Chapter 48
Jude set off for Twyford first thing on Monday morning, stopping at a services a couple of hours into her journey to phone some estate agents.
She managed to set up three appointments for Wednesday, meaning she could drive back to the farm on Thursday and get settled in before Ned’s arrival on Friday evening.
It felt strange not having her around across the week and it made me very aware of how stretched we were the moment one of us was out of the business.
Schools were breaking up for the six-week summer holiday on Friday so visitor numbers were likely to increase and we needed more bodies to support that.
The existing team had the experience and expertise with animals so it made sense to take on extra staff for the café.
Willow told us she had a friend in Birchwood Rigg – Chloe – who was desperate to find another summer job after the one she’d lined up fell through.
Jude was happy for Mam and me to make the decision so we invited Chloe for an hour’s trial and were impressed with how quickly she picked everything up.
She was a little on the shy side but polite and friendly so we offered her a job starting at the weekend.
Chloe mentioned that her older cousin in Mapleton – Reece – was also seeking a summer job before heading off to university so we gave him a trial and offered him a job too.
Maddie had made great progress with her plans for the guinea pig handling sessions.
She’d chosen an empty barn near the stables and had arranged for Des and Hunter to build a large indoor run in the middle of the barn with safe covered access to the outside.
They were making various houses and caves to give the guinea pigs places to hide and explore and would be fitting sturdy benches around the outside of the barn so that the visitors handling them could cradle the guinea pigs in their laps.
Bubble, Squeak, Ginger and Pickle would remain Maddie’s pets in the private part of the farm but she’d sourced twenty guinea pigs in varying colours for our visitors.
She’d had assurances that all were used to being handled but, as we were doing with the cows, she’d test that out extensively before we opened the experience to the public.
On top of all that happening, Caleb and I had our first date.
He drove me to Bamburgh with the dogs and we had a fairly early tea in one of the village pubs.
The pub was lovely and the food was delicious but it was getting busy as we finished eating and my favourite part of the date was what came next – a romantic walk along the beach, hand in hand, while the dogs chased each other in and out of the sea.
‘My first trip to the coast since moving back here,’ I said, breathing in the salty air. ‘I love these wide stretches of beaches and how they’re not heaving with people.’
‘Same here, especially in winter when they’re pretty much deserted. Does that make me sound anti-social?’
‘Disliking crowds doesn’t make you anti-social. I’m the same. I know I’m going to thrive on busy days at the farm but, at closing time, I’ll be more than ready to shut the gate and have the place back to myself. I need the peace and quiet to reenergise.’
‘When do you think you’ll be ready to launch cow cuddling?’
‘We’re thinking the start of September. With having an age restriction on it, it doesn’t feel like it’s something we want to launch during the school holidays.
When we’ve worked out the order and timings for the experience, we’ll offer free trials to some of our regular customers and take the summer to fine tune things.
In the meantime, we’ll allow visitors access to the fields to see the cows.
When Des and Hunter are finished with the guinea pig barn, they’re putting in some perimeter fencing round the cows so they can be seen but not touched. ’
‘Good idea to keep visitors safely away from the horns.’
‘That’s exactly it. The fencing should be ready in about a fortnight’s time.’
‘You’ve done such amazing things at the farm already. I’m so impressed with you all and I cringe every time I think about how rude I was to you when you first arrived.’
‘So incredibly rude,’ I said, my tone teasing as I stopped walking. ‘I think you’ve got a lot of making up to do, Caleb Nash.’
‘Is that so? Well, just as well I’m more than willing to do a lot of making up to you. Would a kiss be a good start?’
‘Hmm, I could be convinced.’
He let go of my hand and slipped his arms round my waist and lowered his lips to mine. As he ran his fingers into my hair, I melted against him.
‘That was a very good start,’ I whispered when he pulled away. ‘Might need a few more of them.’
‘As you wish,’ he said, gently kissing me once again. On a beautiful beach with the backdrop of Bamburgh Castle, what could be more romantic?
