just . . . Well, Françoise, you remember, she was such a dominant personality.’
Imogen recalled her uncle’s ex-wife, and the way she would frequently speak over and for him, undermining his decisions or making decisions for the two of them without consulting him.
‘And now you’re doing everything on your own,’ Imogen said.
‘Yes. Which is a good thing – I mean I’m enjoying it, and I’m happier than ever now that your dad seems more on board with it all. But I don’t know . . . It can feel a little lonely sometimes. The responsibility of it, I suppose.’
‘You’ve got all of us on your side,’ Imogen said, giving him a hug. ‘This place is part of our family, and we’ll be there for you every step.’
At around seven in the evening, Imogen realised that the job was too big for her and Martin to manage alone. She called in backup – their dad Tom went with Martin to pick up some of the furniture they still needed and Finn drove Anna and Imogen to the drinks wholesalers.
On the journey over, Anna, in the passenger seat, couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
‘OK, I can’t hold it in any longer,’ Anna said, happily. ‘I asked Evie, about running the ice cream shop. And she said yes. She wants to do it.’ Her grin got even wider.
‘That’s amazing,’ Imogen said. ‘I knew it!’
‘She seemed really pleased with the idea, didn’t take any persuading at all.’
‘That’s fantastic,’ Finn said. ‘So I get to keep her as my neighbour after all. Hopefully, she won’t mind all the noise while we rebuild her old shop. Andy and I were going over the plans with his dad today and I think it’s going to be quite a big job.’
Finn’s eyes were bright – he looked more excited about the project than he had done about anything in months.
‘I can’t wait to get started on it. We’ve been running the business in the same way for years, and this is a chance for us to push ahead, make the surf school a real destination for people wanting to learn to surf.’
‘A new start for everyone,’ Anna said. ‘I have a feeling it’s going to be a really great year for us all.’
Imogen glanced out of the window at the traffic going by.
‘You OK, Imo?’ Finn asked, catching sight of her in the rear-view mirror and turning to look at her.
‘Oh, yes, I’m fine,’ she said. She tried to force a smile, but inside all she felt was heaviness. With all the positive things happening around her, she couldn’t figure out why, or where it was coming from. Only that when she looked ahead, into her future, she wasn’t quite sure what she could see any more.
Chapter 13
ELDERBERRY GUESTHOUSE OPENS ITS DOORS
by Sam Graham
Brighton and Hove today sees the opening of a brand-new guesthouse.
Once home to one of the city’s best-loved residents, Vivien McAvoy – who many will remember as the proprietor of the now-famous ice cream shop under the arches – the Elderberry Guesthouse has now been given a new lease of life by her sons, Martin and Tom.
Under their guardianship, the premises, on Elderberry Avenue, have been transformed into a boutique guesthouse, with rooms inspired by classic movies. The proprietors say the hotel is already drawing plenty of attention with advance bookings from the UK and abroad . . .
Evie and Anna walked down Elderberry Avenue on the cool spring evening, with Matteo and Bella following close behind. Evie squeezed Anna’s hand in anticipation as they neared what had once been Vivien’s home. Anna, Imogen, Finn, Martin and Tom had worked until midnight getting everything ready, putting the final touches to the guesthouse and setting up for the party. But, when she’d come home, she’d been buzzing, and had woken Matteo up so that she could fill him in on everything they’d been doing. In good-natured sleepiness, Matteo had listened, smiling and nodding in all the right places, until Anna had finally calmed down enough to fall asleep. Her excitement had been mixed
Imogen recalled her uncle’s ex-wife, and the way she would frequently speak over and for him, undermining his decisions or making decisions for the two of them without consulting him.
‘And now you’re doing everything on your own,’ Imogen said.
‘Yes. Which is a good thing – I mean I’m enjoying it, and I’m happier than ever now that your dad seems more on board with it all. But I don’t know . . . It can feel a little lonely sometimes. The responsibility of it, I suppose.’
‘You’ve got all of us on your side,’ Imogen said, giving him a hug. ‘This place is part of our family, and we’ll be there for you every step.’
At around seven in the evening, Imogen realised that the job was too big for her and Martin to manage alone. She called in backup – their dad Tom went with Martin to pick up some of the furniture they still needed and Finn drove Anna and Imogen to the drinks wholesalers.
On the journey over, Anna, in the passenger seat, couldn’t stop herself from smiling.
‘OK, I can’t hold it in any longer,’ Anna said, happily. ‘I asked Evie, about running the ice cream shop. And she said yes. She wants to do it.’ Her grin got even wider.
‘That’s amazing,’ Imogen said. ‘I knew it!’
‘She seemed really pleased with the idea, didn’t take any persuading at all.’
‘That’s fantastic,’ Finn said. ‘So I get to keep her as my neighbour after all. Hopefully, she won’t mind all the noise while we rebuild her old shop. Andy and I were going over the plans with his dad today and I think it’s going to be quite a big job.’
Finn’s eyes were bright – he looked more excited about the project than he had done about anything in months.
‘I can’t wait to get started on it. We’ve been running the business in the same way for years, and this is a chance for us to push ahead, make the surf school a real destination for people wanting to learn to surf.’
‘A new start for everyone,’ Anna said. ‘I have a feeling it’s going to be a really great year for us all.’
Imogen glanced out of the window at the traffic going by.
‘You OK, Imo?’ Finn asked, catching sight of her in the rear-view mirror and turning to look at her.
‘Oh, yes, I’m fine,’ she said. She tried to force a smile, but inside all she felt was heaviness. With all the positive things happening around her, she couldn’t figure out why, or where it was coming from. Only that when she looked ahead, into her future, she wasn’t quite sure what she could see any more.
Chapter 13
ELDERBERRY GUESTHOUSE OPENS ITS DOORS
by Sam Graham
Brighton and Hove today sees the opening of a brand-new guesthouse.
Once home to one of the city’s best-loved residents, Vivien McAvoy – who many will remember as the proprietor of the now-famous ice cream shop under the arches – the Elderberry Guesthouse has now been given a new lease of life by her sons, Martin and Tom.
Under their guardianship, the premises, on Elderberry Avenue, have been transformed into a boutique guesthouse, with rooms inspired by classic movies. The proprietors say the hotel is already drawing plenty of attention with advance bookings from the UK and abroad . . .
Evie and Anna walked down Elderberry Avenue on the cool spring evening, with Matteo and Bella following close behind. Evie squeezed Anna’s hand in anticipation as they neared what had once been Vivien’s home. Anna, Imogen, Finn, Martin and Tom had worked until midnight getting everything ready, putting the final touches to the guesthouse and setting up for the party. But, when she’d come home, she’d been buzzing, and had woken Matteo up so that she could fill him in on everything they’d been doing. In good-natured sleepiness, Matteo had listened, smiling and nodding in all the right places, until Anna had finally calmed down enough to fall asleep. Her excitement had been mixed
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