Page 6 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

‘Not especially, although it’s always good to catch up with my little bro!’ he said, laughing.

‘Come on,’ said Pia, slipping her arm through Tom’s. ‘Let’s go and see who’s arrived. I didn’t realise I would be quite so excited about the craft fairs starting up again.’

Pia and Tom had got together earlier in the week to talk through what Tom would be doing. She’d shown him around the buildings, where the extra furniture was kept, and most importantly where the tea and coffee supplies were in the small kitchen. She’d handed over the folder containing details of all the traders with their contact details and today she would introduce him to each of them in turn.

In some ways, she would be sad to relinquish responsibility for the craft days. She’d been there from the very first one when they didn’t know how popular they might prove to be and if it would just be a one-off event, or if they might consider running them every month. That first Sunday had proved such a hit with the customers and the traders that they’d pencilled in further dates in the diary by the end of the afternoon. Word spread locally and beyond and soon it was a regular feature on the Primrose Hall social calendar, and so popular that they’d taken the decision to run them even more frequently this year.

‘Let me show you the book exchange.’ Pia directed Tom to one of the stables that had been converted into a mini-library, with shelves of books organised into different genres; crime, romance, historical, non-fiction and children’s. ‘This started out as a temporary feature when the library at the village hall was closed down. The library was a real lifeline to me when myparents were ill. I used to wander down there for a brief respite and pick up some books for us all. I always felt lifted by just spending some time away from the house, flicking through the pages of the books which held all sorts of promises. That’s why I wanted to provide a local facility for those people affected by the village hall closure. People can come here and bring any books that they no longer need and swap them for something we have on the shelves. It’s proved to be very popular. When we started out, we had one small bookcase of paperbacks, but as word spread, our stocks grew and grew, and just look at it now. You can see how much it’s grown. So much so that I open up on a Wednesday afternoon as well. That’s when the kids come in with their parents on their way home from school. I love seeing the children’s excited faces and hearing them talk about the characters as though they are their friends. They always go away clutching another pile of books, it’s great. So do spread the word and tell people that we’re open on a Wednesday afternoon as well.’

Pia introduced Tom to the traders as they arrived, and he tried to make mental reminders of their faces so he could match each of them to their names. He was sure, given a couple of weeks, everything would fall into place.

‘You’ll remember Sophie, won’t you?’ Pia prompted him.

They’d arrived at the stable unit at the far end of the block and a woman with warm brown hair tied up in a messy bun turned to greet them. She was wearing loose denim dungarees over a white shirt. Her face lit up in a smile.

‘Hello!’

It caused Tom only the briefest moment of panic, before he realised exactly who the attractive woman was.

‘Hello, Sophie, it’s good to see you again. Although I’m afraid you’ll have to deal with me on these Sundays now, rather than Pia.’

He’d met Sophie once before, on Christmas Day. She was a last-minute guest at the dinner table at Primrose Hall and they’d sat next to each other, enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Jackson and Pia. He would go so far to say, if asked, that her company had made the day, which was the first time he’d spent Christmas with his biological family, even more special than he could have anticipated. They’d laughed so much, although how much that was down to the free-flowing wine and the silly games of charades, he didn’t know.

‘Really?’ Now, Sophie turned her attention to Pia, a quizzical look on her face.

‘Yes, it’s true. I’m passing on the reins to Tom, who I know will do a fantastic job, but it is quite a wrench. This project was my baby, but I’m just pleased that it’s up and running, and will continue to thrive.’

Pia must have noticed the disappointed expression on Sophie’s face because she quickly added, ‘Don’t worry, you won’t be able to get rid of me that easily. I’ll be popping down all the time and you’ve got my number if you need to contact me. In fact, we’re well overdue a catch-up, aren’t we? I’ll pop back over the lunchtime lull and you can tell me all your news.’

Sophie looked marginally appeased. She certainly remembered Tom from Christmas Day. What an unexpectedly joyful day it had been and Tom had been easy and enjoyable company. She recalled feeling full of turkey, trimmings and a big dollop of goodwill, and more than a bit merry at the end of the day. Despite her misgivings, she’d been pleased that she’d acted spontaneously in accepting the invitation in Pia’s early-morning text asking her to join them for lunch. Greta and her family had travelled up north on Christmas Eve to visit relatives so the alternative for Sophie was a ready meal for one in front of the telly.

