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‘Really? Tell me, what happened.’ He seemed to sag into the sofa a little, and he reached for his coffee. She noticed he shook a little. Nerves? Caffeine withdrawal?
‘Well, it’s parental problems actually. Are you cold?’
He looked surprised, and shook his head. ‘No, I am warming up nicely thanks. Parental problems you were saying?’
***
He couldn’t help wishing she had said something else, like that she had just called off her engagement and fancied running off with the next man who bought her coffee.
Lily huffed, taking another gulp. Will said nothing but he pushed the plate of fruit toast closer to her. She took a slice without thinking twice.
‘Yep, I am twenty-nine and I still live with my parents. It’s embarrassing to be honest, but up to now, it’s been great really. Since they retired though, it’s been a nightmare. I am thinking about moving out, to be honest. I should have done it a while ago, but I just … didn’t. I don’t know why, but something has to give.’
Will nodded, listening intently but saying nothing. She blushed under his gaze. ‘I am really sorry, I have no idea why I told you all that. How has your day been so far?’
Will pushed the plate a bit closer, and Lily took another slice, sinking her teeth into the buttery goodness. He smiled as he watched her eat it.
‘Pretty standard really. Talking to the mirror. Hating my life, the usual. Do you know where you will move to? Will you move in with your fiancé?’ She paused mid chew and he pointed to her ring. ‘I assume you are engaged, yes?’
***
Lily nodded, her mouth too full of toast to reply properly. She forced it down quickly, wiping at her mouth with a napkin.
‘Yes, sorry, I should have said when you asked.’ He said nothing, sipping his drink. ‘And … what about you? Have you lived in the village long?’ She was floundering and she knew it, grasping at any question to change the subject. Deflect from the fact that she had accepted a date whilst being engaged to another man. A man she loved, despite her recent reservations. A man who had asked her to marry him, and had gone to the trouble of buying her a ring. She pushed down the pang of guilt she felt in her gut.
Will luckily threw her a gentlemanly lifeline and didn’t push further. Or, this isn’t a date, Lily reminded herself. He’s a nice man, who probably needs a friend, dealing with a hijack by a crazy woman the kindest way he can. He seemed to be thinking about something, so she stayed quiet, waiting for him to speak. The less she spoke right now the better.
She looked at his lashes as he took a sip from his drink. They were as dark as the rest of his hair. Manly, but long and feminine at the same time. They dusted his lower lashes as he looked down. Lily imagined what they would feel like fluttering against her cheek. The man before her was so unlike Stuart in every way. As was the way he made her feel. If only she didn’t have verbal diarrhoea today. If only she didn’t look like a cheating predator. If only …
Will looked at her then, offering her a small smile. He looked distracted. Probably planning his escape over the table tops.
‘I have lived here about a year, moved from Harrogate. Fresh start. My parents passed some time ago so it’s nice to be around family. My uncle Archie works for the estate locally, so I have roots here too. I actually wanted to pick your brains a little about the local area, if I could.’
Lily nodded, the smile freezing on her face. So this wasn’t even a date at all, but a business meeting. She was a little confused now, but having her relationship status uncovered before she’d had a chance to mention it had wrong-footed her. She had no right to feel disappointed, but she couldn’t ignore the punch she felt in her gut. Maybe him screaming and vaulting out of the café would have felt like less of a rejection.
‘I will help, sure,’ she said, moving her head like a nodding dog. ‘Lived here all my life, will probably die here too.’ Wow. Good job it wasn’t a date, ’cos that was smooth. Pity party for one.
***
Will laughed awkwardly, his heart going out to the girl in front of him. The truth was, he had been wanting to ask her some questions about the area, to suss out possible work, but when she had mistakenly alluded to a date, he had seized the chance without thinking. It hadn’t been his plan at all, even though he had definitely noticed her before. Who wouldn’t notice her? She was beautiful; her piercing green eyes and blonde hair were like catnip to him. She had no clue just how lovely she was, but Will sure did. He felt a stirring in his gut.
