Page 26 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

She stood up too, surprised by his sudden urgency to leave, but then she supposed it was getting late. He placed his handson her upper arms and kissed her lightly on the cheek, which she took as an invitation and walked into his arms, wrapping her own around his chest, revelling in his natural masculine scent. She closed her eyes, savouring the brief moment. A hug between friends, that’s all it was. Although something resonated deep within her. For the first time since breaking up with Kyle, when she vowed that she would never get involved with another man again, she could envision a future for herself where that might possibly happen. There were some good men out there, men like Tom, and she was grateful to him for making her realise that.

18

Pia barely knew what day it was. Since Jackson had been taken into hospital, the days had merged into one and were busier than ever, filled with visits to the orthopaedic ward, fielding calls from well-wishers asking after Jackson’s progress and taking deliveries of gifts and home-cooked meals from friendly neighbours. If there was one thing that Jackson’s accident had taught her, it was that they were surrounded by a bunch of lovely people, all too willing to help out with emotional and practical support. This morning, before she nipped off on the first of her daily visits to the hospital, she had organised a meeting around the kitchen table with Tom, Frank, Mateo and Stu Rogers who had stepped in, as Jackson had suggested he might, to help with the organisation for Saturday. Ivy, the housekeeper, was in today and was on hand to make hot drinks and prepare cooked breakfasts for those who wanted them, which turned out to be every single person sitting around the table.

‘First of all, I want to say a big thank you from me and Jackson for rallying round to help us put on what promises to be a really exciting show at the weekend. I must admit I didn’t relish the idea of doing this by myself when I realised Jacksonwould be out of action, but now, with such a great team on board, I know we’re going to really smash it.’

‘It’s such a shame that Jackson will miss it, though,’ said Ivy, serving up plates of bacon and sausage rolls, which elicited appreciative groans from around the table. ‘I know how much he was looking forward to it.’

‘I’m going to make sure he doesn’t feel left out,’ Pia piped up. ‘I’ve promised that we’ll film some of the proceedings so that he can see everything that’s going on, the stalls, the visitors and the cars and bikes. It will almost be as though he’s here.’

Tom gave a wry smile.

‘He’s certainly still very hands-on, even from his hospital bed. I’m getting hourly texts from him with reminders of things that need to be done. I wish he would just lie back and concentrate on getting better. The show is in very safe hands, especially with Stu here as our chief adviser.’

‘It will be absolutely fine.’ Stu was in his late fifties, with closely cut white hair, a full moustache and piercing blue eyes that gave him the appearance of a film star from a bygone age. He’d arrived for today’s meeting on a 1969 Norton Commando bike, which had brought much admiration from the guys around the table, who had all wandered outside to take a closer look. Stu’s visits were always keenly anticipated because he would turn up in a different classic car or motorbike from his vast collection on each occasion. Pia knew if Jackson was here they probably wouldn’t have even started the meeting yet as he would have snagged the bike for himself and would be riding it around the grounds of the hall.

‘I think we’re in pretty good shape for the weekend,’ said Stu. ‘All the hard work and preparation has been done already by Jackson, Pia and now Tom, so it’s just a case of bringing everything together on the day. I’ll be on site early on Saturday morning with Tom and we will make sure the stewards knowwhere everything is and what they should be doing and we can deal with any queries as they arise.’

‘I’ve printed out a copy of the schedule of events, the site map and the timetable for the day, and I’ll keep a copy here in this folder.’ Pia picked up the blue lever-arch file from the table. ‘So if anyone needs to refer to it on the day then it will be easily accessible.’

‘Might be worth having a walk round the grounds after we’re finished here,’ said Tom, ‘so we can get a better idea of where the different displays will be and where we need to put up the signage for parking, etc.’

‘Good idea,’ said Stu.

Pia felt a huge sense of relief now that everything was coming together and she had utter faith in Stu and Tom to oversee the smooth running of the day. There was a small part of her that was even looking forward to welcoming all the visitors to the hall and being part of the hubbub, soaking up the atmosphere, but she knew it wouldn’t be the same without Jackson at her side. Regardless, she and the rest of the team were all determined to make it a success for Jackson’s sake more than their own. After Pia finished her breakfast, she pushed back her chair and stood up.

‘Look, I have some calls and emails to see to before I head down to the hospital so do you mind if I sit the tour out? If there’s anything important then just call me or come and find me. Thanks for everything, guys,’ she called, as they walked out the kitchen door. ‘I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all your help.’

‘Send Jackson our love when you see him, won’t you?’

