Chapter 11
11
Rural Developments’ headquarters was in the middle of an industrial estate, in the middle of a built-up area, Jade discovered. That was ironic when Declan’s card showed beautiful houses surrounded by fields. She parked and found the entrance which led her up a narrow flight of stairs to a door with a brass plaque.
She walked in and found herself in a small reception area. A woman behind a computer glanced up. ‘Can I help you?’
‘I’m here to see Declan Stone.’
‘Is he expecting you?’
Jade smiled at her. ‘No. But it’s about a possible sale on the south of Salisbury. I think he’ll want to see me.’ She doubted he would, but it might get her in the door. ‘I’m happy to wait.’
‘Can I have your name, please?’
‘It won’t mean anything to him, but it’s Jade Foster.’
Five minutes later, a man opened a door that led off the reception and Jade got her first look at Declan. He was younger than she’d expected. She guessed a similar age to her – twenty-six or twenty-seven. He was expensively dressed with a hint of cool. He had dark hair, serious blue eyes and a nice smile. In her head she’d made him a smarmy salesman in a cheap suit – but he wasn’t.
‘Come in. Please.’ He ushered her through to an office that was plusher than the reception and gestured her to one of the two visitors’ chairs. ‘Will you sit down? How can I help?’
Jade introduced herself and told him what she wanted.
He looked at the adoption packs for long enough to show her he wasn’t completely disinterested, then listened politely until she’d finished explaining the situation before he offered her a coffee.
Disarmed, Jade accepted, and he got it himself from a machine in the corner of the room and brought it back to the table. She hadn’t expected that either. She’d expected him to phone through and ask the receptionist to do it.
‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome. And I appreciate your situation, truly I do…’
She sensed the ‘but’ coming.
‘But we are in a difficult position too. Access is a big issue. Without it we can’t get planning.’
‘So, that’s it then? You’re not prepared to honour the agreement I already had with John Lawson.’ She looked him in the eyes and he held her gaze.
‘I didn’t say that.’ He sighed. ‘Look, I do want to help. We’re not unreasonable here at Rural Developments and we do want to fit in with the local community. We don’t want to kick off on a bad footing with neighbours.’
That was probably true. They wouldn’t want to be fighting their way through numerous objections. They’d want a smooth ride. Or was that just her being cynical? Maybe all this softly softly stuff was just a build up to letting her down gently. She braced herself and then he surprised her again.
‘I’ve a suggestion, Jade. Can I call you Jade?’ He waited for her to nod. ‘Why don’t I come out and see you at Duck Pond Rescue? You could show me the piece of land in question and I can have a look at the situation. We could surely come to some kind of compromise. How does that sound?’
‘That sounds great. Thanks. When can you come?’
‘I could probably come tomorrow afternoon if that’s convenient. I’ll need to check my diary and maybe shift a few things around. But that’s not an issue. This is important to you, isn’t it?’
‘It is, yes. Very important.’
‘Right then. I’ll call you. Is the mobile number the best one to catch you on?’
‘The signal isn’t always great. So try the landline if it doesn’t work.’
‘I’ll do that.’ He stood up, indicating the meeting was over, and they shook hands.
Jade left the building feeling a lot more positive than she had when she’d arrived. OK, so it wasn’t a done deal, but it sounded as though she was in with a chance. It had been good of him to suggest coming over so quickly. He was obviously serious. And a nice guy.
As soon as she was back out in the car park, Jade glanced at her phone. Finn had sent her a message about ten minutes ago saying he’d arrived safely in Nottingham and that he looked forward to catching up later.
She texted back a thumbs up emoji and a row of kisses before heading towards her parking place.
* * *
Declan Stone watched discreetly from an upper-floor window as Jade crossed the car park and got into a dark green Land Rover Discovery. When he’d first heard about the animal sanctuary next door to the farm Rural Developments wanted to buy, he’d envisaged Ms Foster as some batty old woman.
And when Jess, their receptionist, had said she was here to see him, he’d mentally prepared himself for a battle. He had not been expecting the very attractive girl who’d walked in. The professional part of him had instantly been hit by her obvious confidence and an air of don’t mess with me , but the man in him had been drawn to her great looks and beautiful eyes. Old and batty, Jade Foster was definitely not. Hot was a much better description. Except that there was also an air of cool unavailability about her. She had that aura of don’t touch that some women gave off – usually ones who were married and moral.
She hadn’t been wearing a wedding ring. Although that could have been an engagement ring on her left hand. No matter. Declan had never been put off by the fact women were married. He wasn’t up for commitment anyway. He was far too young. The thrill of the chase was where it was at for him.
Women who had don’t touch tattooed across their foreheads had always been irresistible to Declan.