‘Great!’ He sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He was trying for jovial and friendly, but he came off as slightly manic. To him, anyway. Lily leaned forward too and he caught a hint of her perfume. She smelled like flowers. Go figure. He resisted the urge to take a deep whiff of her. ‘I am a landscape gardener and …’
‘I knew it!’ she exclaimed suddenly, bouncing on the spot. He jumped and she laughed. The ladies turned their heads to look at the commotion. Lily went bright red, and put out a placating hand to them. They nodded, and went back to talking quietly. ‘Sorry.’ She giggled, a little ashamed by her reaction but apparently grateful for the distraction. ‘I just knew you had to work outside.’
Will looked at her in puzzlement, which made her shrink with embarrassment.
‘Your hands,’ she exclaimed, reaching for one of them, turning it palm up. Her touch sent a shiver down Will’s arm, and he knew she must have felt it. Will felt like she had woken him up from a dream. It was as though they were charged to each other, like static fizzing between them. He kept his hand relaxed, not wanting to do anything that might make her let go. He was taking a chance here, a risk, but he couldn’t stop himself. She seemed to realize what she had done, and she gently released him. Will could feel the warmth leave his skin.
‘Working hands, you see?’ She held both her palms up to him, and he noticed she had calluses on her hands too, the odd scratch and scrape dotted on her fingers.
‘Green thumb club, eh?’ He grinned. She smirked back at him.
‘Definitely. What did you want to ask?’
He told her of his plans, of leaving Harrogate and wanting to build up a local business. He was tired of the commuting, and wanted to keep things a bit simpler. Not exactly a lie; it was truth, just not the whole shebang.
Lily listened to him without interrupting, only taking her eyes off him to see off the second round of coffee and toast he’d ordered. He noticed her skin was a tad pale, and by the way she ate and drank, she obviously didn’t have chance that morning to have breakfast either. He had felt a burst of pride when she took the second order without preamble, as though he had helped her a little. He liked the thought of making her day easier. He wondered whether her fiancé looked after her, where he was now. Did the guy know what he had?
‘I do know of a couple of people looking for gardeners and such,’ she said when he had finished. ‘Why don’t you bring some cards into the shop, and I can hand them out for you?’
Will flashed her a grateful smile. ‘That would be great. Other than Archie, I don’t really know anyone here, and between working and commuting, it doesn’t leave much time for socializing.’
She nodded. She knew how it felt to not have many people in your camp. The thought gave her an idea.
‘It’s no problem – just drop in whenever. And, just an idea, but are you busy Friday night?’
Will looked at her in question. She had already told him she was engaged. Or rather, she didn’t deny it when he asked her. She shrugged when he didn’t reply.
‘It’s no worries if you are busy; it’s just that my friend Simon and his new girlfriend invited me out. I haven’t met her before, so it might be a good opportunity for you to have a night off, meet some people.’
Will shook his head. He didn’t fancy the idea of playing fifth wheel on a couples’ night. The thought of seeing Lily with her fiancé put the night’s appeal right up there with gonad piercings and mucking out the stables for his uncle. ‘I think I would be in the way, but thanks.’
Lily frowned. ‘No! You will be doing me a favour, honestly. I have known Simon since school. He is like my little brother, and watching him suck face with his girlfriend all night while I play gooseberry doesn’t sound like much fun. This way, I have someone to talk to.’ She looked away from him, and he realized she was a bit upset. His heart went out to her.
‘The thing is, Will, I have been told that I am a bit stuck lately, and I am forcing myself to actually do something about it. It sounds to me like you could be in the same boat.’
Will studied her face. Just being near her today had lifted his mood. He couldn’t imagine anyone saying that she was anything less than a joy to be around.
‘You’re on,’ he said, his deep voice breaking the silence. ‘First tequila shot is on me.’
The look Lily gave him had his laugh ringing out in the café, whilst the ladies looked on.
