When the kids went back to school after October Half Term, we started the process of selling the pub and buying the two houses across the ginnel. The buying of the houses was running like clockwork, but the selling of the pub was seemingly more difficult.
"I'll keep my ear to the ground Chelle but owning a knicker factory doesn't quite lead you to people wanting to buy a pub." Mum said as she tossed her bag over her shoulder and then left the pub. Michelle and I were both working in the pub that afternoon as Mum went back to the factory after her dinner.
"What are we gonna do Chelle? We need the money from selling this place to buy the houses and start the work on them." I said.
"I don't know Orabelle. We'll figure something out, perhaps tonight we could have a bit of a chat together, come up with a few more ideas, do a bit of research. I had a few emails back from some builders this week." Michelle said.
"I can't tonight, Chelle, I'm going out for tea with Josh, Mum's having Amie for me." I told her.
"This is the fourth week in a row now Ora, that you and him have been out for tea or for a drink or had lunch together in the bistro. You like him, don't you?" she teased.
"Shut up Michelle. We're just friends. He's lovely but he doesn't like me like that and what with Amelie and everything, it just wouldn't work." I told her.
"Are you kidding? Anyone with eyes can see how much he likes you, Ora." She said. "He's amazing with Amie, and you know it. It wouldn't hurt you know, telling him how you feel."
"But that's just it Chelle,, I don't know how I feel. After everything that happened with Ben. I know I never loved him, but I liked him, and I've haven't liked anyone since him. I'm scared Chelle." I told her.
"Orla, Josh isn't Ben. You can't let what Ben did put you off ever having a happy relationship." She said.
"That's easier said that done." I added as she pulled me into hug her.
"Hello you." I said as I hugged Josh at the back door of the pub that evening. "I just need to put Amie to bed and then I'll be ready. Do you wanna drink while you wait?" I asked.
"No, no, I'll wait in here, take your time, there's no rush." He said, pointing to the back room. "Orla, you look beautiful." He told me as I began to climb the stairs with Amelie on my hip.
"Thank you, so do you." I said as we both giggled, and I then climbed the rest of the stairs.
Once Amelie was in bed, I slipped my boots and coat on and then went back downstairs where Mum and Josh were sat in the back room laughing.
"What are you saying? You better not be scaring him off." I said as I stood behind Josh with my hands on his shoulders.
"I am not, we're simply reminiscing on a few childhood moments of yours." Mum said as I handed her the baby monitor. I looked at her disapprovingly.
"Right, we best go before you spill anymore of my secrets. Amie's almost asleep but if she does wake her give her some milk and she should be alright." I told Mum.
"I have had four kids you know, she'll be fine, now go on, relax, enjoy yourself." Mum said. Josh stood up and the two of us left out the back door of the pub and got the bus into town.
"It's so lovely, that you and your Mum are so close you know." Josh said as we sat in a restaurant in Manchester, waiting for our food to come out.
"Yeah, I think losing my Dad brought us so much closer. Do you not have the same with your Mum?" I asked.
"Not really, I've always known she wasn't my real Mum, and you know I'm the first person to say that being a blood relative doesn't matter, but Freddie is hers and has always been her baby. And I think when I got old enough to understand where I came from and that my Mum wasn't my Mum and my Dad not my Dad, I wanted to understand who my parents were and where I came from. And then I wanted to be a doctor and I didn't want to do it in France, so my Mum let me find my real Dad and I came home, and I lived with him." He told me as he reached across the table and held onto my hand.
"Do you think you'll go back and see your Mum? Maybe over Christmas?" I asked. Josh shook his head.
"We fell out, before I left to come to uni, we fell out big time. She didn't want me to come back here, she thought that the police would still be looking for her, after all these years and she said that me coming back here would lead the police to her and put her and Freddie in danger. But that was three years ago and she's never really forgiven me since. Even when I went home, things weren't the same. I love her, of course I do, but if she can't forgive me by now then, I don't know if she ever will." He said. I squeezed his hand tight then let go as a waitress came over and placed our food on the table.
