Page 15 of Happy Days Ahead in the Cornish Village

Lisa nodded as she picked up the bucket and walked into the room. ‘It’s another lovely day out there today. It’s going to be a hot one, I reckon.’

‘Is it?’ Megan glanced back towards the window. Lisa was right, the sun was already high in the sky, having taken its place ages ago, probably. She hadn’t noticed when she’d been looking earlier. Turning on the spot, she searched for her mobile. Where had she put it?

‘Are you looking for something? I’m usually good at finding things. Found a diamond ring in the room next door yesterday. They were ever so grateful as they’d only got engaged last week. Gave me a fifty-pound tip for that. Can you imagine having a spare fifty-pound just to tip someone for doing their job?’ Lisa placed the bucket on the desk.

Megan smiled sadly. Yes, she could imagine it. ‘My phone. I can’t remember where I put it.’

‘Is it the one in your hand?’ Lisa pointed to Megan.

Looking down, Megan shook her head. Yep, there it was. ‘Ah, thanks. I don’t even remember picking it up.’

‘One of those days today, then?’

Megan sighed as she slid her mobile into her pocket and picked up her room key. ‘Something like that. See you later.’

‘Have a good day,’ Lisa called over her shoulder as Megan headed to the door. ‘It can only get better.’

Pausing outside the room, Megan turned and watched as Lisa began polishing the bedside table. Maybe she was right. Today could get better. Today and the rest of her life would be better now that she was officially divorcing her lying husband.

Megan hit the Enter key on Flora’s laptop and watched as the cursor jumped to the next box in the spreadsheet and waited there, patiently flickering away as she searched the paperwork for the next number to input.

She leaned back in her chair and rolled her shoulders, trying to loosen the tension she told herself was due to spending the morning scrunched over the table rather than the phone call with Evan and the nagging apprehension as she imagined Lyle receiving the official-looking brown envelope and tearing it open to reveal the divorce papers.

The slight creak as the kitchen door opened brought her back to the present.

‘I’m not going to disturb you too much if I come and sit in here for my lunch, am I?’

Looking up, she could see Jay frowning as he held his lunch box up.

‘No, no, disturb away. Please.’

‘Thank you. It’s too warm for me to be sitting outside.’ He smiled. ‘I don’t like the heat much.’

‘Oh, I love the hot weather. Although the heat here isn’t the same as abroad.’

‘No, you’re right. It’s getting too humid here for it to be particularly pleasant.’ Jay nodded towards the kettle. ‘Cuppa?’

‘Good idea.’ Megan stood up. ‘I’ll get them, though. I need to stretch my legs and give my brain a break.’

‘A difficult day with the numbers?’ Jay raised his eyebrows at the laptop, and papers strewn across the table.

‘Yes. It’s my own fault. I just can’t concentrate today.’ She flicked the kettle on.

‘Ah, one of those days then.’

Megan laughed. ‘You’re not the first person to say that to me this morning! But, yes, I’m definitely longing for this day to be over already.’

‘Sorry to hear that. I hope it isn’t anything that bad on your mind.’

‘Mmm…’

Should she tell him? Wasn’t the saying something along the lines of ‘a problem shared, a problem halved’? Although it wasn’t a problem – the divorce papers – it was a solution.

She spoke quietly as she watched the steam escape the spout of the kettle. ‘My ex will be receiving my divorce papers today.’

Jay whistled under his breath. ‘Are congratulations in order or commiserations?’

She poured the water into the mugs, the small mounds of coffee granules instantly dissolving in the heat of the water. ‘Definitely, congratulations, which is why I don’t know why I’m feeling so weird about it all.’

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