Page 5 of The Summer That Changed Us

‘I’m almost there,’ she said, her stomach giving an involuntary flip.

According to the map the next turning led directly to the sea and would take her straight to Sea Glass House. Maybe Zoe was right, perhaps she was crazy, but this was the first major decision she’d made since Myles died and she was proud of herself for getting this far. If she hated it, she could always go home. What was the worst that could happen?

‘OK, I’d better let you go,’ said Zoe, but there was warmth in her voice and Grace felt a tug of longing for her sister who’d been such a port in a storm for her since Myles’s death. ‘And it is only six months, I suppose.’

‘Exactly.’ Grace breathed a sigh of relief; the sooner her sister resigned herself to Grace’s move, the better. ‘Will you be all right? Back at work, Daniel, the baby … ?’

‘Me? Always all right,’ Zoe reassured her. ‘It’s you I’m worried about, rattling around in that big house with nothing to do and no one to speak to.’

‘Don’t you worry, I’ll find something to keep me busy.’

Zoe’s voice softened. ‘Ah, Gracie, that’s the girl I know and love. But not too busy I hope, be kind to yourself; you’re meant to be having a break, don’t go getting a job.’

‘Oh, don’t worry, I’m doing well if I remember to brush my hair at the moment, I certainly couldn’t hold down a job.’

‘Luckily for you, your hair never needs brushing,’ said Zoe. ‘I swear it doesn’t even move in the night.’

Grace conceded a small smile; she was fortunate. Her mid-blonde hair was fine and poker-straight, cut into an easy-to-wear bob. Apart from a few stray strands getting stuck to her lipstick on a breezy day, she rarely had any trouble with it.

‘Also, luckily for me, I don’t need to work. No, I intend to sleep and think and be soothed by the sea while I decide what to do next.’

Grace had enough money in the bank to never have to work again if she was careful. Although that didn’t give her the comfort it perhaps once would have done. She and Myles had decided to sell their construction company, Byron Homes, lock stock and barrel last spring. The money had only been in the bank for a month or two when Myles died. He never got further than planning the new life they’d dreamed of. It made Grace feel sick every time she thought of it. It wasn’t bloody fair.

‘All right for some,’ Zoe said. ‘I’m joking, before you start trying to chuck money my way again.’

Grace shook her head affectionately. She knew Zoe wouldn’t want to swap places with her for the world.

They’d both done well, career-wise. Money had been scarce growing up in Birmingham, but they’d had love and support in abundance and their parents had been so proud to see both their girls head off to university. Grace to study architecture and Zoe nursing.

‘OK, but anything you need, you only have to—’

‘I know,’ Zoe interrupted. ‘And thanks, G. But what I need most is for my big sister to smile again.’

Grace took a quick look at her satnav screen again; she was a mere 500 metres away from her new home. The road began to slope downwards, and Grace got her first glimpse of the sea. The April sun danced across the glittering water, turning it silver, and the effect was stunning. Grace’s nerves jangled; she was moving somewhere new, on her own. Right now, she’d give everything she owned to have Myles’s comforting hand on her thigh.

‘I will, I promise,’ she said quietly.

She ended the call by sending love to the children and within seconds, she pulled up to the entrance of Sea Glass House. She parked next to a small white van, which presumably belonged to the person who’d be handing over a set of house keys.

Climbing out of the car, she stared in awe at the ultra-modern house. ‘Bloody hell.’

The building was set at the top of a short slope. She could see straight down to a crescent-shaped pebble beach, deserted except for a couple of people and a dog skipping in and out of the waves.

Her back ached, she had the beginnings of a headache and cramp in her legs, but she ignored all that; she felt like a kid in a toy shop not knowing where to look first. If the breeze blowing straight off the North Sea hadn’t already taken her breath away, then the sight of this incredible house certainly would have done.

Despite her underlying sadness, the architect in her couldn’t help but be excited; the pictures she’d seen didn’t do this place justice. A slim steel framework supported curved glass walls which offered an uninterrupted view of the bay below. It was sleek and sexy, bold and beautiful, but at the same time, it reflected its setting so well that it was almost invisible.

‘Clever,’ she murmured at the wide overhang around the perimeter, which would act both as a roof cover to the patio area and protect the interior from getting too much sun. She could easily downscale that feature to work on a more modest property. She stopped her train of thought and shook her head; she wasn’t here to work, she was here to rest, she reminded herself.

The front door opened, and a man lifted his hand in greeting. ‘Hello!’

‘Hi!’

They strode towards each other and she took his outstretched hand.

‘Rob Napier from Premier House Services,’ he said, introducing himself. ‘And you must be Mrs Byron.’

She nodded. ‘Call me Grace.’