"And Freddie, has he forgiven you?" I asked once the waitress had left us.
"He never had an issue with any of it in the first place, Mum said cos he was too young to remember what happened when we left. He doesn't even remember Dad. I spoke to him the other day, he wants to come back over here too, there's only so much time you can spend with our Granny before it sends you insane." He said and we both laughed.
"Ditto," I said laughing. "Do you think he will then? Come over here?" I asked.
"Yeah, he wants to, we want to get a flat together. Even if we have no blood relation, he's still my bro." he said.
"And your Dad? Do you get on alright with him?" I asked.
"Yeah, I mean, we're good, we're close, I think me wanting to be a doctor gives us a lot to talk about, but it hasn't always been that way. I didn't see him from the age of eight until I was eighteen and there's a lot to catch up on after that long apart." He told me. "Were you and your Dad close?" I nodded as I chewed on my tea before saying,
"Yeah, very close. My Mum struggled when I was first born, she never really wanted kids and I mean you wouldn't think so, here she is, four kids later, but it was on my Dad a lot of looking after me. My Mum would have had a termination when she was pregnant had my Dad not found out and stopped her. But my Dad and I were very similar. Both hard working and caring people who had big aspirations. I'd do anything for him to be here." I said, tears forming in my eyes a little.
"Hey, I'm sorry I never meant to upset you. He'd be so proud of you. I still remember playing football on the road outside the factory and him shouting at Bethany for almost smashing the window of his car. He was livid but I remember he adored you." Josh said, reaching out for my hand again and handing me a napkin with the other to wipe my eyes. I dried my eyes before squeezing his hand and then continuing to eat my tea.
By December, as we were fast approaching Christmas, we'd finally found a buyer for the pub. Jenny. She was going to buy the place. She said she had unfinished business with the pub, and it had always brought such happy memories of her and Johnny. The sale of the two houses on Mawdsley Street had completed at the end of November and work had begun on the house. We were knocking through the adjoining wall at the back to create a big kitchen living room area, with a spare bedroom at the front of one side of the house. Then we were taking out one of the staircases and expanding to make two bedrooms in the attic, which would be for all five of the girls. Raffy would have a little box room on the middle floor, with a bunkbed for Simon for whenever he stayed. Mum and Peter would have a bedroom at the front on one side and Michelle would have the other. I'd have a reasonable size bedroom at the back beside one of the bathrooms.
Meanwhile, Josh's brother Freddie had moved over from France and the two of them were living in the flat above Dev's. It was lovely to have Josh so close by, especially as the two of us had grown so much closer over the last few weeks. Josh was still travelling to uni in town most days for lectures and Freddie had got a job with Ryan at the bistro until he started a uni course in town in September.
It was a few days before Christmas when Josh came in with Freddie and had a drink at the bar, while I stood behind it and chatted to them both in between serving customers.
"What are you doing tomorrow, Orla?" Josh asked.
"I've got a meeting in the morning in town and then I'll be back here in the afternoon to do a few bits and pieces. Amie is with Julie all day so I'm taking advantage to get stuff done." I told him.
"How about lunch?" He asked, reaching his hand out across the bar and holding onto mine.
"I'm just nipping to the loo." Freddie said. I looked back at Josh who was smiling widely.
"I was actually hoping that I could take my girlfriend to lunch?" he said nervously, still holding my hand tight.
"Your who?" I asked, slightly confused.
"Orla, we've been going for dinner, going for drinks, having lunch, spending the day together for a few months now and I like you. Coming back here, seeing you again, it's the happiest that I have felt in years. I really want you to be my girlfriend Orla." He said. I could see the nervousness in his face and his hand was almost shaking as it held onto mine.
"Come here." I said leading him beside us, to the gap in the bar and pulling him into hug me. "I have not been happier than I am now, and I would be truly honoured to be your girlfriend." I said quietly into his ear.