Page 71 of You Had Me At Pumpkin Patch
But now, she wasn’t. And she couldn’t shake the feeling that living at Autumn Meadows and havinglesshad felt like so muchmore.
She knew she would need to stop wallowing and get in touch with Agnes. Her phone was still hiding in a drawer. But the pumpkin farm retreats were starting in just a few days, not to mention the writing retreat weekend that Zain had single-handedly signed her up for. Agnes deserved fair notice to find a replacement. At least her old boss had the funds to fix the house and keep her animals safe, so Rosie wasn’t leaving her completely in the lurch.
‘Urgh.’
Her body felt heavy, knowing she was causing Agnes extra hassle. Rosie knew she should have got in touch before, but – like Farmer Wilbur had warned – Agnes would be ‘livid’ about Rosie misleading her for weeks, which Wilbur would surely have now divulged. Rosie had pretended to be a recommended expert, when she’d been no more than a woman on the run.
She pulled out her phone for the umpteenth time, toyed with it, and then threw it back in the drawer. It all felt too much.
And then there was Zain. She wanted to hate him, to feel outraged by his secret chatbotting and the mystery of his real surname, and to slam-dunk him into the cesspit of lying ex-boyfriends. Yet despite everything, she couldn’t stop thinking about him – and she had no idea what to do about that.
The knock at her bedroom door made her flinch.
‘Honestly, peeps. What are we going to do with Rosie Featherstone? Talk about wallowing in heartache. Shall we see if we can sort out her#lifeproblems?’
It was her sister Flick pushing through the door, her phone in front of her face.
‘She’s sad about this really hot guy she used to work with. Some of you might have seen pics of their#PumpkinFarmKissthat almost blew up the internet last weekend. Didn’t they look cute together?’
‘If you’re livestreaming to your Insta fans, you can bugger off,’ said Rosie, hiding her head behind a pillow and gulping at the thought of their impromptu launch-party kiss being ogled on social media. It had been an accident, for goodness’ sake – even if the touch of his lips against hers had given her goosebumps.
‘My followers care about you.’ Flick pouted at her phone. She was in full show mode.
‘They don’t know me.’
‘I’ve been telling them all about you. How great you are at writing. How you’re the one with all the beauty and loveliness and talent.’
‘Not true,’ huffed Rosie.
‘And how you never give yourself enough credit.’
Rosie sighed again.
‘And how you hide from things,’ said Flick, trying to snatch away the pillow.
‘I do not.’ Although obviously this wasn’t the best example. Somehow being back at her parents’ house and being stuck with her much younger half-sister had reduced her to her childish, teenage self.
Rosie sensed her sister moving away from the bed, towards the window. She knew how to find the best light.
‘Ooh, lots of love in the comments for the pics of Autumn Meadows Farm. People are booking up for those retreats like they’re on fire. Some are talking about your writing retreats too.’
‘Well, I won’t be running them,’ Rosie muttered. ‘I don’t work there, and I don’t write anymore.’
‘Nooooo. Did you hear that? She’s throwing away her talents because of a guy.’
‘Am not,’ Rosie bit back. Was she? ‘Anyway, I told you to get lost. My life’s not a bloody melodrama.’
‘Look, she doesn’t want to talk right now,’ Flick told her adoring viewers. ‘And we’ll respect her privacy, right? But let me share one thing with you. Never hide from the truth, even if it scares you. Seek it out. Run after it. It might not always be what you expect, but itwillbe the thing you need. Let the truth set you free.’
Flick drummed up more likes and comments from her audience, before ending the livestream. She flung her phone onto the bed and flopped down next to Rosie.
‘Let the truth set you free?’ said Rosie, putting down the pillow and rolling her eyes. ‘Seriously? I’m sure you sound more like an Instagram quote by the day.’
‘What do you mean?’ Flick replied, defensively. ‘It’s a thing. Anyway, I meant what I said about you not realising your talents. It wasn’t just for the livestream hearts.’
‘Whatever.’
‘Stop being such a stroppy child and listen to good advice. For the intelligent one, you can be such a doofus.’
