Page 37 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

Today, though, she was going to do very little. She deserved a rest after the week she’d had so she climbed out of bed, eschewed a shower and instead ran a warm flannel over her body, tied her hair up in a ponytail and then pulled on her jeans and a fresh T-shirt. She padded downstairs, closely followedby the dogs, and let them out into the secure garden to one side of the kitchen. While Bertie and Teddy happily mooched around outside, she put on some coffee and rifled around in the various cake tins to see what was left over from yesterday. She found some cinnamon buns and popped one on a plate to have with her coffee when it was ready. Ordinarily on a Sunday morning Jackson would head out on his bike to collect the papers and when he came back he would get started on cooking a full English breakfast with sausages, eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomatoes, hash browns, baked beans and plenty of toast. Sometimes it would be just the two of them but more often than not they would have some of the others from the extended Primrose Hall family sitting around the table to enjoy a long and leisurely brunch. Mateo, Rex, Ronnie, Tom and anyone else who might be visiting. Pia had taken those happy occasions for granted. Now she wondered when they might all be gathered around the kitchen table again for a meal.

After finishing off her tasty bun, she jumped up and out of her seat with a sense of purpose. She couldn’t sit there all day mooning over what had happened. It already had and she would just have to deal with the new reality. Nothing would seem normal until Jackson was back home again.

Walking in the grounds of Primrose Hall always lifted Pia’s mood and the dogs bouncing their way across the grass never failed to make her smile. It was funny to think that yesterday the place was brimming with cars and visitors, and now it was almost restored to its normal sense of peace and calm. Mateo would have a bit of work to do in making good those bits of the lawns that had been churned up by tyres, but she knew that it would soon be back looking its best for the next tranche of visitors.

Today, with plenty of time on her hands, and after doing a sweep of the grounds, she wandered along the boundary pathand went through the old gate that led into Primrose Woods. The dogs skipped ahead, knowing the route, and they bounded off with their snouts to the ground, picking up on the latest scents, their tails wagging happily into the distance. Sunday mornings were probably the busiest time in the woods with families and couples making the most of the park, by walking one of the various routes, visiting the sculpture trail or simply going to the cafe for tea and cake. Runners pounded the paths as well and Pia loved to see all aspects of life within the tall embrace of the trees. It reaffirmed to her that life went on as normal, even if her world had been delivered a bit of a blow this week.

At the lake, Pia sat on one of the benches and threw sticks into the shallow edges of the water. The dogs loved running in and out to fetch them, their enthusiasm for the task never waning, often rewarding Pia with the return of the stick and a full-on shake of their bodies, spraying her with water. Her thoughts strayed to Jackson, as they invariably did, and how he might be feeling today. She could understand his frustration. Jackson had never been the sort of person to sit still at home for long. He was always on the move, never happier than when Mateo or Frank needed some physical help in the grounds, seeing to a fallen tree, or a loose roof tile, or anything that required him to get his hands dirty. She only hoped that his injuries would heal properly so that he could get back to doing all those activities he loved doing best.

With the dogs now happily occupied playing with a couple of spaniels who had joined in the fun and games, Pia pulled out her phone and looked through the string of messages. They were mainly from people asking for the latest update on Jackson’s progress. There was one from Tom asking if she needed any help today, and another from her brother Connor giving an update on Ruby, who was ‘fat and fed up’, her words apparently, and who was impatient for their baby to arrive. Then came a whole flurryof photos of her little goddaughter, Willow, sent from Abbey. Scrolling through the pictures made Pia’s heart swell. She still couldn’t quite believe that this gorgeous little baby would be playing an important part in her life now and Pia felt so grateful that she’d been offered the privilege.

In fact, Pia was reminded in so many different ways how much they had to feel grateful for. They were surrounded by friends and colleagues who really cared about them and who wanted to help out in any way they could. It was a revelation to Pia because in all the years she had acted as a carer to her mum and dad in their final years, her world had been quite insular, mainly confined to the four walls at Meadow Cottages, and occasional trips to the supermarket, the GP surgeries and hospital visits. Coming to Primrose Hall had opened up her circle, bringing her into contact with such a wide range of people, some of whom had become really good friends and enriched her life in a way she could never have imagined.

