Episode 62 - The BBQ

That’s what’s so perfect about living in Spain, thought Cassy, you know that if you arrange a BBQ party the weather will be perfect for it.

Cassy and Liam had spent the morning preparing for the party. Liam had moved his sound system onto the patio and was busy downloading the music while Cassy organised Ollie, Sophie and Alistair into setting up the buffet table under the trees, hanging the bunting and stringing the coloured fairy lights through the branches.

‘This really is very kind of you’ said Alistair as he put the final touches to the outdoor lights ‘a party is a lovely way to get to know all our new neighbours.’

Ella smiled from under her large brimmed hat. Their partnership with Sophie and Alistair had been a godsend to them. Within three months of getting together with them their new business was nearly ready to open. The holiday apartments were finished, the bed and breakfast rooms were fully booked through to early summer next year and they even had a tour company interested in Sophie’s pony trekking venture.

After all the sleepless nights that they had endured over the past few months Cassy thought that they all deserved to let their hair down and what better way to do it than to have a party with all their friends, after all this would probably be their last chance to relax before the hard work really started.

Fliss and Martin were the first to arrive and Ollie rushed over to help them carry the salads and cakes that Fliss had prepared that morning. As he ran back from the groaning buffet table Ollie waved to his parents. Colin and Fiona smiled to each other as they made their way across the old farm yard to join the rest of the guests in the garden of the farmhouse.

Colin had been annoyed when they had arrived in Spain and realised that they were staying at Liam and Cassy’s in one of their new holiday apartments. He had promised Fiona that they would treat this trip more like a holiday rather than just an opportunity to meet his birth mother. He was hoping for a small comfortable hotel where they would be able to escape to after what he imagined might be a very fraught visit to his errant son, but Colin had soon calmed down when he realised how happy and contented his son was there. Ollie seemed to have a new energy about him, working all day in the fresh air had given him a glow and Colin and Fiona were relieved that he was happier than he had been for years.

As their guests started to arrive Liam and Cassy were kept busy filing glasses and directing people to the BBQ that Sophie and Alistair had volunteered to run. Standing under the shade of a conveniently placed parasol, Sophie felt that if she was any happier she would burst, Olivia and Grace and settled in well in their new school and already were speaking Spanish with their new friends and even Alistair seemed more relaxed when he managed to get home for the weekend in this new house than he had been in London. Watching Alistair chatting to Lizzie and Ken, Sophie’s heart filled with love for her handsome young husband. If only he could get home more often she thought, life would be just about perfect.

Gloria Westbury stood on the patio by the makeshift bar and tried to pour herself another glass of wine. When Fliss had told her that Ollie’s parents were staying at the farm she had wanted to cry off from the party but Malcolm, dear sweet Malcolm, had persuaded her that now would be the right time to finally meet her son. Watching Gloria’s hand trembling as she tried to pour the wine Malcolm gently took the bottle from her.

‘Come on old girl let me do that for you’ he said ‘why don’t you go and grab those seats under the olive tree for us?’

Gloria kissed her husband on the cheek and quickly made her way down the stone patio. That’s when she saw him, her son, standing with his wife and son chatting to Fliss and Martin. Gloria stopped dead in her tracks, it was too soon, she wasn’t ready for this, what would she say to him, how would she explain?

‘Gloria there you are. I was just telling Ollie’s folks about our golf club and how Malcolm is one of our best players’ enthused Martin ‘I was just saying that Colin should join us for a few rounds tomorrow, sorry Gloria have you met Colin and Fiona?’

Gloria stood still and stared at the handsome man in front of her and with tears welling up in her eyes she held out her hand to her son and said ‘Colin how lovely to see you again.’

Colin took his birth mothers hand and holding it very gently replied ‘I’d like you to meet your daughter-in-law, this is my wife Fiona.’

The years melted away between them as Gloria and Colin sat down on a bench well away from the other party guests.

‘I’m sorry that you didn’t get any warning before Oliver came to find you’ said Colin to this woman who looked barely old enough to be his mother ‘it must have a shock.’