CHAPTER SIX (#ud8fad6ef-4a84-5c11-ae60-001f8d220862)
‘Good of you to join us, William!’ Agatha Taylor’s voice trilled out as he walked up to the main house. Agatha’s estate was massive, and rather beautiful. He strode around the fountain and braced himself for Agatha’s rather large dogs to come bounding out. As though she read his mind, Agatha smiled kindly. ‘Taylor has just taken the children out for their morning walk. They will be gone a while.’
Will relaxed visibly. Last time, Buster had head-butted him in the testicles by accident, and the thought of it even now made his eyes water. He resisted the urge to cup himself comfortingly. His uncle Archie was stood next to Agatha, and the two looked as different as heaven and earth. Archie was his uncle on his father’s side, and was a strange man. Even if he loved you to distraction, to the outside world he looked as though you were barely tolerated. He was pretty sure that Archie cared, but he wouldn’t stake the farm on being loved by him. The Singer men were often something of an enigma. At the moment, with his turbulent private life, this trait served him well.
He was getting the measure of his uncle more and more as they worked together, and Will was fast realizing that Archie was an amazing man. Looking at him now, with his trademark boots and scowl, he looked even harsher against the backdrop of the hall and Agatha, who was dressed like the Queen. All she was missing was the straight face and the tiara. Archie grunted a hello, and Will nodded in response.
Agatha was staring at him with a wry smile on her face, and he felt as though she was in on a joke he didn’t quite get yet.
‘Sorry I’m late – I had a meeting that ran over. What’s to be done today?’
Agatha looked at him like a cat would eye a fish in a tank, patting Archie on the shoulder.
‘Archibald dear, you can make a start if you like. I will just have a chat with young William here. I shan’t be long.’
Archie, rolling his eyes at the use of his Sunday name, nodded and practically ran. As he passed his nephew, he tapped him on the arm.
‘Sorry, lad,’ he whispered. ‘Grin and bear it.’
Will moved closer to Agatha, thinking she had a job she wanted him to do that perhaps Archie wasn’t up to. She reached for his hand instead, clasping it between her own soft warm ones, and gave it a little rub.
‘How are you, dear? You enjoying being in Westfield?’
Will nodded, realizing that she had clocked his lack of wedding ring. ‘I am fine, Mrs Taylor I love being here. I appreciate the work too.’
Agatha batted away his thanks. ‘Oh pish posh, Archie is family, so that includes you too. You remind me rather of Benjamin, our vet in the village. Have you met?’
Will shook his head. Agatha looked wistful for a moment. ‘I never had children of my own, apart from my dogs of course. I would rather have liked a son or two.’
She seemed to shake herself out of her thoughts, and looked kindly at him again.
‘Are you managing to pick up any work in the village?’
Will shook his head. ‘Not much, but I hope that will change soon.’
‘Productive coffee meeting then? Jolly good. Well, I shall leave you to get on, William. Lovely to see you again. If you need anything, please let me know.’
Will waved her off as she sashayed primly up the large stone steps to her home. It wasn’t till later, when he was busy pruning the hedges, that he realized he hadn’t told anyone about the meeting with Lily, or the fact that it involved coffee at all.
***
Roger stamped his feet in frustration. It was quite funny to see a man in mohair have a paddy, and Lily resisted the urge to laugh.
‘Lily Rose Baxter!’ Roger whined. ‘Tell meeee!’
She clipped the ribbon on her latest bouquet and walked over to the window display, placing it in a bucket to keep it fresh.
‘Roger, there is nothing to tell. He knows I am engaged, he is new to the area, is looking for work and wanted to speak to someone in the business. He is a landscape gardener, I told you. I said he could bring some business cards in, and I would recommend him to some people for their gardens. Plenty will be wanting them shipshape for spring, so hopefully he can get some work.’
Roger looked crestfallen. ‘That’s all?’
Lily didn’t look at Roger. Truth was, she was a little gutted herself. ‘That’s all.’ Apart from the fact that I can’t stop comparing him to Stuart, and thinking about his lashes. His eyes. The jolt I get just from touching his hand. She was pretty sure he felt it too. It was something she had read about many times – mainly in the romance novels she loved. She had never had that with Stuart. Ever. She felt a little panicked that she might never feel it with him. Was it a sign? She pushed the thought away. No good thinking like that.
