Page 47

‘Well, I hope your business doesn’t involve carrying heavy things. And as for your daughter, same there. You’re going to be in a cast for six to eight weeks, and after that, we’ll have a look at it.’

Six to eight weeks. Holly’s jaw dropped, and another batch of tears filled her throat. Six to eight weeks meant she’d be in a cast for Jamie’s wedding, if it was still going ahead, but really, that was the least of her worries. They were smack bang in the middle of the busiest summer in years at the shop, and while her job didn’t involve heavy machinery, the large bags of sweets that she got from the suppliers weren’t light, and she often found herself lugging ten kilos up the stairs in one go. Then there was Hope to think of. It was difficult enough handling her as it was. Getting her in and out of the car seat, not to mention the pushchair, the baths. How was she going to manage any of that with only one hand?

‘And that cut on your head looks like it needs a few stitches too,’ the doctor added.

While the X-ray didn’t take long to happen, Holly had several hours waiting around for someone to stitch her up and fit the cast. By the time her arm was fixed up and seven stitches had secured the cut on her head, early evening was on its way.

Holly limped through the hospital, not because of the bruises on her leg, but because of the ones to her ego. She hadn’t even thought about how she was getting home. The bus was the mostviable option, but given how shattered she was, she thought she might just swallow the cost and grab a taxi instead. As it happened, she needed to do neither. There, still sitting in the waiting room, was Jamie.

‘I told you you didn’t have to hang around,’ she said, feeling the tears she had only just stemmed swelling up once again.

‘Don’t worry, I’ve been using the time productively,’ Jamie said. ‘I’ve been looking up wedding venues that might have cancellations in Oxford or Somerset or even Warwickshire.’

‘Any luck?’

Jamie shook her head. ‘I’ve looked at Gretna Green too, but there’s nothing at all. But we don’t need to worry about that now. Let’s get you home.’

42

Jamie offered to come into the cottage with Holly, to make a cup of tea or prepare a meal, given that Holly hadn’t eaten all day other than a single bar of chocolate from the hospital vending machine. But despite her state, Holly shook her head.

‘Don’t worry, you’ve already helped me enough,’ she said, as she clumped out of the car. ‘Thank you for today.’

‘Are you sure? I don’t mind kipping on the sofa either, if you want someone to stay with you.’

Again, Holly shook her head. She was going to have this cast on for nearly two months; she knew she would have to learn to be independent sooner or later. Besides, she needed to ring people. She needed to ring Ben, to work out how they were going to handle things now. She needed to ring Caroline and Drey to see if they could cover a couple of extra shifts at the shop. And she needed to ring Evan, to tell him what she had done to the Vespa.

‘I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?’ she said.

‘Okay. Take care, alright?’

Jamie drove away with the Vespa in the back of the van. She had already mentioned on the way back that she had some mates who could probably repair it. Holly had nodded gratefully.

Yet she still felt numb. The painkillers the doctor had given her were strong enough to knock her out and if she took another one, she’d probably fall asleep where she stood. But she had things to do.

Holly rang Caroline and Drey first, both of whom offered to come around immediately and help. Holly told them the same line,that she was grateful for the offer, but she was just going to get some rest.And it was true. That was the plan at least, only she had a couple more people to speak to first, delaying the act of telling Evan just a little bit longer.

‘Thank God it was only a broken arm,’ Ben said. ‘Do you realise you could have been seriously hurt?’

‘Yes, thank you, Ben.’ She tried not to sound annoyed with him. Of course she knew how close she had come to something far more serious. And the thought shook her to the core.

‘Well, you’re okay, that’s what matters. What about the other people who were involved? Was the woman okay?’ It didn’t surprise Holly that this was the next question out of Ben’s mouth. After all, he was always looking at the bigger picture.

‘She’s okay, shaken up,’ Holly told him. ‘I’ve got her number now, so I’ll text her. At least it’s my left arm so I can still write and use my phone.’

‘Well, don’t worry about logistics. We’ll work out the days, but for the nights, Hope can stay with me for as long as you need.’

This brought tears to Holly’s eyes. Sad tears. It wasn’t that she wasn’t grateful for everything Ben did, but the last thing she wanted was for Hope to spend extra nights with Ben. She found it tough enough when Hope was away as it was. She was only now beginning to not jolt awake in the middle of the night,panicking that her daughter wasn’t with her. The thought of not being able to put her to bed in the evening, or hear her babbling in the morning, was enough to start the tears streaming again.

‘Don’t worry about this, Holly,’ Ben reassured her, having clearly worked out what had caused the long pause on Holly’s end of the line. ‘If it helps, I’ll come round to you at bath time and put her to bed at yours instead. And then I can come round early in the morning, if you need help getting her up for breakfast. Unless you want to move in to mine for a bit, or longer – I’m guessing it might be a while. I’m sure Georgia would understand, though.’

Holly managed to smile through the tears. She wasn’t entirely sure how she’d feel if Evan wanted an ex to move in with him for two months, even if they were hurt, but the fact that Ben made the offer was enough to make her heart swell. It was a mystery how her life had turned around. All those years she’d spent with Dan not appreciating her, never wanting to do anything for her, and now she had all these men trying to help. And they weren’t even together.

‘Have you told Evan yet?’ Ben asked.

Holly shook her head, only to remember they were on a voice call. There was no way she could cope with a blurry-eyed face call after the day she’d had. Even to her closest friends.

‘No, he’s my next call. I’ve had a couple of missed calls from Mum and Dad too when I was in hospital, but I’ve just sent them a message saying I was busy. If they see the state I’m in, they’ll probably want to come home. And they’ve only got a day left of their holiday.’