Chapter 8 #2
Priya smiled. ‘That sounds wonderful.’
‘Oh, gosh, there is so much to tell.’ Rita laughed.
‘Before I forget, for those into Reformer Pilates, or those wishing to be, there’s a discount code for the studio at the harbour.
And for sweet treat lovers, Betty’s Tearoom is a sugar-lover’s paradise.
’ Rita clocked the ripple of fidgeting in the room.
‘Right, I’ll stop now, information overload, I know.
Teo will take your luggage up to your yurts, or Zenya can lead you on a walk up there, if you prefer. ’
Teo and Zenya took their places by the door ready for the exit party.
Rita put her glass on the side. ‘Later, around six, we’ll do a little meet-and-greet under the Singing Tree.
’ She clocked Imogen’s eye roll. ‘I promise you it will be short and sweet and you can start to enjoy your time here however you please.’
‘Singing Tree?’ Davie looked confused.
‘You’ll see.’ Zenya nodded. ‘When the sea breeze whips through the branches, it’s life-affirming.’
With the guests settled at High Meadow, Rita hunched over her laptop in the Cosy Café, muttering to herself as she tackled the online food order from the planning list Zenya had carefully prepared the day before.
Zenya appeared with a grin. ‘All right, boss.’
Rita looked up with a smile. ‘Is it just me, or does this group feel… kind of extra?’
‘In what way?’ Zenya popped a camomile tea bag into a mug.
Rita frowned. ‘I’m worried about Cass. He’s got the laddie, cool image, but he looks so sad behind the eyes. Odette is putting on the front of someone who’s had to be a survivor all her life, and Davie, well…’
‘Davie is just extra, but I like him already.’ Zenya raised her eyebrows. ‘He just asked Teo if we could do an Instagram live meditation session.’
Rita shut her laptop. ‘He’ll calm down, I’m sure. And that’s why I love this place; it brings people back to ground level.’
‘Imogen is the only one whose energy I can’t grasp,’ Zenya said, frowning as she poured hot water into her mug. ‘But I will.’
Rita looked thoughtful. ‘And Priya?’
Zenya took a deep breath. ‘Now that woman’s energy… it’s ocean deep. You sense her more than you see her. I can tell already she has a beautiful soul.’
Rita shook her head with a playful smirk. ‘You’ll be leaving her notes in the Singing Tree next.’
Zenya blushed. ‘Nah. But how romantic was that when Jago did it for you last year?’
Rita’s mind drifted briefly to the cryptic messages she had kept finding in the tree, messages that had eventually led her to Jago and their love for each other. It made her realise just how much she was missing him.
The crunch of gravel on the courtyard drew Zenya’s attention. ‘Talk of the devil. Right, I’m going back up to the yurts to see how they’re settling.’
‘Hmm. What does he want, I wonder?’ Rita, secretly pleased he was here, stood up. ‘Thanks for being brilliant, as usual, Zen. I’ll meet you up the top just before six.’
Zenya nodded to Jago as they passed in the doorway.
Rita leaned against the counter, the quiet hum of the fridge filling the space between them.
‘So,’ Jago said softly, leaning in the doorway, ‘are you missing me yet?’
With his three-quarter-length shorts, white cotton shirt, and despite his socks and work boots, Rita felt he couldn’t look sexier.
She couldn’t keep the smile from her eyes. ‘I’m… managing.’
He took a slow step closer. ‘Just managing? That doesn’t sound like you.’
‘But seriously, Jago. You were the one who declared this space truce, and I think we should stick to it. For both of us.’
‘Fair enough,’ he murmured, giving her that half-smile that always made her heart skip. ‘I do love it when you get all bossy with me.’
Rita raised an eyebrow. ‘Until June the fourth. Now, away with you.’
He nodded, eyes lingering on her a moment longer before stepping back. ‘Not that I’m counting down or anything.’
Rita let out a soft laugh, shaking her head. ‘You’re impossible.’
‘Only for you,’ his voice teased, lilting. ‘I actually did have a reason for coming over.’
‘Yeah, right.’ Rita started busying herself by putting glasses in the dishwasher.
‘I can’t get hold of Sennen. She left a message with Stan about using one of the barns to store a Cinderella-type glass carriage overnight. For a wedding, or something.’
‘Oh, bloody hell,’ Rita laughed. ‘And can she?’
‘I’ll need to make sure the floor’s mud free by the sound of it, but of course.’
‘Thank you.’ Rita wiped her hands on a tea towel. ‘I’d put it to the back of my mind. She’s wanting to hold a wedding here. Rosecliff Barns let her down. And wait for it, it’s on June the fourth.’
Jago smirked. ‘Weddings, birthdays, grand reunions. Cupid will be needing a day off after all that.’
Rita swiped him with the tea towel. ‘Get back to Hawthorn Acre, will you, mister.’ She paused. ‘And for the record, I may be missing you a little bit.’
Assuming an American drawl, Jago headed for the door. ‘Mrs Jory, you create a fury in my loins.’
Rita laughed. ‘And Mr Jenken, you create a pain in my neck.’
Jago winked. ‘Get on with your chores, Cinderella.’
Before she could respond, he strode to the Defender, leaving dust and gravel swirling around the courtyard as he drove off.
Rita stood for a moment, watching him disappear down the drive.
Then, just as suddenly, Archie popped into her mind.
He would have been so averse to all this resort malarkey, the onsite wedding, the strangers in the top field, the big drama of it all.
She could imagine his moaning, the way he would stomp around the kitchen, then turn to her, pick her up in his big arms, and swirl her around, apologising.
God, she missed him, so much. The familiarity of their time together, of bringing up their kids, a life lived so well. A life stolen far too soon.
Unfair didn’t even begin to cover it. She could rage, cry, and fling the question ‘why him, why me?’ into the universe, but the silence would answer the same.
And now, the tug of life was moving her forward.
She could love Jago and still love Archie.
It wasn’t a betrayal; it was the strange, messy truth of the heart.
Some love stayed with you forever, and some demanded you show up for it while it was here.
She just had to learn how to hold both without guilt, and most importantly, to remember the name of the one she was holding on to now!