Tomorrow's Promise Read online

  ‘Me?’ said Alex.

  ‘Yes. Don’t you see how brilliant it is? I could practically buy the whole lot straight out myself, but then I wouldn’t have a penny to do them up. You’re not happy in your job in Glasgow, you know you’re not. You need something to do and you’ve always been brilliant at making houses look good, not to mention gardens. Look at it as a project.’

  Lara was pleased to see she had her friend’s full attention now. ‘I think you’re crazy.’

  ‘No I’m not. You keep saying you don’t know what to do with the money Nana Edna left you. Well, this is ideal. She would be so pleased to think you had come back to live in Loreburn.’

  ‘I don’t want to come back and live in Loreburn.’

  ‘You don’t have to stay for ever,’ said Lara quickly, worried she was moving too fast. ‘You could look on this as taking a year out. Then you could go back to nursing, or travel, or whatever …’

  ‘But …’

  ‘It’d be brilliant. I really need you to do this with me, Lexi.’

  ‘I don’t know if I can.’ Alex shook her head doubtfully, her long plait swinging. It was the most animation Lara had seen from her in months. ‘Re-painting a couple of rooms is one thing, but doing up a whole house. A whole row of houses …’

  ‘We could think about it, at least,’ Lara said hopefully. ‘What do you say? Alex?’

  ‘I don’t know. I really don’t know.’

  Lara crossed her fingers, willing this to be a good sign. ‘We need to move fairly quickly if we’re going to make an offer. The houses were over-priced initially. The solicitor told me that. Since they dropped the price at the beginning of this month they’re starting to get some interest. We wouldn’t want to lose out on them, would we?’

  ‘This is all so sudden,’ said Alex, still perplexed.

  Lara gave her a hug. ‘I know, but it’s a good kind of sudden. Isn’t it? What do you say, Alex?’

  ‘I’ll think about it,’ said Alex. Then she almost smiled, her pale plump face lightening. ‘You know, it would be really nice not to have to do a late shift on Ward 22 ever again.’

  ‘You won’t regret it,’ said Lara.

  ‘I only said I’d think about it.’

  ‘But you’ll agree, just you wait and see.’ This time Lara did a double twirl.

  As far as Mick was concerned, life was getting better and better. He had liked the look of Lara Mason from the moment he saw her striding towards the school gates, slim and determined. And then she had agreed to take the room, and was going to introduce him to one of her female friends. He had had high hopes this Alex would be as attractive and interesting as Lara.

  So when he met her, the only word for his reaction was disappointment. She was short and plump and somehow faded, withdrawn into herself. It was hard to imagine her having anything to do with smart and snappy Lara. She didn’t meet his eyes when they were introduced and her feet dragged as Lara chivvied her up the stairs.

  When Lara came down, alone, a few minutes later, he found himself at a loss for what to say. “Where did you find her?” didn’t have quite the right ring to it.

  ‘Alex’s is having a bath. Hope that’s OK? You’re not short of hot water are you?’

  ‘No, no problem.’

  ‘That’s good. Alex’s had a bit of a hard time recently, so I’ve put in loads of bubble bath and stuff that’s supposed to help you relax. I hope she’ll take the chance to wind down.’

  He realised that she was trying to apologise for her friend. ‘No problem,’ he said again, feeling ashamed. ‘And it’s good to see you here at last. Now you just need to unpack all your things.’

  ‘Yes.’ Lara pulled a face, wrinkling the small, straight nose. ‘I didn’t realise I had so much.’

  ‘Put some of the boxes in the spare room, if you like. It’s hard to unpack when everything is on top of you.’

  ‘But that’s your study, isn’t it?’

  The room contained a desk with computer, an exercise bike, and an awful lot of rubbish. ‘That’s the theory, but … A few more boxes won’t make any difference.’

  ‘Thanks,’ she smiled at him and he was pleased he had made the offer. Perhaps he could find a way to do her some more favours. Lara continued, ‘I’ve got some food in the car, we did some shopping before we came home. Is it OK if I bring it in?’

