Page 46 of You Had Me At Pumpkin Patch
He tried to step past her, but she blocked him.
‘Did I do something wrong?’
‘No, of course not.’
‘Then why did you spend the night butt-naked in my bed and then strop off without even saying toodle-oo? I mean, at least it wasn’t a total shag and run, but still. I think I deserve a bit more respect than that.’
‘Of course you do. No question. Which is why you’re better off if I just...’ He let his head drop.
Rosie placed her fingers under his chin and gently tilted his face up. She’d expected some resistance and one of his huffs, but he seemed strangely powerless. When their eyes met, an energy danced between them.
Then she remembered something. ‘It started when I talked aboutforever, didn’t it? And then Mags’s joke about us being like a family. They were just throwaway comments. No one was suggesting...’
He shook his head. ‘It’s not as simple as that.I’mnot as simple as that.’ He rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Though if you’re looking forforeveror someone to play happy families with, you need to know that’s not something I’m sure I can do. It’s not in my natureormy nurture.’ He sighed heavily. ‘I’m not programmed that way.’
‘You’re not a chatbot.’ Rosie allowed a small smile. He didn’t return it.
‘I’m sorry I came to your treehouse last night. I shouldn’t have let this thing between us snowball. I know what I’m like when things start to look serious.’
‘Snowball? You make us sound like an inevitable disaster.’
He shrugged. ‘Look, we’re meant to be protecting this place. How can we do that properly if we’re too busy jumping in and out of each other’s beds?’
‘Is that all it was to you?’ she asked, shaking her head as if it would help things make sense. ‘A bit of bed hopping? I thought last night was special.’ Even though they’d fallen asleep before the main event, the starters had been to die for.
‘It was too special,’ he said quietly. ‘And I don’t know how to deal with that.’
She felt her shoulders sinking. Where was this all going wrong?
‘Anyway, I’ve mucked in as much as I can with the treehouses and setting up the retreat camp, and I’ll do my bit with showing off the pumpkins – but you can take most of it from here. You don’t need me to help fluff people’s pillows or toast stuff around the campfire. I’d only mess things up. Put people off with my grumpy face or sabotage your chances of doing a great job. And youaredoing brilliantly.’
‘You looked happy enough last night. It felt like we all belonged. Didn’t it?’
Zain shrugged. ‘Must have been that weird fizzy wine. Belonging is not my thing. Life was simpler before. Please.’ He stepped backwards. ‘Trust me, I’m doing this for you too.’
The look that passed between them was heavy, like a big old sack of sadness. Rosie didn’t know how to deal with this either, other than to let Zain step away. It would be even harder if they let themselves fall deeper. If she’d slept with him last night, her soul would be breaking in two.
Though something inside her wanted to have one last word.
‘That thing about forever,’ Rosie shouted after him as he walked away. ‘Nobody knows how to do that.’ He stopped. ‘It’s just one day at a time, isn’t it? And you keep going like that. Trying to do your best. Promising not to hurt or mislead anyone. In case you’re wondering.’
He turned back to face her, still keeping his distance. ‘I would never mean to mislead anyone. Just so you know.’
Then he turned away and kept on walking. Rosie thought she heard him say something about being sorry, although she couldn’t swear it. She felt like she couldn’t swear to anything anymore. Who was she to even mention misleading, when she hadn’t confessed how she’d deceived Agnes to get this job, or that she couldn’t hold down a single, sorry relationship, or that she had no expertise in running retreats, or even writing a half-decent love scene without using him as inspiration?
And just like that, Rosie was back to being a loser in love. Though that didn’t mean she was destined to fail at everything. Did it?
31
Rosie was just finishing a morning swim in the lake when she heard them. The water had its usual refreshing chill and there was a blanket of grey clouds looming. It was probably going to rain. She was later than usual, having treated herself to a lie-in after their busy trial-run retreat.People need rest, she’d told herself. Mainly because there’d been no one else to listen, with Zain back to being a grump. As she pondered the thought of a quiet day in her writing nook typing something steamy about treehouses and large, quivering manhoods, the uninvited voices broke through the bullrushes.
‘It’s just one woman and a few tatty treehouses, isn’t it? What difference will it make?’
It was a man’s voice, but Rosie didn’t recognise it. She kept still in the water, hugging onto her inflatable float.
‘It’s the guy too,’ said another male voice. ‘And his fields of ugly pumpkins.’
‘What, the hermit in the hut?’ said a third guy.
