15
‘SEB’S FREE FOR a meeting today, if you’re available,’ Archie said the next morning as he strolled around the lake, keeping Nora company as she swam. It had very quickly become a habit. One that he looked forward to immensely. Every day he watched for signs that Nora might be tiring of him, and even though he wasn’t terribly confident about what form a sign like that might take, he didn’t think there had been one.
Tatty’s morning swim was over, and she was asleep on the island while she waited for Archie. The dog still hadn’t cottoned on that perhaps it’d be better to sleep on the shore and avoid the need to get wet again.
‘Brilliant,’ Nora said, looking up at him and smiling. ‘I can’t wait to make a proper plan. It’s so exciting.’
Archie wished Nora’s enthusiasm would rub off on him a little. He was struggling to imagine his fortunes turning that quickly. And the investment he knew would be required; he had no idea where that was going to come from, because while he knew Nora was simply biding her time until she broached the subject of a bank loan again, it wasn’t something he could bring himself to undertake. It would be another bill to pay. Another debt weighing him down. He had to find another way.
‘Mama asked me whether you’ve chosen a book for the book club yet?’ It had come as a shock that Nora had been the woman his mother had tried to set him up with. He discovered it from Nora, rather than his mother, who hadn’t remembered the name of her delightful book date, but was thrilled that she and Archie agreed Nora was the perfect match. Archie tried not to think about that. He liked Nora too much to be put off because his mother had recommended her to him and vice versa, and it wasn’t ideal for Constance to think she had played any part in it.
‘I’m going to the library after this,’ Nora said. ‘Well, after I’ve showered and warmed up. What time shall I come back for the meeting?’
‘Would eleven be alright? In the estate office?’
‘Yes. That’s through the main gates?’
‘And follow the road around until you get to a courtyard on your right. It’s the old stables. You can’t miss it.’
Once Nora was out and dry, they shared her flask of tea; they’d started taking it in turns. And even though the chairs were underneath the dock now, they preferred to sit in their usual place, feet dangling over the water, side by side.
‘It’s starting to feel warmer in there now,’ Nora said, nodding towards the lake. ‘And look, everything’s starting to grow again around the edges. I think we’ll have to do some clearing up around the perimeter. Get the dead leaves and grasses cleared so that it looks smarter.’
‘I could ask the gardeners to spend a day down here,’ Archie said. ‘They’d have it shipshape in no time.’
‘We’ll need to build some steps into the water as well. It’s better if people can get in slowly rather than having to launch off the dock.’
‘I think they could probably help with that, too. They can turn their hand to just about anything.’ If he could use the gardeners, who he was paying anyway, it would save money.
‘Do you think they’d be able to clear that hedge if we needed to?’ Nora asked.
‘They could. And we have an old wood chipper in the sheds. We could make paths with the chippings.’
‘Good idea. See? It’s all coming together and we haven’t even had the meeting yet.’
‘Are you sure you have time for this?’ Nora was busy. She’d been in Stoke every day this week and he thought it odd that by fortunate coincidence she had today free.
‘It’s one of the perks of having my own business. I’m between commissions, all the decisions about the Christmas lines have been made and we’re in production. There’s nothing that can’t wait.’
‘You know my mother has been to Hilary’s shop and bought up most of her Hart Pottery stock.’ He grinned as he watched Nora’s reaction. He’d predicted exactly how she’d react and he’d been right.
‘Oh, that’s so awkward. I would have given her anything she wanted. And what happens if —’
‘If what?’
She looked at him with a tortured expression. ‘I was going to say, if we break up.’
Archie was sure the silence that descended meant that Nora was contemplating as much as he was, that she’d just defined them as being in a relationship. They simply hadn’t discussed what this might be since they’d been out for dinner and she’d said it would be as friends. But he felt they’d moved on from there. They spent time with each other every day. He knew she looked forward to seeing him as much as he did her. They’d begun confiding in each other and although they hadn’t moved on from kisses on the cheek, they’d taken to holding hands. They were more than friends, but were they in a relationship?
