The Mill on Magnolia Lane: A gorgeous feel-good romantic comedy Read online

  ‘What’s the point? He knew when he was alive we didn’t like her so why would it be any different with him gone?’

  ‘Gracie—’

  ‘I know, I know… I’m out of order.’ Gracie snatched the magazine up again. ‘I can’t help it. She’s the reason we’re all scattered to the four winds. We were happy before she turned up – a happy little family.’

  ‘She never made you leave for London – you’d have gone anyway.’

  ‘And James?’

  ‘What about James?’

  ‘Would he have become such a loser?’

  ‘You can’t blame Florentina for James’s benders!’

  ‘But if he’d stayed with Mum perhaps he wouldn’t have—’

  ‘He’s twenty-six! How much longer could Mum have protected him? He’s an adult and he’s made his own choices, and you can’t blame anyone for those but him. In fact, James would probably agree with me on that point.’

  ‘He’s too drunk most of the time to agree on anything.’

  Lizzie mentally counted to ten and drew in a long breath. ‘Gracie,’ she said, struggling to even her tone, ‘you’re a guest in my house. Florentina was also a guest. Guests don’t get to say which other guests are welcomed in – only I do that. Next time I won’t send her away.’

  ‘So you’d choose Florentina over your family?’

  ‘I shouldn’t be forced to make that choice! My own sister shouldn’t be putting me in that situation! Don’t forget that you’re also here because I’m letting you stay.’

  ‘You’d kick me out?’

  ‘That’s not what I’m saying!’

  ‘That’s what it sounds like to me!’

  ‘I don’t think anyone would blame me if I did – you’re such a bloody pain in the arse!’

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

  ‘Do I actually have to tell you? Do you really need me to point out every annoying thing you do?’

  Lizzie heaved in breaths, aware of how control was slipping away from her when she’d promised herself it wouldn’t. If she lost her temper now she might say things it would be hard to take back, but she was close.

  ‘Please do,’ Gracie said with a scowl. ‘Because I’d love to learn the secret of being perfect, and you clearly have it down to a T.’

  Lizzie stomped to the kitchen area and filled the kettle. She didn’t want a drink but it would be something to take her mind off the things she was dying to say to her sister. But Gracie didn’t want to let go now the argument had started.

  ‘I mean, you’re so perfect and wonderful and lovely that I’m surprised nobody has written a musical about you. Lizzie Lovell, the wonder of Piriwick, who rescues all the lost souls. She skips down the street and birds flock to her and fluffy bunnies spread rose petals on the path as she walks with her perfect man and perfect life and who is oh so clever and never ever gets it wrong—’

  Lizzie slammed the kettle down. ‘Stop it!’ she screeched. ‘Nobody says I’m perfect!’

  ‘Then stop acting like you are!’ Gracie shouted.

  ‘At least my boyfriend isn’t shagging the intern!’

  ‘At least mine wasn’t going after sixth-formers like your ex was!’

  Lizzie froze, tears pricking her eyes. It was clear that Gracie knew instantly she’d crossed the line, but perhaps Lizzie had been asking for it.

  Gracie was silent. She opened the magazine at random and began to rip through the pages, so fast that she couldn’t possibly be reading anything. But then she looked up. ‘I don’t like her but I’m sorry I upset you. That’s all I can say.’

  Lizzie recognised a white flag. ‘Could you at least be civil if she comes again?’

  ‘Do you want me to leave?’

  ‘Of course I don’t!’

  ‘Because I will.’

  ‘Where would you go?’

  ‘What do you care?’

  ‘I do care – you know I do.’

  ‘Looks like it. I suppose if it was Florentina sitting here now it would be alright, wouldn’t it? I don’t suppose she’d be annoying you half as much.’

  ‘Gracie, please… don’t be like this. I’m not going to stop being nice to Florentina, but you’re my sister and I love you, and I would never want to see you with nowhere to live.’

  ‘Well you’re hardly making me welcome pointing out all the reasons why you hate having me here, are you?’

  ‘I don’t hate having you here… but even you must realise that we’re not kids anymore and it’s going to be harder to live under the same roof than it used to be.’

