Chapter 4
Looking up from the computer on the reception desk, Nicola smiled as Laura closed the front door after waving off two of their guests. ‘They were such a lovely couple.’
‘I know. So sweet together and still so much in love, even after forty years.’ Walking across to the reception desk, Laura leaned her elbows on the dark oak wood and grinned.
‘Did they tell you where they went for their celebration meal?’
‘Yep, fish and chips from the local chippie and a walk along the river.’ Laura pulled a pen from the pot by the computer and began fiddling with it.
‘Apparently they couldn’t afford a huge wedding or reception, so they got married at the registry office in Stratford-upon-Avon before coming back to Meadowfield, where they used to live, and grabbing chips and going on their favourite walk. ’
‘Aw, that does sound romantic. The registry office at Stratford-upon-Avon is beautiful. All beams and lots of light.’ Nicola glanced down at the computer screen, where she’d been updating the social media pages for Pennycress.
She and Nathan had looked around the registry office a few months before they’d broken up.
Whilst he’d been having his affair behind her back.
‘It sure does, doesn’t it?’ Laura looked across at her. ‘I know it sounds soppy, but I do hope me and Jackson can celebrate our fortieth wedding anniversary together.’
‘You’ve got to get married first! Have you given any thought to the wedding?
’ Nicola laughed. Laura and Jackson may have only been a couple for a few months, but they already acted as though they’d been married for decades – minus the wedding of course.
Maybe it was the fact Jackson had been Laura’s older brother’s best friend and so she’d known him for years or maybe they were just really well suited but ever since Laura had moved into Pennycress and discovered Jackson living next door, their relationship had gone from strength to strength.
Yes, from what Laura had told her there had been more than a few up and downs before they’d finally been honest about their true feelings towards each other, but now they were together and already planning their wedding.
Laura scrunched up her nose. ‘You know better than to ask that! You’ve seen all the wedding magazines coming through the post.’
‘Haha, I know. You must have signed up to at least ten different magazine subscriptions.’ Not that she blamed her, she’d been the same when she’d been planning her and Nathan’s wedding.
‘Six. So not that bad.’ Laura’s eyes lit up as she spoke.
‘We’ve got so many ideas, though. There’s just such a huge choice out there.
I mean, we could get married at some country manor, a castle, a barn in the middle of a field, or even elope to Iceland or Gretna Green or somewhere.
The choice is endless. How’s anyone supposed to decide? ’
Nicola shrugged. She wasn’t even going to think about the wedding she’d planned in her mind, her and Nathan’s wedding.
She hit the return key and watched as a photo of Pennycress’ garden uploaded.
She’d been so good at pushing him out of her mind until that reminder about the pizza oven delivery had come.
Which she still hadn’t got around to cancelling.
Tearing a page from her notebook, she scrawled a note on it to do it at lunchtime.
‘I don’t know. I guess you might find you’re just drawn to a certain venue. ’
‘True. I hope so anyway or else all we’ll be talking about for the next forty years is what kind of wedding to have instead of actually getting married.’ Straightening her back, Laura took a deep breath. ‘I suppose I really should go and get the bedrooms cleaned.’
‘Oh, is Jill in today?’
‘Yep. She’s out the back, planting something or other,’ Laura laughed.
‘I must admit, I just let her get on with the gardens. I trust her skills and knowledge more than my own. I’d be completely lost if Jill hadn’t decided to start her own gardening business just in time to work her magic on Pennycress’ gardens. ’
‘Okay, thanks. I’ll pop out and see her.’ Nicola frowned. She’d rather been hoping Jill wasn’t coming in today. It would have given her a bit more time to think how she could break the news that the carnival would be two floats down.
‘Is everything okay?’ Laura asked.
‘Yes. No. I offered to help with the carnival planning because Jill has so much on her plate already and she gave me one job and I managed to fail at it.’
‘Oh, what was it?’
‘I only had to confirm that we could still borrow two tractors and trailers from Little Mead Farm, and I managed to mess that up.’ Nicola tucked her hair behind her ears.
It hadn’t been her fault she hadn’t been able to secure the floats.
It had been the new farmer’s fault for being so grumpy and unsupportive towards his local community, but it didn’t stop her from feeling as though she was letting the whole village down.