‘If we break up, I’ll throw the pottery in the lake and be done with it.’
Nora laughed and leant against his arm. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to reach his arm around her shoulders and pull her to him. She rested her head on his shoulder. It was the most wonderful thing and almost took his breath away.
‘I think we’re more than friends,’ she said.
‘I want to be more than friends but if you’re not ready, I’ll wait,’ Archie said, rubbing the top of her arm with his hand as he gazed across the lake, soaking in every moment of the closeness.
‘We don’t need to wait,’ Nora said. ‘Archie.’
He turned to face her and could see in her eyes that she wanted him to kiss her. He’d wanted that since the moment he’d dropped her home after their dinner date. That night, he’d helped her out of the car and wanted more than anything to drop a kiss onto her perfect lips. But although it had felt like the right time to him, he’d been mindful of Nora saying she wasn’t looking for anything other than friendship. He hadn’t been confident that the magic he’d felt between them in that moment had been something she’d felt too.
But now, he could see that magic reflected in her eyes and he leant down, tipped her chin gently towards him with a finger and thumb, closed his eyes and kissed her. He went in tenderly, but it was followed quickly by an overwhelming desire to kiss her deeply, as if that would somehow sate the desire building in him. Nora shifted around, grounding herself so that she could press closer to him. He did the same, their lips never leaving each other. Her hand moved to his face, caressing him, which was distracting but wonderful at the same time. Then her weight was pushing him to the ground, and they were lying next to each other on the dock.
Neither of them registered the splash as Tatty made her way back across from the island but excited by the pair of them laughing and kissing, she came to join in the fun.
‘Get away, Tatty!’ Archie said, trying to keep the wet dog at arm’s length while Nora, snug in her dry robe, laughed at him. Then, of course, Tatty shook herself dry while she was still right next to them, making Archie cry out as he got showered with cold water.
‘Are you alright?’ he asked Nora, although she looked perfectly dry, unscathed by the dog shower.
Nora smiled and bit her lip which was enormously attractive, making Archie want to dive back into a kiss. ‘I am,’ she said. ‘You look a bit damp.’
He grinned, because despite ending up cold and damp, he’d had one of the best mornings of his life. ‘I’m grand,’ he said, standing up and reaching a hand down to help Nora up. He pulled her straight into his arms.
‘Do you want to warm up in here with me?’ she said. ‘I bet there’s enough room.’
‘Nora, you have no idea.’ He leant his forehead against hers, then pulled back and kissed her again, hardly able to believe that this could make him feel so delightfully happy.
After what seemed like a lot more kissing, and yet not enough, Nora pulled away. ‘As much as I don’t want to leave, I’ll never make our meeting later if I don’t go home and shower. And you’ll catch a chill if you don’t get dried off.’
He sighed, wishing that real life didn’t have to interfere.
‘Would you like to come back with me?’ she asked.
‘I’d love that more than anything, but I ought to get back. Take Tatty. You don’t want a wet dog in your house.’
Nora laughed. ‘I wouldn’t mind that at all. But perhaps another time.’
‘Another time,’ he said, giving her one last kiss. He touched her bottom lip with his thumb, then stepped back and clasped his hands behind his back. ‘I’ll look forward to seeing you later.’
‘Me too.’ She gathered up her things and clambered over the wall into the woods.
Archie watched until she disappeared into the trees and then began the walk back to the house. ‘Come on Tatty,’ he said. ‘Let’s get dried off.’
Seb was early for the meeting and was sat in his usual spot by the fire in the estate office, talking about something that Archie was struggling to follow, because his head was full of Nora. Though barely three hours since they’d seen each other, he was desperate to set eyes on her again. And lips too, if he was honest. And it was mildly annoying that Seb was going to be there, unwittingly putting a stop to anything like that happening.
‘So what do you think?’ Seb asked.
