Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage

It was all so much to take in. In the space of one short day she’d found an idyllic home, and it looked like it was hers for the taking.

When she’d taken a temporary job at the school in Langtry Meadows, Lucy had had no intention of hanging around. She liked working in Birmingham, and as soon as the opportunity arose she’d be back there like a flash. Which was why she’d let her home out. But the village had got under her skin, and she’d soon found herself accepting the permanent position that Timothy Parry, the headmaster had offered. Now it was hard to imagine living anywhere else.

‘That’s fantastic!’ Charlie paused, his eyes searching her face. ‘Isn’t it?’

‘Well yes …’

‘But?’ He frowned. ‘You’ve take a permanent job on here, and you can’t live in this place for ever, can you? I mean, what happens when Annie comes back? Selling yours means you can afford to look for a place, doesn’t it?’

Which was true, Annie had planned to be away for at least a year, but beyond that who knew? That had been fine when she’d only planned on staying a term, but it was a rather different situation now. She’d already been in Langtry Meadows for six months, what if Annie and her husband were back next spring? ‘Well yes, I mean I have got a job. But the school’s still got an uncertain future, even knowing it’s not on the list they’re considering closing this year.’ And it was the final step. Letting go of the security blanket that had cloaked her insecurities of the past.

‘That could be the same anywhere.’ His voice was gentle, with a question at the end of it. ‘What’s the real problem, don’t you want it to work out?’ The way he said it, the way he was looking at her with that slightly unsure edge to his voice, said it all.

He knew, they both knew, that the problem wasn’t just about letting go of the dreams she’d put in place to protect herself – the big school, challenging kids, promotion prospects. It was him. Charlie Davenport, and his daughter Maisie. Them.

Or more specifically, it was Josie. What would happen when Maisie’s mum came back?

It would break her heart if Charlie moved on, and she couldn’t follow. And it would be beyond awful if Josie moved back to the area, and made things difficult for them.

‘Of course.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘I do want it to work out.’ Those gorgeous brown eyes of his were studying her intently. He cared, she knew he cared, but that didn’t alter anything. ‘But it is complicated, isn’t it?’

He nodded. ‘It might be.’ She knew he’d understand, know she wasn’t just talking about houses, jobs. ‘But nothing we can’t handle.’

Lucy hoped so. ‘Well,’ she paused, ‘the other bit of my strange day,’ how much drama could a girl cram into one short day? ‘One of the little cottages opposite the green has just come up for sale. I could buy it.’

‘Wow,’ Charlie sat back, and ran his fingers through his hair, ‘you have had a busy day! But that’s perfect timing, isn’t it?’

She nodded slowly. ‘It’s gorgeous too, but, well, should I wait until …’ It was a massive step. She should do it, just for her. But he was part of her life.

He put his glass down, and gave her a funny lopsided grin which she didn’t quite understand. ‘Wait? Why? So you don’t want to commit to life here? I thought …’

‘You thought?’

‘Well, me and you, I thought you’d be around to help me with Maisie, and for, well, us.’

She felt like he was squeezing her heart. ‘I do want to be here for us.’ She wrapped her arms round him. Rested her forehead against his. ‘I do.’ But what if the immediate future didn’t have a Charlie and Lucy shaped gap? Loving Charlie was one thing, but coming between him and Maisie was something she’d never want to do. ‘But should I wait until Josie comes back, until we know …’

Charlie shook his head, his forehead brushing against hers, his dark gaze hitting her head on. ‘Josie’s dictated to me for long enough. You know Maisie means the world to me, I’ll never give her up, but you mean the world to me too, whatever we need to do to make this work we will. Yes? Do it, if it’s what you want to do?’

She nodded, looking at him through the tears she hadn’t realised had sprung into her eyes. ‘It is.’

‘Good.’ Then not even glancing up to check whether Maisie was nearby, he kissed her.

Chapter 3 (#u00bf11a6-4a10-5799-82d0-ce36c65c3a7e)

‘I wondered where you were!’ Jill smiled at Maisie, who was kneeling down in the playground, clutching Roo to her chest. The tears that had been building in her big brown eyes spilled over, as she sensed the inevitable. Her grip tightened on the little dog. ‘I need your help, Maisie.’

