Page 24 of Autumn in Sycamore Park
Gavin’s eyes widened. ‘So you’re not going to pick someone else?’
Jennifer shook her head. ‘No. I’ve picked you, and I’m sticking with you, unless you do something really bad, like burn down the school. Please don’t do that.’
Gavin’s face broke into a wide smile. ‘I’ll say sorry to Matthew, I promise. Thanks, Miss. Thanks.’
Jennifer nodded. ‘Please, please don’t make me regret this,’ she said.
12
Heart to Heart
‘I missed you,’Jennifer said, peering around the door of the Oak Leaf Café. Angela, wiping a table near the window, looked up and smiled.
‘There you are, my dear. Did you have a good day at work? How are the preparations for the festival going?’
Jennifer came in and closed the door against a chilly breeze blowing through Sycamore Park.
‘Well, on Monday I appointed the class bully as the head of our class’s cake stand. By lunchtime he had sent the class weakling to the nurse’s room. In the afternoon, one of the two identical twins was sick in the classroom. I got her name wrong and only made things worse because the other one started crying. Yesterday, two kids got in a fight over a pack of crayons and one ended up with a suspension warning. Then, this morning, the kid I picked as head of staff overturned a flower pot on the table of a group of girls. It’s been a little testing, to say the least.’
Angela looked up at the clock. ‘It’s nearly six. Too early for wine? I’ve not had a customer all day, so I’ve done my pies for the week already. I was actually thinking of closing early and maybe go and see a movie or something. I couldn’t interest you, could I?’
‘I’d love to, but I need to get back and take Bonky out before it gets too cold.’
Angela smiled. ‘Just the one glass, then?’
‘Just the one.’
‘Oh, and I could do with a guinea pig for a couple of new culinary ideas,’ Angela said. ‘Do you have room for a sweet potato stew and some pumpkin and walnut pie?’
Jennifer grinned. ‘I could force a little down, I suppose.’
Angela clapped her hands together. ‘Great. I’ll rustle some up. I’ve not eaten yet this evening, so I’ll join you, if it’s okay. In fact, it looks like it’s going to rain, so I might as well turn the closed sign around.’
Angela bustled off into the kitchen, refusing Jennifer’s offer to help, then reappeared a few minutes later with two steaming bowls of stew, a side salad, and a plate of freshly baked bread rolls. Jennifer’s mouth was watering, but as Angela sat down she lifted an eyebrow and said, ‘I saw Tom this morning.’
Jennifer shifted uncomfortably on her seat. ‘Oh?’
‘He said to tell you that Francis will be fine. It was a dislocation, not a break, so he’ll be back on the water within a couple of weeks.’
‘Oh, that’s good news.’
‘And he also said to tell you that the council has approved the use of the park for Brentwell Primary’s harvest festival.’
Jennifer clapped her hands together. ‘Fantastic! I’ll tell the school tomorrow.’
‘He said someone will call them anyway to make sure they know it’s official.’
‘Great.’
‘And he also said he hopes to see you around again sometime.’
‘Oh, well, I hope so too.’
Angela narrowed her eyes. ‘Did something happen between you two? He looked a little crestfallen.’
‘I … I … I just … found myself in a situation that I felt uncomfortable with. Tom seems like a lovely guy, it’s just….’
‘Something happened to you before you came here, didn’t it?’ Angela said. ‘I could tell from the first time I met you. You were so guarded about anything personal. I know your dog’s favourite brand of food but I don’t even know where you’re from.’