  ‘Absolutely. Plenty of space.’ Mick opened a cupboard to demonstrate, realised that it contained one rusting baking tray and an awful lot of dust, and closed it quickly. ‘I’ll, er, give this a wipe whilst you bring things in.’

  He had seen her lip begin to curl at the state of his kitchen, but she bit back any comment and nodded. ‘That’s kind of you. Thanks.’

  He watched as she turned to leave, admiring the way she looked in those trim jeans.

  When he saw the array of specialist pastas, the breads and salads and bottles of wine she had brought, he was more determined than ever to hang around. Life was looking good.

  Chapter Four

  Lara was a little nervous on her first day at work. She had been into school the previous week to talk over some details with her new head of department, and the man had seemed pleasant enough. But Lara couldn’t help thinking of Miss Dunlop, her head of department in Glasgow. She had been charming until she was actually in post. And then … Well, best not to think of that now.

  Alex had actually hugged her before she took the train north and said she would return soon. Everything was going well. No reason why it shouldn’t continue that way.

  Her first class was a group of First Years, so small and sweet that she almost unbent and smiled at them. She remembered just in time her experiences as a probationary teacher when she had been too friendly too soon. She had never got the discipline back, so she kept this class on a tight rein. They worked hard and possibly even learnt something by the end of the lesson.

  The period after break she had Fourth Years for Modern Studies. She kept to her no-nonsense approach, questioning them on work done to date and then setting them a rather stiff revision worksheet. She had to be particularly tough with this sort of group or they’d walk all over her.

  And so the day passed, not too badly on the whole. The staff seemed friendly. There were one or two smiles when they learned she was sharing the house with Mick Jensen, which made Lara uncomfortable, so she ignored them. Everyone would soon realise that the two of them were nothing more than acquaintances. The fact they were both single, and Mick was so good looking, shouldn’t matter at all.

  The house was empty when she got home and she decided to use the time to do a little cleaning in the kitchen. It was the sort of thing she enjoyed doing, and it left her free to think at the same time.

  Mick was an enigma to her. He seemed so easy-going, yet she had learnt enough in one day’s teaching to know the school children idolised him. And, despite their teasing, the other staff seemed to respect him.

  ‘What on earth are you doing?’ demanded a voice behind her, making Lara jump. Mick had a really annoying habit of catching her unawares.

  She hoped she wasn’t blushing. It felt strange having him in the room with her when he had been so much in her thoughts.

  She sat back on her heels. ‘Cleaning. What does it look like?’

  ‘Ah,’ said Mick doubtfully. ‘Isn’t it clean enough?’

  Lara sighed. He had made a show of wiping down the cupboards the other day, but surely he must realise he hadn’t done a proper job? Even if she wasn’t going to stay long, one glance at the cupboards had made her realise she couldn’t put up with them like this.

  ‘I could do that,’ said Mick, looking at the bleach and disinfectant and scourers she had lined up. ‘Probably.’ His expression was a mixture of horror and bemusement.

  ‘I’ve almost finished. Everything will keep fresh much longer once I’ve done this.’

  ‘It will?’

  ‘Absolutely.’

  He made a pot of tea, treading warily around her, bu
t seeming in no hurry to leave. He leant back in one of the chairs and settled down to watch her work. ‘You’re really good at this, aren’t you?’ he said.

  ‘It’s not exactly rocket science, cleaning a kitchen.’

  ‘Ah.’ After a pause he said, ‘I never thought to ask Debbie, who cleans for us, to do the cupboards.’

  ‘So I see.’

  ‘How did you enjoy your first day?’ he asked, as though suddenly remembering that he should.

  ‘It was OK.’

  ‘That good?’

  ‘I’m just finding my feet,’ said Lara cautiously. She didn’t want him to know how nervous she had been.

  ‘The kids are scared of you,’ he said, head on one side. ‘I’m impressed. How did you do manage that?’

  She was surprised. ‘I’m sure they’re not scared of me. I hope they’ll respect me. That way I can get them to do the best work possible. That’s my job, isn’t it?’ She felt uncomfortable at the thought of people discussing her.

  ‘Looks like old McIntyre chose well this time,’ he said with a grin. ‘I hope the rest of the staff are making you welcome?’