  ‘It’s hard for me too,’ Gracie said, and Lizzie could see the pain in the truth of that as she looked at her now. ‘I’ve lost everything in the blink of an eye. Do you think it was easy to turn up at your caravan and ask for help? Don’t you think I felt like a terrible failure? I knew I’d look pathetic to you. But I came here because you were the best person I could think of to help.’

  Lizzie let out a sigh. ‘I know all that. I’m sorry I shouted at you.’

  Gracie wiped a hand across her eyes and nodded. ‘I’m sorry I was horrible to Florentina. You know I can’t ever like her, but if she comes again then I’ll try not to be rude.’

  Lizzie walked around the worktop and sat on the sofa next to her sister. ‘Can I get a hug? Or do you still hate me too much?’

  Gracie reached across and they embraced. It felt good, tensions draining away even as they were in each other’s arms. Life was hard in the caravan together sometimes, but it had taken Gracie real guts to admit her humiliation and come to Lizzie for help, and Lizzie had failed to see just how much wind had been taken from her sister’s sails. While she’d tried to be upbeat and optimistic, she must have been dying inside, just as Lizzie had been after Evan.

  After a moment, Gracie broke free and Lizzie could see by her expression that she wanted to put the argument behind them too.

  ‘Did you get everything you needed from the shops?’ Lizzie asked, a question designed to draw a line under the incident and move them on.

  ‘Apart from the cut of beef I wanted. I might have to go to Waitrose for that.’

  ‘There’s a farm shop not far from here – they have lovely meat. Want to take a walk down there before it closes?’

  ‘How far is not far?’

  ‘Would take about twenty minutes.’

  ‘OK.’

  Gracie yanked on a pair of trainers that had been lying under the table. They happened to be Lizzie’s but in light of their current truce Lizzie didn’t see the point in making a fuss about it. Instead, she headed to the bedroom to get another pair of shoes for herself and grabbed her keys, glad they’d managed to call time on their disagreement. Perhaps, once the weekend was over, it might be prudent to broach the delicate matter of Gracie’s departure date. They would be into their second week together by then and really, if they were both being honest, that was more than enough of each other’s company for either of them. There was a reason the Lovell siblings were scattered to the four winds, and right here in this caravan was a huge part of it.

  NINE

  Their spat could have soured the evening, but Lizzie was determined not to let things fester, and they’d cleared the air during their walk to the farm shop. Or rather, the air had cleared them, because the pleasant afternoon sun as they trekked down country lanes, their heads filled with the scents of wild grass and heady scarlet roadside poppies, had worn them both into a stupor of contentment, and the incident with Florentina hadn’t been mentioned again. So by the time they’d got back to Magnolia Lane they were friends again, and Gracie’s chatter was like machine-gun fire as she described what she was going to cook with their meat.

  Now, twenty-four hours later, the fairy lights had been strung through the old pear trees, the canopy erected to shade the table and temporary stove, the patio heater was burning and the places were set with sparkling new glasses and dinnerware. Gracie stepped back with a satisfied smile as she inspected what she’d
done and what Lizzie had been only too happy to let her take charge of, because a busy Gracie was a happy one. Then she disappeared into the caravan to chop some vegetables.

  Bang on time, Jude arrived with Charlie, and after a kiss which Lizzie wished could have lasted a lot longer, he was led to the clearing beneath the trees.

  ‘Wow!’ He ran his gaze over the preparations for dinner. ‘You didn’t tell me this was an actual event. I feel woefully underdressed.’

  ‘Don’t.’ Lizzie laughed. ‘It’s not an event; it’s just that my party organiser got carried away. Don’t think you’ll get this kind of treatment every time you visit me.’

  ‘I won’t,’ Jude said, giving her a grin that made her heart gallop.

  ‘This is nice,’ Charlie said, mouth open and eyes transfixed on the twinkling lights and pristine place settings, as if he’d been transported to a fairy grotto. And Lizzie had to admit that perhaps they had gone a tad over the top for what was supposed to be an informal get-together. But Gracie had been revelling in the whole process so much, and she’d barely mentioned Frank while she’d been absorbed in her plans, so Lizzie had thought it easier to let all that slide, content that her sister was enjoying herself.