Now her attention was distracted by a commotion in the water with a lot of galumphing legs, barks and yelps, the pool party looking as though it might be getting out of hand with the arrival of three high-energy Vizlas, who looked determined to take the proceedings to another level entirely. Wanting to avoid that possibility and the inevitable fallout, Pia called, ‘Bertie! Teddy! Come on.’

Thankfully they came at the sound of their names and she slipped on their leads so they wouldn’t get any ideas about sloping off again. It was only as she was walking back towards the hall, her mind replaying those text messages she’d received, that she suddenly remembered there was someone in particular who she hadn’t heard from and the realisation made her come to an abrupt halt there on the shaded path beneath the trees. How strange. Why hadn’t she heard from Ronnie? A sense of unease rose in her chest as she pulled out the phone from her pocketand quickly looked to see when she’d last heard from her. That was it! It was yesterday afternoon in the middle of the show.

Greetings from the French Riviera! We’re thinking of you all today and we’re just sorry that we’ll be missing out on the fun. I bet Jackson will be in his element! Will catch up with you tomorrow over breakfast. Sending lots of love.Xx

‘Shit!’ Pia exclaimed aloud, attracting strange looks from a couple of dog walkers who happened to be passing at that precise moment. She marched on at a faster speed now, furious with herself for forgetting that she was supposed to be having a call this morning with Rex and Ronnie. With everything else that had been going on in the last twenty-four hours, it had completely slipped her mind. The thing was she couldn’t see any missed calls from this morning on her phone, so why hadn’t Ronnie been in touch? Had she somehow found out about Jackson’s accident? It was entirely possible. Any one of the hundreds of visitors to the hall yesterday could have mentioned it, in a text message, without even thinking twice about it. It was probably most likely one of Rex’s pals, messaging him about the car show, and then casually mentioning Jackson’s star appearance in a wheelchair.

What must they have thought, being hundreds of miles away from home, hearing that their son had been involved in a serious road traffic accident over a week ago? Pia cursed herself for not sorting out the situation sooner. She knew it was a bad idea not to tell his parents about the accident and now it looked as though her worst fears had been realised. Ronnie would be worried, anxious and panicky, and she would have every right to be furious at Pia, but what Pia couldn’t understand is why she hadn’t heard from Ronnie in person. It wasn’t like Ronnie not toget straight on the phone and demand to know what was going on. Perhaps she’d been trying Jackson’s phone instead and had already spoken to him. A swirl of conflicting thoughts assaulted Pia’s mind. Probably the most likely explanation was that when Ronnie and Rex had heard the news about the accident, from whatever source, they’d jumped straight back into the van, abandoned their trip and were, at this moment, heading back to Primrose Hall to see their injured son.

Pia literally ran home, the dogs looking up at her to see what all the excitement was about. When they reached the kitchen, she took a moment to steady her breathing, and poured herself a glass of water from the tap, all the time preparing herself to have the conversation with Ronnie that she should have had much sooner. She was worried that Rex and Ronnie would be making the long drive home on unfamiliar roads, in a state of tiredness and heightened anxiety, which wasn’t ideal. If anything should happen to them then she would never forgive herself. It would definitely be her responsibility. Jackson had told her not to tell his parents that he was in hospital, but on something as important as this, she should have trusted her own instincts. Rex and Ronnie would feel rightly let down by Pia, but she hoped they would understand once she had the chance to explain. The last thing she wanted was to fallout with her future in-laws. That would be the worst possible start to married life.

She couldn’t put it off a moment longer. She picked up the phone and called Ronnie, not really expecting her to pick up, imagining she would be driving, her concentration fixed on getting them both home safely as quickly as she could.

‘Oh, Pia!’ Ronnie answered immediately and, just hearing the breathy exclamation of those two words, Pia could tell she was consumed with emotion. ‘I was just going to phone you. It’s awful, really awful.’ Her voice wobbled as she continued. ‘It’s been such a shock and I just didn’t know what to do.’

Pia needed to stay strong. She’d had a whole week to come to terms with what had happened to Jackson, but poor Ronnie was away from home and had obviously just discovered the news that would shake her world. Despite their difficult relationship in earlier years, Pia knew just how much Ronnie loved and cherished her son.

