now?’ I said, raising an eyebrow.
‘Life twists and turns in many ways,’ she answered, cupping her mug of tea. ‘Jim …’ she paused, ‘me and Jim are together. We’ve been lucky to have been friends for years. When I first moved into the annexe, I’d discover fresh food parcels on the doorstep every morning.’
‘How romantic,’ I smiled, thinking how lovely it was that their friendship had blossomed over the years …
Connie blushed and suddenly Marley woofed, sat up and began thumping his tail on the floor.
‘Brought together by asparagus and strawberries,’ another voice suddenly chipped into the conversation.
Immediately, we both spun round to see a teary-eyed Grace beaming back at us.
‘Oh my life … Alice Parker, you’re home!’ she shrieked.
Huge happy tears threatened to break loose at any second. Grace squealed, then I squealed, scraping my chair backwards as she rushed towards me with her arms flung wide, then clamped them around me.
We bounced up and down like kids on pogo sticks. ‘I can’t believe you’re actually here … Alice Parker, look at you, even more gorgeous in real life, you haven’t changed a bit!… Except for that dodgy-sounding accent!’ she exclaimed breathlessly.
I loved the way she’d said my full name in an English accent.
‘What’s wrong with my accent?’ I laughed, emphasising it even more. ‘And after that many hours on a plane I wouldn’t class myself as gorgeous. My make-up slid off several hours ago!’
‘Who needs make-up?’ She took a step back and looked me over again. ‘You’re real, you’re actually here. We’ve got so much catching up to do!’
Connie watched us with amusement. ‘How did you know we were here?’
Grace turned towards her mum and kissed her on her cheek. ‘You weren’t at mine and you kind of live here, which is a bit of a giveaway. So, I thought I’d come over. I couldn’t wait any longer to see Alice,’ she said, swinging back towards me.
‘Grab a seat, I’ll make you a drink,’ Connie said, standing up to boil the kettle once again.
‘How’re you feeling? Tired?’ asked Grace, slipping into her mum’s seat, grabbing my hands across the table and clasping them tight. ‘The jetlag will kick in soon. I still can’t believe you are here … I’m babbling now, aren’t I?’ she trilled, and I bit back a giggle at her excitement.
‘At the minute, I’m not too bad, I think my body is running on adrenalin! And luckily for me, I managed to sleep the whole of the flight.’
‘I’ve been on edge all day!’ she said, taking the drink from Connie. ‘I actually woke up this morning and prepared myself for the worst. I was worried you would change your mind about coming.’
‘I almost did. I can’t believe that yesterday I was in New York and now I’m back here, in Brook Bridge village.’ I grinned at Grace, ‘It’s so surreal.’
‘That’s what aeroplanes are for! How’re you feeling about seeing the village again, this place?’
‘I didn’t know how I’d feel, but now I’m here, I have to admit I’ve missed this place more than I realised. And Marley …’ I shot him a glance, ‘I never thought I’d ever see him again.’
Connie and Grace both smiled at me.
‘It’s great to see you back here,’ Connie chipped in.
‘It feels so right to be back, it’s been far too long. The only upsetting thing is, I wish Mum was with me.’
Grace gave me a sympathetic smile before sipping her tea.
For the next half hour, we reminisced about life before New York: our trips to the sweet shop to buy penny chews and the time we’d got stuck up the old apple tree in the orchard and the fire brigade was nearly called out to rescue us.
‘Are you up for the pub later? No pressure if you’d rather chill and grab a bottle of wine and put your feet up?’ asked Grace when we’d finished our drinks.
‘I’m up for the pub,’ I replied, remembering the Sunday afternoons I’d be sat by Grandie’s side while he enjoyed a game of dominoes with his friends – such fond memories. ‘But I’ll apologise in advance if my head suddenly droops and you find me fast asleep at the table.’
‘You just shout up when you’ve had enough.’
‘What’s the plan now?’ Connie interrupted. ‘Shall we head back to yours, Grace, or do you want me to rustle you up some food here?’ she asked, taking the empty mugs and rinsing them out in the sink.
‘What’s Jim doing?’ Grace turned towards her.
‘He’s sorting himself out tonight, so I thought I’d grab a bite with you girls.’
‘Shall we eat back at mine, then, and get you settled in?’ Grace turned back towards me.
‘That sounds like a perfect plan,’ I beamed, standing up. ‘I still can’t believe I’m back,’ I said, repeating myself and taking in my surroundings once more.
‘There’s no place like home,’ Connie smiled, grabbing the car keys from the table. ‘Come on, you pair, I’m ravenous and you must be too, Alice?’
‘I am, now you come to mention it. I managed to miss all the food on the plane.’
‘You probably didn’t miss much,’ grinned Grace.
Marley was now fast asleep in his bed at the foot of the Aga. Kneeling down, I patted his stomach and he peeped out of one eye before shutting it firmly again. ‘See you very soon.’
After locking up the farmhouse we clambered into the car, Grace sitting in the back with me. Connie started the engine and we began to drive towards the wrought-iron gates.
I glanced back over my shoulder and glimpsed the farmhouse once more before the car manoeuvred through the open gates on to the lane. I shuddered at the thought of leaving it behind again and that’s when I knew. The tiny niggle deep in my brain had finally worked its way to the surface after all this time. The overwhelming feeling of security and contentment had enveloped me the second I stepped off the plane. Deep inside, I knew I didn’t have any intention of returning to New York. I’d come home, and all I had to do now was convince Mum to do the same.
‘Here we are,’ Grace jumped out of the car and smiled proudly. ‘Welcome to my home, Wild Rose Cottage.’
She opened the gate and we headed up the path.
The front garden was utterly gorgeous, striking in fact. There were so many flowers blooming, the beds were bursting with colour. ‘This is so beautiful and quaint,’ I said, admiring the pink roses straggling through
