Page 114 of A Recipe for Love
‘Then why aren’t you still in Scotland with mystery boy?’
‘I told you. That didn’t work out.’
Her grandma narrowed her eyes slightly. ‘And why haven’t I seen your phone in your hand since you got here?’
‘What do you mean?’ She knew exactly what her grandmother meant. Normally when she was back home she was glued to her phone, messaging people to find her next opportunity, scrolling job sites for interesting gigs in interesting places.
‘You know.’
‘Just taking some time out. Like a digital detox.’
‘Bella, you’re avoiding something. Or someone.’
‘I’m not.’ Bella stormed out of the room, marched into her bedroom and found her phone in the bottom of her rucksack. She turned it on in front of her grandma with a flourish. ‘Look. Not ignoring anything.’
‘Good.’
Bella’s skin physically prickled as she waited to see what notifications popped up. Had Adam tried to call her? Had he messaged? Not that it mattered. She wasn’t desperate for him to call. She wasn’t in limbo because she’d run away without a word; every inch of her wasn’t desperate for him to call her back. That wasn’t who she was at all. She’d done her best. Things hadn’t worked out. And now she’d moved on. She wasn’t about to get hung up on what might have been.
She slammed the phone down on the kitchen table. She wasn’t looking at the notifications. She didn’t need to. She wasn’t waiting for, or avoiding, anything. It was just a phone. Her phone trilled. Once, and then twice, and then again and again.
Her grandma raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you going to get that?’
Bella shrugged. ‘I’m sure it’s not urgent.’
‘You can look.’
‘I don’t need to look.’
Her nan raised her hands in a signal of surrender. ‘All right then. Well I’m out to Maya’s for the meditation circle this evening. I’ll be back about nine. Unless you want to come.’
Maya was one of nan’s longest standing friends and a lynchpin of their local social circle. Normally Bella would go along and let everyone coo over where she’d been most recently and where she was heading next. She shook her head. ‘I’m fine here.’
She waited with a level of self-control worthy of a much better woman until she heard the click of the Yale lock as her grandma closed the front door behind her, before she picked up her phone. The waiting proved, didn’t it, that she was genuinely chilled about who might have called or messaged.
She swiped away a couple of unused app notifications and a demand that she updated a whole load of other stuff and concentrated on the list of messages and missed calls. Six missed calls. Three from Darcy Lowbridge. Two from Flinty. And one from Veronica. Nothing from Adam. Not that she cared. That was over. Better for everyone that he didn’t get in touch.
She opened her messages. Jill was at the top of the list. Six new messages. Bella read them quickly backwards from the most recent.
Today:Call me?
One day ago:Don’t want to keep bothering you, butare you OK? Don’t want to intrude but hope you’re all right. Let me knowif you need to chat.
One day ago:Missing you here. Hope you’ll be backsoon. The prayer group missed your cakes!
Two days ago:Just been up to Lowbridge to deliverthe study books for prayer group. It’s not the same without you. I’msure everyone misses you.
Two days ago:Just checking in. Hope you’re allright xxx
Three days ago:You’re barely on the train and I’malready texting. Hope you’re OK. Keep in touch and let me know if youneed ANYTHING!!!!
Jill was a sweetheart, obviously, and it was kind of her to say that everyone missed her, but she was a bloody vicar. She had to be kind didn’t she? It was basically part of her job description. And not everyone had tried to get in touch with her.
She flicked down to the next message from an unknown number.
One day ago:Hi. This is Cath from the cookeryschool. Hope you don’t mind but Jill gave me your number. Me and Clairehad great fun doing trial day. Darcy said the evening course was pausedfor a bit. I’m really sorry to hear that. I wanted to talk to you aboutsomething you said you might do for lads who know nothing about cooking.I really want to send my two boys – well they’re 19 and 22 but stillboys to me! They can barely light the hob. You would work wonders. Seeyou soon x
Flinty next.