* * *
Ned arrived shortly after we’d closed to the public on Friday afternoon.
Jude had been a nervous wreck all day, unable to settle on the best time to tell him how she felt about him.
If she told him tonight, it would get it out of the way but, if her feelings weren’t reciprocated, it could make his stay a little uncomfortable.
Saturday evening brought less of a risk and Sunday would mean there was no chance of awkwardness but it was a wasted opportunity if he felt the same.
Ned exited the taxi and hugged me tightly.
‘It’s so good to be here,’ he said, smiling at me as he released me. ‘I’m so sorry that we’re halfway through July and it’s the first time I’ve seen you this year.’
‘It’s fine. We’ve both had a lot on. I’m just glad we’re doing this now.’
He hugged Jude next and I thought he was never going to let her go – definitely the hug of a man who felt more than friendship.
We took Ned inside to see Mam and Maddie who both greeted him with hugs before Jude and I took him upstairs to show him where he’d be staying.
We didn’t have a spare room or a sofa bed and, while Caleb had kindly offered his second bedroom, we’d decided the best plan was for Ned to take Jude’s room and for Jude to share with me.
After we’d had tea, the three of us took some drinks out to the front garden.
I’d invited Caleb to join us a bit later but Jude and I wanted to tell Ned about Adrian first. I’d already talked to Caleb about it with it being the trigger for my marriage decline, but it didn’t feel right to share the news with Ned in the presence of someone he didn’t know.
Ned was just as shocked as Jude and I had been.
‘I shared a house with him for two years,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘How do you live with someone for that long and not notice something like that? Mind you, I didn’t notice Erica seeing one of our friends behind my back for three years. I must be the world’s most unobservant person.’
‘It’s not you,’ I said, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. ‘Adrian and Erica both had things they wanted to hide from the world and they happened to be really good at doing it. I’m sure we’ve all done it at some point in our lives.’
While Ned was looking down, scratching at the label on his bottle, I gave Jude a meaningful look. She nodded at me and I knew she’d just acknowledged that there’d never be a more appropriate segue into talking about what she’d been hiding for years.
‘I’m going to love you and leave you for a bit,’ I said, pushing my chair back. ‘I need to talk to Mam about the menu for tomorrow before she goes to bed. See you shortly.’
‘How about a tour round the farm?’ Jude suggested to Ned.
‘Sounds good to me.’
‘Enjoy yourselves,’ I said, giving two thumbs up to Jude when Ned wasn’t looking.
* * *
Caleb had joined me in the front garden. He knew about Jude and Ned – she’d given me permission to tell him while she was away this week – and he was just as hopeful as me for a positive outcome this weekend.
They’d been gone ages, which I hoped was a good sign. When we spotted them walking towards us from the direction of the farmyard, I craned my neck and my heart sank.
‘Oh no! This doesn’t look good.’
Caleb looked up and winced.
‘I had such high hopes for them,’ I said. ‘Jude’s going to be devastated.’
She was walking a little in front of Ned, her arms crossed over her chest, and Ned’s shoulders were slumped, his head dipped.
‘That didn’t go well,’ she said as she reached us, her eyes downcast, her voice flat.
I shook my head, tears pricking my eyes. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Ned joined her, his head still dipped, but then the pair of them burst out laughing and Ned slipped his arm round Jude’s shoulder and planted a gentle kiss on her lips.
‘It went brilliantly,’ Jude admitted, grinning at me.
‘You… you… Argh! I don’t know what to call you. I genuinely thought it had been a disaster.’
‘Far from it,’ Ned said, as I got up and hugged them both. ‘Thanks for encouraging her.’
Conscious that Caleb and Ned hadn’t met, I did the introductions before declaring the need to celebrate and dashing inside for a bottle of bubbly and glasses.
I had been right about Ned after their night of passion.
