Squaring her shoulders, Leah crunched her way towards the front door of Seabury House. In the late evening sunshine, the flower beds were bright and beautiful. This place really was remarkable. She knew why Will didn’t want to stay there, but if this place belonged toher, Leah would stay there as often as she could!
Grabbing the heavy knocker, Leah pounded on the door before she could chicken out. She could only imagine Will’s reaction if he found out that she was spending the evening at his childhood home. His frosty greeting in the café had almost made her cancel… but after thinking about it, she’d decided she owed it to Connie and Rosie to turn up. After all, this would probably be one of her last chances to hang out with them.
‘Don’t think about that now,’ she sighed, her heart sinking even as she listened to the sound of the knocker echoing through the house.
Both women had texted her during the day, offering everything from coffee deliveries to paracetamol runs. Rosie had even suggested a welfare check by her very own Dr Pepper. Leah had been grateful for their concern and felt thoroughly guilty for making them worry about a headache that didn’t even exist… at least to start with.
After hours of crying and staring at herWilliam Pepper Handover Manual, she’d developed a corker of a tension headache. She could still just feel it now, lurking at the base of her skull, threatening to rear back up at the slightest provocation.
‘Hey!’ said Rosie, her face breaking into a smile as she flung the door open. ‘How are you feeling?’
‘Loads better,’ said Leah, accepting a hug, though she instantly had to bite her lip and scrunch her eyes together as they started to tingle.
‘Good. We were worried!’
‘Sorry,’ said Leah as the guilt hit her again.
‘Don’t be daft,’ laughed Rosie. ‘It’s not like you asked for a headache! Anyway, come on in. Feel free to leave your bag there, if you want—it’ll be completely safe.’
Leah nodded, slipping her handbag from her shoulder and dumping it onto the glossy wooden bench just inside the door. It would be nice to have a bit of space between her and her diary for a few hours!
‘There she is!’ said Connie the minute Leah entered the vast kitchen. Connie was ensconced in a chair near the fire, a pair of knitting needles in her hands. ‘How’s your head?’
‘Loads better,’ said Leah again. ‘Thanks for your messages earlier.’
‘No worries!’ said Connie. ‘It sucks when you feel ill somewhere you don’t know very well.’
‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ said Rosie. ‘Your eyes still look a bit pink.’
Damn. She’d thought those drops, followed by cucumber slices from the fridge, had sorted that out!
‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘Seriously. I reckon it was just the stress of the last few months making its way out of my system.’
‘Blimey, is Will that hard to handle?’ chuckled Connie, stashing her knitting in a patchwork bag and stretching her arms over her head.
‘Hardly!’ said Leah quickly. ‘If I’m honest, he’s a dream to work for.’
It was true. She wasn’t just blowing smoke because they were his family. Will might be a bit dithery and too wrapped up in his music to pay much attention to everyday details, but he was a good boss. He was kind, and he didn’t have an ego the size of a planet despite his mad amount of talent.
‘Seriously,’ she said with a gentle smile. ‘Working with Will has been the highlight of my career. He’s kind and fun to be around… when he actually remembers I’m there.’
‘Can I ask you something?’ said Rosie, glancing at Connie and then back at Leah.
‘Let the poor girl sit down first!’ tutted Connie.
Leah perched nervously at the kitchen table, wondering what was about to happen. If they asked her directly about her feelings for Will, she wasn’t sure she had the energy to lie.
‘It’s just… do you think Will’s been a bit distant recently?’ said Rosie.
‘Distant?’ said Leah in surprise.
Rosie nodded. ‘I mean, I know he’s always been away with the fairies… but he used to be larger than life, too. Bouncy and a little bit cocky, you know? Sort of full of himself in an endearingway. But these last few months, he’s gone a bit quiet. The boys have noticed it too.’
Leah nodded slowly. So, it wasn’t just her imagination, then? She’d thought the same several times over the last few weeks. It was like Will had shrunken, somehow. Like he’d started to turn inwards.
‘Youhavenoticed, haven’t you?!’ said Connie, who was watching her closely.
Leah bit her lip, wondering how much she should say. After all, wasn’t something like this covered by a confidentiality clause in her contract?
