Page 45 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

‘Yeah.’ His mouth pulled to one side. ‘I hope that doesn’t sound weird or entirely freak you out?’

She shook her head, still not certain where this was going.

‘And I wondered if maybe… you’d been thinking about me too?’

This time, she easily nodded her head, and he seemed to be buoyed by that small gesture. He went on, warming to his theme.

‘I’ve realised that I really quite like you, I mean, if you’re okay with that and, well… I just wanted to let you know. If that’s okay?’

As far as heartfelt declarations went, it wasn’t the most eloquent one she’d ever heard, but to Sophie it sounded like a romantic symphony.

‘Yes, that’s fine, absolutely fine because I’ve realised I like you too,’ she said, her gaze snagging on his, and that brief moment said so much more than any words could convey. ‘I’ve missed not seeing you,’ she admitted.

‘Really? Well, that’s great then. Perfect. And we’ll go out to dinner very soon. Right, well… I’ll leave you to go to work, but it’s been great seeing you again, Sophie.’ He leant forward to kiss her on the cheek, a light fleeting kiss that sent shivers down her spine, and after she saw him out of the front door, she realised a big smile had appeared on her face that she thought might possibly be still there by the time she arrived at work and would probably stay for the entire weekend too.

She was so pleased that they’d got all of that settled. He liked her and she liked him. And that was all that mattered for now, even though she knew it was only the beginning of something really special.

30

What an eventful couple of weeks it had been at Primrose Hall, with some horrible and unsettling lows, but also some special high moments too. Now, Pia could dare to hope that they might get back to some kind of normality, well, a different kind of normality at least.

Last Monday, Jackson had been given the news that he’d been dreading. He was told by his consultant that he required further surgery, which came as a huge blow to them both. Jackson saw it as a backwards step, but the consultant had insisted that it was absolutely essential and would be the quickest route to a full recovery. The operation was performed the following day and it wasn’t until the end of the week that he was told the operation had been a success and he could move on with his recovery in the form of intensive physiotherapy. He was discharged the next week with several follow-up appointments made to see the consultants, a physiotherapist and a hydrotherapist. He still faced a long road to recovery, between three and six months, and would need to use crutches in the intervening months, but they both knew that his rehabilitation would be given a boost by being at home.

With wonderful serendipity, Jackson arrived back at the hall a few hours before Ronnie and Rex, who had made the long journey home from France. With Tom at the wheel, they’d taken it slowly, spacing the journey over a couple of days, so as not to tire any of them out.

Pia joked that she had turned the ground floor of the hall into a very upmarket residential home, as she’d made up Rex’s room with new bed linen, fresh flowers and had put a water carafe and glass on his bedside table. In the other guest suite, she’d repurposed the room in a similar fashion for Jackson, as she knew he wouldn’t be able to make the trip up to the master bedroom anytime soon. Not that it mattered. Pia would be sleeping downstairs with Jackson until he could navigate the stairs and it had been such a joy to fall asleep alongside him again with her arm flung across his broad chest, soaking up his natural scent, the sound of his steady breathing in her ear sending her off to the most satisfying sleep she’d had in ages.

The following morning, Pia was filled with relief and gratitude to see Rex, Ronnie and Jackson sitting around her kitchen table as she pottered about preparing breakfast. There’d been several times recently when she thought that might never happen again.

‘Anyway, Jackson, I have a bone to pick with you. What’s all this about you not letting Pia tell us about your accident? We’re your parents and we need to know about these things.’

‘Sorry about that, but I didn’t want to worry you.’ At least Jackson had the grace to look sheepish. ‘It might have spoilt your holiday and I didn’t want you thinking you needed to rush back to see me. I know what you’re like, Mum. If it had been any more serious then of course Pia would have kept you informed, but we had it all under control, didn’t we, Pia?’

She flashed him a doubtful look, but she knew Ronnie understood what Jackson was like when he got a bee in his bonnet and that Pia would have had very little say in the matter.

‘Any more serious and you would have been dead, Jackson!’ Ronnie chastised him. ‘I hope you’ll be keeping all those bikes locked up in the garage from now on.’

‘He’s just bought another one.’ Pia sighed resignedly, although she’d given up trying to persuade him otherwise. She’d fallen in love with a man whose passion was for motorcycling, she could hardly expect him to change for her now. And she had to believe him when he told her that he would be especially careful from now on, although she couldn’t help feeling pleased that he wouldn’t be getting on a bike for several months at least, not until he was fully recovered from his injuries. It gave her a small respite from all that worry.

‘I was thinking, though,’ continued Pia, as she placed glasses out on the table and put out jugs of orange juice and apple juice, ‘it might have been a blessing in disguise that we didn’t tell you, otherwise we might have forever thought that the news of Jackson’s accident had something to do with your heart attack, Rex.’

‘Well, you needn’t have worried about that, love. I half expected something like this to happen, especially when you get to my age. I was hardly a health freak in my youth. It’s much more likely this was down to all the booze and fags I got through in my younger days.’ There was that irrepressible smile again that lit up the kitchen that Pia had been worried she might not see again. ‘Not that I have any regrets. You can’t live your life like that. Mind you, I’m a paragon of virtue now, and I’m off all those forbidden delights, including chocolates.’ He rolled his eyes dramatically.

‘And women, hopefully,’ said Ronnie dryly.

‘Definitely. I’m a one-woman man these days, and it just so happens that you’re the woman of my dreams.’

Ronnie shook her head, but it was evident to see how she beamed in the light of Rex’s words.

It was lovely to see the to-ing and fro-ing between them. She never believed she would say it, but Pia had missed their bickering, although since returning from France, she’d noticed there’d been a remarkable absence of that and now it was simply much better-natured teasing between them. Ronnie had moved into the guest suite to be with Rex, determined to keep a close eye on him all hours of the day. Whether or not she would move back out again into her cherished motorhome was anyone’s guess.

‘How are you feeling now, Rex?’ Pia asked him.

‘I feel good, relieved to still be here. I mean, I rattle with all the pills I’m taking, and I still get tired easily, but the doctors warned me about that. It’s probably going to take a bit of time to get back to where I was, but I’ll get there. Mentally, it’s been a bit of a wake-up call.’ He grew reflective for a moment. ‘It makes you realise that you’re not invincible and you’re not going to be around forever. It’s a sobering thought.’

‘Listen to me, Rex Moody, you’re not going anywhere. We haven’t had nearly enough time together yet so you can get any ideas of leaving me behind straight out of your head.’

Rex chuckled.

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