Page 33 of All Summer Long

‘Always,’ Alice said, then looked closer at Rambo and noticed there was blood on one of his legs. ‘Does his leg look injured to you?’

Robinson studied Rambo for a moment and then sighed heavily. ‘Grab my t-shirt?’

Alice handed it to him, and rather than slide it over his head he wrapped it around Rambo and picked the bird up carefully. Rambo accepted the help with bad grace, trying to reach any bare skin he could with his sharp beak.

‘This is not how this evening was supposed to end,’ Robinson grumbled, shooting Alice a look that told her he was in a worse mood than a kid who didn’t get his new bike for Christmas.

Inappropriate jokes about him having pulled the wrong bird flickered in and out of her mind as her own lustful haze cleared, and she started to laugh as he shook his head and moved away through the trees with Rambo in his arms.

‘We’re not done here,’ he called out as he disappeared into the darkness. ‘Not by a mile, Goldilocks.’

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

‘He’s a hero. That Bear Grylls has got nothing on him.’

Hazel leaned her back against the Airstream and shaded her eyes from the sun to gaze dreamily in the direction of Borne Manor. ‘He’d taken off his t-shirt to wrap it around my Rambo. How many men do you know who’d give up their own shirt to rescue an injured animal, Alice? Found him outside his back door, he said, and he brought him home even though it was almost midnight.’ Hazel’s glasses all but steamed up as she spoke. ‘Between you, me and the gatepost, Alice, I was in my nightdress. I think …’ she paused to draw air quotes around the word think ‘that my love potion might have been a bit on the strong side.’

‘Your love potion?’ Alice said, already worried where this was heading.

Hazel nodded. ‘Slipped some into a casserole I made him a couple of weeks ago.’ Leaning forward, she lowered her voice to a hushed whisper. ‘If it hadn’t been for poor Rambo needing attention, I seriously think he might have ravaged me. He hadthatlook in his eye.’ Again, Hazel drew air quotes, this time around the word ‘that’ as she nodded gravely.

Alice knew ‘that’ look. She’d seen it herself last night too, and just thinking about it now had her nervously plaiting and un-plaiting her ponytail.

‘I didn’t realise you were looking for love, Hazel,’ she said, worrying what people would think if they knew what had happened between her and Robinson. Both Hazel and Niamh seemed to be harbouring crushes on their famous new neighbour.

‘Oh, no. I’m not, Alice! What sort of cougar do you think I am?’ Hazel put her hands up in front of her with her fingers curled into claws and laughed. ‘I was just testing the potion out, and my god, I think it works like gangbusters!’ Her eyes were like saucers. ‘Not sure I’ve got the balance right in the batch, might be a bit strong. Robinson looked …’ Hazel screwed up her face as she cast around for the right word. ‘Well, he lookedanimal, if you get where I’m coming from.’

‘How’s Rambo doing?’ Alice changed the subject as she was sure her cheeks had to be flaming.

‘Swearing like a trooper, so I’m taking that as a good sign,’ Hazel said merrily. ‘I better get back to him, actually. He’s quite a demanding patient.’ She frowned suddenly. ‘Do you know what he shouted at me this morning when I went to clear out his feeding bowls?’

Alice braced herself and shook her head as Hazel leaned closer to take her into her confidence.

‘He said, and I quote, so excuse the obscenities,interrupt me like that again and I’ll wring your neck like a fucking chicken!’ Hazel’s voice shot up an octave at the end of her sentence and she threw her hands out to the sides. ‘I mean, Alice, where on earth has he been to hear such foul language? I’m just thankful he ended up back safely at the manor and Robinson found him.’

Shaking her head and biting her tongue, Alice pulled out a basket from beneath the Airstream.

‘I found these growing by the boathouse the other day, thought they might be of use to you. Chamomile, I think?’ She handed Hazel the flowers she’d gathered.

‘They are,’ Hazel said, touching the white flower heads. ‘Are there more?’

Alice nodded. ‘Take as many as you like.’

Hazel tucked the flowers into her bag and pulled out Robinson’s t-shirt. ‘Can you pass this on for me, Alice? I called by but he’s not home.’

Alice took the soft, laundered shirt from Hazel, remembering how she’d peeled it from Robinson’s body last night. ‘I’ll see he gets it.’

Hazel floated away across the grass with a wave of her jangly bangles, and then swung back around. ‘Alice, do you like horses?’

Alice had never actually ridden a horse, but she liked them well enough. She nodded. ‘Think so. Why?’

‘Oh, nothing. I just wondered,’ Hazel said airily, blatantly lying and not at all bothered. ‘See you soon.’

Alice didn’t try to press-gang Hazel for information. She’d had that look of enjoying her secret, the kind of expression that said you can ask all you like, I’m not going to tell you.

Borne really did have more than its fair share of oddness. Robinson must feel as if he’d fallen down a rabbit hole half the time.

‘Robinson?’

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