  Just then, Gracie emerged from the caravan with an armful of candles.

  ‘Oh, hello!’ she called. But then she stopped as she focused on Jude, seemed to stare for a split second before checking herself, shaking her head and smoothing her puzzled expression into a smile. The whole episode had been brief, though not brief enough for Lizzie to miss it, and she could see by the expression on his face that it had clearly thrown Jude too.

  ‘This is my sister, Gracie,’ she said cautiously. ‘And Gracie, this is Jude and Charlie.’

  ‘Hello!’ Charlie called with the same excited wave he had given Lizzie the first time he’d come knocking on her caravan door.

  Gracie smiled. ‘Pleased to meet you. And you too, Jude… Don’t mind me; get comfortable at the table. I want to get these candles going – they keep the midges away, you know.’

  ‘I could do that,’ Jude said, stepping forward to take them from her. Gracie looked as if she might refuse but then seemed to think better of it.

  ‘Thank you; that would be lovely.’

  Jude took the candles and, with direction from Gracie, began to dot them at strategic points around the table before lighting them. In a matter of minutes, the air was filled with the sharpness of citrus and lemongrass, which wove into the existing scents of freshly cut grass and the night-blooming honeysuckle around the old fencing.

  Charlie hovered at the fringes of the activity, suddenly and uncharacteristically shy.

  ‘Why don’t you sit down?’ Lizzie asked gently. ‘You can have a drink if you like while we get everything ready.’

  ‘Or you could help?’ Jude cut in, firing a glance at Lizzie that asked for approval.

  ‘Why not?’ Lizzie said. ‘It’s not the norm to set your guests to work, but if you want to get stuck in you can.’

  Charlie, normally needing no encouragement to undertake a task, shook his head uncertainly. Lizzie wondered if the apparent formality of the setting might be putting him off, despite it not really being that formal at all. Whatever it was, he wasn’t quite his usual enthusiastic self.

  ‘Don’t worry,’ Lizzie said. ‘Sit down and I’ll get drinks.’

  Jude joined Charlie at the table and rubbed his back to reassure him while Lizzie went to the fridge in the caravan. In the tiny kitchen space, Gracie was unwrapping slabs of glistening steak from sheets of greaseproof paper.

  ‘What do you think?’ Lizzie asked as she reached into the fridge for bottles of juice and wine.

  ‘He seems nice,’ Gracie said, but Lizzie immediately detected some unspoken caveat to that statement.

  ‘I’m glad you approve,’ she replied, choosing to ignore it. Instead, she grabbed her bottles and left Gracie slamming a mallet down onto the steaks. Though it might threaten to, Lizzie wasn’t going to let whatever random misgiving Gracie seemed to have about Jude and Charlie ruin her night. Perhaps her sister was still feeling vulnerable after her break-up with Frank and their recent argument about Florentina, more than Lizzie had realised, and perhaps her trust levels of men in general were pretty close to zero. It was true that Lizzie’s had been just as low after her split from Evan. Perhaps Gracie was even a little resentful that Lizzie had found someone who made her happy at a time when she had just lost her man. Frank hadn’t been a bit interested in winning Gracie back, and Lizzie suspected that had wounded her sister more than if he’d tried to lie his way back into her affections as Evan had once done with her.

  More than once Gracie had been tempted to contact him, but Lizzie had talked her out of it, citing all the reasons why it was a bad idea. Her sister had taken the advice grudgingly, though Lizzie suspected that she might have been stalking him on social media because Gracie seemed to know an awful lot about what he was up to and even more about what the intern he’d had the affair with was up to. Lizzie didn’t want to ask, and if Gracie had wanted to tell her she would have, so Lizzie had left it at that. All she could do was be there for Gracie, and she was doing her best in that regard. She knew nights like this would help. Gracie really sparkled in social situations, and nothing made her happier than playing hostess. Once the dust settled and she got into her stride, Lizzie was sure her sister would find this evening a welcome distraction from her woes – as long as everything went to plan. That wasn’t always quite so easy to predict…

