Page 12 of My Heart To Heal

She smirks, knowing me too well by now. ‘I need your opinion on something.’

‘Okay. Shoot.’

She nods toward the building behind her and turns toward the door. ‘Come on.’

Walking into the old building, I feel a little confused. Something in the pit of my stomach flutters with the temptation to get excited, but I fight it, not wanting to get ahead of myself.

‘So, we’ve been looking for somewhere we can fix up here in town, and we heard a rumor that the owner of this place was willing to sell.’

‘Um, the whole building?’

She shrugs.

‘No, the business premises at the bottom, and then there’s a two-bedroom apartment above. Well, there are two apartments up there, but one wasn’t for sale as it’s already owned and lived in.’

I glance around. It’s old and unused for a long time but unmistakable. According to the window signs, the business premises are a hair salon and a barbershop.

‘Come on. Let’s go upstairs.’

Cara leads me to the back of the shop, where a stairwell can be accessed from the shop and an external door too, and we head upstairs.

‘Okay, that’s the occupied apartment.’ She points to a door we pass while heading to one directly opposite. ‘So, this is the one that comes with the sale.’

Inside, I inhale deeply — it’s a huge space. It needs a lot of work and looks as though it hasn’t been lived in for a really long time, but it’s fantastic.

‘It has a wee little Juliet balcony here in the living room and also one in the master bedroom, and they’re just adorable.’

I follow her through the space, curious about what she’s up to. She and Doug have recently set up a house flipping business, but this isn’t the kind of property they’ve been going for. She’s been looking at old houses, not barbershops and apartments.

‘Here’s the master, and there’s a bathroom there that absolutely needs a refit.’

Huh, maybe she is looking to flip this place.

‘There’s the second bedroom — still a great area.’

I check out the rooms in turn and they are all fantastic sizes. The place could be amazing with a little love.

‘So, what do you think?’

Cara stops and turns to me, an anxious expression on her face.

‘It’s amazing. I love the balconies, and this living space is huge. It is so versatile. The bedrooms are great, and the shop is a great space, too.’

‘So, you like it?’

I laugh. ‘Yeah, Cara. I just said that. Why do you look so worried?’

‘Because it’s yours.’ I freeze, unable to take a breath, unable to move a muscle. ‘Missy, you okay?’

‘What do you mean?’

My voice is tiny as I ask her to explain.

‘I bought it for you. Miss, I adore you. You have been there for me literally since I stepped off the plane. You had my back without me needing to do anything to earn your trust or your friendship. Roberta left me a shit ton of money, and I know she left you a bit, too, but honestly, Missy, she should have left it all to you. You were the granddaughter in her life, and you were the one there for her over the years and at the end.’

I feel the tremble of my chin and swallow against the lump of emotion in my throat. I loved Roberta, but I wasn’t blood. I never questioned her leaving it all to Cara.

‘I never expected, I mean, I didn’t ask for…’

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