Chapter 80 Summer
EIGHTY
SUMMER
Iblink.
“I knew it,” Fraser mutters under his breath. “I knew he was ignoring me.”
“Um, hi,” I say into the phone. “There are two reps from the council at the front door, they say they need to speak to you?”
“You’re okay?” he demands.
“Yes?”
“Right. Sorry. I just thought…you wouldn’t call me unless—” He clears his throat. “I’ll be there in a moment.”
I hang up and smile awkwardly at the two reps.
A minute later, Alec comes jogging up the hill.
He looks nothing like the buttoned-up businessman I’m used to seeing.
He’s wearing faded jeans and a band shirt, and he’s wiping his hands on a balled-up tea towel.
There’s paint streaked in his black hair.
“Gentlemen,” he says, voice edged with irritation. “Can I help you?”
The two reps exchange a look. “Mr Gray,” the taller one begins. “Apologies for the disturbance, you were…obviously busy.”
“Aye,” Alec says impatiently.
The man clears his throat. “We’ve come to deliver the verdict of the council. There’s been more public interest in the Lochview case than we anticipated. Given the amount of feedback we’ve received, we have decided to cancel the proposed compulsory purchase order. Your farm is safe, Mr Gray.”
Oh my God. Fraser grabs my hand and squeezes it. I beam up at him, buzzing with excitement. We did it!
“All right,” Alec says after a moment. He seems distracted, like he’d rather be somewhere else. “Well, if that’s all—”
The shorter man raises a hand. “Oh, there’s, ah, one more thing, Mr Gray. We’d kindly ask you to refrain from posting more on your social media pages. It puts the council in a…compromising situation, you understand?”
Alec blinks. “No, not really.”
“Well…”
“I’m sorry,” I pipe up. “But I don’t get why you’d ask that?” Both men look at me, and I give them my sparkliest smile. “Lochview’s social media accounts are all about sharing parts of local culture and heritage. Isn’t that one of the council’s stated goals?”
“You completely crashed our servers, girl,” the taller man tells me flatly.
I give him my best ditzy look. “Oops! Sorry, I didn’t realise you were so behind technologically. But all’s well that ends well, right?”
The man looks like he wants to argue, but Alec cuts him off. “You’ve said what you have to say. You can go now.” He nods at the waiting car.
The two men look at each other, stunned. “Well,” the tall man scoffs. “I would have thought you’d be a wee bit more grateful.”
“Thank you,” Alec intones. “Goodbye.”
Confounded, the two men make their way to the car.
Fraser doesn’t even wait for them to start the engine before he makes a megaphone out of his hands.
“Summer did it! We saved the farm!” he bellows.
All of the villagers scattered across the farm let up a cheer.
Fraser grabs me and spins me around in his arms. “Oh, you magic, magic girl,” he says, smacking a kiss on top of my head.
“You’re a treasure, you know that? You’ve only gone and done it! ”
When Fraser sets me down on the grass, Cameron touches my cheek. He doesn’t say anything, but I can feel the emotion pulsing off him. My eyes blur with tears. I can’t believe I actually did it. I helped save Lochview.
Fraser slaps Cameron on the back. “Right, I think some refreshments are in order. I’ll crack open the whisky. Dilutin’ juice for the grannies, eh, Mrs Williams?” He winks at an elderly woman stepping out of the farmhouse with a watering can.
She shakes it at him. “I will have whisky, you cheeky sod.”
Fraser and Cameron both leave, and I turn to Alec. He’s standing still, watching the villagers celebrate with an odd look on his face.
I can’t stop myself. I hug him too.
Yes, I’m pissed at him. But right now, I’m so relieved that Lochview is safe that I don’t care. “We did it,” I say, breathing in his familiar scent of soap and tea. “You don’t have to worry anymore. It’s all okay.”
Alec stands frozen, like he can’t believe I’m touching him.
Then, slowly, he sweeps me up into a tight squeeze, pressing his chin on top of my head.
I can feel his heart beating a mile a minute under his shirt.
I beam up at him. Up close, I can see pink streaks of paint running through his hair.
It’s on his collarbone too. A spatter of soft rose.
I reach up automatically to touch it. “Hey, what are you painting pink?”
The words seem to jolt him out of his daze. He carefully disentangles himself from me and takes a step back. “I…need to go,” he murmurs.
My insides fall. “What?”
“I’ll see you later.” Without any explanation, he heads back off down the hill, hurrying away from me.
I stare at his retreating back, open-mouthed.
He has to be kidding, right? I just saved his legacy. I stopped his land from being stolen. And he didn’t even say thank-you.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I check the screen. Mum’s caller ID. I reject the call, seething.
What the hell is Alec’s problem? Around me, I hear bottles popping. Someone starts playing music over a Bluetooth speaker. People are celebrating because I just did something impressive.
And Alec doesn’t care at all.
I grit my teeth. I’m sick of this. I’ve done what I came here to do. The farm is safe. Today is going to be my last day on Lochview Farm.
And I have some things to say to Alec before I leave.
I catch up to him halfway down the hill. “Hey,” I yell at his back. “What the hell?”
He spins to face me, wide-eyed. “Summer, you can’t come down here. We’re doing construction—”
I stomp closer, the boots Cameron bought me crushing the grass. “Are you seriously not going to thank me? I just saved your business, you massive git!”
He looks taken aback. “I’m sorry. I’m really thankful for all your work, it’s just…” He looks over his shoulder.
“Just what? You have something more important to do?” A hysterical laugh floats out of me. “When you crashed my party in London, you said you’d do anything to prove you love me. If this is you trying to prove yourself, you’re doing a crap job of it.”
Alec pales. “I can explain—”
“Please! Explain!”
“I—” He opens his mouth, then shuts it again.
Disappointment floods me. “Right, then. I’m going to book a flight back to London.” I turn to walk back up to the house.
“Shit. Summer. Wait, I—”
BAAA!
The familiar bleat echoes up the path. I turn to see Crumpet happily trotting up behind Alec. Her hooves have been dipped in pink paint, and it’s smeared up her legs.
Alec intercepts her, scooping her up. She bleats at him furiously, trying to get to me.
“How do you keep getting free?” he mutters.
“I have to get this shit off you. It could be toxic.” He fixes me with a beseeching look.
“Please, Summer. I know I don’t deserve it, but do one thing for me.
Don’t buy a plane ticket yet. I’ll explain everything later, I promise.
I just—” Crumpet wriggles in his arms, trying to lick the paint off.
He swears and starts jogging back down the hill.
I stand there on the path for a long time. Birds flitter overhead. I’m stuck—torn between following Alec and demanding an explanation, and just going to the house and climbing into bed to cry.
No. I’m sick of Alec brushing me off. I’m not done talking to him. I stomp down the path, turn the corner past some trees…and trip over my own feet when I see the freshly painted guest cabin gleaming pink under the pale sun.