  ‘They seem nice,’ she said.

  ‘They’re not a bad bunch. I’ll introduce you to some tomorrow. There’s no football practice at lunch time, for once. I could show you the canteen if you want.’

  ‘Thanks. That’s very kind.’ Lara hadn’t expected him to make so much effort. ‘I’m going to make myself an omelette and some salad for my supper,’ she said, rising to her feet. ‘Do you want to join me? You’ve probably got other plans, but you’re more than welcome …’

  The face he turned towards her showed more delight than she thought was called for. ‘That sounds brilliant.’

  Lara didn’t know how she had got herself in to that. She hadn’t intended to get too friendly with this handsome, flippant man. And here she was offering to cook for him. Well, she couldn’t back out now. But she would need to make sure he didn’t start expecting this every day.

  Elizabeth spread out the particulars of six or seven houses on the coffee table before her. She was excited. This was the day she and Derek had been awaiting for decades. They had kept a small flat in Cheshire for holidays, and to keep a foot on the property ladder. Now they were selling that and buying a house of their very own! A place to live for the rest of their lives. Elizabeth had had enough of beautiful rented accommodation. She couldn’t wait to set to work on her own place.

  Derek had been adamant they should look for somewhere in the south of England because they were so used to the warmer weather. They had decided to look in Devon, and although the prices were high the properties, the scenery, and the towns were all so beautiful Elizabeth was itching to get over there and start her new life.

  Obviously they couldn’t buy anything without seeing it first, so it had been decided she would fly over to the UK at the end of the week and view two or three properties they particularly liked. She was nervous at the idea of making a decision without Derek, but he couldn’t get the time off work and he said he trusted her judgement when it came to houses. She was surprised. She hadn’t thought he trusted her judgement about very much at all.

  They had narrowed the lists down from hundreds to twenty or so, and now down to six. She thought she would go and see all of those, although her heart was already very drawn to a modern bungalow in a village not far from Exeter. It was just what they needed, and the views were spectacular.

  The only drawback was that it would be so far from Lara. She sighed. She wished again that Lara had told them she was thinking of changing her job; it would have been wonderful if she, too, had moved south. Maybe it wasn’t too late to try to persuade her? She decided to phone and find out.

  Elizabeth was a little disconcerted when a man answered the phone. He was polite, but he sounded so young, and she really wished Lara had gone for a more usual sharing arrangement.

  ‘Mum?’ said Lara when she eventually came to the phone. ‘Is everything all right? You don’t usually phone at this time.’

  ‘Yes, everything is fine. A mother can phone her daughter when she feels like it, can’t she?’

  ‘Er, yes. Of course. As long as it’s not the middle of the night.’

  Elizabeth bit her lip. Once again, their conversation had got off to a bad start. ‘I was wondering how your first week at school had gone,’ she said.

  ‘It was all right,’ said Lara, guarded as ever.

  ‘I’m sure it’ll take you a while to settle in, and then it will be lovely,’ said Elizabeth encouragingly.

  ‘Yes,’ said Lara politely. ‘And how are you and Dad?’

  ‘We’re both fine. Actually, Lara …’ Elizabeth hesitated. Perhaps she should have given her daughter more warning. ‘Actually, I’m coming over to England next week.’

  ‘Next week?’ Lara sounded more amazed than pleased.

  ‘Yes. You know your father retires at the end of June and we’re thinking of buying a house to retire to? I’m coming over to have a look at one or two.’

  ‘Is Dad really retiring?’

  ‘Yes, dear. He is sixty-five in May.’

  ‘I know. But I just thought … Work is his life, isn’t it?’

  ‘He has enjoyed his work and been very successful at it. But now we’re both looking forward to returning to the UK.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Lara. Elizabeth wished she had discussed this with her daughter sooner. Somehow, it had never cropped up. ‘That’s nice.’

  ‘Yes. I’ll be flying in to London a week on Monday. I wondered if you might be able to pop down and meet me?’

  ‘I’m not sure. I’m working, as you know. Why aren’t you flying in to Manchester? I presume that’s where you’ll be looking for houses?’

