Page 6 of The Summer That Changed Us

‘Pleased to meet you. These are for you.’ He held out a keyring from which dangled at least half a dozen keys. ‘You’re in for a treat; we manage over a hundred properties and Sea Glass House is by far and away my favourite.’

‘I’m not surprised.’ She looked across to the edge of the property where a series of connected terraces cascaded down towards the sea. She already felt uplifted; this place was going to work wonders for her, she could tell. She was going to press pause on a life that no longer felt like her own; a chance to catch her breath and reimagine herself.

‘Shall I give you a tour, or would you rather investigate for yourselves?’ He looked over her shoulder towards her car.

‘Myself, I think,’ said Grace, deliberately ignoring his mistake. ‘I’m a real property nut, I’ll be exploring every nook and cranny for hours.’

He lifted his eyebrows. ‘Oh? Is it just you? Mr Ashcroft mentioned the Byrons being old friends, I just assumed … ’ His voice petered out and a look of concern passed across his face.

‘Just me.’ She smiled faintly. ‘My husband passed away recently. Ned – Mr Ashcroft – is a good friend of ours.’

‘Mrs Byron … Grace.’ Rob scratched his head. ‘I’m so sorry, I wasn’t aware. Please accept my apologies and my sincere condolences.’

‘It’s fine, honestly.’ Grace rushed to reassure him. She was doing this a lot at the moment, consoling others who weren’t sure what to say.

‘Everywhere has been cleaned, top to bottom, the garden given a tidy up and Mr Ashcroft asked for us to stock up the fridge and the cupboards with the basics to keep you going,’ Rob continued.

‘Oh, he is sweet.’ She felt a rush of warmth for Ned; he’d always been kind to her, and the last six months even more so.

He and Myles went way back; they’d been at college together on the same construction course before going their separate ways: Ned developing luxury waterside properties and marinas and Myles setting up Byron Homes. Ned had been trying to tempt Myles and Grace to make use of his new holiday home in Merle Bay since it had been completed a couple of years ago. He’d been excited to show it off and visiting it had been something she and Myles had talked about doing as soon as they had the chance.

He’d popped in to see her a few times since the funeral, even managing to drag her out for a coffee occasionally. It was during their last get-together in March that he reminded her that the offer still stood to stay at Sea Glass House.

‘You’d love it there. It’s standing empty,’ he’d said. ‘So really you’d be doing me a favour. Stay as long as you want, a week, a month, a year, whatever you need, Grace. Be my guest.’

And thinking that a change of scene might be just what she needed, she’d accepted and brought with her enough belongings to keep her going for a few months.

‘Anything special I need to know before I unpack?’ She smiled at Rob and jangled the keys; she couldn’t wait to be alone and explore her new abode.

‘Yes, right,’ said Rob with relief. ‘The manual for the burglar alarm is on the kitchen table. In fact, there’s a manual for everything on the kitchen table. Mr Ashcroft is very organised.’

‘That sounds like Ned,’ said Grace, smiling, remembering how he’d always be the one to arrange get-togethers, booking restaurants and sorting arrangements.

‘The small silver key unlocks the pool house where you’ll find everything you need for the hot tub. The big one opens the gate to your private access down to the beach. And this bronze key … ’ He tapped the relevant key for her, ‘is for the wine cellar. Mr Ashcroft insists that you help yourself.’

‘Ah, a glass of wine in a hot tub.’ Grace sighed with pleasure. ‘I think I can manage that.’

Rob smiled. ‘OK, that’s all the essentials covered. Now, do you need a hand carrying stuff into the house?’

She shook her head.

‘That’s kind of you, but I can manage.’ She extended a hand to bring their exchange to an end. ‘Thanks for everything.’

They shook hands and she removed two suitcases from the boot of the Range Rover as he headed back to the van.

Rob stopped. ‘Oh, I almost forgot, some post arrived for you this morning. I’ve left it just inside the front door on the glass table.’

‘Thanks.’ She raised a hand to acknowledge his words.

Post already? She’d hoped to have at least a couple of days cut off from the outside world without the interruption of post. The amount of paperwork she’d had to deal with in the aftermath of Myles’s death had felt endless. She waved Rob goodbye, wheeled the cases up to the house and pushed open the front door. Her gaze swept over the open-plan interior: pale wooden floors, modern log burner, a kitchen which the pickiest celebrity chef would drool over, sofas which begged to be curled up on, and of course, the star attraction: the sea, framed by every window. Living

art, thought Grace, already looking forward to watching it change with the weather.

Oh Myles, my darling, you’d have loved this place. Why didn’t we make the time to do this together? She hauled the cases over the threshold and spotted two envelopes on the glass table. One contained a card from her sister and the kids, wishing her happiness in her new home. The other bore the all too familiar logo of her solicitor. She slipped a finger under the edge and tore it open.

Roger Mathers, her and Myles’s solicitor, had been an absolute star, helping her make sense of Myles’s affairs, making sure she properly understood every single form she signed. He’d managed to strike the right balance between sensitivity and professionalism. He’d been brilliant with the will too. When Austin and Olivia had bombarded her with questions about Myles’s wishes, Roger had stepped in and addressed all their issues himself.

Dear Grace,