Page 41 of The Wisteria Tree Cottage

Dan carried on talking about his love of trains and different trains he’d been on for the full three minutes, barely pausing to draw breath. The bell rang and he enthusiastically shook her hand before moving on to poor Heather.

Another man slipped into the seat opposite and Meadow plastered on a big smile as the bell rang for the start of their date.

‘Hi, I’m Meadow.’

‘I’m Steve.’

‘And what book did you bring with you?’

Her heart sank as he held up a book about pigeons.

CHAPTERTWENTY-FOUR

The bell rang to indicate her latest mini date had ended and Meadow’s heart leapt when she realised her next mini date was with Bear.

‘Hey, how’s it going?’ Bear asked, giving her a warm smile as he sat down.

‘Well, the first man walked out of the whole event after three minutes with me. The secondlovedtrains more than life itself. The third man had that same love for pigeons. Patrick, he was the fifth I think, maybe the sixth. He seemed nice.’

Bear pulled a face. ‘We need someone better for you than justnice.You need to find someone who makes your heart race, someone amazing and brilliant who you’re excited to meet again.’

Meadow sighed because there had only ever been one man who made her feel like that.

He reached across the table and took her hand. ‘You need to be with someone who will hold your hand on a date, someone who will listen to you, encourage you in your dreams, someone who will dance with you to your favourite song.’

Her heart thundered against her chest. She swallowed, remembering her perfect date the night before. ‘I would like that very much.’

He stared at her, then glanced at his watch, cursing under his breath.

‘What book did you choose?’ Bear said.

Meadow blinked at the sudden U-turn in the conversation. Although he was the first person to ask about her book. She showed him the accompanying book from the TV seriesHedgerows and Woodlandsand he laughed as he showed her the exact same book.

‘I love nature but growing up in Wishing Wood you kind of take it all for granted sometimes,’ Bear said. ‘I love watching this programme with you and Star. It was so interesting and seeing Star’s passion and enthusiasm for it made it all the more enjoyable and made me look at our wildlife with new eyes.’

Meadow’s heart filled for him. He had chosen that book because he had watched it with her and Star.

‘Same. I love that show,’ she said. ‘I could watch it a hundred times over and not get bored. I thought this book was a good way to show my passion for the world we live in and particular the wildlife. Did I see you buy another book? A black and white one?’

‘Yes,’ Bear rummaged in his bag. ‘I bought you this.’

He placed a copy ofHow to Make a Dressby Jenny Packham in front of her and Meadow let out a little gasp.

‘It’s not an instruction manual or anything like that, I know you’re more than capable of making your own dress. It’s kind of part memoir and an exploration of dresses through the ages. It talks about her inspirations and her experiences,’ Bear said.

Meadow nodded. ‘I know this book, I’ve wanted to read this book. How did you know?’

‘You said that Jenny Packham was your guru so I figured you might like this.’

Meadow stared at it, her breath catching in her throat. ‘This is… wonderful, thank you.’

Bear shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal but it was. One throwaway comment she’d made the night before and he’d listened and remembered. This was such a thoughtful gift.

Suddenly the bell rang to indicate their three minutes were up and Meadow wanted to wail. She wanted longer with him.

Bear got up and made to move on but Meadow suddenly leapt up and threw her arms around him. He froze for a second and then wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight.

‘Thank you, this is a beautiful gift, you have no idea what this means to me,’ Meadow said.

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