‘I’m just sorry that I handled it so badly’ confessed Gloria ‘poor Ollie, he looked so hurt but I was frightened. I thought that my husband wouldn’t understand and I must admit after all these years I thought that you didn’t want to find me and that my secret was safe. But I never stopped loving you. I want you to understand that. I even have a picture in a locket. They never knew, in the hospital I mean, they never knew that I sneaked into the nursery and took a photo of you on my little camera. They really believed that I would get over it quicker if they took you away from me as soon as you were born and never saw you again. They were wrong; I never got over loosing you.’

Over at the bar Malcolm watched nervously as his wife sat talking to her son.

‘You’d better watch out Malc, I think that bloke has taken a shine to your missus’ laughed Ken as he reached across to grab another bottle of beer from the bucket of ice.

‘Oh I’m not worried it’s just that this is the first time I’ve seen my wife and her son together.’

‘Bloody hell mate’ choked Ken ‘You’ll be telling me next that young Ollie is her long lost grandson.’

Retrieving the bottle of champagne he had buried in the ice, Malcolm scooped up five plastic wine glasses and smiled.

‘That’s exactly what I’m saying Ken and isn’t he a credit to his grandma. Such a lovely young man, we’re all very proud of him.’ Making his way through the garden to his new family Malcolm felt very luck, very lucky indeed.

Episode 41 - A Stranger in Town

Liam closed down the spreadsheet and stood up from his computer desk smiling to himself. Since Sophie and Alistair had bought their bottom field, Liam and Cassy were beginning to see that their dreams might just come true.

They had put in so much buying the finca up in the hills and had realised that getting the renovations done to the farmhouse would be a struggle financially, but nothing had prepared them for the time it would take. Getting the tradesmen organised and the materials bought and paid for before their deadline of the autumn had become a nightmare.

Liam knew that he was lucky to be able to continue doing the job he loved in Spain but even the best coders in the world didn’t make the kind of money they needed for all the building work that needed doing to the finca.

Back home in the UK all the home renovation programmes on the TV made it look so easy. The only thing that seemed to go wrong for them was that the builders had to wait for the rain to stop. What the programmes didn’t tell you was just how long it could take to even get the plans approved., never mind scheduling in builders who always seemed to be ‘just finishing another job mate’. Days had stretched to weeks and weeks to months before the Strattons even had running water in the kitchen.

And all the time there was the worry that their savings would run out long before the builders had finished. What a difference being solvent made, thought Liam. No more worries about getting the money together to pay for a new roof before booking the roofer.

Sure they had worried at first about going into business with the Sophie and Alistair, it was after all a big step, but financially it made so much more sense than them struggling to cope on their own for the next few years. They had spent hours in meetings together planning how they wanted things to develop and who would be responsible for which part of the business.

Alistair was going to be a very much sleeping partner, his job was based in Brussels at the moment but eventually he hoped to be able to transfer to Madrid. Even the he wouldn’t be onsite for the day to day problems whereas Liam knew that working from home meant that he could organise his day sufficiently to enable him to be on hand for any problems that might crop up with the business.

Sophie had come up with some brilliant ideas for renovating the big barn into holiday apartments and Cassy had agreed that she would be happy to run them as long as she could employ some locals to help with the maintenance and cleaning. Converting the stables for the pony trekking business had been all Sophie’s idea and over the past month or so she had spent hours researching and planning the project.

At last, thought Liam, it looks like it might just happen. The builders had already put a digger in the bottom field to start levelling the ground ready for the foundation to be laid for Sophie and Alistair’s new home. Cassy had insisted that the plans for their house should incorporate keeping as many of the trees from the old woodland as possible. She loved the fact that the finca was remote and enjoyed the isolation but even she realised that if they were to live their dream that would have to share their space, their little bit of heaven.

‘What are doing staring out of the window?’ Cassy asked, walking into Liam’s small office carrying baby Abi on her hip. ‘I thought you were busy getting the figures for the barn conversion out to Sophie?’