  ‘Well, no,’ said Elizabeth. ‘We’ve decided on Devon. Your father has always loved the South-west and the winters are so much milder there …’

  ‘Devon?’ said Lara blankly. ‘But that’s miles away.’

  ‘But it’s very lovely. I hoped you might look around with me, see what you thought. I don’t suppose you would consider moving to the South-west yourself…?’

  ‘Mum, I’ve just moved here! I’ve just started a new job! I have moved to the South-west, it’s just that I’ve moved to the South-west of Scotland, not England. I thought it wouldn’t be too far from you if you came back to Cheshire, but Devon!’ Lara sounded quite put out.

  ‘Couldn’t you come and spend a few days with me down there, see what you think?’

  ‘No, Mum, I couldn’t. It’s term-time, remember.’

  ‘But you haven’t bought anything there yet, have you? I thought if you really liked the area around Exeter you might be tempted …’ Elizabeth’s voice tailed off. It had been a long shot.

  ‘I’m buying a property up here,’ said Lara abruptly. ‘Alex and I have already put in an offer.’

  ‘Goodness, so quickly? I thought you’d need a bit of time to look around. But I suppose if you’ve seen the ideal place and can just move in, then that would be very nice. With Alex, you say?’

  ‘Yes. She’s thinking of moving down to Loreburn too.’

  ‘That’s nice.’ Elizabeth waited for her daughter to say more, but she didn’t. Lara had always been very good at not giving out information, as though she thought her parents weren’t interested, or, worse, might disapprove. That wasn’t the case at all.

  ‘Do you think you could manage a quick trip down south to see me? Maybe for the weekend? It would be lovely.’

  ‘To Devon? No. There’s no way I could get there and back in a weekend. Why don’t you come up here?’

  ‘I’m afraid I can’t. The ticket your dad has booked for me is just for seven days.’

  ‘Never mind,’ said Lara.

  Elizabeth realised she didn’t know if her daughter was hurt or relieved. Another conversation had passed and they were further apart than ever.

  On a Friday evening Mick made his way to the less-than-perfect football fields on t
he rougher side of town. He knew he’d said to Steve that he wasn’t going to waste his time here any longer, but something drew him back. It wasn’t the part of town that he’d come from, but there was something so familiar about it. The poorly cut grass, the scruffy, bad-mouthed kids. And the desire to do something, and (although it wasn’t the kind of thing he admitted to anyone) to do it well.

  It was already nearly seven in the evening and dark except for the half-hearted floodlights. The boys were standing around, smoking surreptitiously, occasionally kicking a ball.

  ‘Hey, where’re the teams?’

  One youth kicked the ball towards Mick. ‘You weren’t here, were you? Who’s gonna organise it if you’re not here?’ Ryan had attended Loreburn High until the previous summer, but had now left the education system for boredom or worse.

  Mick bent to pick up the ball. ‘It didn’t help that I was here last week.’

  ‘That was just they stupid Townhouse kids.’

  ‘Two sides to the fighting, as far as I could see.’

  ‘We didnae start it,’ said Ryan, his lower lip protruding.

  ‘OK, OK, let’s forget last week. Who’s up for a game?’

  With a careful lack of enthusiasm, the youths scuffed their feet but gathered round. Ten minutes later there were enough of them for four teams of seven-a-side and the games started. Mick was relieved. He hadn’t been sure how it would go tonight after the trouble last week. It might have scared off some of the youths and encouraged others to come back for more of the same. Instead, it seemed to have shocked them into something like good behaviour.

  They actually managed a mini-tournament without serious flare-ups. As Mick headed to meet Steve for a drink afterwards, he was quietly pleased. It looked like football coaching was back on track. If it hadn’t worked out tonight perhaps he would have taken Steve’s advice and dropped it, but he would have been loath to do that. He wasn’t a quitter. These kids needed something. Not that a couple of hours a week of football was ever going to solve their problems. He sighed.

  When a car pulled up beside him he was surprised to see the occupant. Ed McAnulty, Steve’s older brother, didn’t normally make time to talk to Mick these days.