Page 61 of The Beekeeper's Cottage
‘Don’t you dare!’ he retorted, voice rising. ‘Have you forgotten what this weekend is all about, Grace? What’s in it for you?’ He swallowed, taking a deep breath, visibly trying to calm down. ‘Look, Grace, I’m sorry. And you’re right, I was winding you up, I’m just a bit tense, you know how it is. We’re so close to bagging this deal, Grace, so don’t do this, please. I need you. You’re the only one who can do this, you always have been. Just a few more hours.’
She held his look, taking in his softer expression, the way he thought he could just turn on the charm.
‘Nope, sorry.’ She smiled sweetly. ‘There’s somewhere else I need to be.’
His voice echoed across the room, laden with bile. ‘Leave now and you can forget any thoughts you have about hanging onto this place. I’ll sell it out from under you before you can say sold subject to contract.’
A throat cleared from behind him as Zac came into the room. ‘Morning, Grace,’ he said. ‘Off out somewhere?’
She started, completely unaware that Zac had been standing there, and, worse, with no idea for how long. But then he gave her a thoughtful look and nodded at her in complete understanding.
‘Don’t let us keep you,’ he added. ‘Paul and I can take it from here, can’t we, Paul?’
A smile lit up Zac’s face as he met her astonished gaze. ‘You go and enjoy yourself, Grace, and thank you, it’s been a wonderful weekend.’ He looked directly at Paul. ‘Most enlightening.’
She dipped her head, and looked at her husband, no longer the cocky playboy or the threatening bully, but instead like a balloon that someone had let the air out of.
‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Zac. YouandRiley, Scott too, of course. Please would you say goodbye for me?’
‘Of course.’ He smiled. ‘Goodbye, Grace. I hope you find what you’re looking for.’
She reached the patio door just as Zac’s voice floated past her. ‘Sit down a minute, Paul. We need to have a little chat.’
21
Grace gunned the engine slightly as her car shot around Hope Corner and moments later she turned onto the track that led up to the farm. Her head was awash with thoughts that were scattering her in all different directions, but mostly she was surprised at the complete about-turn her life had just seemed to have taken. She could even smile at the look on Paul’s face as he realised that his sure-fire new contract had just gone up in smoke. While she wasn’t a vindictive person, there was a rather pleasing justice to it all.
Mostly, though, her thoughts were centred on Amos and the absolute and overwhelming need to find him. She didn’t doubt that there was something in his past that he wasn’t proud of, but how many people had led truly blameless lives? What was important was that the man who had appeared out of the blue at the farm one day had made her feel like the Grace she knew of old, the woman who could be anything she wanted, and be any way she wanted. And she now knew that if she were very lucky it would include a life with Amos in it.
It would have been easy to ask Paul what he knew of Amos’s circumstances and, no doubt, he would have delighted in telling her. But that wouldn’t have been fair to Amos at all. If it was something he wanted to share with her, then he would, in time perhaps, but she needed to let him know he was among friends; there was no need for him to have run.
After parking up, she pushed open the gate into the yard, where she saw Ned walking up towards the house. She called out, waving her arm to attract his attention. He hurried over.
‘Have you seen him?’ he asked. ‘I was just about to go out and look.’
Grace shook her head. ‘No,’ she replied. ‘But I know why he left… well, not actually, but… Look, I’ll explain. Where’s Flora?’
‘In the house.’ Ned took hold of her arm. ‘Come on.’
Flora was sitting morosely at the table with Hannah and Fraser. The teapot occupied the centre space but the mug of tea in front of Flora looked cold and untouched, a skin formed on its tepid surface. She got to her feet the minute she saw Grace.
‘I can’t even think straight,’ she said. ‘Goodness only knows what you’re going through. There’s a million and one things to be doing, and I can’t bring myself to do any of them.’
‘I know,’ replied Grace. ‘I’m afraid I’ve just taken off my apron and thrown it at Paul, telling him he could cook breakfast. That man has never cooked anything in his life before, but I don’t care. There are more important things.’
Flora looked instantly horrified. ‘Oh, God… but the TV thing! No, Grace, you can’t, you can’t let this opportunity go by. You’ll lose the house.’ She looked helplessly at Ned. ‘There must be something we can do… Oh, this is the most horrible timing. Grace, you need to get back home, but we can’t let Amos go, you can’t… you need…’ She trailed off, frustration jumbling her words.
But Grace shook her head. ‘No,’ she said. ‘I don’t. They don’t need me there any more.’ She smiled at the memory of Zac’s words. ‘In fact, even the bigwig from America turned out to be a really nice man; he gave me his blessing to leave actually. He said he hoped I find what I’m looking for. So, all things considered, I think that’s what I should do.’
‘I don’t understand,’ said Ned, frowning. ‘It’s all in the bag already, is it? Paul’s got the contract?’
‘On the contrary. I think right around now Paul is getting the shock of his life and finally having the arrogant grin wiped off his face.’
She quickly explained the events of the morning. ‘So, you see, there really was no point in me staying.’
‘But that’s terrible!’ said Flora. ‘Grace, you’ll lose the house…’
She nodded. ‘Yes, I know… But it really is the most curious thing. I find I don’t mind half as much as I thought I would.’