‘It’s all done and winging it’s way to her as we speak’ Liam turned from the window and put his arm around his beautiful wife. ‘We are doing the right thing aren’t we’ he asked

‘I can’t see how we could have stayed here otherwise. The farmhouse was turning into a money pit and with the best will in the world, renting out three bedrooms for bed and breakfast wouldn’t have brought in the income to pay off the loans. No. I think that we did the only sensible thing going into partnership with the Montgomery’s.’

‘Do you worry that it won’t be just our dream any more?’ He asked taking Abi from Cassy’s arms.

‘I suppose I did at first but if we’re all sensible about it I don’t see why it shouldn’t work out fine.’

‘I’m sure you’re right, I’m just being a worry-boots. I wonder if Mr Rolls had these worries when we went into partnership with Mr Royce?’ pondered Liam

‘Probably, but then they didn’t have their wives there to sort them out’ laughed Cassy walking out to the kitchen ‘Liam, there’s somebody coming up path from the lane, can you see who it is please.’

‘Sure, come on Abi let’s go and investigate’ and carrying the baby on his shoulders Liam made his way out to the front of the farmhouse. ‘Hi there’ he called to the stranger ‘can I help you?’

Standing outside the door looking dusty and tired was a young man dressed in crumpled shorts and a grubby t-shirt. ‘I’m sorry to bother you but I noticed all the building work you’re having done and wondered if you needed any labourers?’

‘I know that the builders on the bottom field have a full crew but we could do with someone for a couple of days up here at the barns. It’d only be lugging building material up the drive and some general tidying up.’

‘Anything would be great, thank you.’

‘Where are you staying, it’s a bit of a hike up here from the village everyday.’

‘I’ve got an old campervan parked up on the other side of the hill.’

‘Doing the Gap year are you?’ Liam laughed

‘Yeah, something like that.’

‘Well if you’re going to be working here for a while why don’t you bring the van round to that field next to the barn? There’s running water and we’ve even managed to get the toilets plumbed in to one of the apartments so you can use that if you want.’

‘That’d be great. Oh my name’s Ollie by the way.’

‘Hi Ollie, I’m Liam, this little squirt is Abi and my wife Cassy is in the kitchen getting some lunch ready. Have you eaten? Do you fancy something to eat?’ Asked Liam

‘As long as your wife doesn’t mind?’ asked Ollie hopefully

‘I won’t mind what?’ asked Cassy coming out of the house drying her hands on a tea towel.

‘Young Ollie here joining us for lunch.’ Said Liam

‘Of course I don't mind, the more the merrier. I hope you’re hungry, I’ve made enough soup to feed an army.’

‘Great’ laughed Ollie following them in to the farmhouse ‘I could eat a horse’

Episode 31 - Ignorance is bliss

‘Where’ve you been, I thought you were only popping out to the market for the chicken feed. You’ve been hours.’

‘Sorry we’re so long but I stopped off at Lizzie’s stall and managed to get some lovely rugs and pictures for the guest rooms’ said Cassy as she carried the parcels in from the car.

‘What are you doing buying stuff like that now, the rooms aren’t even finished yet.’ asked Liam as he lifted Abi from her car seat. ‘You’d have been better off getting the light switches and cabling for the electrician.’

‘Oh stop moaning you old grump. We’ve been having fun haven’t we Abi? Lizzie has some really nice things and these rugs will look perfect on the stone floors of the guest rooms.’

Liam ran his fingers through his short hair and sighed. He knew that now would be the perfect time to explain to Cassy about their dwindling renovations budget. With the mounting cost of all the work money was getting tight. But looking at her proudly showing off her purchases he knew that it would be cruel to upset her now. It wasn’t as if she spent much on herself and he was constantly amazed at the way she managed to make their frugal housekeeping allowance stretch. No, he decided, he would just have to have a word with the builders and explain to them how important it was that the work was finished as soon as possible.

‘Oh, I nearly forgot to tell you’ said Cassy as she packed the rugs and pictures into the wood chest in the kitchen. ‘I had a phone call from Sophie before I went out this morning. It’s the start of the school holidays in England and she and Alistair are planning on bringing the girls over to visit Fliss and Martin.’

