by Heidi Swain
‘I’ve told him it’s a one-way system so I can’t go round the other way, but he says there’s nothing he can do.’
‘Well, he can’t just let them block the road like that,’ I said, as Colin came over to join us. ‘It isn’t safe.’
‘Exactly,’ Lou butted in, ‘what if the emergency services need to get by?’
It didn’t seem particularly likely, but she did have a point.
‘I hardly think . . .’ Colin began, but Lou glared at him and he stopped.
‘I’ll go and have a word,’ I said, handing over the bags from Blossom’s. ‘Why don’t you two go and find the kettle and get it on? Kate messaged me earlier to say there’s fresh milk in the fridge.’
Lou didn’t seem particularly keen to relinquish the horns of the dilemma, but as soon as Colin mentioned the cream cakes he had spotted in one of the bags she followed him over to mine and I went next door to see what I could do. I didn’t want my first encounter with my new neighbour to be confrontational, so I determinedly moderated my tone.
‘Hello!’ I called through the front door, which stood slightly ajar.
The hall smelt musty and there was a general air of neglect about the place, but perhaps things were set to improve if new furniture was finally being introduced.
‘Hello!’ I shouted a little louder. ‘I’m Poppy. I’m moving into the house next door today!’
‘I’ve already told your gobby girlfriend that my delivery guys are going as fast as they can!’ a man’s voice bellowed back from one of the upstairs rooms.
I wondered if this was the guy Neil had already decided was a ‘dish’. If it was, then he was going to have to be nothing short of a Roman god in human form to balance out his belligerent tone. Not that his appearance would have much impact on me. I was far more interested in determining someone’s attraction by their personality and the way they treated others than by their looks. So far, this chap was looking very ugly indeed.
I opened my mouth to apologise for interrupting him on what was obviously a stressful day, but I didn’t get the chance.
‘I can’t do anything until they’re finished, can I?’ he roared again. ‘You’ll all just have to wait!’
He obviously wasn’t going to bother to come down to introduce himself and I had no intention of crossing his threshold to risk being shouted at in close quarters. I knew settling in somewhere new could be stressful but there was no need to let what he was going through ruin my experience. I was actually feeling rather chilled about my move. Or I had been.
‘Sorry to have bothered you,’ I called back up, snuffing out the creeping edge of sarcasm that I could feel infiltrating my voice. ‘I was just going to ask if you would like to join us for tea while we wait, but I’ll leave you to it.’
Chapter 3
Just as I had suspected, there really was no need for the drama and shouting. More often than not, in my experience, there isn’t. It was Lou who spotted the delivery team coming back out of the house next door, but I was the one who rushed out to have a quiet word, as she was still too wound up from her encounter with the so-called ‘dish’.
‘If you could just drive round the square again,’ I suggested, after I had explained to the driver that I was supposed to be moving in, ‘then my friend will be able to get her van through.’
‘No need for that love,’ said the guy, who was swinging a big bunch of keys. ‘We’re done. Once we’ve bagged up some of the packaging we’ll be off.’
‘Great.’ I smiled, relieved that the situation had been so easily sorted.
‘I’m sorry if we’ve held you up,’ he said, looking back at the house. ‘Did you speak to old misery-guts?’
He could only be talking about my neighbour.
‘I tried,’ I told him, ‘but was bawled out before I had a chance to offer him so much as a cup of tea.’
‘There now,’ he tutted. ‘I wish I’d known there was a brew going. He’s not offered, even though I’ve whistled “Polly Put the Kettle On” at least three times.’
I couldn’t help but laugh. We were set to carry on chatting but were interrupted by Mr Grumpy, who started hollering again.
‘Are you lot going to get rid of this bubble wrap or what?’ he shouted from somewhere inside his house.
He sounded like a bear in his cave, one with a very sore head, and I hoped this aggressive tone wasn’t his default setting. I was, for the most part, a happy-go-lucky type of person who kept my life simple and as stress-free as possible. I didn’t much want a near neighbour who was prone to throwing his weight around and shouting the odds.
