Page 29 of The Inn on Bluebell Lane
“Gwen?” Ellie called. “I’m back, and Matthew’s here. We’re home.”
CHAPTER 16
ELLIE
Ellie stood on the edge of the school yard as Josh and Ava lined up for their classes. Nearby, a little cluster of mothers were chatting easily, and a burst of laughter floated on the crisp September breeze as Ellie lifted her chin.
It had been a week since school had started, and it had definitely not been one of the best weeks of her life, what with Matthew breaking his arm, Jess having such a difficult start, and Ellie herself still feeling lonely and adrift, despite her best intentions to be friendly and open. At least Ava seemed happy to go into school, she thought with a sigh, and Josh was accepting, if not entirely enthusiastic.
Ben seemed to have settled well too, with a bunch of boys who liked to play soccer—football—but Ellie was still anxious for all her brood, as well as her husband, who was definitely seeming restless and a bit down while recuperating at home, and Gwen, who had been a bit distant and out of sorts recently, although she wouldn’t say why, not that Ellie had dared to ask her outright, but she’d tried to hint.
She’d thought, or at least hoped, that they’d been starting to get along, but, in recent days, it felt almost like they were back at the beginning. Gwen certainly seemed distracted, and Ellie didn’t feel she knew her well enough to ask her about it.
Why, Ellie wondered not for the first time, did everything feel so difficult? Was it just a matter of soldiering through, passing time, until it got better? She’d come to school this morning determined to say hello to somebody, but it felt as if no one wanted to meet her eye. She’d thought about calling her best friend Elise from home, but she could only lean on her so much. She was four thousand miles away, after all, and while her cheery texts had been welcome, she wasn’t here and never would be.
“Hallo, you must be Josh’s mum?”
Ellie turned and blinked in surprise at a cheerful-looking woman standing in front of her. She had wildly curly hair, sandy in color, pulled back from her face with a band.
“Er… yes,” Ellie replied cautiously, trying to smile. “And you are…?”
“I’m Zach’s mum. Has Josh mentioned…?” She raised her eyebrows expectantly, while Ellie shook her head, afraid she might have missed signing some necessary permission slip, or worse. “I’m sorry, he hasn’t really mentioned anyone from school yet.”
“They never tell you anything, do they?” the woman answered with a little laugh. “I ask Zach every day what he does at school, and the answer’s always the same.”
Ellie felt a smile tugging at her mouth. “Nothing?” she guessed, and the woman laughed again, deeper this time, making Ellie smile all the more. Goodness, she’d missed even the most basic of social interactions with acquaintances or friends. She was grateful for this woman’s kindness.
“Got it in one,” she said with a nod. “I’m Emma, by the way. Emma Owen. Zach and Josh are both mad about Lego, as far as I can tell, and I was wondering if Josh would like to come over tomorrow afternoon for a play? He’s welcome to stay for tea, if that’s all right with you. Nothing fancy—pizza, maybe, or spaghetti bolognaise?”
“Oh…” To her embarrassment, Ellie felt tears sting her eyes. This was the first time someone at the school had made anything close to a friendly overture, and she was so very grateful. And apparently emotional, because she wasn’t quite able to blink back the tears that had come to her eyes. “Sorry,” she half-mumbled, half-laughed, as she brushed at her eyes, embarrassed. “I’m not a complete basket case, I promise. It’s just been a… a challenging time.”
“You aren’t a basket case?” Emma raised her eyebrows, seemingly unfazed by Ellie’s little emotional display. “Because I certainly am. I think any mum qualifies.” She laid a friendly hand on Ellie’s arm. “You’ve just moved here, haven’t you? From the States, by the sound of it?” Ellie nodded. “Well, if you’re free now… do you fancy a coffee?”
Ellie let out a wobbly laugh. “Oh yes, please.”
Ten minutes later, they were sitting in Llandrigg’s one café, a tiny tearoom on the high street with rickety tables and colorful, mismatched cups and saucers. It was quaint and charming in a slightly shabby way, and Ellie loved it. More importantly, she loved sitting down with someone she hoped might turn out to be a kindred spirit, a friend. Emma ordered a hot chocolate with lashings of whipped cream without a qualm or remark about having to watch her weight, and recklessly Ellie did the same. No skinny soy lattes for her, she thought with relish. That was a change from America.
“So, you’re new,” Emma remarked once the waitress had gone, and they were alone, save for an elderly man brooding over the newspaper in the corner of the tearoom. “That’s always difficult, isn’t it?”
She stated it so matter-of-factly that Ellie felt a rush of relief. Someone understood. “Yes,” she said. “It is a bit difficult at times.”
Emma arched a skeptical eyebrow and Ellie laughed.
“All right, yes, it’s been incredibly hard. Much harder than I expected, to be honest, although I’m not even sure what I expected. It all seemed to happen so quickly. One minute we were living in Connecticut and the next we were in Wales.” Ellie knew it hadn’t happened like that really; she and Matthew had had multiple discussions, weighing the pros and cons, but, in retrospect, she felt as if it had sped by, and she had emotional whiplash from it all.
“It always is harder than you expect, isn’t it?” Emma agreed with a nod. “Maybe because you can’t bear to think through everything before it happens. We moved here three years ago from London—Zach starting year one, my younger daughter Izzy in nursery. Perfect timing, I thought, for them and for us, and my parents are only an hour away. I had this image of living in the country—it involved loads of delicious things bubbling on top of the Aga I don’t actually have, because we can’t afford one, and joyful tramps through the countryside in muddy wellies, usually with a dog we also don’t have.” She laughed and shook her head. “The trouble is, I don’t particularly enjoy cooking or walking in the countryside, and that didn’t actually change when we moved here, even though I hoped it would.”
“I suppose I had a similar image,” Ellie admitted slowly. “Although, underneath that, I was afraid and, to be honest, reluctant. I always knew that, and yet I still wanted everything to fall neatly into place.” She grimaced ruefully. “The word idyllic comes to mind…”
“And bucolic,” Emma replied, grinning, and Ellie couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yes. I don’t know why I chose to be so deluded.” She shook her head and then their hot chocolates arrived, topped with mountains of whipped cream and marshmallows. Ellie couldn’t remember when she’d last enjoyed something so decadent.
“So, what brought you to little Llandrigg, anyway?” Emma asked as they both took sips of their drinks.
Ellie explained about Gwen, and Matthew, and the bed and breakfast.
“That place on Bluebell Lane? It’s so lovely,” Emma exclaimed. “And I bet it has an Aga.”