‘That’s good, Alistair seemed a nice bloke and the girls’ loved coming over to play with Abi. I’m not so sure about Sophie though. She seems a bit of a cold fish if you ask me.’

‘Yes that’s what I thought at first but after Martin’s heart attack she really changed. She became a lot more chatty and friendly. She asked if we would like to go out with them for dinner while they’re here. Apparently Fliss has offered to baby-sit all the girls so that we can have a proper grown up evening out.’

‘Sounds good to me, what about you Abi-babi, do you fancy a sleep over with Olivia and Grace?’ Liam asked the baby as he sat her down on the kitchen floor. ‘As many Farley’s rusks as you can eat and cold Ribena on tap, just don’t broadcast it on Bebo and you’ll be fine?’

Cassy turned from her packing to kiss a startled Liam firmly on the lips.

‘What was that for?’ he asked

‘For being you’ she answered ‘for just being you’

***

‘When are Sophie and Alistair getting here?’ asked Martin as he helps clear away the dinner dishes.

‘Thursday, I told you yesterday Martin, don’t you ever listen when I’m talking to you?’ I answer slowly as I stack the plates into the dishwasher. ‘I’ve arranged for them to collect a hire car from the airport so they should be through to here about 5 o’clock.’

‘There’s no need to get annoyed with me, I just don’t remember you telling me that’s all.’

‘I’m sorry Darling I didn’t mean to get annoyed. I’m just tired I suppose.’ I can’t remember the last time I had a good night’s sleep. I spend hours laying staring at Martin fast asleep beside me wondering if we’ll ever get back to what we had. I still can’t believe that he was prepared to leave me for that little bitch.

I saw her last week. I had to fly over to London for a couple of day to sign some papers and I saw her in Tony Lockwood’s office. I couldn’t believe how young she looked. Young slim and pretty, just Martin’s type.

She’s not the first you see. I knew about the others, oh believe me there is always a ‘friend’ who is more than happy to tell you what your husband has been up to when you thought he was working late. He swore to me that they didn’t mean anything and I suppose that I believed him because I wanted to.

But this time it was different, this time he really thought that he was in love. And that’s what hurts more than anything, even more than the sex if I’m honest. He loved her and now he says it was all a mistake and he wants me. The trouble is I don’t know if I still want him.

‘I don’t know what I’d have done without Sophie these past few weeks’ says Martin ‘she’s been great what with organising the loan and keeping the clients sweet. And you of course’ he added hurriedly ‘you’ve been great as well, organising the invoices and doing all the boring banking stuff.’

He’s incredible; the man just doesn’t have a clue. I have spent hours doing his bloody paperwork and trying to make sense of his filing. I haven’t had a minute to myself since he’s been ill, apart from that quick trip to London I’ve been at his beck and call day and night. I bet he wouldn’t have had the same service from the lovely Laura!

I need to get out of the house before I say something I’ll regret. It’s been ages since I’ve been out running, I could do with pounding the hills for a while and let’s face it, you never know who you might meet along the way.

Episode 30 - Grand Designs

It was nearly mid day as Cassy put down the hoe and straightened her aching back. If she was very lucky she might just have time to clean up and get the lunch ready before Abi woke up from her nap.

Taking off her large brimmed straw hat and stripping off her sweat soaked t-shirt Cassy pulled up a bucketful of water from the well at the back of the farmhouse. Her skin tingled as she splashed herself with the cold spring water. With no running water in the farmhouse yet, this well was their only reliable supple of fresh water, at least until the renovations were finished. Though stripping off to wash outdoors was not just a necessity, thought Cassy, it was an absolute joy.

It wasn’t as if they had to worry about being overlooked, their closest neighbours were Martin and Fliss Brooks and they were at least 1km away. Back in Manchester their house had been in the middle of what was euphemistically known as an ‘Executive Development’, uniform little boxes, mused Cassy with no room to grow vegetables never mind strip wash in the garden!

