Page 49 of Amazing Grace

‘Lard Arses No More!’

Ruth shouted out, ‘Fat Fuckers Anonymous!’ and an elderly lady who was reading got up, threw her book down on her lounger and stormed past them in disgust, which, though Grace tried to blurt out an apology, made them roar with laughter until neither of them could breathe.

Calming down but realising how good it was to laugh, they decided to head over to the relaxation lounge where they grabbed a chaise longue each. They pulled cashmere blankets over themselves and snuggled down for a rest while watching the dancing flames of the huge log burner, which hypnotised them to sleep. A minute later, Grace heard a strange noise and realised that it was herself, snoring. Maybe Vinnie was right and she did snore, after all! She was mortified but as she looked around, it seemed that no one else had heard her and it looked like Ruth was equally sparked out. She looked at the clock and to her surprise, she saw that an hour had passed.

She grabbed a passing waitress who returned with two steaming coffees in gorgeous blue-and-white polka-dot Emma Bridgwater mugs accompanied by a selection of pastries on matching plates. ‘Oooh, I couldn’t possibly eat anything else,’ Ruth groaned as she woke and immediately reached for a cinnamon swirl. ‘OMG, these are exquisite!’

Grace laughed and took one herself. She didn’t know how they could possibly eat any more after the three-course lunch they’d not long devoured, but it seemed that it was possible after all.

Grace pointed out two fifty-something ladies who were sitting drinking out of champagne flutes around the hot tub area. ‘Bet the glamorous one on the left is a rich widow and she’s brought her friend along on a spa day for a bit of company. I hope those glasses are plastic. Health and safety, you know!’ Ruth laughed at her, which encouraged her to gossip some more. ‘And what about that couple over there? They can’t keep their hands off each other and she keeps sticking her tongue down his throat in full view of everyone.’

‘Clearly having an affair,’ Ruth giggled. ‘Ew! You’d never do that with your husband now, would you? What about her behind the desk? What’s her story do you reckon?’

‘Oooh, we’re proper busybodies, aren’t we?’ Grace laughed. They both stopped dead still and looked at each other.

‘Busybodies!Busy Bodies. That’s it!’ The name they’d been looking for. It was perfect.

They high-fived each other and toasted Busy Bodies with their mugs.

They were quiet in the car on the way back, not because they had run out of things to say, but because they were so relaxed and there was no need to fill the time with anything. It had been such a perfect day. Adult company had been missing from her life for a while, but no longer.

24

As they drove down the street towards Grace’s house, she realised that the outside lights were on. Vinnie, Archie and Becks were all standing on the doorstep waiting for her. Archie seemed to be jumping up and down with excitement about something. She gave him a great big hug, ruffled the fur on Becks’ head and then gave Vinnie a kiss full on the lips and told him what a wonderful day they’d had. She whispered in his ear that she’d show him later how much she had appreciated his wonderful gesture.

‘Mum, Mum! You have to put this blindfold on because me and Vinnie have something to show you!’ Ruth smiled at her, nudging her to do what he said. Grace bent down to let Archie put the blindfold on. She recognised it from an old beauty kit of hers – it had a dog’s face on it. Knowing just how ridiculous she must have looked, she went with it anyway; Archie’s enthusiasm was infectious.

Vinnie took one hand and Archie the other, and they led her through the wrought-iron side gate and down the path along the house.

‘OK, Mummy, you can take it off now!’ Archie squeaked with excitement.

What Grace saw when she took the blindfold off took her breath away. A huge lump formed in her throat and she couldn’t speak. Her whole garden had been transformed into her dream. In one corner stood an angel statue which had been stored in the garage. It was something that she’d spotted in a salvage yard just before they’d moved into the house, and the reason she’d bought it was because she wanted to think of an angel watching over her and Archie and protecting them in their home. In another area, her rattan furniture had been assembled and arranged with loads of cushions on the chairs, and on the table in an ice bucket was a bottle of Bollinger and lots of glasses. In the far corner was what used to be her old ramshackle creosoted shed. Now it took pride of place, painted in a beautiful rich cream and duck-egg blue, with bunting and fairy lights round the doorway and Moroccan glass lanterns hanging outside each window. She still couldn’t find any words. She wandered over to it and inside it there was bunting and more decorative lanterns. In one corner was a desk and an office chair and in the other, a sofa covered in technicoloured throws. Bookshelves lined the other walls.

She turned around and flung herself at Vinnie, clinging on for dear life. ‘You did all this? For me?’

‘Not just me, I had a great deal of help from my wing man.’ He swept his arm round to Archie who had the biggest, proudest smile on his face that Grace had ever seen. ‘And Mike and the kids, too. I’m not Superman, you know!’

‘You guys are amazing! I just don’t know what to say! And you!’ She turned to Ruth, who was chuckling naughtily. ‘You knew, didn’t you? That’s why we’ve been out all day, isn’t it?’

Ruth smiled at her. ‘Grace, if my little brother wanted to give you your dream garden, how could I refuse? Especially when he offered me a spa day as a bribe to get you away. As mum to three kids, I’m very easily bought, you know.’

Archie insisted that they all have a group hug, and how could they refuse? Apart from the day that Archie was born, Grace had never felt so blessed in her life.

She felt totally overwhelmed. These people, who she’d only known for a short time, had turned her world around. They were kind, they were generous; they were beautiful souls. Just a few months ago, she had never felt more alone and sad, not knowing what the future held. And then one day, Vinnie had knocked on her door and it seemed that her luck had changed. And she’d never been happier.

* * *

Mike appeared from the conservatory with the karaoke machine in one hand and an extension lead in the other.

‘We decided that we’d have the party at your house instead of ours. Hope that’s OK?’ he added apologetically.

‘That’s a fantastic idea,’ Grace replied. ‘I’m never leaving this garden again, anyway. Hope the neighbours don’t mind the noise!’

As if by magic, they heard laughter coming from the side passage and Belinda appeared with a bottle of wine with Bill following behind, staggering under the weight of a huge pot filled with chilli con carne.

‘The first rule of being neighbourly is to always invite the neighbours to the party,’ Bill laughed. ‘Surely you know that, Grace. Although I’m not sure how we got conned into cooking most of the food too!’ He winked at her and once he’d plonked the pot down on the table, stooped and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Monica then appeared from the kitchen carrying a huge bowl full of jacket potatoes, a tub of butter and a big dish of grated cheese. ‘Hello, darling, hope you liked your surprise.’ She grinned.

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