‘He didn’t ravish you over the pork pies? Fondle your fancies?’
Lily laughed. ‘No! He bought me breakfast. That was it. Now, please, can we get on with some work?’
Roger pouted, taking his anger out on a sprig of baby’s breath as he thrust it viciously into an arrangement.
‘I am devastated. I was sure he was the one.’
‘Stuart is the one! You know, my fiancé?’ She waggled her fingers at him. He flicked his hand dismissively. ‘That Kinder egg monstrosity. No way! You deserve a man who can pick a ring that doesn’t look like it belongs to Cruella De Vil.’
Lily looked at her ring. It was ugly, to be fair, and Stuart had wasted no time telling her how expensive it had been. In fact, he had told everyone within a five-mile radius at the time. Truth was, Lily would have been happier with a prettier ring that cost a fraction of the price. Still, he was her husband to be. He picked the ring, and that was that. At least wedding bands were plain. She was grateful for that. Not that there was any sign of there being a wedding. This ring had been on her finger for years. They hadn’t even had an engagement party, as Stuart was busy building up his clientele.
‘You are mean to Stuart you know. He is trying.’
Roger came over, hugging her to him. ‘He is very trying, my dear. I don’t mean to be awful; it’s just that there is just something about him. Since you took me on when your parents retired, I have seen and heard a lot here, and I am not happy with a lot of it. He is a light stealer, my girl.’
‘Like Dumbledore?’ she teased, imagining Stuart running around Foxley Street with long white hair and a cloak nicking the street lights.
‘In a way, yes,’ Roger retorted, poking her in the ribs. She jerked away, motioning to the kettle. Roger nodded, scarce drawing breath before starting again. ‘He is a walking ego, and you are smaller, duller, when you are around him. I don’t like it. Your parents do it too, and you don’t even realize how much.’
‘Duller?’ Lily cried, horrified. ‘Do you mean boring?’
Roger eyed her sympathetically. ‘I rather meant dimmer, like a candle about to go out, but whilst we are on the subject …’
‘We are not on the subject! Not at all, and I don’t want to talk about it either!’
She sloshed water into two cups, before realizing that they were empty. She tutted loudly, throwing the contents into the sink before starting again. She banged down the sugar canister. Why did everyone have an opinion on her life suddenly? Her parents, Simon, Roger! When she signed for the business – something she had been dreaming about since she was a little girl helping out her parents in the shop – she thought that life would change. Her real life would start. She would move out, get married, be the grown-up she wanted to be, instead of just waiting for that milestone to occur.
Now she was here, what did she have? She owned the shop, sure, with a hefty mortgage, but nothing else that adults normally go through had kicked into gear. She still awoke in the same bedroom every morning, waiting to move on. At this rate, she would be wearing a wedding gown to work in her fifties, sat like Miss Havisham doling out floral creations to every other lucky bugger who had something to celebrate.
Ever since she had been a girl, she had loved the idea of romance and love. Disney has a lot to answer for, she decided. They sold girls the idea that they could be princesses, mermaids, warriors. Women who could rock a ballgown whilst brandishing a bow and arrow – and they would fall in love. Even a beast could be a prince. They sold that idea that the ideal man was out there, just waiting to find the other half of his heart like them.
Well, when would that happen? Would Prince Charming insist on a long engagement? Would he hell. He had Cinderella on the back of his horse, racing to the altar before they had even swapped numbers, let alone bodily fluids. The point was, Lily felt like she was finally seeing her life through the lives of others, and the view was not all roses around the door. The fact that it was bothering her now, and not before, had her more confused than ever.
Had she just sleepwalked through the last twenty-nine years? Stuart wasn’t perfect, sure, but she had loved him enough to say yes when he asked her to marry him all that time ago. They did okay – between them they managed to be relatively happy. In light of how her parents had turned out, maybe that was the thing to aim for. Relative happiness. Someone you didn’t want to plunge the bread knife into twenty years down the road.
