Page 14 of Happier Days (Family Life in Somerley #1)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

‘That was a lovely evening, wasn’t it?’ Stella said to Max as they were driving home.

‘It was. Ava seems nice.’

‘Yes, I was sad to hear her father died when she was so young. I liked Mr and Mrs Wilton, always enjoyed seeing them each summer. But it does explain why they never came back. It’s nice to know it wasn’t anything we’d done.’

‘The man died of a heart attack, Stella.’ Max shook his head in bewilderment.

‘Yes, I know but...’

‘Luckily for you, I do.’

Stella smiled. ‘She’s still a sweetheart, though, isn’t she?’

‘Hmm.’

She turned to him, a wry look on her face. ‘What do mean, hmm?’

‘You’re matchmaking again.’

‘I don’t think I have to.’ She smiled. ‘Who would have thought it?’

‘Who indeed, after over twenty years with no contact. It’s quite a long shot.’

‘You know what I mean.’

‘You orchestrated it.’

‘You’re not as daft as you seem, Mr Broadhurst.’

‘ You took a huge gamble. She could have been married, or with someone else.’

‘Cara told me she was divorced. It was she who told me where Ava was working. She hasn’t seen her in years, but she works on the same circuit.’

Max laughed. ‘You women. I hope your interfering doesn’t come back to bite you.’

‘Have faith!’ Stella rested her hand on Max’s thigh while he drove. ‘Love conquers all, so they say.’

They were nearly home. Stella sighed with relief. It had been another long day, but it had ended quite well, she thought. If only she could sort out the other members of the family, and that would be a good goal achieved.

‘I wish you wouldn’t meddle so much,’ Max went on.

‘I wish you wouldn’t always tell me that I shouldn’t.’

‘They have their own lives to live.’

‘I know, I know.’ Stella drew her hand away and placed it in her lap. ‘It’s just that the hotel doesn’t seem the same without them all together. I miss having everyone around me.’

‘That wasn’t a given forever, though. Kids have their own lives to live. And look at Jack. It took him years to come and work in the business, and even now, he’s back to part-time. Not everyone can love it as much as we do.’

‘At least Eliza shows no signs of moving on. It would break my heart to lose her.’

‘You haven’t lost any of them.’ He paused then. ‘Apart from Dan, they’re all still in touch with you.’

‘But not with each other.’

‘Give them time. A few more get-togethers and it will feel different, but okay.’

Max pulled up the handbrake. Stella undid her seat belt.

So many words went unspoken nowadays. It was there in black and white, for them all to see that on family gatherings, one of them was missing.

It broke her heart more than it healed it, she was sorry to say.

But family had always been important to her.

Stella had grown up as an only child, one who was desperate to be noticed. There had been no love and cuddles for her. No encouragement to do better, just a slap on the legs when she hadn’t done well enough at school, or being sent to her bedroom after her tea so “they could have some peace.”

At seventeen, she’d been rescued by Max. They’d met at the local youth club disco one evening. Both of them were too old for it really, but there wasn’t much else to do where they were living at the time. It cost a fortune to get a taxi into town, and it was a rare treat on her wages.

Stella had been working in retail back then, in the clothes section at British Home Stores.

Max had been one of the delivery drivers to bring in stock each Wednesday.

After a few chats, Stella had found herself watching out for Max, making a special effort to stand out with her makeup and hair because she was in a uniform like everyone else.

It took him a few weeks to ask her out. Once she’d got to know him better, she’d scolded him for it, but then again, Max had always been shy. She was the pushy one in the family.

They’d married two years later, and their brood came along shortly afterwards. Never in this world did Stella ever think she’d give birth to five children. They had thought of stopping when the twins had arrived, but Stella wasn’t sure, so they’d had two more.

Her parents both died in their seventies, not really knowing their grandchildren as Stella didn’t take them to visit very often. She wasn’t sure why they had never shown her any love.

To her mind, as a child, she hadn’t done anything wrong. How could she? But for them to snub her as an adult, and her husband and children, was a step too far. She’d distanced herself from them entirely once her youngest, Cara, had been born. Knowing she couldn’t change them had made that easier.

And yet, when they’d died, they’d left Stella everything. Their house had fetched a tidy sum, allowing them to make a few improvements to the hotel, and then dividing what was left between their children, into savings accounts for when they were older.

There had even been a letter of regret from her mum alongside the will, saying how sorry she was not to have been a part of her life. But there had been no explanation as to why, leaving Stella with that ache in her heart, that hole she needed to fill with the love from her own family.

Which, she reckoned selfishly, was the reason she hated them being split up. It was bad enough when they’d lost Dan. Now all she wanted was the rest of them home under her roof. Especially after Max having had two strokes recently.

In the kitchen, she switched on the kettle to make hot chocolate. Gazing out of the window deep in thought, she didn’t hear Max come in. He made her jump when he came behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

‘Penny for them?’ he asked.

‘I was just thinking how lucky we are.’

‘We’ve worked hard for it, though.’

‘I meant more about the family than the hotel.’

‘I meant both. Making the family was always the fun part, if I remember rightly.’

Stella turned to see a twinkle in his eye that she hoped would never fade. ‘You don’t do a bad job of it now we don’t need to procreate anymore.’

‘On that note, let’s pass on the hot chocolate and head straight to bed.’

He kissed her lightly on the lips and led her out of the room. She laughed to herself when she thought there were some things she was glad the children weren’t around to interrupt anymore.