Page 27 of Eden's Comfort Kitchen
But as she painted on a smile for Livia’s return, she dismissed the idea. It wouldn’t make her feel better. It would probably make her feel worse.
As they left the shop, Livia opened her bag and peered inside. ‘I’m chuffed with all this. I can’t wait to get the kids from school and let them go through it.’
‘I didn’t realise you had to pick them up from school; I thought you had to work at the parlour until five.’
‘We’re open until five, but someone has to do the school run before then. Mum and me take it in turns. It’s my turn today. If you’re at a loose end, you could come with me. We’ll only be heading back to work after – the kids stay with us for the last hour until we close – but you’re more than welcome if you fancy the walk.’
‘I would, if you didn’t mind. What time would that be?’
‘Oh, not for a couple of hours yet.’
‘Right…’ Eden was thoughtful as they walked slowly back to the seafront, the sun warming her face. All around them were people in bright clothes, eating chips from trays or ice creams or fudge from the shop just along from Livia’s, or clanking down to the beach with buckets and spades and windbreaks and deckchairs and all sorts of other holiday paraphernalia.
It was funny, seeing Sea Glass Bay from the other side. She’d always been one of those holidaymakers, only there during the bright, warm months where life was jolly and carefree and money was to be spent and not worried about. But although to all intents and purposes she was on a very long holiday, she felt more of a resident here than she ever had before. She was having to think about money – not in the way Livia and her mum and many others did, but she couldn’t just splurge for a week and put off worrying about it until she got home. She had to budget and consider how to make the money last, and she had chores to do and a job to go to.
And then there would be the kitchen – when she eventually got it set up. The responsibility of that would add another weight of worry. She understood that people would come to rely on it or – at the very least, she hoped – look forward to it enough to miss it when it went. But then, it would go, eventually. Eden would leave, and unless someone else wanted to take it on, then it would leave with her. Would anyone be up for it? Was it fair to expect anyone else to take it on? And if it wasn’t, then what didthat mean for Eden? Was it her responsibility to stay and see it through? She tried to picture herself living in Sea Glass Bay for good, but she couldn’t imagine what that might look like.
‘Are you all right?’ Livia asked, breaking into her thoughts.
‘Oh yes. Just thinking.’
‘About your kitchen project?’
‘Yes. It’s all I’ve thought of the last couple of days.’
‘I suppose there’s a lot to consider. I don’t suppose…Don’t take this the wrong way, but it does seem like a very sudden decision. You’ve only just arrived in the bay, and you’re not planning to stay all that long. Do you think this thing is a good idea? It’s a lovely idea, of course, and it would do a lot of good around here, but it’s a tall order for someone at the best of times, and you…’
Her sentence tailed off.
‘I what?’
Livia shook her head. ‘I don’t know what’s going on with you, but I can tell there’s something. You don’t have to share it with me, but if you wanted to, I wouldn’t judge. At least, I don’t think I would. Was it a bad break-up or something? You lost your job in London?’
Eden wondered how much to say. She didn’t even know where to start.
‘Ignore me,’ Livia said into the brief pause. ‘I’m being far too nosy.’
‘You’re not. There’s just…’ Eden hesitated. She wanted to tell Livia something, but she was afraid. She had no doubt that Livia was sincere and wasn’t looking to judge her, but she couldn’t take the risk. She didn’t think she could bear Livia’s judgement, because she was sure it wouldn’t be good. ‘There’s nothing much to tell,’ she finished lamely. ‘I felt like I needed some time out of the rat race, and here I am. A first world problem, I suppose.’
‘If you can do it, do it. I don’t blame you for that – if I had the money and nothing to tie me down, I’d probably want to do the same. Travel or something, you know?’
‘But you have Nancy and Levi? Is that what stops you?’
‘Yes. Mum too. They all need me. It’s not that big a deal, you know; I don’t feel like I’m missing out that I can’t go off. There are far worse places to be stuck than Sea Glass Bay. In fact, I know I’m lucky to live here.’
‘How come…if you don’t mind me asking, how come you have Nancy and Levi? What happened to their mum?’
‘She died.’
‘How did it happen? Or is it too painful to talk about?’
‘It’s fine – I can talk about it. She had a rare type of cancer. It was aggressive and over quicker than you would ever have thought possible. Some days I still can’t believe she’s gone, even though it’s been four years.’
‘She’s your only sister?’
Livia nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘Were you close?’
