good enough for their precious son. Oh, Felicity had been courteous enough, offering tea and cake, and smiling, if a little too brightly, but there had always been a strange undercurrent in the atmosphere, twisting and curling in the air like poison. Mike had always laughed it off whenever she’d raised the issue and told Maria that she was being ridiculous, and that his parents utterly adored her. She didn’t believe their feelings towards her went that far, but she’d always hoped that they’d at least liked her. She had a feeling now, looking back, that she’d been right in her instincts. Oh well, she wouldn’t be seeing Felicity again, so that was another bonus.
‘Yes, well, whatever happens, at least I won’t have to sit through another agonising hour of tea and bloody cake with the woman,’ Ellen declared with triumph.
Maria snorted. She loved that her mother was on the same wavelength. She could remember one particular tea and cake session where she’d asked for two sugars rather than one, and Felicity had looked horrified. A comment had followed, a comment which Maria vaguely remembered as having something to do with her weight. She’d sipped her tea quietly and never mentioned the extra sugar again, despite how awful it had tasted. Trying to begin a conversation with Felicity had been like trying to do the same with a brick wall. She’d always been quite rude, Maria had found. ‘They were always a bit gruelling, weren’t they?’
‘Yes, they were, and between me and you, her Victoria sponge was awfully dry. Not pleasant at all. I think you’ve made the right decision, Maria. About the divorce, I mean.’ Ellen sounded sincere. ‘It feels like a cruel twist of fate that you’ve been put through exactly the same as what I went through with your father, but I would never have been able to trust him again either. Once a fool, always a fool – in my opinion.’
‘Thanks, Mum. I believe it was the best thing to do too.’ Maria took a sip of coffee before glancing at her watch and realising the time. It wasn’t exactly late but she wanted to head out early so that the café wasn’t buzzing with customers, leaving her without a table. ‘Oh, bugger. Listen Mum, I’m going to get dressed and head into town now. You don’t mind if I go, do you?’
‘No, of course not. Go on, off you go. Fill your boots!’ Ellen ordered brightly. ‘Enjoy your time away and don’t worry about a single thing. Just focus on you, okay?’
‘I will, I promise. Chat to you soon, Mum. Take care. Bye!’
Maria ended the call and looked down at the handset with the fondest of smiles for just a few moments. She loved her mother dearly, she really did. Throughout the entirety of her life, Ellen had championed Maria in every single decision she’d made, which was a huge contrast to their father who couldn’t have given a damn about any of them. After the divorce, their father had buggered off abroad to Spain to run a greasy eatery alongside his new, much-younger fiancée. They very rarely heard from him. He hadn’t been back to England since he’d left. He still sent Maria and Rob a birthday and Christmas card each year, although it was never anything special. He usually just signed it off with his name and hers, and that was that.
Maria admired how her mother had handled the whole situation. Rather than shrinking in on herself and wallowing in self-pity, Ellen had dusted herself off and thrown herself into life once more. There had been bouts of tears, of course. Maria could remember one night when she’d heard her mother crying in the bedroom. She’d slipped inside and they’d shared a tight hug on the bed. Ellen wasn’t completely made of stone, but it hadn’t taken long for her to realise that it wasn’t the end of the world. Maria felt similar to her mother now more than ever, and if Ellen could get through it, then so could she. Swallowing down the last of her coffee, Maria hurried back upstairs, hopped into the shower, got dressed, and left the house less than thirty minutes later.
Summer had only just arrived, so Maria was surprised at how warm it felt already with it being so early in the day. When she’d followed Rob into town the day before, she hadn’t taken the time to admire her surroundings, she’d been completely lost in her private thoughts. But today, she did take the time to notice the scenery and she couldn’t understand how she’d missed it previously.
She walked up the road which led her out of Daffodil Lane and turned right along the footpath, alongside which ran the road that led towards the shops and places to eat. As she walked, Maria inhaled deeply and caught the faint scent of honeysuckle in the air. On the opposite side of the road, a row of impressive houses sat proudly, tall gates secluding them from the rest of the area. She peered at them, with their double-breasted chimneys and stained-glass windows and wondered about the people who lived there. Families? Couples? Were the men within of the same kind as Mike? Playing away while their wives sat at home, loyally waiting for them to get back? How would she ever trust another man again? Did she even want to?
She forced her focus away from the houses, realising she’d gone off down a path of thought she hadn’t anticipated and didn’t want to continue down. She supposed the idea of another man coming into her life after Mike didn’t seem feasible. They’d been together for such a long time, since secondary school, and the thought of someone else taking Mike’s place in her life was terrifying. But could she really and truly cut herself off from the idea of another relationship in the future? Was she destined to now spend the rest of her life alone? She’d always been such a hopeless romantic and an avid believer in her and Mike lasting forever. She wasn’t quite sure what to believe now. Did true love even exist? These thoughts, amongst others, fluttered about in Maria’s mind as she began to approach town, keeping her occupied as the distance between herself and Harriet’s Place lessened.
When she arrived, Maria again began to notice things she hadn’t seen the day before. It really was a pretty little place. She passed by a bakery with its door propped open, allowing the heavenly scent of freshly-baked bread to seep out into the air. There was a florist too, with a brilliantly bright selection of blooms on offer. Colourful foil windmills had been propped amid the flowers, and the sight of them twirling in the breeze made her smile and reminded her of how much she’d loved playing with those as a little girl. Continuing on her way, she walked by a gift shop, the exterior painted playdough-blue, with a wonderfully charming display of photo frames, cards and teddies in the window. She couldn’t believe she’d missed it all the day before. It was colourful and eye-catching. And then, just a couple more steps away, sat Harriet’s Place, and just the sight of it lifted her heart. She knew that when she stepped inside, she’d be greeted like an old friend.
‘Oh, hello love!’ Harriet smiled when the door closed behind Maria. ‘Back again? Lovely to see you.’
‘Well, after the food you served yesterday I couldn’t keep away’ Maria laughed lightly as she peered around for a table to sit down at. It wasn’t yet busy, thankfully, so she had quite a few choices. She walked past the counter and couldn’t stop her greedy eyes from creeping towards the slices of chocolate fudge cake, moist and soft. ‘Do you make all of this yourself?’ Pulling out a chair, Maria took a seat and shrugged off her jacket. She hung it across the back of the chair and picked up a menu. She already knew what she would order, but wanted to have a proper perusal just because she had the time to do so.
‘I certainly do,’ Harriet replied. ‘All freshly baked by yours truly.’
‘Wow, that’s impressive. I have to say, they look delicious.’
‘Thanks, love. I’m proud of my creations. My mother was a passionate baker and I think it must be genetic. I’ve been honing the skill ever since I was little.’ Harriet winked. ‘So, what’ll it be this morning?’
‘I think I’ll go for the cooked breakfast again please,’ Maria said. ‘What you served yesterday was heavenly, I had to come back for more.’
Harriet chuckled heartily. ‘My, you keep going with those compliments