‘I better get on,’ said the chap, ‘the sooner we’re out of his hair the better.’
I thought fur would have been a more appropriate word.
It didn’t take Lou, Colin and me many minutes to shift my boxes from the back of the van and into their allotted rooms. Not surprisingly, most of my things were destined for the kitchen, but I wouldn’t be unpacking them until I’d given the room a good scrub.
When Kate had first offered me the house she had been planning to employ the services of a professional cleaning team, but I had said I’d be happy to do it myself and between us we had struck a bargain. I was going to sanitise and set the place to rights and she was going to waive the first month’s rent. I had always found cleaning surprisingly therapeutic, so it was a win-win situation as far as I was concerned.
I had made it my mission to have the place back up to speed by the end of the week, which happened to be the Easter bank holiday weekend. A Prosperous Place garden party was planned for the Saturday and I wanted to have my chores list empty by then so I could relax and enjoy it, as well as lend a hand with the cooking and setting up.
‘That’s certainly not my idea of what a spring break should be,’ said Lou, tutting, as she rifled through my big box of eco-friendly cleaning products after I had explained my plans. ‘Why didn’t you do a clean before you moved in? Surely that would have made more sense. You’ve got to work around this lot now.’
I wasn’t usually prone to superstition, but my carefully made plans had been sabotaged before and I hadn’t wanted to bond with the house in case anything had gone wrong this time round. As far as I was concerned it had been worth the wait. ‘I’m not exactly inundated with boxes,’ I pointed out. ‘It won’t take me long.’
‘And are you’re sure you don’t want us to help?’ asked Colin, twitching my new feather duster along the highest kitchen shelves and dislodging a sprinkling of dust. ‘Lou did say she has the perfect apron for me.’
‘No,’ I told him, ‘thanks for the offer, but I can manage. I’m actually looking forward to it.’
Their faces were a picture.
‘I’ve never had a whole house to myself before,’ I reminded them. ‘All this space just for me is a treat.’
The flat above Greengages was borderline claustrophobic rather than cosy and I was looking forward to filling up the extra rooms.
‘But before you go back to work,’ I said, clearing a space on the table and dousing it in my home-made anti-bac spray, ‘I promised you some piccalilli sandwiches, didn’t I?’
We ate our lunch sitting on a rug on the green and washed it down with yet more tea and the last of the cream cakes.
‘Coming to the pub later?’ Lou asked me as Colin pulled her to her feet and she brushed the crumbs from the skirt of her dress.
‘Not tonight,’ I said, stretching my hands above my head and moving my neck from side to side to release any tension. ‘Maybe tomorrow.’
I picked up the depleted lunch tray, turned my back on the bear cave and then waved my friends off before closing my front door and exploring every one of the rooms in my new home.
*
I didn’t realise the rest of the day had slipped by until my rumbling tum alerted me to the fact that I needed to start thinking about dinner. I looked out of the front bedroom window and found the square quite devoid of traffic. Both the delivery lorry and van
were long gone and everything was as I had imagined it would be. I let out a slow breath, relieved that my plans to move here had only been temporarily scuppered, and then spotted Kate and another neighbour, Lisa, heading in my direction. I tapped on the window and waved before heading downstairs to let them in.
I had expected to open the front door and see the pair of them standing there, but what I actually discovered was a wall of bright spring blooms with a pair of slim legs sticking out below them.
‘Surprise!’ cried Kate, laughing, as she lowered the hand-tied flowers and peeped over the top. ‘Welcome to Nightingale Square, Poppy.’
‘Oh, my goodness,’ I laughed, taking the flowers from her. ‘Thank you so much. These are beautiful. I can’t remember the last time someone gave me flowers.’
Which was sad really, because they happened to be one of my top five favourite things in the whole wide world. I know I could have gifted them to myself, but that wasn’t quite the same, was it?
‘They’re all from the garden at Prosperous Place,’ Kate proudly explained, ‘so no air miles have been involved in getting them here, which I know is just how you like things.’
