Page 9 of A New Arrival at Cwtch Cove

They hugged again and when Trudy finally let go, she took her daughter’s face in both hands and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

‘I’d better go and have my shower. When I come down shall we open a nice bottle of wine to share with dinner?’

‘That would be lovely.’

‘Won’t be long.’ Trudy left the kitchen and trotted up the stairs, her chest brimming with love and gratitude. Life gave riches and it took them away but right now she had her daughter home and she was going to make the most of it.

Chapter9

Alice

Alice sat back on her chair at the kitchen table and undid the top button of her jeans. She stared down at her stomach, marvelling at how bloated she was. ‘I’m so full that if you pricked me with a pin I think I’d pop.’

‘Me too but it was delicious.’ Her mum smiled then sipped her wine. ‘This wine is tasty too. I don’t know why you don’t like it.’

Alice shrugged. She’d poured two glasses of the wine when she’d set the table but when she’d sipped hers, she found it too acidic and so she gave hers to her mum to drink. Instead, she’d stuck with water.

‘I’ve been thinking that while I’m home, I could help you out more.’

‘Oh love, you did. That dinner was wonderful.’

‘I’m glad you enjoyed it but not just with meals. What about if I helped with your admin and your online stuff? Is there anything like that I could do?’

Her mum pursed her lips and a tiny line appeared between her brows. ‘I take all the orders personally because then I know if I can do them or not. But my website could do with an update. It’s a bit basic and I’ve been meaning to get around to updating it for ages but it never seems like a priority.’

‘I could do that for you. I mean, I’m no tech whizz but I do know how to create a website and I could learn some more about it anyway. It will do me good to have something to occupy my time. Not that I don’t enjoy reading and watching TV but I’d like to learn a new skill.’

‘Are you thinking that you might not go back to dentistry?’ Her mum’s green eyes roamed over Alice’s face and she knew her mum was worried.

Alice sighed and rubbed at her forehead. ‘I don’t know, Mum. I loved my job but there were things about it that… that I didn’t love.’

‘Like what, sweetheart?’

‘The long hours, the stress of not being able to give NHS patients exactly what they need or want, worrying about causing pain or anxiety, falling behind schedule because treatments sometimes take longer than expected and then there are the occasional difficult patients who complain about, well, everything really. The list goes on. It’s a wonderful career but also a challenging one and I don’t know if I want that much stress in my life.’

She stopped talking and looked at her mum, wondered if she sounded whiny and ungrateful. After all, her mum had helped her through university financially and emotionally, had been her own loyal cheerleader. Whenever Alice had phoned her mum in tears because she was nervous about an exam or felt like she was falling behind, her mum had listened and advised, offered reassurance in the way only a loving parent could. And her mum had done all this while she worked her own fingers to the bone. What would this new revelation about Alice considering leaving dentistry behind do to her mum?

‘I’m so sorry,’ Alice said. ‘I probably sound ungrateful, don’t I? I think I’m just tired and a bit of a break will recharge me then I’ll be ready to go back.’

‘Alice… Please don’t think you have to say that on my account. All I’ve ever wanted is for you to be happy and if you’re not then do something about it. Life is too short to stay in a job that you don’t enjoy.’

‘Really?’

‘Absolutely! You have a brilliant mind and you can do whatever you want. I believe in you, my darling, so believe in yourself too.’

Alice sipped her water then nodded. ‘Thank you. You always know how to make me feel better, Mum. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

‘No need for thanks. I want my baby girl to be happy and healthy.’

Alice’s stomach suddenly gave a lurch and she gripped the edge of the table.

‘Alice? What’s wrong?’

‘I’m not sure.’ She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. ‘I just feel a bit… warm.’

‘It is quite warm in here. Let me open the door and get you some more water.’

Her mum got up and opened the back door and the cool evening air rushed inside. Alice accepted the fresh glass of water that her mum offered and she sipped it slowly. The past few weeks she’d had a few minor spells like this and put them down to stress. She knew that stress could do terrible things to a person and suspected that she needed to look after herself a bit better. Otherwise she could end up ill and that was the last thing she needed.

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