‘I wasn't having it any longer, Sparkles. You needed your friends. You need your friends should I say.’
‘Indeed she does,’ Xian said as she shuffled over to the dresser and took out an Emma Bridgewater polka dot mug and sloshed in some of her special drink. ‘Can I get you one, Daisy?’
‘Absolutely, you can, Xian. Yes please. It’s been a very long time since I have had one of your special drinks. The last time, let me think, I was in the back of the bakery with Rory.’
‘Ahh, yes. When we came back and found you together drunk on Mum’s drinks,’ Holly said laughing. ‘Those were the days.’
‘They sure were. I’ve been remembering a lot of those days since I’ve been back,’ Daisy laughed.
‘I can’t believe you’re willing to give it another go.’ Leza laughed. ‘It’s disgusting. And not only that, it’s lethal, too.’
‘I think I’ll regret it in the morning,’ Daisy said giggling. ‘Right, Sparkles, nice jarmies by the way. Get yourself sat down at that very delightful pink table. I’ve got bhajis, poppadoms and all the pickles in my bag and one very large, very chilled, bottle of wine.’
Juliette looked around the kitchen lit by fairy lights and her beautiful friends and felt like her energy levels did a little upwards turn. Things were looking up. There was just one more thing she had to do.
Chapter 34
Juliette awoke to a bright streak of sunshine streaming through the shutters of her bedroom windows. She reached out carefully so as not to wake Luke, and pulled her phone from her drawer to see what time it was. They’d slept for ages for the first time in weeks. She could hear a wood pigeon cooing gently outside and the sound of a plane engine buzzing somewhere high up in the distance.
She put her head back on the pillows and waited to come to fully, and was certainly in no rush to get up. As she looked over at the shutters she felt like she’d slept in a vortex. A long, full night of undisturbed sleep had been few and far between over the previous few weeks, but as she’d slowly got a bit more energy back her sleep pattern had returned.
Luke was dead still beside her with no signs of movement. He was clearly exhausted too and didn’t stir as she picked up her phone. She decided to try and sneak out without waking him. Luke, lovely Luke. Good, old dependable Luke.
She tiptoed quietly out of their room, grabbing her pyjamas on the way, and pulling them on she went to check on Maggie, surprised that she couldn’t already hear Maggie up and pottering in her room. Juliette poked her head around Maggie’s bedroom door. Maggie was also sound asleep even though the light was streaming through both her shutters and her curtains. It had been quite the ride for all of them.
Juliette walked down to the ground floor, through the hallway, put the kettle on and then waited for the tea to brew. She took some bread out of the pink bread bin and then put it back again. Maybe she would wait and not have any toast yet and see if Luke and Maggie wanted to go out for breakfast. Since the accident mornings had been rushed because Juliette had dropped a few of her usual organisational balls. So, it would be nice to go out for a long, leisurely breakfast without haring around dropping people off here and there, and worrying about check-ups, doctors, and appointments.
Juliette picked up her cup of tea, pulled open the back door and walked out into the garden to the beautiful sounds and sights of the season. The lawn needed a good mowing but everything else seemed to have taken care of itself since she’d either been too busy or too tired to do much of her regular gardening. After twenty or so minutes of sitting there quietly with nothing more than the birds for company Maggie came walking down the path still in her nightie.
‘Darling, you’re awake at last. That was a big old sleep you had there,’ Juliette said.
Maggie’s hair was standing up on end and she rubbed her eyes sleepily.
‘Now, would you like me to go and make you some breakfast? I was wondering if you fancied going out for pancakes though instead? If you would, I'll just get you a small bowl of cereal, shall I?’
Maggie looked at Juliette, smiled and nodded, replied that she absolutely fancied going out for pancakes and shuffled back inside rubbing the back of her hair as she did. Juliette followed beside her with her now finished cup of tea.
Juliette and Maggie walked into the kitchen through the back door as Luke was coming in from the hallway.
‘I wondered where you all were!’ Luke said smiling.
‘I was first up. I crept out while you were dead to the world, and Maggie only just came down then.’ Juliette smiled and kissed Luke on the cheek.
‘Luke. We’re going out for pancakes, Mummy said,’ Maggie explained to Luke as he reached into the cupboard for the porridge.
‘Oh, are we? That sounds like a fabulous idea to me,’ Luke replied.
Juliette nodded, getting a small bowl from the dresser and pouring in some cereal for Maggie.
‘Are you sure you’re up for it Juliette? I thought we were going to take it easy and not do too much at all today. We’ve all been worn-out over the last few days.’
‘I think it would do us the world of good, and Maggie loves a good pancake or three.’ Juliette responded with a smile as she poured milk into Maggie’s bowl and got a spoon out of the drawer.
‘We need to get ourselves out and treat ourselves. There are better things coming. I can feel it in the water.’
‘I’m getting used to your feelings now, Juliette. So far, they have been uncannily correct. So, I wonder what we’ve got on the way, something nice I