Kate had clearly taken a lot on board about me in the short time we’d known one another. Wherever possible I was a seasonal and shop-local enthusiast – another reason why having the community garden right on my doorstep was such a draw.
‘Come in,’ I said, opening the door wider to welcome my new landlady inside. ‘I’ll put these in water and get the kettle back on. It’s been on the boil all day.’
The beautiful bunch of flowers was predominantly made up of different varieties of daffodils and narcissus and there was lots of vibrant fresh greenery as well. It was sweetly scented spring in a jar. Or three jars, to be precise. I didn’t think I’d ever owned a vase. It seemed such a waste to buy one when I was rinsing out and recycling any number of bottles and jars every week.
‘There,’ I said, standing back to admire the arrangements before fussing over finding the best spot to show them off. ‘Perfect.’
‘Lovely,’ agreed Kate.
‘Wasn’t Lisa with you when you crossed the green?’ I asked, only just remembering. ‘Or did I mistake the flowers for her?’
‘She’s just nipped next door,’ Kate explained, stifling a yawn as she stirred her tea.
I hoped she meant to see Harold, the elderly gent who lived on my other side, rather than Mr Grumpy.
‘Are you still not getting much sleep?’ I asked, no doubt stating the obvious.
Kate was usually so full of energy that it was easy to forget that she had baby Abigail to look after, as well as her little stepdaughter, Jasmine.
‘Not as much as I’d like,’ she admitted, ‘but it’s getting easier.’
‘And what about Heather?’
Heather and her husband Glen lived in the first house in Nightingale Square and she, Lisa and Kate had become the firmest of friends since Kate’s arrival. Not only did Heather have her toddler Evie to keep up with but also six-month-old twin boys, James and Jonah. Lisa had three children of her own and quite often the green looked like a crèche rather than a place to unwind with a glass of wine at the end of the day, but that was part of its communal charm.
‘Does the word “teething” mean anything to you?’ Kate grimaced.
‘Ah,’ I said, wincing at the thought of potentially three sets of rosy cheeks to contend with as opposed to one. ‘She and Glen should buy shares in Calpol and frozen teething rings.’
‘I’ll suggest that,’ said Kate, laughing, as the front door opened and closed again. ‘Here’s Lisa,’ she added, with a wink, ‘barging in as usual. You know you’ll have to keep that door locked if you want to keep her out.’
‘What an absolutely ignorant bloody sod,’ Lisa ranted as she marched into the kitchen and pulled me into a hug before stepping back and taking my face in her hands. ‘Welcome to Nightingale Square, my lovely, and good luck with that git of a neighbour.’
‘Thanks,’ I said, puffing out my cheeks when she finally released them. ‘Tea?’
‘Yes please, and I better have a bit of sugar in it to sweeten me back up again.’
‘I take it he didn’t invite you in for a coffee and a catch-up then?’ asked Kate.
‘No,’ said Lisa with a sniff, ‘he certainly did not.’
‘He doesn’t make the best impression, does he?’ I smiled. ‘First or otherwise.’
‘No,’ Lisa said again, ‘he certainly doesn’t, but Neil’s right, he is a dish.’
I was surprised Lou hadn’t commented on my neighbour’s supposed good looks – she’d seen him at closer quarters than I had – but then she was no doubt still too riled up about the way he had talked to her to have processed what he looked like.
‘Another dish, eh?’ I mused. ‘How are you coping with two in such close proximity, Lisa?’
She wrinkled her nose and took a sip of the lightly sweetened tea.
‘Luke is stunning,’ she said, and Kate rolled her eyes, ‘but I’ve kind of got used to him now so he doesn’t really count.’
‘I was actually referring to John,’ I teased, ‘you know, that rather wonderful bloke you happen to be married to!’
Lisa blushed and we all laughed. Living in the same postcode as Luke Lonsdale had distracted everyone for a while. Formerly one of the world’s leading male models, he had jacked it all in to reclaim and renovate his ancestral home, open up his garden to the Nightingale Square residents and fall head over heels in love with Kate.
‘Yes, well,’ Lisa gabbled on, ‘that goes without saying, doesn’t it?’
