Page 7 of Starting Over at Halesmere House
‘I love it.’ She swallowed. ‘Thank you so much.’
‘Grand. I’ll put it up for you later if you show me where you want it to go.’
‘Thank you. Oh, sorry, I nearly forgot.’ Alice was rummaging in the waterproof rucksack she’d brought. ‘Pearl sent a mince pie for you. I can confirm they’re outstanding; I had mine for breakfast.’
‘I can see you an’ me are goin’ to get along like an ’ouse on fire, Alice.’ Stan beamed as he unwrapped the little package she handed over.
He finished the mince pie quickly, scrunching up the paper to throw it into the stove. Alice leaned back on the sofa, the mug of tea between her fingers, the room heating up nicely and Stan’s company adding to the feeling of cheer.
She started as the door was suddenly flung open, bringing a blast of cold air and the appearance of someone whose face she recognised. Bright spots of colour rushed into hers as she leaped up, waterproof trousers flapping like wings around her legs. Her fellow sheep rescuer from yesterday swung the door shut and his incredulous stare went from Stan back to Alice.
‘This looks very cosy,’ he said with a grin. ‘Room for a little one?’
Chapter Three
‘Trust you to know where to find a brew, lad; I reckon you can sniff ’em out at twenty paces. An’ we’re all out of mince pies.’ Stan delivered this to the new arrival with a look Alice recognised was kindly meant. ‘What are you doin’ back ’ere? It’s not even dinnertime yet.’
‘Picking up something from the yard; shame about the mince pies. Are you going to introduce us, Stan?’
That same amusement from yesterday was back, the mischievous glint in the younger man’s eye letting her know he was surprised, maybe even pleased, to see her too.
‘Alice, this is Zac, a mate of Max’s who’s stayin’ in t’flat across courtyard an’ workin’ with ’im, supposedly.’
‘I am working, Stan; I’m on my way.’ The rain had flattened Zac’s short dark hair and he was wearing the coat he’d lent her, a very insignificant link that she found unexpectedly thrilling. It was unzipped and Alice marvelled how he didn’t seem to feel the cold. She’d layered up for walking here; a thermal vest was comforting beneath a thick wool jumper and dungarees, her waterproof trousers the final nail in the coffin of chic.
‘Or at least I was, until I got waylaid by a driver with a delivery for someone called Harvey. I’m guessing that’s you. Hello. Again.’ Zac stuck out a hand. ‘So am I really living next door to Alice?’
‘I haven’t heard that song for ages. Hi.’ The touch of his fingers was brief around her hand. Was that her own voice and where had it come from? She cleared her throat. ‘I’ve just taken over the flower meadow and this studio.’ A simple explanation that suddenly felt huge and maybe even beyond her capabilities. She straightened her shoulders, refusing to be daunted by doubts about her new role.
‘Ah, so you’re the horticulturist Max told me about.’ Zac’s smile widened. ‘Welcome to Halesmere.’
‘Thanks.’ ‘Horticulturist’ sounded awfully grand, and Alice wasn’t sure her qualifications achieved part-time at college in between work over the past three years warranted it, especially given her lack of practical paid experience. ‘But this is my first professional job.’
‘’Ave you two already met?’ Stan threw Zac a puzzled glance.
‘Briefly.’ She really hoped her expression wasn’t betraying that she’d thought about Zac since last night. The teasing, the laughter they’d shared, his plea for her not to steal his van. She’d forgotten how to flirt; running the haulage business and being married for ten years and together for fifteen with the same man had seen to that. She’d been out of the game so long she had no idea what the rules were any more.
At work she’d always fended off those men who’d wanted to flirt. She’d faced down the hostile ones who’d doubted her with unwavering politeness and a resolve honed from experience and confidence in her own abilities, and made friends with a few, like Ray. But no longer did she have to set the rules and abide by them for the people in her working life. It felt nice, new, to loosen the shackles a little and enjoy a conversation with someone she wasn’t required to manage.
‘Yesterday, near the farm,’ Alice said. ‘A few of Luke’s sheep had escaped and Zac helped me get them back. He even gave me his coat.’
‘Well, you were very unsuitably dressed for herding sheep, and it was the gentlemanly thing to do, even if you were already soaked.’ Zac’s mouth curled into a grin. ‘Nice boots, by the way. You look much better prepared for being outdoors today. If it wasn’t for your hair and those green eyes, I’m not sure I’d have recognised you.’
His words might have been playful but she caught the compliment in his own eyes as they held hers, beginning to think that maybe Kelly had it right after all when it came to conversing with a man like Zac. It really could be fun.
‘Gentleman!’ Stan scoffed. ‘You’re no gentleman, lad. Cheeky bugger an’ full of ’imself more like. Watch out for ’im, Alice; don’t take any notice of a word ’e says.’
‘Hey,’ Zac protested. ‘You’re giving Alice totally the wrong impression about me. I’m friendly and sociable, that’s all.’ He turned a shoulder to the door. ‘So do you want me to bring that delivery in? It’s a bike.’
A bike? Alice was about to sayno thanksand that there had been a mistake because she definitely hadn’t ordered a bike, but a parting comment from Ray yesterday dropped into her mind and she gripped the back of a sofa as her mouth fell open.
‘You all right, lass?’ Stan clambered to his feet. ‘Only you’ve gone a bit pale.’
‘I’m fine. Thank you.’ Her knuckles were white too and she took a calming, slow breath. ‘Does it say who it’s from?’
‘Not that I can see.’ Zac hadn’t budged and the playfulness had been replaced with a suggestion of concern. Alice didn’t want him to wonder at her startled reaction and she released her grasp on the sofa. ‘What would you like me to do with it?’
‘Bring it in, thanks.’ It couldn’t stay outside, not with her own name on the box, and she definitely couldn’t send it back. Not if it was her promised farewell gift from Ray and her old colleagues. But she really didn’t want to set eyes on the bike now and think about what it represented, and why. What she had promised to do, and for whom.