‘Ah, I overheard some talk about the new farmer in the grocery store the other day.’ Laura grimaced. ‘He doesn’t sound particularly friendly.’
‘No, he’s not.’ Nicola raised her eyebrows. She’d bet her last ten-pound note on who Laura had overheard talking about him. ‘I don’t suppose it was Miss Cooke who you heard talking about him, was it?’
‘Yes, her and Paddy, the old postmaster. I didn’t hear much, but from what I did, I got the distinct impression it was a visit-at-your-own-risk situation.’
‘Hmm. That explains why she’d contacted all the other farms to check they were still lending their tractors and trailers and yet had conveniently run out of time to pop into Little Mead Farm.’ Nicola made air quotes around the words ‘run out of time’.
‘And she left you to wander up there, without warning you in advance of the welcome you might receive.’ Laura shook her head.
‘Yep, she sure did. I suppose she couldn’t very well risk having to report back to the community hub that she, Meadowfield’s own mayoress, had been refused the loan of our new resident’s tractors and trailers.
’ Nicola grimaced. She’d had a feeling there must have been a reason why Miss Cooke hadn’t finished the task she’d begun.
‘There must be another farm local-ish you can ask?’
‘Maybe. Jill will probably have more of an idea. After all, she’s been organising the carnival for over ten years.’
‘I don’t know how she does it. She always appears so serene and calm and yet she’s spinning that many different plates, she must be constantly busy.’ Laura replaced the pen in the pot.
‘She’s always been like that. Even in school, she’d volunteer for anything going and still achieve the highest grades of the year group in any test we took.
’ Nicola smiled. She’d known Jill so long now and yet she’d never figured out how she managed everything she did, which was why she’d offered to help.
Seeing Jill stressed was unusual and meant she really did need a bit of help.
‘Wish I was like that. I’d get so much done. Talking of which, I really best get on.’ Laura nodded in the general direction of the back garden. ‘I’m sure she’ll have a plan B. She’ll know of someone else to ask.’
‘Yes.’ Nodding, Nicola shut down the computer. She might as well go and speak to Jill now. That way, she could start ringing around other farms during her lunch break.
* * *
With a steaming mug of coffee in her hand, Nicola stepped out onto the decking which surrounded half of the inn and blinked against the bright sunlight before shielding her eyes with her hand and looking around the garden.
There was Jill, pruning some plant or other at the back of the garden.
Pennycress was the first, and so far only, regular job Jill had taken up since starting her gardening business a few months ago and Nicola was sure she spent far longer here than she was contracted for.
Between planning the carnival and other events for the community hub, volunteering at Meadowfield’s children’s choir and caring for her own four children, Nicola didn’t know how Jill managed it all.
Walking down the steps, Nicola pulled her mobile from her back pocket and smiled.
It was a text from her mum telling her she’d pop in to see Trixie and leave some dinner in the fridge for this evening.
Nicola knew how lucky she was to have a mum like hers.
Someone who was always there for her, someone who thought nothing of making extra dinner and surprising her with it.
She didn’t know how she’d have got through the last few months without her mum.
She probably wouldn’t have, not without turning into a teary mess every second of every day.
‘Hey, Nic.’ Spotting her walking towards her, Jill stood up and waved, secateurs still in hand. ‘Is that for me?’
‘It certainly is.’ Nicola passed across the coffee before shoving her hands in the pockets of her jeans.
‘Thank you.’ After taking a sip of the fresh coffee, Jill lowered the mug and sighed.
‘Just what I needed. Willow was up most of last night, trying to convince me she couldn’t possibly go back to school today because her toe hurt, her nose was running or…
I can’t even remember what the other excuses she came up with were. ’
‘Is she better today? After yesterday’s bellyache?’
‘She’s fine. There was nothing wrong with her yesterday. She’s just a good little actress.’
‘Haha, I bet she keeps you and Gerald on your toes then!’
‘She absolutely does! I’ve already told him he’s going to have to take over disciplining her when she’s a teenager.
She runs rings around me already. I can’t imagine what excuses she’ll conjure up for skipping school when she’s in her teens.
’ Jill laughed. ‘How did you get on at Little Mead Farm and the Watsons’ place yesterday? ’
‘Ah, that’s why I’ve come out here.’ Nicola grimaced.