Page 9 of Amazing Grace

The roll-top bath in the main bathroom was simply to die for. She could imagine new tiles on the floor, with underfloor heating. This house had the potential to be magazine-worthy; she had totally fallen in love with it, although she was trying not to get too carried away just in case she was disappointed. But even if she didn’t want to admit it, the house had got under her skin. It was even a little closer to the high school that Archie would be going to next year, which was another bonus, and he’d be able to walk home quite easily. There wasn’t one thing about this house that she didn’t love – apart from the money it would take to get it to be how she dreamed it could be. But there was no rush. If they got it, they’d have all the time in the world, and she’d just have to work harder and gain more commission to pay for the things that it needed.

When, two days later, Mrs Robinson phoned Edward to say that they were happy to accept her offer, Grace couldn’t believe her luck. Mrs Robinson said to Edward that she thought Grace was a lovely lady and that Archie was adorable and that she couldn’t think of anyone better to move into her home.

Hearing these words, Grace was truly over the moon. This new house would give her and Archie the new start they needed. Maybe dreams could come true after all.

* * *

Two weeks after they’d been to look at the house, Grace and Archie picked up Gladys and took her over to meet her father in the retirement village. She’d told him they were coming, and he’d laid out tea and cakes to welcome her. It was lovely to see her dad with some colour in his cheeks, excited about having guests. Although he could still be grumpy at times, he loved spending time with his grandson and Archie adored his papa. That day, Grace noticed that her dad had on freshly laundered clothes, and she even smelt aftershave. She smiled to herself. He welcomed Gladys with warmth and invited her to take a look around his flat while Grace put the kettle on. He proudly told them all that he’d ordered cakes especially, with his Tesco home delivery. Grace was amazed that he’d bought himself the latest Apple Mac and had been having lessons in the community centre from a young IT professional who was helping the residents get ‘on the line’. He’d ought to be clocking up loyalty points based on how much he was spending on his Amazon account.

Her dad was telling Gladys how safe and secure he felt in his new home, how he could be alone if he wanted to and cook his own meals, or how more often than not he went to eat in the community dining room where he didn’t have to do any washing up. Grace was delighted to see that her father seemed to have a new lease of life, and Gladys was bowled over by the place, asking Grace if she could arrange an appointment with the manager to find out if there were any free flats. Grace and Archie wandered off over to the main building to see if she could find someone to talk to. The manager came back over with her to her father’s flat and, as they walked in, all they could hear was the tinkling of laughter from the lounge.

It warmed Grace’s heart and she hoped that Gladys and her dad would become firm friends if she decided to move in there. Gladys went to view an apartment and returned a short time later with a huge grin on her face, announcing that she would be moving into flat number five as soon as she physically could. Grace was amazed by how quickly she’d made her decision and asked her whether she needed to take some time before committing.

‘I’ve spoken to the family and we had already decided that it was a great idea. I’ve done nothing but look at brochures of this place since I accepted the offer you made on the house and had pretty much made up my mind. Coming here and meeting your dad and some of the other residents in the community hall has made me realise how I miss company. There’s a flat vacant so I’m moving in and I am looking forward to moving on to a new adventure. It must be fate, meeting you and you telling me about this place,’ she said, giving Grace a big hug.

Grace adored this little old lady, who seemed to have more energy and positivity than she did. Her father appeared delighted at the prospect of having a new friend close by, and they chatted about what mischief they could get up to when she moved in.

* * *

The sound of a taxi beeping outside Grace’s house shook her from her memory, and she took in a deep breath, knowing it was now or never. It was a good job that she’d hardly had to do anything to get ready; it was nice having her hair, make-up and clothes all sorted for her. She’d really just had to grab her handbag, touch up her lippy and go. It had been ages since she’d been out properly, and Monica had arranged for them to go to Elizabeth’s wine bar in the village.

As the taxi set off, and she’d greeted Monica, who was already sitting in the back, Grace reflected that Little Ollington was the kind of picture-perfect village that she had always dreamed of living in. There was a duck pond on the green, overlooked by the local church, and a high street with several shops. A few were for tourists, selling knick-knacks that you would never use, but there were a couple of teashops and a few other practical shops, plus the obligatory supermarket. The local forest attracted lots of visitors when the weather was nice, and there were dog walkers and mountain bikers galore on a beautiful sunny day. She didn’t know how she’d feel about living in a village when she first moved here, not really knowing a soul, but she’d made contacts through work and school, and some of those had become friends. Now she couldn’t imaginenotliving here.

Her parents had lived on the outskirts of Birmingham and they’d never really known much about their neighbours and locality. Despite growing up there, Grace much preferred the countryside to a city, loving the fact that when you went to the local supermarket, you’d bump into lots of people you knew and would have the chance to chat to. And because the estate agency was such an integral part of village life, she’d got to know the other shop owners and locals quite quickly when they arrived. Grace loved that Archie got to grow up in a much nicer, calmer place than she had, where they could appreciate nature and walk around feeling safe and secure.

The taxi dropped them off, and as they walked down the high street, they passed a shop that had been closed down for years.

‘One day…’ Grace muttered to herself.

‘One day what?’ Monica asked.

‘Christ, can nothing get past you? How did you hear that?’

‘Errr, hello! You said it out loud! So come on, spill the beans! What did you mean?’ Monica enquired.

‘Oh it’s just a dream of mine. I can’t tell you because that would make it real and I’ve never admitted it to anyone before.’

A voice came out of nowhere.Darling girl, if I taught you nothing more in life, it’s that through hard work and determination, you can make your dreams come true. You just have to have the courage to follow and pursue them. Don’t let dreams just be dreams. Life is short; turn your dreams into reality. But how can anyone help you if you don’t help yourself?

Monica replied, ‘You’re going to tell me though, right?’

Grace took a deep breath and quickly mumbled, ‘I’ve always dreamt of turning that place into a bookshop, that’s all.’

‘Well, do it then!’ said Monica.

‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ Grace replied. ‘Just because I had an idea doesn’t mean that I’d ever be capable of turning it into a business. I’d never be able to do that!’

‘Why ever not?’ Monica questioned. ‘You’ve been brilliant at the estate agency. Clearly you have a head for business. Don’t put yourself down. You can do anything if you put your mind to it.’

‘Hey, I need to stop you there, hun. Don’t you think there’s been enough life-changing today?’

Reluctantly, as she knew she’d already put her friend through her paces, Monica muttered ‘Whatever’ and dropped the subject as they went into the wine bar. Grace groaned internally, knowing that Monica was just parking this idea for a future conversation.

The bar was modern and pretentious and not the sort of place that Grace would normally choose to go, although she went out so rarely that she didn’t know what she did or doesn’t like these days. Monica introduced Grace to the barman.

‘Grace, meet Mario, Italy’s finest barman. He fell in love with a friend of mine called Beth who was on holiday in the Italian Lakes. He missed her so much when she returned home that he got on a flight to the UK, spent weeks tracking her down and when he finally did, declared his undying love. Luckily for him, she owned this bar, and that’s why the gorgeous Mario is our wine waiter this evening.’

Mario smiled. ‘It is all true. And I met this a-lovely laydee called Monica who is my wife’s a-friend. So, beautiful laydeees, what is your delicious pleasure this evening?’ Coming from an English man, that would have sounded so cheesy, but it just sounded so perfectly right in a sexy, deep Italian accent. Monica ordered them a bottle of chilled Pinot Grigio, and Mario said that he would bring it over to them, so they took the two tub chairs in the bay window that overlooked the pretty high street. Grace sighed with contentment. She really loved living here.

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