‘Right,’ said Kate, slipping off the stool she was perched on, ‘I better get back. Abigail will be due another feed soon.’
She looked around the kitchen and then back to me.
‘I hope giving the place a spring-clean won’t be too much of a chore, Poppy.’
‘Not at all,’ I told her. ‘I’m actually looking forward to it.’
‘I do love this place,’ she said fondly.
‘Did you ever track down your tenant?’ I asked.
‘Nope.’ She sighed. ‘They fell behind with the rent and then did what my mum calls a moonlight flit after that last party. I’ve heard nothing from them since and I don’t expect to now, but at least they cleared out their stuff when they went.’
‘Good riddance to bad rubbish,’ said Lisa, rubbing her friend’s arm.
We both knew how much Kate loved her little house and I was looking forward to taking just as much care of it as she had.
‘Exactly,’ I agreed. ‘I’m just sorry that I couldn’t move in last year as planned. It would have saved you all this heartache and inconvenience.’
‘Well, never mind.’ She smiled. ‘You’re here now and we’re looking forward to seeing you in the garden, not to mention sampling anything you happen to cook up.’
‘Talking of the garden,’ joined in Lisa as she drained her cup, ‘come on, Poppy. I told the happy chappie next door to meet us on the green about now, so I can fill you both in on what we have planned for it this year.’
I didn’t reckon much for her chances of getting him to leave his lair.
‘Oh yes,’ said Kate. ‘I forgot Poppy doesn’t know about any of that.’
‘About any of what?’ I quizzed.
‘Wait and see,’ said Lisa, tapping the side of her nose.
*
It was a mild end to moving day and Lisa and I sat on my blanket on the green, soaking up the last of the warmth before the grass turned damp while we waited to see if my neighbour was going to appear.
‘Do you know what his name is?’ I asked as I tore up a handful of grass and looked back towards his house. ‘Someone must. He’s lived here long enough.’
‘Not a clue,’ said Lisa.
‘I can’t imagine it really is Mr Miserable or Mr Grumpy, although both do seem to suit him.’
‘You’re not wrong,’ Lisa huffed.
‘Look
out,’ I hissed, catching my first proper glimpse of him. ‘Here he comes.’
With his arms rigid by his sides and his shirt untucked, he strode over to where we were sitting and glared down at us. I squinted up at him and saw that the lines etched across his forehead and around his dark eyes were every bit as deep as the creases on his unironed shirt. Clearly he’d had a rough time recently, and I felt an unexpected pang of sympathy for him.
He was far younger than I had assumed and his whole aura was pulsing, but not in a good way. His shoulders were practically touching his earlobes and, given the physical evidence in front of me, I thought perhaps I shouldn’t take his earlier rudeness to heart. I sometimes forgot that not everyone was as chilled about life as I was. A deep tissue massage would have no doubt done him the power of good, but I wasn’t going to suggest one.
‘Hello.’ I smiled warmly, dropping my handful of grass.
I was determined to get off on the right foot with him this time round.
‘I’m—’
‘Hi,’ he interrupted with a scowl. ‘Look,’ he continued, addressing Lisa, ‘it’s Lisa, isn’t it? I know you weren’t listening earlier, but I meant what I said. I really don’t have time to exchange pleasantries with neighbours and, given the last lot I had to put up with, I don’t much want to either.’
I thought it was a bit harsh that he had judged me on first sight and assumed that I was the same as them. I felt Lisa bristle beside me.
‘I’m Poppy,’ I said before she could launch, kneeling up and holding out my hand. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
He looked back at me and bit his lip. He was taken aback that I had ignored his rudeness and that I was going to be civil even if he wasn’t going to make it worth my while. I felt rather pleased to have wrong-footed him.
‘Jacob,’ he said in a clipped tone, finally taking my hand.
I grasped it tightly and levered myself into a more upright position so he had no choice but to help pull me to my feet.
‘Pleased to meet you, Jacob.’ I smiled, still holding on to his hand. ‘I understand you’ve had pretty rotten neighbours recently?’
