LITMIR.BIZ

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      Faith was unlike anyone Tara had ever met. She could be as charming as she could be blunt. She had no time for fools, but for the lucky few she let into her heart, she was fiercely protective, hence her animosity towards Justine for her perceived attempts to undermine Tara.

      ‘You’re going to like April. I promise.’

      Faith scowled. ‘And what about the other newbie? Is he invited too?’

      ‘No,’ Tara replied. ‘He’ll manage just fine with the group.’

      ‘What’s he like?’

      ‘His name’s Nick Malford, he’s thirty-eight, and he lost his partner two years ago. It was Justine who enrolled him so I don’t know all the details. What I can say is that he’s genuinely heartbroken, and he’s not afraid to shed a tear,’ she teased Faith. ‘But he has a certain confidence about him, so I expect he’ll integrate with the others quite quickly.’

      ‘So we’re left with the problem child.’

      ‘We’re left with someone who needs some extra attention.’

      ‘You’re lucky this cake is so good,’ mumbled Faith as she stabbed it with her fork. ‘And while I gorge myself, tell me where you’re up to with the house move. You look stressed. Are you stressed?’

      ‘You said I looked nice before,’ Tara reminded her, but she was smiling. Most people assumed she could cope with whatever life threw at her and it was a rare thing for someone to stop and ask if she was OK. Tara should have known that person would be Faith. ‘But you’re right, things are getting very real. There’s a bit of wrangling over the house on Pepper Street after the survey picked up a couple of issues, but that’s nothing compared to the stumbling block we’ve hit with Iain’s house. He thought he had a buyer, but apparently they haven’t secured a mortgage yet.’

      ‘It’ll happen.’

      Tara felt her stomach clench. ‘Maybe that’s the issue.’

      It had felt like fate was giving them a nudge when Iain had been made redundant over the summer, and they had planned their future while sitting on a bench in Pickering’s Pasture. Everything had seemed to click into place as they gazed out across the mirrored surface of the Mersey with the girls close by taking turns birdspotting with a pair of binoculars. With the online business taking off, Tara’s fortunes had taken a turn for the better. She needed more help with the admin, plus a part-time delivery driver, which conveniently added up to a full-time job. To the background noise of their daughters’ giggles, they had struck upon the perfect solution. She and Iain would join forces and become partners in every sense of the word, but as the summer faded and the days shortened, the imperfections in their plan had become difficult to ignore.

      ‘Don’t tell me, the pieces don’t fit into place as neatly as you imagined,’ Faith said.

      ‘Barring a few adjustments, the house move and the business set-up will work out fine,’ Tara replied. ‘If there are delays, we’ll manage.’

      ‘Then what’s the problem? Are you having second thoughts about Iain?’

      ‘Absolutely not,’ Tara said quickly, her heart clenching. ‘I know we’ve only been together for a year, but I couldn’t love him more. It feels right, and I know he’d say the same. Our families might be two broken pieces from different puzzles, but we can fit together, given the chance.’

      ‘Ah, so the girls are the problem.’

      ‘Iain and I took them for a walk to the lighthouse at the weekend and explained we could be in our new house by the end of the year. Molly was over the moon, but Lily was worryingly quiet,’ Tara said as she pictured them walking back to the village.

      Molly had raced ahead, but Lily had slipped her hand into her dad’s. When Tara had offered to take her other hand, Lily had refused. ‘My mummy’s holding this one,’ she had said.

      ‘It’s natural that they’d react differently,’ Tara told Faith. ‘Molly was practically a baby when Mike died and she’s never known any different. It might take her some time to adjust to having a father figure, but she can’t wait to move out of the flat. Lily on the other hand was five when she lost her mum. She has memories and emotional ties that are intrinsically linked to the home Iain’s trying to sell from under her.’

      ‘Is it a deal breaker?’

      ‘No,’ Tara said, pulling back her shoulders to shift the weight pressing down against her chest. ‘But it’s going to make the next few months far more interesting than I would like. Now enough about me, tell me your news. How come you’ve taken the day off work?’

      Tara had been pleasantly surprised when Faith suggested calling into the shop. They tried to meet up at least once a month between group meetings, but Tara had all but given up hope of finding time between one crisis and another.

      ‘I had a date with a man,’ Faith said, raising an eyebrow.

      ‘What for? A manicure? Pedicure? Indian head massage?’ Tara asked with a smile.

      ‘A quotation, actually,’ Faith said, pushing away her empty plate. Her smile disappeared. ‘Lily’s not the only one with emotional ties that are about to be cut. I told myself I had to do something about the house this year, and I’ve finally made a start.’

      ‘Are you selling up?’ Tara asked, unable to hide her shock. Faith talked about her house as if it were a shrine to her husband, and Tara couldn’t imagine her letting it go any more than she could imagine Faith letting go of the place Derek occupied in her heart.

      ‘Looking at things rationally, the house is too big for one person, and you never know, it might be fun living in some stylish city apartment with beautiful views.’ She took a moment to consider the possibility, then shook her head. ‘But no, Woolton is my home. I can’t leave.’

      ‘So explain. What was the quotation for?’

      ‘There are rooms full of furniture that have been left to gather dust,’ she said. ‘Assuming the antique dealer I met can improve his offer, and I’ll make sure he does, I can at least empty the rooms I don’t use. That way, if and when I do pluck up the courage to move, it should be less traumatic.’

      ‘One step at a time,’ agreed Tara.

      ‘And if Ella happens to notice, I might tell her I’ve donated all her family heirlooms to charity,’ Faith said, referring to her grown-up stepdaughter. ‘I doubt she’d care, but her mother would be apoplectic.’

      Tara couldn’t believe some of the stories Faith had told her about Derek’s embittered first wife, Rosemary. Their daughter had grown up believing all the tales her mother had spun about her father, and sadly Ella and Derek had been estranged at the time of his death. Tara felt sorry for her, but as for Rosemary, any woman who continued to use her daughter to eke out revenge on a man long since dead deserved Faith’s spite. ‘You are wicked.’

      ‘I know,’ Faith said with a glint in her eye that faded as she looked over Tara’s shoulder. ‘Your stray lamb has arrived.’

      After greeting April with a hug, Tara guided her towards the booth where Faith had remained seated. There was an awkward moment where April dithered, seemingly unable to decide if she should offer Faith a handshake or a hug, but, to Tara’s relief, Faith stood to embrace the new arrival.

      ‘Faith isn’t one of life’s huggers, but after three years of group therapy, we’re getting there,’ Tara quipped.

      The two friends scowled at each other before Tara retreated to the counter to make April’s coffee. From the corner of her eye, she watched April take her seat opposite Faith.

      ‘I hear you’re an auditor,’ Faith said, raising her voice above the gurgle of the coffee machine. ‘We were hoping you’d cast an eye over the support group accounts to see if Justine’s been skimming something off the top.’

      ‘Actually,

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