Chapter 13
Constance was keen to know how my trip had gone when I popped in to see her early that evening, but I didn’t fill her in.
Instead, I cited the weather as scuppering my plans and I didn’t mention what I’d been up to.
Nor did I mention it to Melody the following day when I went to tell Kaya the good news about Constance wanting to take her on.
James and I had shared a few messages since he’d arrived back in London, and even though I knew I had good friends now to confide in, I wanted to hug whatever was developing between us to myself for a little bit longer.
If things progressed further, then I’d talk about him.
Perhaps even invite him to Fernside. How wonderful would that be?
Swimming with him in the river would be a total treat and I got the feeling Constance would appreciate a man with principles and a strong sense of family loyalty.
‘So, Kaya, what do you think?’
‘I can’t wait to get stuck in,’ she clapped. ‘I’ve only ever seen the house from the other side of the river, but it looks pretty big.’
‘I’ve only seen the kitchen and hall myself,’ I told her, ‘so I can’t tell you exactly how much there is to do. It might be a general tidy up or it could be a massive mucking out.’
‘Fingers crossed for the latter,’ she said, as she rushed off to check her cleaning supplies.
‘If you’d have told me that my sister would find her vocation on the end of a feather duster, I never would have believed it,’ Melody chuckled, as she watched her go.
‘I might not know her all that well,’ I joined in, ‘but it would have taken me by surprise, too.’
‘Fancy joining me for lunch?’ Melody offered.
‘Thanks, but not today. I thought I might head back to the pub.’
‘You’re a glutton for punishment!’ She laughed again. ‘Did you have a hangover?’
‘A tiny one,’ I confessed. I didn’t add that talking to a guy I’d recently met in the intimate setting of my car during a thunderstorm had completely cured me of it. ‘But I’m not going for the bitter. It’s Carter I want to see.’
‘Oh really,’ she said in a sing-song voice. ‘He’s single, you know.’
‘No,’ I said, playing along. ‘I didn’t know, but that is interesting.’
‘I knew he’d be your type,’ Melody winked. ‘What with that whole “man of the woods” thing he’s got going on. I had a feeling you two would click.’
I realised then that she’d thought I was being serious and when I considered Carter’s interests aligning so well with mine, I could understand why.
‘I was only joking,’ I said, hopefully nipping her desire to matchmake in the bud. ‘It’s true I do like a guy with a passion for the great outdoors.’ An image of James and I walking hand in hand around Willowell Woods sprang to mind. ‘But Carter’s not my type, Melody.’
‘Give it time,’ she smiled. ‘From tiny acorns and all that.’
I didn’t even try to think of a comeback for fear of being told the lady doth protest too much.
‘Tilly!’ Carter warmly greeted me when I arrived at The Greenman. ‘What can I get you? A whole pint or a half?’
‘Ha, ha. Very funny,’ I smiled. ‘That stuff should come with a warning. Tastes delicious but has one heck of a kick.’
‘To be fair,’ he reminded me, ‘we did try to warn you.’
‘Um,’ I conceded. ‘That’s true and next time I will take more notice.’
‘So, there’ll be a next time then?’
‘Definitely,’ I grinned. ‘But today I’ll have lemonade, please.’
‘Very wise.’
‘It’s quiet in here,’ I observed, while he poured my drink and added a slice of lemon and lots of ice.
‘It’s always like this until early evening,’ he said, looking around. ‘Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth opening during the day.’
‘What would you do if you didn’t?’
‘I dunno,’ he said, keying the amount I owed into the card reader.
‘Maybe you could brush up on your bushcraft skills again,’ I suggested.
‘I suppose I could,’ he nodded. ‘Perhaps we could find somewhere to do it together. You said it was something you were keen on too, didn’t you? What do you think?’
I took a sip of my lemonade. It was fizzy and cold, the perfect combination because now the storm had cleared out it was hot again.
‘I am keen,’ I told him. ‘And in fact, I already have the perfect place in mind to do it.’
‘Go on,’ Carter encouraged.
‘Willowell Woods.’
‘Willowell Woods?’ He frowned. ‘They’re up for sale, aren’t they?’
‘They were,’ I corrected him. ‘But they’re off the market now because the owner, Constance Clarke, has agreed to let me buy them.’
‘Really?’
‘Really.’
‘Well, I never.’ He was agog and I wondered if he was thinking about the rumour that had been discussed in this very bar.
‘She loves the sound of what I’ve got in mind for them and, as long as I can get permission to set the business up, it’ll be all systems go.’
‘A business?’ Carter questioned, sounding even more surprised. ‘What sort of business?’
‘Can you keep a secret?’ I asked him.
‘I’m famous for it,’ he said proudly.
‘I hope you mean that,’ I said seriously.
‘I do.’ He nodded. ‘I hear all sorts in here, but I never comment and I never pass anything on, either.’
‘Well, in that case…’
As there were no other customers requiring his attention, I was able to fill Carter in with the same details I had shared with Constance. He asked lots of sensible questions and made a few noteworthy suggestions, too.
‘Crikey,’ he whistled, when I’d finished telling him, and after I had added some of the things he’d said to my notebook. ‘That sounds amazing. I haven’t seen the woods myself, but with a car park and cabin on-site, you’ve already got everything you need.’
‘I can’t deny it’s a relief to hear you say that,’ I puffed. ‘Constance knows that a business works there, because her sister had a very successful woodland nursery on the site years ago, but you’ve got experience of the skills and crafts I want to offer, and you also think it’s a good idea.’
‘I think it’s an excellent idea,’ he said vehemently. ‘It would be amazing to have something local that offers this sort of thing. I’ve heard of nothing else like it for miles.’
Carter’s opinion was worth its weight in gold and his enthusiasm for the idea prompted me to take the conversation a step further.
