine to stop and chat. And although I know talking to near-strangers isn’t like me, I feel as though a long-lost friend has just walked back into my life, making my heart feel light and giddy in his company.

‘Oh, go on, then,’ he says warmly with a touch of an Aussie accent as he pulls out a chair and sits on it. ‘Love what you’ve done with the place … books!’ he says, looking over at the cabinet that hosts a variety of my favourite reads for customers to pick up and enjoy. I wasn’t sure they would at first, but it’s proved very popular. Even with the teenagers.

‘Jut a few bits here and there. Nothing dramatic,’ I say, hoping he’s not offended by anything I’ve changed.

‘And the name?’

‘Ah!’ I smile. ‘I wanted to acknowledge the fact that your mum’s still a huge part of the shop even though she’s not physically here,’ I say, explaining my decision to change it from Tea-on-the-Hill to Molly’s-on-the-Hill. ‘Of course, it confuses people every now and then. A few times I’ve been called Molly and I’ve just had to roll with it. It stopped me in my tracks to begin with, though,’ I admit.

‘She’d have found that funny.’

‘Seriously, I had to look behind me to make sure she wasn’t stood there,’ I giggle, making my way over to him with the tea and a selection of cakes.

Peter catches sight of the treats in my hands and laughs to himself.

‘What?’ I ask.

‘Mum trained you well. A conversation’s not worth having unless there’s tea and cake.’

‘She had a good point,’ I reply, feeling my cheeks blush. ‘So. Spill. What’s brought you back?’

‘Work. It’s actually that simple,’ he shrugs, while opening both his palms to the ceiling.

‘You said it was a long story,’ I frown suspiciously.

‘I managed to condense it,’ he laughs.

‘So I see.’

‘Basically, the company I work for has set up an office here and they wanted me to make sure everything was going smoothly. Apparently a British accent wouldn’t make them feel like I’m someone from the Aussie team sent here to spy on them.’

‘But you are?’

‘Partly,’ he says, pursing his lips together to stop himself smirking.

‘And I hate to break it to you, but you’ve definitely got a twang of Aussie in there.’

‘It’s unbelievably catchy,’ he laughs, shaking his head before exhaling a lungful of air. ‘Ironic, isn’t it? That I get sent here now Mum’s gone.’

‘Cruel, maybe,’ I nod, knowing how much Molly would have loved a surprise visit from the son she talked about constantly.

‘Don’t make me feel too guilty,’ he winks, before picking up a slice of cake and taking a large bite of it. It’s a far cry from the delicate way my cakes are usually eaten. It’s manly, rough and unexpected. I find it difficult to tear my eyes away.

‘So, how long are you here for?’

‘At the moment it’s hard to say. Could be a month, could be a year. Or it could be their callous way of outing me over here without me kicking up a fuss. Let me get settled long enough that I won’t grumble about not being back there in the sunshine with my surfboard,’ he shrugs, taking another huge mouthful of cake.

‘What about your life there?’ I ask, surprised they’ve uprooted him and sent him to the other side of the world without a proper plan.

‘Split up from my girlfriend over Christmas.’

‘Oh, I’m sorry.’

‘Nah, don’t be – all she did was give me aggravation,’ he says dismissively. ‘I have a little bar near Bondi Beach that I own with some of my cousins, too, actually. Although, I think they’ll be fine running it without me until I’m done.’

‘So nothing to rush back for?’

‘Just the sun and my board,’ he laughs, the thought of the things he loves brightening up his face and causing his eyes to twinkle in a way that feels familiar. ‘Missing it already and I’ve only been here a few days.’

‘A few days in and you’ve already managed to escape from the office and head out to Kent by five o’clock? They’ll be wondering what they’re paying you for,’ I joke, thankfully making him chuckle.

‘First week,’ he shrugs. ‘They’re being quite slack with the hours while we all get adjusted, so thought I’d make the most of that, get back here early and go see Mum’s grave, you know …’

‘Oh, right. Of course.’ There’s a heavy pause. ‘How was it?’

‘Like talking to a slab of concrete,’ he says dismissively with a sniff, which fills me with sadness.

‘I’m sorry you feel that way,’ I reply, thinking of the comfort I’ve received in the past from visiting Molly and Dad at the cemetery, and the hours I’ve spent just sitting there talking about everything and anything. Each time I
told myself I could feel a presence, convinced one of them was there with me.

‘No, don’t get me wrong, that’s where her body is. I get that,’ Peter continues, nodding his head in agreement with his own train of thought. ‘But she’s not there. Her spirit isn’t there. She’s here, you know? In these walls,’ he gestures, looking around the shop.

The notion makes me smile. I’ve no doubt Molly and my dad are always with me, helping me make important decisions, or just sitting there as spectators of my life. Yet the notion that Molly is also somehow embedded in the fabric of the room we’re in warms my heart.

‘That’s a wonderful thought,’ I say, continuing to ponder it as I put half a lemon drizzle slice on a plate and fork some into my mouth.

‘Well, that’s the way I see it, anyway. Even the house isn’t the same.’

‘Is that where you’re staying?’ I ask, thinking of Molly’s three-bed terrace house down the road where I know Peter spent his childhood.

‘Never got round to selling it,’ he shrugs. ‘Maybe this was the reason. Some higher being knew I’d be back here sooner rather than later. The commute’s not bad, mind.’

‘Is it nice being back in your home?’ I ask.