The thunderbolt. Everyone talked about it. It was woven into the books she read, the films she watched. They all sold this idea that the right one was the one who made your heart thud, your palms go sweaty, and your pupils dilate. Anything else was settling, taking the easy route. Before today Lily would have declared it a fanciful notion, a plot trope that was as magical and elusive as unicorn poop. Since the breakfast with Will though, she had to admit, the idea wasn’t as far off as she had thought. Maybe she shouldn’t fear settling, but fear that bolt of lightning.
She made the coffees, leaving Roger’s on the work surface, and she walked out of the back with hers. Her shop came with a back area, all enclosed with walls and fences, and she had a couple of greenhouses she managed to get cheap from a mate of Simon’s. She intended to grow orchids and other flowers, selling them in her shop. Another thing her parents didn’t agree with. They had just kept the back swept clean, using it only to store deliveries, accessed through a gate at the back.
She loved it out here. It even had a spiral staircase leading to the first floor. If she moved in upstairs, she could have her coffee out here every day, walking down the back steps into her own little garden area. She thought of moving here again, and she felt a frisson of excitement. Roger was right – it would be perfect. Her parents would have to sort themselves out then, if she wasn’t there as a buffer. Surely they would speak to each other if they were alone in the house?
Deciding that Roger could do without her for an hour or so, she reached in her jeans pocket for her set of keys. The little gold key on the chain glinted at her in the early morning light. Time to make a start on her life.
‘Cinders,’ she said to herself out loud, ‘it’s time to get cleaning.’
***
Stuart was sat in his office at the golf club, looking at the calendar in disbelief. It was only a few short weeks till Valentine’s Day, and he had nothing planned. He knew that Lily wouldn’t make a fuss, but the very event of 14th February often showed him up as less than romantic. The ball at the golf club was the perfect cover. Lily wouldn’t get mad if he had to work; she understood. He just wished all occasions could be explained away as easily.
His excuse stash was running low with the people in his life. Compounded by the fact that he had been engaged for six years, and Lily’s impending thirtieth birthday, Stuart was feeling an ulcer coming on. He swigged at the bottle of Gaviscon on his desk, pulling a face at the taste, and opened his work diary. He needed to pull some hours in, make himself scarce. Ideally he would like to avoid Valentine’s Day altogether, but that was a feat that would require some serious planning, and a steady supply of Rennies. Picking up the phone, he got to work.
***
Lily was pleasantly surprised when she opened up the flat. There wasn’t much up there, and her dad had used the bedroom as an office, so the facilities weren’t too dusty. It was quite modern too, and she could easily move in, with a lick of paint and a few pieces of furniture. She looked out of the front window of the living room, which overlooked Foxley Street, and gasped. The view was amazing. She could see the fields beyond the few houses and streets dotted around, and although it was misty, she could see the top of Mayweather House too.
She drank her hot drink, watching the world go by, imagining herself living here. A space of her own. She could see a couple of people working in the fields nearby, and she wondered with a jolt whether one of them was Will. She tried to peer further, but movement on the street below caught her eye. She groaned loudly, grabbed her empty cup, and headed for the stairs.
Her mother was here. She felt like a naughty schoolgirl, being caught skiving off school. She locked up quickly, racing down the steps as fast as she dared. She was just heading into the shop when she heard her mother’s loud tones coming through the door. Poor Roger. When Lily walked in, willing her face to not betray her bizarre guilt, Lizzie was giving him tips on a floral centrepiece he was working on for the local hotel.
‘You see, dear, that colour just won’t pop as much as it could, using that colour ribbon. I would definitely change it for the yellow. Nice spring tones. Hello, darling!’ Her mother spied her and set off rapidly, grabbing her in a too tight hug. Lily couldn’t breathe momentarily as her mother squeezed her, and Roger pretended to hang himself with a piece of peach-coloured ribbon behind her back. Lily mouthed ‘sorry’ at him and he blew her a kiss in response. All was forgiven obviously. If they could survive this visit, of course.
