Chapter 6
Zoe tried to put her blood tests to the back of her mind because there was nothing to be done except to wait for the results, and was thankful that the weekend saw her not only on call but so busy helping Alex with last-minute preparations for their first guests that she barely had time to think about them anyway.
The sun was cresting distant hills, casting golden darts of light down into the valleys, and the grass was wet with beads of dew as they marched across the fields side by side.
In the distance, partially hidden by trees, Windermere glittered beneath a morning haze that would soon clear to reveal its startling beauty.
All over the hills and valleys, and on the banks of the lake, people would be waking up to this incredible morning.
Not for the first time, Zoe wanted to pinch herself, to check that she really was lucky enough to be living here and that it wasn’t all just a lovely dream.
Despite this, she also took a moment to remember that, although she was blessed with the most incredible home, she had to work to keep it.
As they both dragged stubborn carts behind them, laden with tools and boxes of furnishings, panting and sweating as their trolleys got stuck every five minutes and they fought to pull them free, she was forcibly reminded of this fact.
‘I’m going to have to invest in a golf buggy or something,’ Alex grunted as he hit yet another divot that wouldn’t let him go. With a yank, he pulled it free with such force, it almost sent him flying.
‘I’m sure golf buggies aren’t meant for this sort of terrain…’ Zoe stopped to wipe a hand across her brow. ‘I mean, golf courses are usually nice and flat, aren’t they? Not that I know anything about it… My dad plays, but I never took much interest.’
‘Me neither…’ He paused to catch a breath. ‘Do you think I ought to start playing golf with your dad?’
Zoe started to laugh. ‘Where did that come from?’
‘I don’t know… I suppose I ought to bond with him somehow. We didn’t exactly do that when he was living at Kestrel Cottage.’
‘He hardly gave us the opportunity, did he? Perhaps if he’d brought less trouble with him, you might have been able to spend some quality, not quite so stressful time with him. As it was… well, it was hardly your fault you two didn’t become as pally as you’d like.’
‘I know that, but now he’s gone… Don’t laugh, I’m being serious!’
‘I love that you are, but I don’t see why it’s suddenly an issue.
There’s all the time in the world, isn’t there?
Dad will come over at Christmas and birthdays and that sort of thing over the next few years, and you’ll get to know him then.
I doubt you’ll have time to go off playing golf once this place gets busy anyway…
’ She angled her head at the collection of clapboard huts gathered around a clearing.
‘You might be right about that. We can hope, can’t we? Thanks for this, by the way. I don’t know if I’ve said it, but you’ve been amazing.’
‘We’re a team now, right?’
‘I like to think so, but at the end of the day, you have your own job to do. I’d hate to think you’re overdoing it on my account.’
Zoe held back a frown. ‘Overdoing it?’
‘Well, you’ve been a bit… you know. You haven’t been well all the time lately, have you? And I hope that’s not down to me and Billie making so many demands on you because—’
‘It’s not. Anyway, I’m fine, it was only a couple of weird episodes. I told you, it was probably postural hypotension or something.’
‘Well, what causes that?’ he asked, and Zoe baulked at the worry in his voice. She needed to give him more than she had so far because of course he would worry. She’d be the same if the tables were turned. But she couldn’t give him more, not yet, not until she knew more.
She waved a vague hand. ‘Honestly, I might just have got up too quickly. There are all sorts of reasons that aren’t particularly serious. Stop worrying – I’m fit as a flea.’
‘You promise? If there was something, you’d tell me?’
‘Yes. But there’s nothing to tell. Oh!’ She huffed as her cart got stuck on a tuft of wild grass. ‘I think we ought to take the path next time, no matter how much further it is. This as-the-crow-flies business has definitely backfired on us.’
‘Sorry about that. It seemed like a good idea at the time.’
‘We live and learn…’ She squinted at the horizon. ‘What are those? Next to the toilet block?’
‘Oh, they’re our newest guests. Rabbits! I saw them myself a couple of days ago. Looks like they’ve moved in.’
‘They’re so adorable! They have babies too!’
‘I thought they only came out at dusk, but those guys are brazen – they don’t seem to care what time it is! They are very cute, though. I hope the guests don’t scare them off when we get our first lot; it would be a shame. The kids will love seeing them around the campsite.’
‘Never mind the kids, I love seeing them! They won’t be a problem, though? I mean diseases and things?’