‘It’ll be fine, Ronnie. We’ll get through this. Tell me where you are. You’re not driving, are you?’

‘No, no.’ Ronnie sound completely flustered. ‘We’re at the hospital.’

‘What, already?’ They must have driven through the night to get there so soon. That would have been a rude early-morning awakening for Jackson, finding his worried parents at his bedside.

‘Yes, Pia, that’s the thing. Rex has had a heart attack and he’s in with the doctors now. Look, I have to go, the doctor’s calling me through. I’ll let you know as soon as I find out any more information.’

25

Tom woke early on Sunday morning, feeling rather pleased with himself that he’d managed to exercise some self-control last night. Watching Sophie from across the other side of the table, seeing her animated as she chatted with Josh, catching a glimpse of her long, slender neck as she threw back her head in laughter, had only confirmed that his feelings for her were growing in a way that he couldn’t have anticipated. Had he known what was coming, he might have been able to do something to stop it, but he realised far too late. Those feelings had seeped their way beneath his skin and looked as though they had no intention of moving on.

There was nothing he would have liked more than to stay in the pub, chatting to the traders, ending up as he had on previous occasions, alone with Sophie. Not that it would have been a problem in itself, it was just he didn’t want her thinking that he had any expectations of her. Trouble was it had been such a long time, years in fact, since he’d been in this situation, that he had to wonder how to act around a woman he found attractive, one that he would definitely want to know better. When he stopped to think about it, he didn’t have the first idea of the best wayto navigate their friendship. Was it too soon to be entertaining thoughts of taking his relationship with Sophie in a more personal direction? And what if she didn’t want that? Perhaps she only enjoyed his company as a friend and would be mortified if he was to suggest anything more. He would rather not make an ill-thought-out move that would do anything to alter the course of their easy friendship which he so valued. Did that mean he was destined to keep his feelings to himself forever?

Tom sighed, and shook his head at his own ineptitude. Maybe he was overthinking the whole thing.

He tried to imagine Jackson in the same situation and couldn’t. Jackson oozed confidence and conviction from his every pore. If there was something he wanted in his life, then he simply went all out for it. He clearly wasn’t plagued with doubts. He was one to make a decision and stick to it, regardless of the outcome. A smile crept across Tom’s face, wondering if Jackson held any guilt over his antics yesterday. Somehow he doubted it. Life was too short for regrets as far as Jackson was concerned.

Maybe Tom should channel some of his younger brother’s drive and ambition, but then Tom had come to realise that despite the physical similarities they shared, their personalities were different in many ways. Was that a result of their contrasting upbringings or just reflective of their inherent personalities? It was hard to know.

He flicked the kettle on, spooned coffee into a mug and poured the water when it was boiled, stirring the spoon around aimlessly. God, this flat depressed him. It was small and cramped with no natural light and lacked any kind of personal touches. He hadn’t done a thing to it since the day he moved in about a year ago now with only his laptop, his clothes and some new bedding that he’d hastily picked up at the local supermarket. The flat was only ever meant as a stop-gap solution. He’d initially taken it on a three-month let, renewingthe lease a couple of times since, but in recent weeks he’d realised that he couldn’t stay there much longer. He needed something bigger, with some outside space, somewhere he could put down roots and make his own mark. He suspected it was Sophie who was behind his desire to make some changes and move on in his life. It would be good to have somewhere he could invite friends round for a relaxed supper or a morning coffee or a glass of wine in the garden. Somewhere he could curl up on the sofa with a girlfriend.

Spending time with Jackson and Pia had shown him how a good relationship worked, the easy conversation and laughter that spilled between them, and the many benefits of living with someone you truly loved, who shared in your life plans. A constant and reassuring presence at your side.

He could definitely imagine something similar for himself now, so maybe he needed to start making plans to find somewhere more permanent to live, even if that might mean taking on a full-time job to fund the new lifestyle.

Being a Tom of all trades and dividing his hours among incidental jobs that came his way offered some advantages. It meant that he could pick and choose his own work hours, he didn’t have to spend the best part of his week travelling the length of the country to visit clients and he didn’t have the stresses that came with a demanding career, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t miss the money and perks that he’d enjoyed with his previous job.

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