  * * *

  As Lizzie had hoped, Gracie seemed to rally. She proved herself a skilful and entertaining chef as she cooked steak to order at the outside griddle (and a burger for Charlie), while Lizzie dealt with the side dishes. Afterwards, she grilled slices of pineapple sprinkled with brown sugar and topped them off with whipped cream, and Jude declared it the best thing he’d ever eaten. Lizzie looked on with pride at her talented sister. Growing up, she’d always felt Gracie was more capable at pretty much everything she turned her hand to and this evening had proved it – Lizzie was sure she couldn’t have pulled off such a cool and fun dinner party with quite the same panache. She tried not to dwell on Gracie’s first reaction to seeing Jude, even though part of her was desperate to ask. Asking, however, might well lead to another argument and, as much as it bothered Lizzie, there were all sorts of reasons why she wanted tonight to be a success. If Gracie was going to spill the beans, it would have to wait.

  After dinner they sat in the latticed shadows of the old pear trees with blankets on their knees as they chatted, getting to know each other, until Charlie began to yawn and Jude stood up.

  ‘It’s been amazing but I’d better get my brother to bed. He’s been up since the crack of dawn.’

  ‘Why?’ Gracie asked.

  Jude smiled. ‘He was excited about tonight.’

  ‘Oh, Charlie!’ Lizzie said with a fond chuckle. ‘You’ve been here tons of times now.’

  ‘I think maybe there was a slight difference tonight,’ Gracie reminded her, which only made Lizzie laugh again.

  ‘OK, point taken. Sorry, Gracie!’

  Jude and Charlie both took their leave, Charlie with a warm hug and Jude with a kiss given in the shadows of the trees while Gracie and Charlie tried to pretend they weren’t looking. And then they left and it was just Lizzie and her sister again.

  They shared the last of the wine in comfortable silence, Gracie insistent that it was pointless leaving the last drops in the bottle to turn to vinegar. The clear sky glinted above them with stars in numbers it had always been impossible to see whenever Lizzie had looked up from her house back in town, and the breeze rustled through fields of wild grass and trees heavy with summer foliage. But as Lizzie began to feel sleepy and wondered if she could be bothered to go to bed, or whether she might just stay where she was in front of the heater all night, Gracie finally made a move, stifling a yawn of her own.

  ‘This stuff won’t clear itself,’ she s
aid, gathering up the dirty glasses.

  ‘It’ll wait a minute,’ Lizzie said, stretching like a cat. ‘Talk to me, Gracie. We never get times like this anymore.’

  ‘I should think you’re sick of me by now. I’ve done nothing but talk to you this past week.’

  ‘I know, but I don’t feel as if you’ve actually told me anything.’

  ‘What does that mean?’

  ‘There’s been plenty of crying over Frank, insulting Frank, wishing all sorts of foul mishaps on Frank, but it’s all been about Frank. What about you?’

  ‘There’s nothing much to say about me – everything the same as ever. Decent job, enough money, hoping for eventual marriage to a man who won’t turn out to be a complete shit.’

  ‘You might not have that decent job for much longer.’

  Gracie was pensive as she took another sip of her wine. ‘Maybe I really don’t want it anymore anyway. After all, when I go back I have to face Frank, don’t I?’

  ‘You might have to face him sooner or later regardless. Don’t you need to go to the flat and get more of your things?’

  ‘I don’t think any of it is stuff I really need.’

  Lizzie doubted that was true but she remained silent on the matter.

  ‘Maybe we should talk about you instead,’ Gracie said. ‘I hardly know you these days.’

  ‘Don’t be silly.’

  ‘It’s true. This place…’ Gracie swept a hand towards the broad shadow of the construction site. ‘Where did this suddenly come from? The need to live out here? To pour everything you have into a wreck? It’s such a huge gamble.’

  ‘I don’t see it as a gamble.’

  ‘You’ve said yourself you don’t know whether you’ll run out of money before it’s anywhere near finished. I’d call that a gamble.’

  Lizzie shrugged. ‘When Dad died I just realised how short and precious life was. If you dream of something, why just dream? Why not make it happen? If you fail, at least you can say you tried instead of wondering what might have been.’