‘And would you possibly consider helping out?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘When the business is up and running, would you be interested in offering a few classes in the crafts that you’re most experienced in? I’m not looking for a huge commitment at this point, obviously, but it would be good to know if it’s something you’d be open to considering.’
‘Well now,’ he said, after he’d looked intently at one of the photos he’d hung behind the bar.
In it, he was standing in the middle of a woodland clearing, leaning on a carved stick and smiling at the camera.
‘I’d have to give it more thought before I said a resounding yes, but I am keen, Tilly. I’m very keen.’
‘I hoped you would be,’ I grinned. ‘But there’s no rush. There’s plenty of time for you to mull it over.’
‘I already am,’ he chuckled. ‘In fact, do you know what? I’m going to get back on it this week and start honing my skills straight away.’
I had obviously ignited a spark and not the sort Melody had been hinting at.
‘Fantastic.’ I beamed and raised my glass to toast him. ‘I’m so pleased you’re interested and all I ask is that you keep what I’ve told you completely to yourself.’
‘Of course.’
‘Once things are a bit further down the line, I’ll be happy to go public, but it’s too early yet.’
‘You can count on me,’ Carter promised again and I had the feeling that he was someone I could genuinely rely on.
‘I am planning to tell Melody, Kaya and Rick soon,’ I told him. ‘But that’s it. Close friends only.’
It felt wonderful to have some.
‘Good plan,’ Carter agreed. ‘And if there’s any arb work that needs to be done, Rick’s your fella for that.’
‘There is,’ I told him, ‘and funnily enough, Constance and I have already thought of asking him.’
‘Of course you have,’ Carter nodded and smiled.
‘We’re having a supper party with the others at Fernside soon, and we’d love it if you could come along, but I don’t suppose you’ll be able to get away, will you?’
‘Is this when you’ll be sharing your news with the gang?’
‘It is.’
‘In that case, leave it with me. I’ll be there.’
‘Fantastic.’
‘What a great day this is turning out to be!’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ I very happily assented.
I arrived back at Fernside in an ecstatic mood.
Not only had I secured Kaya as Constance’s new cleaner, I’d also now got Carter properly fired up about refreshing his bushcraft skills and potentially helping me out in the woods.
It would be good to occasionally have someone else for the visitors to work with and I believed we would each bring something different to the table.
‘So, isn’t that fabulous news?’ I again said to Constance who seemed less enthused than I had hoped she would once I’d filled her in. ‘Kaya is as keen as mustard and Carter is really excited about the business,’ I repeated.
‘That’s wonderful, dear,’ Constance said, but I could see she was preoccupied. ‘I’ve already said I’m thrilled.’
She hadn’t quite put it like that.
‘Has something happened?’ I frowned.
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well,’ I swallowed. ‘It’s just that I thought you’d be as fired up as I am, but if you’re having doubts about it all, you can say—’
‘No, no.’ She quickly cut me off and patted my hand. ‘It’s nothing like that…’
‘But there is something?’
‘Nothing for you to worry about,’ she said unconvincingly. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, I think I’ll head upstairs for a little nap. It’s rather warm again, isn’t it?’
I headed back to the apartment and whiled away a bit of time adding to the notes I’d made in the pub. By the time I’d finished mapping out phase two of the venture, I was feeling in a buoyant mood again and decided I’d ring Zack and fill him in.
It had, I realised, been an age since we’d talked properly and I had a horrible feeling that I’d been rather self-absorbed since I’d moved into the garden apartment.
So much for my intentions about us keeping in closer touch.
I supposed old habits die hard, but that was no excuse, especially when Zack had been hinting that something was amiss.
I tried and failed to get through to him at least half a dozen times, but worryingly with no success.
Before I started to spiral into a panic that he wasn’t picking up, I reminded myself that he was in Bali, in a remote rural area with little connection to the rest of the world and that doubtless accounted for his inability to respond to my reaching out.
Following the pep talk, I still needed a distraction to stop me fretting and thought I’d try James.
‘James! Oh, I can’t see you. Is your camera off?’
‘Tilly,’ he said, sounding tense. ‘Yeah, yeah it is. Hi. I’m driving and sometimes the camera plays up. How’s your day been?’
He sounded blunt as well as tense.
‘Good.’ This was a dramatic understatement because the last few hours aside it had been fantastic. ‘Really productive. You?’
‘Um,’ he said and I thought I heard a horn honk. ‘Pretty much the worst. I don’t think my day could have been more of a disaster.’
‘Oh.’ I swallowed. ‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ He didn’t respond. ‘Was it a work-related thing or—’
‘Nope.’ He cut me off. ‘Something else. A family thing.’
‘Right,’ I said. ‘I see. Sorry.’
I couldn’t say more than that because other than knowing his mum had died and he’d never known his dad, I was clueless about who else he was related to and why they’d be giving him grief.
Perhaps it was something to do with the thing he was working so hard to keep in the family, but as he was in a bad mood and driving, I didn’t ask.
‘Look,’ he sighed, ‘I’m the one who’s sorry. You’ve just caught me at a really bad time. Can I call you later and apologise for being so grumpy, when I’m not feeling so… grumpy?’
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘I shouldn’t have called.’
‘Don’t apologise,’ he groaned, ‘because that will make me feel even worse. I’m the one in a mood and you sounded so happy when you rang. Do you want to tell me about your day?’
‘I do,’ I said. ‘But it’ll keep.’
‘Sure?’
‘Totally.’
‘You aren’t going to ghost me after this, are you?’
‘Um,’ I said in a sing-song tone. ‘Not sure. Maybe.’
He laughed at that.
‘Well,’ he said, ‘I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I’ll catch you later, yes?’
‘Perhaps,’ I smiled.
‘Maybe,’ he said, and with that, I rang off.