He hadn’t woken up filled with regret. He’d woken up realising he’d fallen in love with one of his best friends and had needed a moment to process his feelings, but Jude had misinterpreted that.
When she made out that it was a mistake, he’d believed her so had gone along with that, not wanting to lose her out of his life.
It transpired that Ned had liked Jude when we were at Loughborough together but he’d never acted on it because he hadn’t thought Jude was interested.
He’d moved on after that and had only thought of her as a friend after we graduated but during that night in Reading, the torch he’d once carried for her was reignited and it had burned for her ever since.
‘What happens now?’ I asked them. ‘Or haven’t you had a chance to talk about that yet?’
‘Now that everything’s out in the open, we’re determined to make the most of the here and now,’ Jude said.
‘As Jude’s making her home here, this is where I want to be,’ Ned said.
‘I’ve had an offer of some home-based consultancy work but there’s also a chance of voluntary redundancy at work.
If I play my cards right, I might be able to get VR with gardening leave and secure the consultancy work.
Assuming I can leave quickly, I’ll rent somewhere locally, although Jude says you’ve got a holiday cottage here that needs some work and you don’t have time to get it sorted.
I don’t mind some scuffed walls and shabby furniture if you’d be happy to rent it out to me. ’
‘Seeing as Jude’s investing in the business, I’m sure we can sort something out,’ I said. ‘This is brilliant news. I’m so happy for you both.’
The four of us clinked our glasses together and, as I took a sip from mine, I gazed across the farm. I wasn’t sure whether Jude had sent a request out for Ned to love her but I certainly had and it seemed that yet another wish had been granted.
* * *
When we’d finished the bottle, Jude fetched the keys for The Dovecote to show Ned around.
‘They seem great together,’ Caleb said.
‘They do. I’m so pleased for them.’
‘Then why did a dark cloud just pass across your face?’
‘Did it?’ I frowned. ‘I was just thinking about Erica – Ned’s ex.’
‘She was one of your circle of friends, yes?’
‘That’s right. We’ve kept that friendship going for so long.
Jude and I shared a house with her for two years at uni, we were all each other’s bridesmaids, the six of us used to meet up as a group every year and we’d get together as smaller groups outside of that.
Erica and I were close until she left Ned and, since then, I’ve tried to stay in touch but she’s pulled away.
I sent her the article from the paper about the farm opening and she messaged me last week to say congratulations, but…
’ I shook my head. ‘Even though she was the one to leave Ned, I can’t imagine her being happy about him moving on with Jude.
Adrian’s gone, Laurie’s in the past, and now I might be about to lose Erica.
I guess it just makes me feel a little sad. ’
Caleb sipped on his bottle of lager, looking thoughtful. ‘What else did Erica say in her message?’
‘Nothing much. Hang on.’ I picked up my phone and found the message. ‘Congratulations on your exciting new adventure. You always were destined to end up on a farm. Be happy. And she included a smiley emoji and a kiss.’
‘That’s it?’
I nodded.
‘No mention of looking forward to seeing the farm or hoping you can have a catch-up soon?’
I glanced down at the phone, my breath catching in my throat. ‘That’s a goodbye, isn’t it?’
‘I won’t pretend to know your friend but my outsider’s view is that she’s moved on. You told me she’s remarried and they have a baby. That’s her life now. You and your circle of friends are happy memories from the past but you’re not part of her future. She wants you to move on too.’
I nodded once more but, instead of feeling sad, I felt clarity and peace.
‘I guess the six of us weren’t forever either, but I’m actually okay with that because I’ve got new friends now, a new home, a new direction.’
The six of us had enjoyed an incredible run of friendship and I’d always look back on our university days and the years that followed with fondness, thinking how blessed I was to have had five such special people in my life for so long.
But things changed and friendships were one of them and, instead of mourning the loss of half of the group, I’d celebrate that half of us had stayed together.
It wasn’t as though we’d fallen out. Our lives had simply headed towards different fresh starts without each other.