Page 7 of Fireworks at Pennycress Inn
Huh, he didn’t think she was capable. That’s why he had that smug look on his face. Well, she’d show him. She’d show him she could do this. She grinned as she held her hand out for the contract. It was only for three months, after all. Three months of pretending she had a clue what she was doing and then she’d be promoted and move into the role of project manager and, with her experience as Key Stage One lead, she knew she was more than capable of doing that job. That would show him. Yes, there may have been a miscommunication with the job roles, but Declan was definitely retiring, so his position would need filling. ‘I’d love to take the job.’
‘Good, good.’ Waiting for them to sign and then taking the contracts back, Declan grinned from ear to ear, completely oblivious to the fact that moments before Polly had been questioning whether to take it or not. Pushing his chair back, Declan held out a hand, first to Polly and then to Zac. ‘In that case, welcome aboard.’
‘Thanks.’ Shaking Declan’s hand, Polly tried to keep her expression neutral rather than let on how she was really feeling about the whole misunderstanding. Three months. That was all she had to give to the fundraising job and then Declan would be retiring and, as long as she proved herself, she’d be able to step into his role as project manager. Yes, three months. She could cope with that. She’d do a ton of research into fundraising when she got back to Pennycress Inn, find out what would actually be expected of her and make sure she was prepared.
‘Looking forward to the new challenge.’ Zac nodded.
Trust him to suddenly be ‘looking forward’ to the change of job role. Bringing her hands into her lap, she clenched her fists. Yes, it might only be three months but that would be three whole months of working closely with Zac. Three whole months of sitting side-by-side at their desks. Three whole months…
‘Great! Well, if you’d both like to wait here, I’ll go and see if I can track down our ranger, Harold. He’s the expert on the reserve and will be able to show you around.’ Leaning down, Declan shuffled the papers before jabbing his finger to the tiny table in the corner of the room. ‘Help yourself to refreshments while you wait.’
‘Thank you.’ Sitting back down, Zac ran his fingers down his striped tie before lying it flat against his starched white shirt.
Lowering herself back into her seat as well, Polly pulled her mug towards her again as the door clicked shut behind her, announcing Declan’s departure. She stole a glance at Zac as she brought her mug to her lips, the cold coffee tasting a little more bitter than it had done previously. They were in this together then? Both of them had just had the rug pulled out from beneath their feet. Both of them had just had surprise jobs thrown at them. Placing her mug down, she cleared her throat. ‘Well, that was a surprise, wasn’t it?’
‘Uh-huh.’ Without giving her so much as a look, Zac nodded, his gaze seemingly glued to the view out of the window.
Right. Nothing had changed then. Zac was still cold to her. She let her mind wander back to when he’d first started volunteering at the trust and she’d helped him settle in, pointed him in the right direction when he’d been looking for resources, had even advised him on a couple of things. He’d been normal. Nice. He’d appreciated the help even though she’d been a volunteer and he had taken a job there. He’d treated her like an equal and respected the time and work she put into the trust. Not for the first time, she thought that the kiss hadn’t been worth the sacrifice of losing the charming Zac she’d fallen into an easy friendship with. And so dramatically as well.
‘Coffee?’ Standing up, Zac made his way towards the refreshment table.
‘Umm, no thanks.’ Polly nodded towards her mug. That was the first time in months he’d offered her a drink. She missed that. She missed the way they’d always got along. Maybe one day she’d get used to this uncomfortable dance they now did together. She shifted position, crossing her legs.
Huffing, Zac shook the oat milk carton before pouring it into his cracked mug.
No, the shift hadn’t happened the exact moment of the kiss. It had happened the day after, but not straight away, not until halfway through the day in fact. She remembered because she’d been going to give an assembly on the subject of the Cotswold Wildlife and Wilderness Trust at her old school, the one she’d just left. Having left a week before the end of the summer term due to staff changeovers, she’d been nervous because she didn’t want to make a fool of herself in front of her old colleagues. She hadn’t wanted them to question her decision to quit teaching to work at the trust and then think she was rubbish at the whole outreach and education role she was taking on.
When she’d left the reserve to go and give the assembly, Zac had wished her luck, given her one of his awkward half-hugs, but when she’d returned, brimming with confidence because it had gone so well, she’d been met by this steely demeanour that was currently trying to squeeze as much oat milk from the near empty carton into his mug as he could. And that’s the way things had stayed between them for the next four months. The strange thing was his attitude hadn’t changed with all the team. Just her. And she had no idea why.
An awkward silence enveloped them as Zac sat down. Trying to block all thoughts of what he used to be like, Polly was relieved when the door behind her opened and Harold the ranger bustled in.
6
‘Honestly, I just don’t know what to do.’ Taking a final look out of the window at Pennycress’s beautiful back garden below, the fairy lights woven through the branches of the willow tree illuminating the lawn in the dim moonlight of the evening, Polly drew the curtains and sat on the edge of the bed, her mobile firmly clasped to her ear. ‘I mean, can you believe it? First the role completely changes and then in walks Zac Sinclair. My dream position is quickly turning into the nightmare from hell.’
‘Oh, come on, don’t be dramatic,’ Stacey admonished. ‘You still have a job in the wildlife trust. Yes, the actual role might not be what you were expecting, but fundraising? That sounds fun!’ The crackling of plastic made its way down the line before her friend spoke again, her voice muffled, as though her mouth was full. ‘You never know, you might have hidden talents to bag millions for the reserve.’
‘Haha, I think I’d be happy to just meet the target.’ Polly laughed. She’d known Stacey would take some of the nerves away. ‘Are you eating on the line with me?’
‘Oh yes, I’d apologise, but you have two choices, to put up with me talking with my mouth full or else hear me retching with starvation.’
Polly slumped her shoulders. ‘You missed lunch again?’
‘What’s lunch? I missed breakfast because I had to get in early to get myself organised for assembly and then at lunchtime, I had lunch duty for the first half as we’re not one, but two dinner ladies down, and then had to deal with a bust-up in Year Six as the supply teacher refused.’
‘Yikes. Fun times.’
‘So, you know, if you want to come back to teaching, we have positions available.’ Stacey finished chewing and took a huge gulp, most likely of coffee. ‘Please come back. I don’t even have anyone to complain to anymore because your replacement is fresh out of uni and still in the honeymoon period.’
‘Oh, you love it really.’ Stacey had always had a passion for teaching, a passion that, even after twelve years, hadn’t waned like Polly’s had.
‘Umm, I do. But I miss you.’
‘I miss you too, but I can’t come back. As much as I loved actually being in the classroom and teaching the kids, all the rest of it…’ Polly shrugged. ‘You know – the paperwork, the pointless meetings where I’d just sit and think how irrelevant the topic was to our year group, the marking, the assessments, the?—’
‘Not to mention the elephant in the room. Or, more aptly, the elephant trying to block the phone line.’ Stacey sighed. ‘He’s put in his resignation, you know.’
Polly lay back onto the bed, the puffy duvet almost engulfing her. She took a deep breath in before she replied, the lavender-scented fabric conditioner reminding her of her grandparents’ house. ‘Don’t even?—’