With Ivy clearing the crockery from the table and loading the dishwasher, Pia pulled out her phone from her back pocket. She felt surgically attached to it at the moment, desperate as she was not to miss any calls from the hospital or Jackson, but thistime it was a new email that made her heart stop momentarily in her chest.Ronnie!Seeing Jackson’s mum’s name light up on her phone made Pia feel nauseous. Ordinarily, she loved to hear their latest news, how she and Rex were spending their days in the sunny south of France, the people they’d met, the food they’d been eating. Ronnie was always so expansive in her descriptions that it was easy for Pia to imagine being there with the pair of them, enjoying a glass of wine as they took in a beautiful sunset, but now the joy of living vicariously through Ronnie’s texts and photos was tainted, knowing that she wasn’t being entirely honest with her soon to be mother-in-law. What if Ronnie had heard the news about Jackson’s accident from someone else? She would be furious and demanding to know why Pia had kept something so important from them both. With a sense of trepidation, Pia opened up the email to see a long and chatty message filled with emojis and exclamation marks. At least Ronnie was still talking to her, for the moment at least.

We were going to head off to Cannes to do a bit of hobnobbing, but we’ve decided to stay here for a few more days. It’s such a beautiful spot and besides Rex has picked up some bug and is feeling a little under the weather. We’ll wait until he’s feeling better and then we’ll pick up our travels again. That’s the wonderful thing about this trip, we’re under no pressure to be anywhere at any specific time, we can just take it at our leisure. Gives me the perfect excuse to sit out in my sun chair and read the rest of my book – as if I needed any excuse!

I wonder how you’re all doing at Primrose Hall? We miss you all terribly of course. We were thinking how you would all be so busy getting ready for the big show this weekend. I know Rex is very disappointed that he won’t be there and he even suggested we jump on a plane back so that we could be part of the celebrations – I think he was only half joking! Soyou must take lots of photographs for us, especially of all the cars, I know Rex is desperate to see them all.

Pia could imagine Rex feeling left out at not being able to attend the show with his sons. Last year, along with Jackson, he’d been in his element, taking his time to view all the displays, getting down onto his haunches to see the cars from every possible angle. Father and son had spent the day in conversation with all the other motor heads, the pair of them never happier. They could never have known then that neither of them would be able to attend this year’s show. Pia scrolled through the photos of Ronnie and Rex, which brought a smile to her face. Hopefully, next year, all three of the Moody men could be together at the show.

Of course, I have been texting Jackson, but he never replies to me, but what’s new? Good job I have you there to keep me up to date with the comings and goings at Primrose Hall or else we’d be completely in the dark!

Pia flinched and actually recoiled from the phone as though it might self-combust in her hands. Jackson had been through a dreadful experience and was still suffering a lot of pain from his injuries, but it wasn’t fair that he expected her to lie on his behalf. She felt torn between her loyalty to Jackson and to his parents. Jackson was always so persuasive, but she knew in their shoes, she would definitely want to know what was going on and would be deeply hurt to be deceived in that way when they finally discovered the truth. The show was uppermost in everyone’s mind at the moment, but as soon as it was over, she would sit down with Jackson and insist that he tell his parents. If he wasn’t prepared to do that then she would be compelled to tell them instead.

I’ll stay in touch, obviously *tongue out emoji*

Pia smiled at that. She didn’t want to think of a time when Ronnie wouldn’t be dashing off her frequent bulletins as she always looked forward to receiving her funny and informative updates.

Can we pencil in a Zoom call for Sunday morning over breakfast so that you can tell us all the news from the show? It will be lovely to see you – I miss your gorgeous faces! – and we’ll be able to imagine that we’re actually there with you in the kitchen.

Pia placed the phone back in her pocket. Well, she would hardly be able to refuse Ronnie’s request. They’d had a video call a couple of weeks ago so it was probably about time for another one. Although there would be one glaring problem with this particular upcoming call. There would be no Jackson around and there would be no hiding that fact either. It would be the first thing Ronnie would ask and Pia had no intention of lying. Omitting to mention the small detail of Jackson’s accident was one thing, but to lie outright to Rex and Ronnie’s faces was something she wasn’t prepared to do.

She would reply to Ronnie later, she decided, heading for the office. She tried to take her mind off the conundrum by opening up her laptop and seeing to the long list of other emails waiting in her inbox. With everything that had happened this week, she’d got behind with all the admin, as her days were punctuated with visits to the hospital and replying to all the well-wishers asking after Jackson’s condition. Of course, her sole focus had been on Jackson, and secondly the car show, checking and double checking all the arrangements to make sure she hadn’t overlooked anything. Once the weekend was over,she would be able to pick up all those other items that she had been neglecting, like the arrangements for the literary festival, which was the next big event on the social calendar, and then the bonfire night extravaganza, before the Christmas carols in December. Would they really have time to fit in a wedding as well?

‘Eugh!’ Pia exclaimed, more in frustration than anything else, and Bertie and Teddy both looked up at her to see if it was anything they could help with.

She couldn’t settle to anything as her mind was filled with thoughts of Jackson, of Rex and Ronnie, the car show and everything else that needed organising. If Jackson was likely to be out of action for several months then something might have to give and the obvious candidate for that was the wedding, which could easily be postponed until the following year. She sat back in her twirly office chair, a finger to her chin, her gaze drinking in the amazing view of the tall and imposing trees of Primrose Woods, and was grateful for the interruption from Ivy.

‘You have a visitor. Katy’s here with the children. She said she’s not stopping, but just wanted to check that you’re okay.’

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