Archie had no idea what he was supposed to comment on so looked at his friend blankly as he went through the possibilities in his head. ‘I think that sounds…good.’
‘Do you?’ Seb raised an eyebrow and looked at him with a lazy grin. ‘You think it’s good?’
‘Fine. My mind was elsewhere. Sorry.’
‘Is everything alright?’
‘Fine,’ Archie said again. He wasn’t about to divulge the morning’s events to Seb. ‘Start again. I’m listening.’
Seb launched into a repeat of what he’d been saying before, which now that Archie was listening, turned out to not be good.
‘That’s awful. So the council will only allow the festival area to be in the park, not where we had the camping last year?’
‘See? Not good. We thought we’d be able to expand by having the extra field off you, but I’m not sure we’ll be able to now. Still, if it’s the same as last year, it’s brilliant. It’s a shame not to build on it, that’s all.’
‘And this has come from Helena?’ Archie asked. Helena was the licensing officer for the council who had been tricky to deal with at first, but once Seb won her over, was a real champion for the first Croftwood Festival.
‘Not directly, she’s been keeping me up-to-date on the mutterings from above.’
‘I can’t imagine anyone from above having much say in it if Helena’s willing to sign it off. She’s very fair, does everything by the book.’
‘Morning!’ Nora stuck her head around the door, accompanied by Tatty who must have snuck out to greet her when she heard the car pull up.
Archie was thrilled to see her. She looked beautiful. Her hair was piled in haphazard manner on the top of her head, odd bits of it falling out here and there, and she was wearing denim dungarees and a pair of boots that were obviously old favourites. ‘Morning,’ he said, getting up and kissing her on the cheek, but taking her other cheek briefly into his hand.
‘Hello, Nora. How are you?’ Seb also got up, an amused look on his face as he looked from Nora to Archie.
‘What?’ Archie said.
‘Nothing,’ Seb said, giving him a knowing look that was lost on Archie. He offered Nora the chair he’d been sitting in, which was widely known to be the best spot in the office.
‘Thanks Seb,’ she said, sinking into the chair while Tatty settled herself in front of the fire at Nora’s feet.
Archie made tea for them all and they began talking about the plans for the lake, Seb interjecting with questions around safety and protocols, some of which Nora knew the answers to and some which needed some research. As they chatted, Seb scribbled on a notepad and by the end of the meeting had produced a timeline for them.
‘First things first. Arch, we need to check the estate plans as we may be able to reinstate that entrance without needing permission,’ said Seb. ‘In which case, all we need is to get planning permission for the lake to become a swimming lake and to check that the council are happy with the access.’
‘All we need? Do you think it’ll be that straightforward?’ Archie said.
‘No, I doubt it. This is the council we’re talking about, but if we come from the angle that it’s providing an amenity that will benefit the local community, show that there’s demand around here for something like this, spin it as if we’re doing them a favour, I think that’s the way to go.’
‘That sounds like a good start,’ Nora said. ‘I’ll do some market research into the most local competitors. I think that would be useful for us in terms of how to price it and to get a feel for how they’re operating it day-to-day. The places I’ve been before have been heritage lidos and sea pools which run similarly to traditional swimming pools. We’re not going to have the lake open twelve hours a day or anything like that, and having had a quick look, most other lakes don’t do that either.’
‘Brilliant. So Nora, you’re on market research. Arch, you’re on landscaping and finding the estate plans. Presumably they’re in this pile somewhere.’ Seb gestured to the ridiculous heaps of paper on the desk opposite Archie’s. ‘And I’ll liaise with the council. Right I’m off. Leave you lovebirds to it,’ he added with a grin.
‘Why did he say that?’ Archie said, going over to Nora and pulling her out of the chair so that he could kiss her.
‘I think he noticed that we’re desperate to do this,’ Nora said, kissing him back. ‘It’s written all over your face.’
‘It’s not,’ Archie said, grinning. ‘It’s written all over your face.’