Page 1 of One Month's Notice
Chapter one
Friday 1st April
Nat picked up her phone from the concrete landing, her heart sinking as she glared at the giant crack that had just slashed its way across the screen. A frustrated snort escaped her at the sight of the distorted face staring back—a cruel reflection of someone experiencing nothing but misfortune. This was another problem to top off what had already been an awful week. In fact, a dreadful month within an utterly disastrous year. The universe, it seemed, was intent on presenting new challenges for her on a silver platter. She looked at the date—April Fool’s Day—there was nothing funny about today. Tucking the damaged phone into her back pocket, she hauled her rucksack up onto her shoulders, wincing as the straps cut in.
She grabbed the suitcase handle and began dragging it down the stairwell, the base thumping against every step. The crashes resounded through her body like a solemn drumbeat, signalling her departure to the curious neighbours. The excitement of moving into this apartment block two years ago had overshadowed the four flights of stairs and lack of lift. Nat considered the challenge part of her daily fitness routine, a deliberate choice with a positive spin for someone who disliked exercise. But now she was regretting her decision. She could almost hear her mother’s “I told you so”. Today, the endless stairs felt like a walk of shame. She dragged her pitiful worldly belongings out into the drizzle and waited for her brother to arrive.
“Is this everything?” Simon lifted the suitcase and rucksack into the boot of his BMW. Nat nodded, cringing at how pathetic it looked. Her whole life and it didn’t even fill the boot space. Simon patted her on the shoulder, then withdrew his hand quickly to push his glasses up his nose. Nat appreciated his unexpected and awkward attempt to comfort her, brief as it was.
“Come on then. Lucy is cooking us a chilli. It should be ready soon.”
“Thanks. I really appreciate you letting me stay with you.” An uncomfortable silence fell between them. “I promise it won’t be for long.”
“It’s fine. Take as long as you need.” Simon smiled at her. “It will be nice for Lucy to have some adult company during the day. I love Louis, but it must be hard work being around a 9-month-old all day long.”
“That’s definitely a huge bonus of our arrangement—getting to spend lots of time with my gorgeous nephew.”
“I know Lucy feels the same about you coming. She never seemed to click with anyone from the baby groups.” Simon hesitated for a moment. “The thing is, I’m trying to persuade her she doesn’t need to go back to work at the end of her maternity leave. Maybe you could help me talk her out of it?”
“Hmm, I’m the last person you want getting involved in your relationship. I don’t exactly have an exemplary track record.”
“But it’s so ridiculous. She can stay at home. I bring in enough money for the family.” Simon drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. “We don’t want to pack him off to a nursery every day where he can pick up bugs and diseases. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“Maybe she wants to go back? It doesn’t matter whether she needs to. Have you thought about that?” Her brother’s old-fashioned attitudes were infuriating, and Nat found it difficult to bite her tongue. But the last thing she needed was a full-blown argument before they even got to his house.
Simon scowled and neither said any more for a few moments until Nat couldn’t bear the silence any longer.
“Has Mum said anything to you?” She studied Simon’s face for a reaction, but he gave nothing away, focusing on the road ahead.
“She’s been asking questions, but I told her she needs to talk to you. You should let her know what’s going on.”
“I know. It’s just she’s always so disappointed with me.” Nat sighed and picked at her fingernails. “And now, not only do I have another failed relationship to add to the long list, I can’t even afford my rent.”
“Maybe it’s time you started looking for other types of work?”
“And now you sound exactly like her.” Nat rolled her eyes.
“Well, maybe she’s right.” Simon flicked the indicator on the car a little more firmly than it needed. “You’ve spent your whole life living in this fantasy land of interior design and you can’t even support yourself.”
“If you’re going to be like that, you can drop me off here.” Nat folded her arms and bit her lip hard, wishing for a moment she had accepted Lexi’s offer instead. But, even though the company of her best friend was preferable to her brother’s disapproval, she couldn’t turn down the promise of a comfortable bed in a beautiful house over the lumpy couch in a cramped flat.
“And where would you go?” Simon glared at her, but his expression softened as he noticed tears welling up in her eyes. “OK, I’m sorry. No more lectures. I’ll leave that to Mum. She’s the world champion, after all!” He presented her a smile as a peace offering.
With a heavy sigh, Nat sank back into her seat, the reality of Simon’s words weighing her down.
“I know you’re only looking out for me, Si. But design is my passion. I can’t give up on it yet.” She turned in her seat to look at him. “Just give me a bit of time to get back on my feet and I’m sure it will all work out OK. If I haven’t got it sorted within the next few weeks, I’ll look for one of those ‘proper’ jobs you keep telling me about.”
“Deal,” Simon conceded with a nod. “And in the meantime, Lucy and I get some free babysitting.”
“That’s the least I can do!” Nat squeezed Simon’s arm, relieved they had settled on a compromise.
Twenty minutes later, Simon and Nat parked in the driveway of a semi-detached Victorian house in Hampstead, London. Nat felt her stomach drop a little as she looked up at the enormous windows and polished stone steps leading up to the front door. The red-brick exterior, embroidered with white trimmings, was partially obscured by long stretches of ivy that snaked up towards the peaked roof. Whenever she came here, Nat was unable to contain a tiny unwelcome pang of jealousy, despite knowing how hard her brother worked.
Simon had aspired to be a lawyer for as long as Nat could remember, and he put the relentless hard work in to making that a reality. Nat, on the other hand, had always been clueless about what she wanted to do. She just knew it had to be creative.
It didn’t seem to matter how hard she tried, she could never get good grades. Where her mum and dad came away from parents’ evening singing their praises about Simon and how well he was doing, there was always an air of disappointment after they had seen Nat’s teachers. If they had taken the time to see her art teacher, it may have been a different story. But her mum didn’t value the creative subjects, and her dad just tagged along, going where he was told. They never really knew how talented she was as an artist. With the struggles she was having getting her interior design business off the ground, maybe they were right all along?
Lucy opened the front door with Louis balanced on one hip and pulled Nat in for a hug. Louis grabbed a fistful of Nat’s hair and began chewing it. The dark curls on his head bounced as he fidgeted in his mum’s grip, his big brown eyes looking up at Nat with a hint of mischief.