‘I thought the same, but I mentioned it to Victor and he said not to worry. After all, there must be all sorts living out here, and you can’t go around stressing about all of it. He says as long as people aren’t taking them into their accommodation or anything daft like that, it’ll be all right.’
‘I suppose so. He must be very clued-up on that sort of thing.’
‘That’s what I thought. I’ll probably take some advice on what to look out for and be vigilant. Victor gave me the number for someone locally who’s an expert on this sort of thing.’
‘I don’t know what we’d do without him and Corrine.’
‘Nobody knows what Thimblebury in general would do without Victor and Corrine.’
As they arrived at the clearing, the ground became more even. Alex stopped and surveyed the buildings.
Zoe glanced up to see him smiling. ‘You really do love them, don’t you?’
‘It’s exactly what I was hoping for. If our guests love it, that’s the main thing.’
‘They are cute,’ Zoe agreed. ‘Like little hobbit houses.’
‘That was the idea. We’d better make a start, or we’re going to be up here until it gets dark.’
Zoe followed him and watched as he opened up the first pod. He turned to her, his smile growing brighter. ‘That smell… it’s gorgeous.’
‘New wood and fresh air. It is lovely. Maybe we should move into one of these and let Billie have Hilltop to herself.’
‘Louisa’s keeping me awake as well.’
‘It doesn’t matter, I’m managing to keep myself awake at the moment. Anyway, she barely wakes at night, does she?’ Zoe shrugged. ‘What I meant was that Billie must feel as if we’re under her feet. At least, I’m under her feet.’
‘This again…’ His smile faded. ‘How many times, Zoe? She loves having you there.’
‘I can’t help feeling as if I’ve blown in and disrupted her home life.’
‘Well, you haven’t. If anything, you’ve made it better. You know’ – his smile was back as he started to take cleaning products from one of the boxes – ‘the other day she asked me if we’d talked about getting married.’
‘Did she? What brought that on?’
‘I don’t know, but it wasn’t because she was worried about the possibility. She was asking because she thinks it’s a good idea, which means she thinks having you at Hilltop is also a good idea. I happen to agree with her.’
‘You know I love being there. I only meant—’
‘Actually, I meant the marriage bit.’
Zoe stared at him, unable to speak for a few beats.
As he flushed and went back to his box, she realised how that must have looked.
She hadn’t meant to make him believe her feelings on the matter were negative, but he’d taken her by surprise.
Of course she’d thought about it, but she’d been certain that if he’d thought about it, he’d have come to the same conclusion that she had – that it was too soon to consider that kind of commitment.
Besides, as far as she could tell, moving in was commitment enough.
Perhaps the difference in their situations, she realised with startling suddenness, was that her first marriage had ended by choice and she’d been burned by that, where his first marriage had been ended by a tragedy, and so it was natural he’d have a more positive outlook on the business.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said quickly. ‘I didn’t mean to look so shocked – it’s just that I hadn’t realised you’d given it any thought.’
He looked up from his box. ‘Haven’t you?’
‘As much as anyone in a new relationship thinks about that kind of thing. I mean, I’ve wondered whether it might be in our future, but I…’
She let the sentence trail away. She’d hurt his feelings – she could tell by the way he now tried to laugh it off.
‘I mean…’ he said, going back to his task, ‘you can hardly blame me for wanting to marry you… I’d be mad not to tie you down because who else would be daft enough to spend their weekends cleaning little hobbit houses with me?’
‘I thought it might be something like that,’ she said, trying to make light of it too, but no amount of jokes would persuade her that the matter didn’t now hang in the air between them.
She wondered whether it would be better to attack it head-on and clear it away, or whether, if she left well alone, it would simply drift off by itself.
The question was still buzzing around in her head as she opened up a box and pulled out a square of fabric. ‘Cute as these are, I’m not sure curtains are a good idea.’
‘Why not?’
‘They might get damp and go mouldy.’
‘I suppose we could keep an eye on them. If that starts to happen, we’ll have to take them down and go to plan B.’
‘Which is?’
‘Not a clue. I just thought the pods would be nice dressed up… it might make them more homely.’
‘You’re right, that’s a great idea. I was only wondering if it’s practical. Maybe go for some blinds or something that we can wipe down.’
‘See, that sort of common sense is why I need you!’ Straightening up, he took the fabric from her and let it open out. ‘But I’ve got thirty pairs of these now, so I might as well put them up.’