Now she felt a pang of disappointment hearing that Pia wouldn’t be her first port of contact at the stables. It was Pia who had held her hand and given her a rallying pep talk when Sophie arrived for that first time. She’d had a bit of a wobble, hijacked by nerves, and had been close to walking away, so she would always be grateful to Pia for encouraging her to stay and supporting her that day.

‘Here’s my details, Sophie.’ Tom handed over his business card. ‘Any problems at all, just give me a call.’ He flashed her a smile and Sophie was reminded of how similar he was to his brother, Jackson. They shared the same bone structure and strong Roman nose, but Tom’s features were softer around the edges than Jackson’s, making him appear friendlier and more approachable. The short time that Sophie had spent with him on Christmas Day had only confirmed that impression, so maybe it wouldn’t be such a hardship having him around instead of Pia, especially as she knew she and Pia would keep in touch anyway. From the first moment they met, the two women, who were both in their late twenties, had hit it off immediately, striking up a genuine friendship, and they had kept in contact since through texts and emails. There was no way they would lose touch now.

If there was one thing Sophie had learnt in recent months, it was how much she valued her female friendships, which had seen her through some of the most difficult times of her life. As for men, well, one in particular had caused her enough heartbreak and stress to last her a lifetime. She could certainly do without that kind of hassle ever again so if she was destined to be single for the foreseeable future then she was more than happy with that state of affairs.

7

The whole idea behind getting Tom to oversee the running of the craft fairs at the stables was so Pia could have at least one day off in her working week. Not that she’d instigated the plan. That was all down to Jackson. If it were up to her then she would be more than happy to continue because the craft Sundays had always been so much fun. It didn’t seem like work to her at all, but Jackson had been insistent.

‘You can’t be working seven days a week, Pia. Your workload has increased hugely anyway because of the number of events we’re now running and while I understand that it’s difficult to let go of something that you feel so passionately about, something has to give and this seems like the obvious solution.’

She hadn’t argued with him, because ultimately she knew that it made sense, especially as Jackson would want to get away some weekends, either for a visit to London for dinner and a show, or else to travel to a classic car show around the country. She enjoyed those special times spent together away from the hall, and knowing the stables would be in safe hands would make it all the better for relaxing. Although, as much as she enjoyed getting away on short breaks, she relished getting homeall the more, to see to the animals and to be at the place where she was at her happiest.

Today, though, when it was handover day to Tom, she had the perfect excuse for hanging around at the stables just in case she might be needed. She’d sloped off for a short while after she’d introduced Tom to everyone, to share breakfast with Jackson, having heard his bike make its noisy arrival down the main driveway. He’d come back with the Sunday papers and dropped them on the kitchen table, before reaching into the cupboard to pull out the frying pan to make a start on the cooked breakfast which was a staple part of their Sundays these days.

‘It’s so lovely to see everyone again,’ Pia told Jackson. ‘They all seem really pleased to be back, and Tom is wandering around chatting to everyone as though he’s always been part of the team. I hope we get a reasonable turnout today.’ They’d done some advertising on local websites and had emailed everyone who had signed up to the newsletter, but Pia felt the same sense of nervousness as she had the very first time they’d opened up the stables.

‘I’m sure we will. It might take a few weeks for the word to spread again, but I don’t think there’s any cause for concern. You know how popular those days were last year and I can only think that it will get even busier this year.’

After they’d finished their fry-up, Pia picked up the dirty plates and took them across to the dishwasher.

‘I might just pop over again to see how Tom’s doing.’ Jackson raised his eyebrows at Pia’s suggestion.

‘You really don’t need to. Tom’s more than capable.’

‘I know, but it is his first time. I’ll just check that there aren’t any problems. Besides, I haven’t had a chance to chat to everyone yet, and I really would like to catch up with them all. I feel as though I’m missing out!’

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