Page 10 of Daydreams at the Farm on Muddypuddle Lane
Crossly, he focused on the spreadsheet, telling himself that none of it mattered because he wasn’t interested anyway. A girlfriend would be too much of a distraction right now. When his business was more established, he would start dating again (he didn’t intend to remain single forever) but not yet. Unfortunately, the downside of not having a girlfriend was that it increased his mother’s efforts to set him up with the daughter of one of her close friends. Mum constantly hoped he would change his mind about Verity.
His father similarly hoped Adam would change his mind about joining the firm.
Both of them continued to be disappointed.
So he told himself to stop thinking about the woman he had met at the farm, and think about the job he was hoping to land. But telling himself that was easier than doing it, and her face continued to dominate his thoughts for the rest of the evening
A white blouse and black trousers or a skirt seemed to be a staple uniform of restaurants everywhere, Maisie mused, as she checked that her blouse was tucked in and that her hair wasn’t escaping its ponytail.
She was standing in The Wild Side’s kitchen, along with the rest of the serving staff, being briefed ahead of the first diners’ arrival this evening. Although Otto owned the restaurant and was the guy with the Michelin star, he didn’t do all thecooking. He had underlings for that, and she eyed the white-coated kitchen staff with trepidation, knowing that as the tension ramped up, there was a fair chance someone would get tetchy. She just hoped they didn’t get tetchy withher. She had walked out of more than one job because someone had lost their rag.
Whilst Otto explained the menu to the front-of-house staff, the kitchen staff were busy cooking, and the most delicious smells permeated the air.
Maisie had first-hand experience of just how good a chef Otto was, and she hoped she would get a taste of the dishes on the menu at some point. The Wild Side’s unique selling point was that it served only locally grown and foraged ingredients, and flowers featured heavily, and not just because they looked pretty.Otto expected his waiting staff to be able to identify the various blooms, in case anyone asked, as well as to be able to explain what the foraged ingredients were.
Maisie was facing a steep learning curve, but one that she was determined to get to grips with, because being allowed to stay on the farm might depend on it.
Thinking of the farm brought an image of the adorable little goat babies into her mind, and she couldn’t wait for her shift to end so she could cuddle them. Dulcie had been thrilled with the new additions, and Maisie hoped her sister’s good mood would continue when she saw the quote for the pasteurisation shed that the guy, Adam, was supposed to email to her this evening.
Maisie was keeping her fingers crossed that her sister would decide to go with Adam’s quote – not because Maisie wanted to see him again, but because she knew that when work started on the shed, Dulcie would need all the help she could get. And Maisie intended to provide that help.
She had only been on the farm a fraction over twenty-four hours, but already she felt less tense and she didn’t know whether it was the fresh country air that was responsible for the optimism flaring in her chest, or whether it was something else. All she knew was that she didn’t want to go back to Birmingham. She wanted a fresh start, and hopefully the farm was where she could make that happen.
CHAPTER THREE
It was Sunday morning and Otto looked exhausted. Maisie had total respect for how hard he worked and the amount of time and effort he had put into getting the restaurant off the ground. No wonder Dulcie needed help around the farm if Otto was putting all his time and energy into his business
As the three of them tucked into a full English breakfast that Maisie and Dulcie had cooked between them, Maisie wondered if there was anything more she could do to help.
Her opportunity came when Dulcie said to Otto, ‘I think we should go with that first bloke who gave us a quote. It was very reasonable and he can start next Monday, which gives us a full week to clear everything out and give it a good clean.’
Otto, who had a mouthful of bacon, nodded, but Maisie noticed his slightly pained expression. Dulcie was focused on her plate and didn’t see his dismay. Maisie guessed what was causing it: Otto was playing mentor to a visiting chef from London next week, who would be here to gain experience in sourcing and cooking with foraged ingredients, so Otto would be even more pushed for time than he was currently.
‘I can do that,’ she offered. Over the past few days she had been trying to make herself as useful as possible, cleaning,doing the laundry, feeding the animals, playing midwife to another set of twin goat babies, as well as doing shifts in the restaurant if Otto needed her. Thankfully, she wasn’t working today, so she could devote the whole day to doing whatever Dulcie wanted her to do.
‘It’s mucky work,’ Dulcie told her.
‘So? I don’t mind getting my hands dirty.’
Dulcie cocked her head to the side. ‘No, you don’t.’ She sounded surprised, which Maisie resented, although she didn’t show it.
Maisie had never shied away from hard work. What shedidshy away from was dumb managers and customers with no manners. She also wasn’t particularly keen on being stuck behind a desk, and had managed to lose more than one jobbecause sitting in front of a computer all day had driven her mad with boredom. Then there were those jobs on the factory floors that had been equally as boring but with the addition of loud machinery and not being able to have a wee when she needed one. But her main problem was that she wasn’t qualified to do anything in particular – mainly because she didn’t know what she wanted to qualifyin.
In the years since she’d left college with three A-levels and a vague idea that something would present itself, she had tried being a junior in a hairdressing salon, a receptionist in a hotel, a chambermaid (different hotel, she hadn’t been able to return to the other one), a care assistant in a nursing home (she had been so upset when one of the residents had passed away that she hadn’t been able to face going back), a cleaner (inboth an office and a school), a sales assistant in a variety of shops selling everything from shoes (ugh – smelly feet) to jewellery (she hated cleaning silver with a passion), and more pub, bar and restaurant jobs than she could shake a stick at. So, no, hard work didn’t scare her. Not being happy or fulfilled,did.
‘I’ll get started after I wash up, shall I?’ she suggested, so after she had finished stacking the dishwasher, the pair of them donned old clothes and headed outside.
Maisie wanted to check on the new arrivals on the way.
‘You’re taking your role as goat herder very seriously,’ Dulcie teased, as Maisie picked each new bundle up and checked him or her over.
All four were happy and thriving as far as Maisie could tell, and her heart filled with warmth at the sight of them. ‘I’m enjoying it,’ she told her sister truthfully. It was the best part of being on the farm.
An hour or so later, Maisie was busy shovelling decades’ worth of accumulated rubbish into a wheelbarrow, when Dulcie said, ‘Have you decided when you’re going back to Birmingham?’
Her spirits sank. ‘I was hoping I could stay a bit longer.’ She hadn’t been here a week yet and already her sister was hinting that it was time she left.
‘You can,’ Dulcie said cheerfully. ‘It’s just... Mum was on the phone yesterday evening. I think she’s lonely.’