He’d guessed the reason she’d come as soon as Jess had told him she was here, and he’d been ready to tell her, regretfully, but firmly, that there was no way they could change the deal he’d just agreed with the farmer. It just wasn’t possible. He’d decided before he’d seen her that he’d let her down gently and then close the door firmly behind her and hopefully he’d never see her again.
But as soon as Jade had stepped into his office, he’d changed his mind. Not necessarily about the deal – although there was some room for manoeuvre on it – but the fact that he didn’t want to see her again. He very much wanted to see her again. And not in a business sense. He wanted to get to know her better. Arranging to go over and meet her on home turf was a good move. He could check out the lie of the land. In more ways than one.
* * *
Finn got a huge welcome from Dorrie when he knocked on the door of his father’s end-terrace house in Nottingham.
‘Finn, it’s wonderful to see you. Ray’s just this second popped out to get a pint of milk. I told him he’d miss you if he went now, but he insisted, the daft bugger. He doesn’t listen to me. He shouldn’t be long. Come in. Come in.’ Between sentences she swooped in and pecked his cheek.
He was struck – as he always was – when he met the petite blonde sixty-seven-year-old by her vibrant energy. She was still chattering happily as she gestured him ahead of her to the living room opposite the kitchen at the back of the house.
‘Sit down, dear. Can I get you a hot drink? Tea? Coffee? Or would you prefer something cold? I think we might have a can in the fridge – Guinness, isn’t it?’ She rubbed her hands together and shot him a beaming smile, and Finn, who wasn’t used to being fussed around, realised he liked it.
‘A Guinness would go down really well,’ he said, sitting on the sofa and letting himself relax into the warmth of her company. He was starting to feel a tiny bit guilty that he’d come up here on a fact-finding mission, which he knew wasn’t going to be popular – at least not as far as his father was concerned – and not just to tell them news about the wedding, which was what they were both expecting.
Dorrie disappeared to get his drink and Finn’s gaze wandered around the little room. It looked the same as it always did, although possibly with less dust and there were no dead flies on the windowsills. His father was tidy but he didn’t notice details like that.
There might have been a slightly larger flat-screen TV, but the old-fashioned sideboard was the same. It was crowded with framed photos. There were a few of him in his younger days, and some of him and Ray, but there was also a big one of Ben in a gold frame that Finn had got him for Christmas. There was a new photo there now too, he noticed. It showed Ray and Dorrie sitting at a table somewhere, possibly in a pub, smiling into the camera.
She came back into the room with his Guinness in a glass and a mug of tea. ‘Have you eaten, dear? I’ve got a bit of Stilton pie in the kitchen. It’s homemade.’
‘I’m good, thanks. I stopped for a bite at the services. Although it does sound delicious.’
He already knew Dorrie was a dab hand at cooking and had noticed his father had put on a few pounds since they’d been together. Mind you, he’d given up smoking since they’d met too – and for that, Finn was eternally grateful.
Dorrie, who was a feeder, was not to be deterred. ‘How about just a small slice then?’
Finn’s mouth watered and he was about to backtrack when the front door banged and he heard his father clearing his throat as he came down the hallway.
‘Is he here then? I thought I saw his beaten-up old banger lowering the tone of the neighbourhood. Oh, hello, lad. Didn’t see you there.’ He winked as he stood in the doorway and Finn got up and went across.
They weren’t really a hugging kind of family but he patted his father’s arm and Ray beamed at him. ‘Did you have a good journey? You haven’t brought the lovely Jade then?’ He glanced around the room as though he was expecting her to materialise from behind the sofa.
‘You know she can’t get away, Dad. Not unless we get in some cover.’
‘Which is why we should make more effort to get down to you,’ Ray commented. ‘We’ve got more time as well, haven’t we?’
‘It’s fine, Dad. It’s only three hours.’
‘Three hours on a good day,’ Dorrie said. ‘I bet it took you longer than that today. Everyone going on their summer holidays.’
‘Four with a stop. But I really don’t mind. And it’s a lot easier to drive than it is to do it by coach.’
‘We appreciate it, don’t we, Dorrie? How’s my grandson?’
For a while they talked about Ben and their plans for the rest of the day. Ray had booked a table for them all at the Cock and Bottle for dinner and then tomorrow they’d have dinner in – Dorrie was happy to cook, but they’d have lunch out if he liked the sound of that. There was some new art exhibition in town that Dorrie thought he might like. It was worth a visit while he was here. He could stay as long as he liked. Pointless driving four hours for a whistlestop tour.
Wow, they’d really pushed the boat out, Finn thought, feeling guiltier than ever but also pleased they were going out later. He could offer to drive if he didn’t have any more beers, and he could pay too.
It would be easier to talk to his father when he’d downed a couple of pints and was nice and relaxed. Also, they would be on neutral territory at the Cock and Bottle.