The silence stretched out between them, but for once it was comfortable.
‘I think it’s a good idea that you go and see Pete,’ he finally said. ‘Get a break from all this.’ He waved his arm around at the crowded shop.
‘About that,’ his mum began, taking a deep breath. ‘You said you’ve got some ideas about how to best update things around here. Well, perhaps you could get on with all that whilst I’m away.’
Josh looked up at his mum. ‘Are you sure?’
‘It’s time.’ She appeared to gulp back some tears. ‘I had a good chat with Amber at the hospital. I’ve been holding on to this place for so long, trying to keep it as it was in the past. But the past is just that, the past. I think we could all do with moving on.’
‘I don’t want to upset you by changing things too much,’ he told her.
‘I believe in you,’ his mum said. ‘You’ll do what’s right when the time comes.’ She hesitated before adding, ‘If you think it will save the shop, then do whatever you think necessary. It’s been in the family for so many years, I couldn’t bear it if we lost it like this.’
It was then that he realised that she had always known how treacherous their financial situation was. But that the fear of her illness returning had stopped her from having the strength to face it.
‘I’m not sure what I can do to stop us from losing this place,’ he said.
‘Just do your best,’ she told him, with a soft smile. ‘That’s all you can do. Besides, I’m sure you grandmother will keep an eye on you.’
Josh took a deep breath and stood up. ‘One more throw of the dice then,’ he said.
His mum’s smile grew wider. ‘Now you sound just like your dad.’
‘Good,’ he said, trying to sound stronger than he felt. ‘We could do with a bit of his nerve and self-belief around here.’
‘Yes, I think we could,’ his mum replied, nodding. ‘But we have you, which is even better, I think.’ She stepped forward and they hugged each other.
‘I’m so pleased it’s all gone,’ he murmured into her shoulder.
There were tears in his mum’s eyes when she finally stepped back to look at him. ‘Me too. And now we have Amber to help us as well,’ she said, reaching out to stroke down a stray lock of his hair.
‘Are you sure that she really wants to stay on here?’ he asked.
‘She assures me that she does,’ said his mum.
Josh wasn’t so sure about that. Amber seemed happy to please everyone but herself. It touched his heart that she was doing this for his mother, but to sacrifice herself to be stuck in Cranbridge for another month was really pushing it, he thought.
‘She’s got a real eye for design,’ his mum added, glancing over at the front of the shop. ‘Those windows are lovely. Maybe she can do something with all this as well.’
Josh laughed. ‘That’s a bit of a tough ask, to be honest, Mum.’
‘Come on,’ she said, giving him a nudge. ‘Let’s lock up early and meet them both out in the lane. No one else is coming in today.’
After he had drawn the locks across on the front door and flipped the sign over to read Closed, they weaved their way through the shop.
‘I haven’t wanted to leave you alone, but you’re ready,’ said his mum over her shoulder to him. ‘And you’ve got a partner in Amber.’
Josh gave the shop one last glance. He wasn’t sure what either of them could do to make a real difference to the shop’s income, but in a small way he was grateful that he wasn’t facing it alone. And he realised that he was actually a tiny bit glad that Amber was going to stay on in Cranbridge, if only for the next four weeks.
12
‘It’s just for a month.’
Amber looked out at the river, which was flowing much faster that morning after some heavy overnight rain. She adjusted the mobile which she was holding up to her ear and looked up at the grey sky. More rain was forecast that day. At that moment, the sunny skies of a New Zealand summer seemed even more appealing than before.
‘And anyway, you can’t stay with us at the moment,’ her mum carried on. ‘Now that Cathy’s coming over to stay for a couple of weeks, the spare bedroom will be taken. You don’t want to sleep on the sofa at your age. Gosh, I’ve still got so much to sort before she arrives. We’ve barely unpacked yet and the sheep haven’t even arrived yet.’
Despite her panic, there was excitement in her mum’s voice and Amber realised just how thrilled she was about Cathy’s visit.
It had only been a couple of days after her hospital appointment, but Cathy’s airline ticket to Singapore had been booked for later that afternoon. As it was still during the school term, Josh’s brother Pete had managed to find his mum a last-minute single-way ticket at a heavily discounted price.
‘Cathy’s left her flight open-ended in case she wants to stay out here a bit longer,’ carried on her mum.
‘As long as I arrive in time to decorate the Christmas tree,’ said Amber, thinking that Cathy’s holiday was suddenly sounding a lot longer than a month. So much for spending some quality time with her godmother. But she knew she was just being selfish because this trip would be just what Cathy needed.
‘Oh, I don’t want to think about Christmas at the moment,’ said her mum. ‘How am I going to roast a turkey in this summer heat? And your father is so busy with the farm that I barely see him.’
‘Maybe we can do a barbecue instead,’ said Amber. ‘You’ve got to go with the flow now that you’re not in England any more.’
‘Don’t remind me,’ muttered her mum.
There was a short silence. ‘Is everything OK over there?’ asked Amber.
‘Of course! Now, what was I saying? Oh yes, do you think Cathy would like the pink or the pale blue duvet cover? She’ll be shattered from the long journey anyway.’
As her mum carried on chatting about how much she had to do, Amber focused on the view. Autumn was rushing in with a vengeance as the leaves changed from cool greens and sunny yellows to rich oranges, fiery reds and earthy browns. There were worse places to be, she considered, other than a pretty village in the countryside.
Of course, New York had Central Park, which had been lovely in the various seasons. But having grown up in mostly country villages, the constant hum of the traffic and sirens had always slightly unsettled her. So Cranbridge’s peace was welcome, if still a little eerie in its emptiness.
Perhaps the peace and quiet would give her time to plan what her future held, thought Amber. She could decide what the next chapter of her life would be once she left the village.
As she turned on the spot to face Cranbridge Stores, her positivity faltered somewhat. It was, and there was no other word she could think of to describe it, quite a depressing shop. So muddled, so full, the air felt musty and sad.
But, like her mum said, it was just for another month. Hopefully.
And Cathy was so excited about her upcoming holiday that she didn’t have the heart to say anything about not wanting to stay. In fact, the last couple of days had been spent in such a whirlwind, with Cathy giddier than Amber had ever seen.