Page 117 of A Recipe for Love
‘I have had a good life here. I raised my son, but he’s gone now.’ She shook her head slightly as if willing away tears. ‘I’m hoping it’s not too late for me to take a detour along that other road.’ His grandmother patted his hand. ‘I’ll let you get on.’
Dipper raised her head to watch Veronica go and then settled herself back down at the Laird’s feet.
Bella didn’t cry. She never cried. It was a point of pride, and occasionally disbelief when she told new friends in bars in far-flung places.
But she was crying now. Big violent sobs were shaking her whole body and she had no idea why. She’d made the right decision. She’d reached the end of the road in Lowbridge and it was time to go. There was no point dwelling on any of it, and dwelling on things was not at all Bella’s way, and yet the tears were falling down her face in a vast and unstoppable flood.
‘I knew you weren’t all right.’ Her grandma was standing in the doorway to Bella’s room.
‘I thought you were out.’
‘I was. Now I’m back.’
‘You’re early.’
Her nan shook her head. ‘Actually I’m late.’
Bella checked the time. Half past nine. That couldn’t be right. She couldn’t have been sitting here with tears streaming all evening.
‘What happened up in Scotland, love?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Bollocks.’ Her nan sat down on the bed next to her. ‘Your aura’s all squiffy and you’re lying to me. You never lie to me.’
Her nan always knew.
‘You told me the first time you got high and the first time you got laid, and trust me, that was not a story any grandmother needs to hear. So what aren’t you telling me now?’
‘There’s nothing to tell.’
‘Humour me.’
Bella wiped her nose on the back of her sleeve. ‘Everything got messed up, and things had run their course. So I came home.’
‘What’s messed up?’
She might as well tell her. There was no point keeping it herself, but where could she even start? ‘It’s too hard to explain.’
‘Well we’re not in any hurry. You can take your time.’
Bella took a deep breath in. Her nan wasn’t going to let her get away with breezing over the details. ‘So I met this guy in Spain…’
One hour, two glasses of wine, and eleven exclamations of ‘An actual castle?’ later, Bella had got past the point where she’d set about saving the fortunes of the Lowbridge estate, and up to the point where the cookery school was past its rather eventful trial day and starting regular classes, and where the castle was bustling with community groups and meetings. That’s where Bella stopped.
Her nan refilled both their glasses. ‘Go on.’
‘It’s stupid.’
‘I said, go on.’
‘I… I was starting to feel like I could make a home there.’ Bella waited for her nan’s inevitable laughter.
‘What’s stupid about that?’
‘Seriously? Settling down. Making a home. It’s not exactly our style is it? You raised me to be an adventurer.’
‘Adventure doesn’t have to mean moving around the whole time. We had plenty of adventures right here.’
