Page 55 of The Shape of Your Heart
‘Tell me.’ Robin’s eyes are on me. ‘Oh – but first a drink. Tea, coffee, beer?’
‘A beer would be great.’
Going to the fridge, she gets out two bottles and hands one of them to me. ‘Cheers, big brother. Now, tell me all about it. I’m assuming you’ve been talked out of it by the eco-warrior gardener you don’t pay?’
‘Kind of…’ I hesitate, not sure where to start. ‘It’s just that she has all these ideas and it got me thinking. She was completely right about how building houses would ruin acres of land. We went over there a few evenings ago. It was alive, Rob – with insects, moths, birds and goodness knows what else. Places like that should be preserved, not dug up for stupidly priced houses.’
Robin looks perplexed. ‘This girl… She’s really got to you, hasn’t she?’
‘Before you say anything else, there’s nothing going on,’ I say firmly. ‘We’re friends – good friends – but that’s all.’
‘Fine. OK.’ Robin backs off. ‘I believe you, by the way! But I must admit, it would be nice to see you happy with someone.’
‘Everything is fine as it is,’ I tell her.
‘So go on telling me about your project.’
‘It started out as a campsite with a café. The idea was to produce our own eggs and grow vegetables – there’s a lot of land. Each pitch will be set in its own garden. The rest of the land will be left as wildflower meadow.’
‘It sounds amazing. But is it going to make you enough money?’ Robin sounds doubtful.
‘I’m still working on that. I’m thinking of investing in a huge tepee. That way, we could offer eco-friendly weddings. It could also serve as a centre for community events.’
‘How likely are you to get planning?’
‘There’s a good chance.’ I tell her about the conversation I had with Nick. ‘I’m having lunch with him tomorrow. I want to focus on the eco-credentials and the community angle. As far as possible, everything would be sourced locally. Employees would be local, all the materials natural…’
Robin frowns. ‘It sounds as though you’re going to have to spend a lot.’
That’s the only downside. ‘It’ll be a long game – unless I set it up and sell it. But to be honest, that’s fine. I can afford to buy myself some down time – and I’m ready for something different.’ It’s true. I’ve had enough of chasing suppliers, pinning down costs, working under the pressure of a rapidly dwindling time scale. ‘I’m not getting any investors involved. I’d be answerable only to myself.’
She stands there. ‘So where does this girl come in?’
‘She’s going to help me – at least, I hope she is. My plant knowledge is still pretty poor.’
Robin looks resigned. ‘Then isn’t it time you did something about that?’
I’m not sure what she was getting at. ‘Like what?’
‘Go on a course – online, even.’ She rolls her eyes. ‘If you’re going to do this, why not learn as much as you can?’
I’m taken aback. As the project manager, I don’t need to be an expert. ‘I was going to hand that part over.’ In the past, I used to oversee every part of whatever project I was working on. This is another change I need to make – trusting other people to make decisions. Ignoring her as she raises her eyebrows at me, I change the subject. ‘How’s Max?’
Her smile returns. ‘He’s good. He’s out this evening, meeting up with an old friend. Do you want to stay for dinner?’
* * *
After discussions with Nick, some days later I get around to submitting my planning application. Meanwhile, as the blustery winds and heavy rainfall of autumn set in, I see less and less of Callie.
‘Your garden is preparing for winter,’ she tells me one morning. ‘The leaves need raking up, but we need to leave the seed heads on the flowers for the birds.’
Guided by her nature-friendly philosophy, I do as I’m told. ‘I suppose there isn’t much to do over the winter.’
‘There’s less,’ she says thoughtfully. ‘You still need to keep an eye on weeds, though. If your veggie garden was up and running, you could still be planting things.’ She shrugs. ‘Maybe next year.’
* * *
A Saturday morning arrives, one that’s mild, the valleys filled with mist, the air laced with the scent of bonfires. It’s too lovely a day to spend inside. Pulling on a sweater, I step outside just as Callie’s car pulls up.
