‘Come and look at the rest of it,’ said Myles and they followed him out where he showed them the summerhouse they could use for the band and the pool for warmer days and a beautiful, simple, raised garden of growing vegetables.
‘What do you think?’ Edward asked Eve, his face hopeful, but she could tell he was nervous.
‘I think it’s wonderful,’ she said slowly. ‘But I wonder if this is you. Cranberry Cross was so grand,’ she said. ‘This is so much more modest, simple.’
Edward looked around. ‘I want modest and simple. I want a life that supports my writing. I don’t want to worry about packs of gardeners and rooms that I can’t fill and repairs that never end. I never really wanted the house. Amber did but now I need to see what helps me in my next phase. I can work here in peace with you, the children can go to school. We have support here for us and your family nearby is amazing.’
Eve nodded as she walked around.
‘Could you live here?’ he asked as she stood on the terrace overlooking the pool.
She nodded. ‘I could.’ She paused, thinking. ‘Absolutely I could but publishing is in London. I don’t know that I can find a job here and working really matters to me. I will always work – it’s who I am.’
Edward nodded but she could see disappointment in his face.
‘It’s not like I have much pull in my career, Ed. I still have to turn up and earn my stripes.’
‘I know,’ he said.
She looked around at everything he was offering. She wanted it but she also wanted her own life. She couldn’t live to support only his goals.
‘I have applied for something,’ she said. ‘I can ask them if they would consider me working remotely and attending the office on occasion for important meetings and the like.’
Edward hugged her. ‘Don’t stress about it; we can work it out, I promise.’
‘And what about you?’ she asked him. ‘The detective series, are you going to write another one?’
Edward shrugged. ‘I had started one when you left Cranberry but it’s lost now – my laptop was burned in the fire. It was a shame. Twenty thousand words and plotting for the next two books. I get tired just thinking about rewriting it.’
Eve pulled out her phone and tapped on the screen and then turned the phone to Edward.
‘You goose, I hooked your laptop to the cloud, so everything is on there.’ She pointed to the file. ‘There it is.’
‘Bloody hell, Eve, how do you keep saving me over and over again?’ he cried and he hugged her.
‘You are a luddite,’ she said.
‘I am but I’m willing to learn. I don’t want you to think I don’t want to do things so other people, namely you, will do them. I just don’t think about that stuff when I’m writing.’
‘I know, I never thought that about you,’ she said.
She looked at her phone again and saw an email and clicked on it. ‘I got the job,’ she said without thinking. ‘As an editor,’ she added.
‘You did? Of course you did,’ said Edward kissing her. ‘Amazing. What’s the lucky company?’
Eve started to read the email aloud.
‘Dear Eve, thank you for getting back to me. I am pleased to offer you a role as a new editor with us, where given your commercial understanding and exposure, you will be charged with the commercial fiction list for us. This is a new role and we are excited to announce we have recently signed a prominent author who is moving to us after undertaking writing in a new genre. We believe you will be the perfect fit to work with them as you are familiar with their work. They are not available right now for you to discuss the plans with, but once the announcement is made to the staff, then I will arrange a meeting for you both to meet.’
Eve looked at Edward and made a face. ‘I wonder who it is? One of Serena’s authors? Lots of people are moving from Henshaw now she’s gone, Zara told me,’ she went on.
‘I understand you’re in Leeds at the moment, which is fine for us. Most of the team work from home and come in as they need to. We aren’t a meeting-heavy organisation and do most of it online, so please do not feel any pressure to be in London unless you wish to.’
‘Oh, Eve, that’s wonderful,’ said Edward. ‘How do you feel?’
Eve looked at the email again. ‘I feel terrified and excited and relieved.’
‘It’s so wonderful,’ Edward said, pacing the terrace.