‘Dear God woman what are you doing’ laughed Liam. ‘I don’t know why you bother getting dressed in the morning when you are obviously happier naked’

‘Well some of us get sweaty’ she laughed throwing her towel at him. ‘We don’t all have a cushy job sitting in front of a computer screen all day’

Liam grabbed at the towel before it hit him. ‘Cushy, you don’t know the half of it. I have only two days left to get this programme written before testing starts on Monday’ Liam smiled ‘Oh come here my little sweaty person, let me dry you off.’

‘Not likely, you randy old goat. I’ve got to start getting lunch ready before madam wakes and you've got work to do'

‘Spoilsport’ laughed Liam as he watched Cassy pull on a fresh blouse from the washing line before she walked into the kitchen.

Looking across the field behind the farmhouse, Liam was amazed to see how much Cassy had done since breakfast. It looked like she had finished planting the seed potatoes. She had even managed to prepare the patch for the salad crop. With their few chickens and the new goats they were well on their way to becoming a proper small holding.

Their biggest problem was the farmhouse itself. The renovations were costing a lot more than they had initially budgeted for. But, with any luck, they would be rid of the builders by the autumn. That would mean that they would have all winter to get the finishing touches done before their first bed and breakfast guests started arriving next spring. Well that was the plan.

Liam walked down the field to small stream running through the woodland bordering their land. He reached down into the stream and pulled out a large bottle of beer. ‘Not cold’ he said to himself, ‘but it’ll do.

Cassy looked up from preparing the salad as Liam walked into the kitchen.

‘When I was at the market yesterday I saw Fliss’

‘Everything OK with Martin?’

‘Yes, she said he’s doing fine, but I think that he’s driving here around the bend.’

‘I’m not surprised she’s not used to having him under her feet all week.’

Maybe there’s more to it than that.’

‘Oh good gossip’ laughed Liam as he picked a grumpy Abi out of her buggy. ‘We love a good gossip don’t we Abi Babi?’

‘Will you stop with the baby talk? You are going to stunt her development.’ scolded Cassy. ‘And I’m not gossiping but do you remember when I said that I saw Fliss a couple of weeks ago with that bloke’

‘What do mean with, in the biblical sense?’ asked Liam raising a now giggling baby above his head.

‘No you fool’ Cassy laughed ‘I told you, I saw her at Maria’s having a drink with Paolo’

‘Who’s Paolo?’

‘You know Paolo’ said Cassy exasperatedly ‘he has the farm just down the hill from the Brooks villa.

‘Just a neighbourly drink then?’ he asked innocently.

‘Well they must be very good neighbours, when I saw them leaving the restaurant he was holding her hand’

Liam looked at Cassy in amazement ‘What little Mrs Fundraiser having hanky panky?’

Cassy threw back her head and roared laughing. ‘You really do have a way with words – I love you – you fool’ she gasped ‘Come on let’s eat, I’m starving’

‘Look at what I fished out of the river, a nearly chilled cheeky little number, just the thing to accompany the perfect lunch’

And they both laughed as Abi clapped her hands in delight.

***

Later that evening, with the sun beginning to set behind the mountains, Cassy carried two of the kitchen chairs out of the back door. With a sigh, she sat down to sip a glass of wine and listening to the silence.

‘She’s just dropped off’ said Liam sitting down next to her. ‘I don’t know where that baby gets her energy from’

‘From her Mother’ smiled Cassy. ‘Are the builders back tomorrow?’

‘No, they can’t come until the plumber has been and he can’t fit us in until Tuesday’

‘I thought the electrician was due on Tuesday?’

‘Not any more’ sighed Liam ‘I’ve had to put him off until Thursday’

‘At this rate’ said Cassy refilling her glass, ‘it’s going to be Christmas before they finish’

‘I’m sure’ said Liam, who didn’t look at all sure ‘that once they get going it’ll be finished in no time’

‘Well I hope so. We don’t want to spend the winter relying on that generator’

‘I know love, but as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day’

‘If the Romans had used our builders’ muttered Cassy ‘Cesar would still be waiting for them to take down the scaffolding’