‘Um, I don’t think that would be…’
‘I mean just as friends,’ he said.
‘Oh great, then sure,’ she said, feeling a little disappointed it was just as friends, but she also knew it was for the best for the show.
‘Excellent. Do you like Indian food?’
‘Of course,’ she said. Nick smiled at her and she bit her lip as she smiled back.
Who was she kidding? She had a crush on Nick and she was pretty sure that he had one on her, but what was a little breaking of poppadoms between friends? It couldn’t hurt; they could work on their chemistry on stage. Nothing serious, she told herself, just a summer friendship.
16
Lily and Gran settled into a slow-paced routine that was working and, at times, Lily even wondered if Gran wasn’t just a little bit less tired and a little feistier than when she had first moved in.
The mornings were the busiest time of day. To avoid waking Gran, who slept a little later, Lily would get up early and make her way around the property in a quiet manner, opening curtains, opening the back door and allowing Mr Mistoffelees to go out into the garden. Depending on the weather first thing, she would turn on the heater to warm up the room for Gran and then she would make a pot of tea.
She snuck out of the back door as the first light of dawn rose over the horizon. She had always been an early riser and it was even better watching the sky lighten at Gran’s house. She held a warm mug of tea in her hands as she made her way into the garden and moved the old metal chair that gave a scrape on some bricks. She winced, hoping that the sound wouldn’t wake Gran.
She sat down in the overgrown garden, the wet grass soaking the hem of her pyjama bottoms, and surveyed the space. She really did want to tidy it up for Gran but between the rehearsals for the show and caring for Gran, there was little time for anything else.
It was a shame, because she could remember when the flower beds had once been meticulously maintained instead of the tangled mess of weeds and wildflowers they were now. She felt a dull ache in her chest at the sight of it, reminded of Gran’s age. She knew Gran couldn’t live forever but she hadn’t thought about what it would be like when she died. It was too much to bear to even think about.
A small blackbird jumped onto the branch of the gnarled old apple tree where the fruit was starting to form. Once she and Gran used to pick the apples, but she doubted they had been harvested in ten years or more.
Mr Mistoffelees appeared out of the thicket like a shadow that had been given form and, in his elegant manner, he jumped onto the little table next to her, fixing her with his golden gaze as if to say, ‘Where is my breakfast?’
Lily mumbled, ‘I’m sorry, Your Majesty,’ as she scratched behind his ears repeatedly. While he was curled up against her leg, he uttered his contrition for her.
Before taking a look around the garden, Lily took a sip of her tea, a strong builder’s tea with a splash of milk, feeling it warm her as she swallowed it down.
Even though the garden was wild, there was a certain charm about it, she thought as she looked around. There was a trellis that was broken, and honeysuckle climbed over it in a random manner, but the sweet perfume of honeysuckle mixed with the earthy smell of damp dirt surrounded her with its heavy scent.
The blackbird had a friend now, she noticed, as it hopped about with a worm in its mouth, then it flew into the thicket and she could just hear some birds chirping.
‘You stay away from the nest,’ she told Mr Mistoffelees, but he seemed uninterested in anything as his eyes closed in the morning sun.
She watched the morning rise in the garden, with some butterflies busy with the dandelions and a little bee looking for somewhere to land, and she began to imagine what she could accomplish with the space there. In one of the garden beds, she could replant the vegetables or some tomatoes. Gran had always had a taste for fresh tomatoes – she made a beautiful chutney – and maybe she could add some herbs in that sunny nook. It would be more than possible for her to clear a path and possibly install a small water feature for the birds if she had time.
Mr Mistoffelees stretched into a languid pose across the table, as though showing off for an invisible audience.
She envisioned Gran sitting out here on warm afternoons, ordering Lily about with a pleased smile on her worn face as she instructed her granddaughter on how to weed properly or how to stake up the tomatoes.
The sound of a window opening on the upper floor broke her daydreaming. Gran was up. She would want to shower and dress and then be down for her own cup of tea and breakfast. In most cases, it consisted of something straightforward, sometimes porridge with a touch of honey or scrambled eggs on toast. As Gran’s appetite had diminished, Lily focused on good food in small portions so Gran didn’t feel overwhelmed.
Lily drained the dregs of her cold tea and she rose up and walked inside with Mr Mistoffelees following her.
Lily’s resolve grew stronger as she made her way back inside, thinking what a lovely project this would be. She turned before she shut the back door and took one last look at the overgrown paradise. She was already mentally preparing lists of the seeds she needed to purchase and the tools she would require.
She ran upstairs and knocked on the door.
‘You need me to help you?’ she asked cheerfully.
‘No, dear, I’ll be down soon,’ Gran said and Lily went downstairs to get things ready for their breakfast. She had some crumpets and honey this morning, which would be a lovely treat, she thought as her phone rang. She saw Nick’s name and a little thrill ran through her. It was silly, she knew, but it was nice to have a distraction.
‘Morning,’ she said to him.
‘Morning to you too. How’s things in Appleton Green?’