Lucy stood back. Yesterday morning, the little girl had been more than a little reluctant to leave her dad and dog, and she was sure there had been a muttered ‘you’re not my mummy’, so today she had decided to use different tactics.

‘Our guinea pig isn’t at all well, and I’m sure somebody told me you were the best person to help. But, if they’re wrong I can always ask one of the other children.’ Maisie’s grip loosened on the dog, and she stood up, taking the hand that Jill was holding out.

Lucy could practically see the whoosh of tension leave Charlie’s body as his daughter disappeared into the school building.

‘Morning.’ Lucy smiled at Charlie. ‘You’ll go bald if you’re not careful.’

He gave a wry smile, but stopped running his fingers through his hair.

The first few days of the new school year had been chaotic and Lucy had been glad the term had started on a Wednesday and they hadn’t had a full week to cope with. The children, and staff, had been exhausted by the end of Friday. And now they were already into the second week, and were starting to settle into a routine. Apart from Maisie.

‘She seemed fine last week, but this week …’ He shrugged, looking at a loss.

‘I know. She was very quiet over the weekend though. She’s bright Charlie, she was mulling it over.’

‘I thought bringing Roo with us might help, but if anything it’s made her worse.’ The little terrier looked up at the sound of his name, and Lucy patted his head.

‘She’d be hanging on to you if Roo wasn’t here. She’ll be okay, honest. She just needs time, and Jill will keep a close eye on her.’

‘I hope so.’

The school bell rang, and the last of the children started to make their way towards the entrance door. ‘Shoo, go, and make sure you bring Roo with you when you pick her up!’

‘I wanted to bring Roo in to school.’ Maisie was looking down at the desk, and Lucy knew it was to hide the shine of tears. ‘Roo will be sad.’

‘I’m sure he will.’ Lucy squatted down. ‘Daddy will look after him though, and he’ll be very happy to see you this afternoon, won’t he?’

‘Daddy’s busy.’ She gave a large theatrical sigh, but Lucy was glad to see that the threat of tears seemed to have abated. ‘He’s always busy. Why can’t dogs come to school?’

She was just trying to formulate the best answer to that, when Rosie chipped in. ‘They can.’ She was doodling away industriously at what looked like a picture of a sheep, or it could have been a legless dog, or even a very hairy guinea pig, and didn’t even look up. ‘Our other teacher let us have a pet day. We always have one. I brought my rat in. Do you like my picture, Miss?’

Lucy stared, and wondered if looking at it from a different angle would help. ‘Very good, I thought we were all drawing our favourite animals?’

‘He is.’ She scribbled harder until the point of her pencil snapped off. ‘He’s the furry caterpillar I found on the fence on holiday, he was enormous.’ She picked up a brown crayon. ‘We stayed in a big caravan. But Mummy wouldn’t let me bring him home. That’s why,’ she glanced up at Lucy, ‘I’ll have to bring our rat to pet day. It’s pet day tomorrow, isn’t it Miss?’ She nodded at Maisie knowledgeably. ‘You can bring Roo, as long as he’s not going to try and eat my rat.’

Lucy looked up at Jill, who shrugged apologetically, then pointed to the large calendar.

How on earth had she forgotten that tomorrow was pet day?

‘My mam says caterpillars are a bleeding nuisance.’

‘Sophie, we don’t say that, do we?’

‘A bleeding’ she paused, and frowned, ‘pest. They eat our lettuces.’

‘I wish my mummy was here.’

Lucy put an arm round Maisie, swallowing down the lump in her throat. She remembered wishing her dad had been there when she wasn’t that much older than Maisie. The little girl was only six, what kind of mother just upped and left her child for six months? Josie had to have a good reason, she had to. ‘Draw her a lovely picture of Roo, and you can show her on skype can’t you? I’m sure she’s missing you and Roo.’

‘Lunch time meeting.’ Liz Potts stuck her head round the door, then was off before either Lucy or Jill had time to question her.