Posy smiled, but beneath it her mind was working overtime. Karen might be keeping secrets, but Posy was determined she would get to the bottom of it all eventually.
Chapter Seventeen
Good morning gorgeous!
Posy rolled over and grabbed her phone, the ping of an incoming text waking her far earlier than she’d intended, but the frown she was wearing, annoyed at herself for forgetting to silence her phone overnight, turned to a smile as she read Jackson’s message.
You’re up early.
* * *
Got a breakfast meeting at work. Woke up thinking of you… it’s gonna make me late.
* * *
Gross!
* * *
I’m only human – I make no apologies.
* * *
Was I good?
* * *
Amazing!
Posy’s sleepy smile turned into a grin. Ordinarily she’d find that kind of chat with a man a huge turn-off, especially as their relationship was so new, but for some reason she didn’t mind it from Jackson this morning. Maybe there was a simple explanation. Maybe Jackson was that rare thing – a relationship that might last a while; at least, one she wanted to last.
You’ll be even later if you’re texting me instead of getting ready for work.
* * *
I know. When are you coming back to London? I’ve got nothing to do this weekend.
* * *
Oh, so I’m just something to occupy your time?
* * *
In the best possible way, yes.
* * *
I can’t come back yet; I’m not finished here.
* * *
You can come for a visit? They don’t have you locked up, do they?
* * *
Actually yes. I’m texting you from the cellar right now. Sometimes they bring me cold gruel and let me look at the sky through a crack in the wall, but I don’t think they’ll let me out to see real people.
* * *
I’ll have to come and rescue you.
* * *
In your stormtrooper costume?
* * *
Could do. If I did would it float your boat?
* * *
Quite possibly… you could come to visit me here? I could ask if you could stay over.
* * *
I’d find it weird tbh. More to do in London too.
* * *
I guess… I’ll see what I can do.
The conversation finished with more flirting and then virtual kisses, then Posy returned her phone to the bedside cabinet and rolled onto her back with a sigh. She wasn’t sure she was all that bothered about rushing back to London just yet, but she did want to see Jackson.
Then again, perhaps the fact that she didn’t want to go ought to tell her something about her state of mind. Maybe she was getting too comfortable here in Somerset in a life that was borrowed, not really hers. She’d have to go home sooner or later, and it was silly to allow herself to feel so settled at Oleander House like this. Not only that, but Marella would say Posy was getting staid and boring and she’d be right. London was where she belonged and where all the opportunities were; she’d be mad not to go back as soon as possible. Not to mention that, sooner or later, Giles, Sandra and even Asa would decide she’d outstayed her welcome and want her to leave.
* * *
It was Posy’s turn to get supplies. Again. The amount of coffee and milk she and Asa managed to get through on a weekly basis was astonishing – it was a wonder they weren’t permanently wired, and if it were a harder drug they’d certainly be bankrupt. They’d had to borrow from the big house again this morning for their first coffee of the day, and Giles had gently ribbed Posy about what exactly they were doing with their weekly supply.
While Giles had always been open and friendly with Posy, he was so different from his brother. She got along with him and was glad to be welcomed into his home, but she and Giles simply didn’t ‘click’ the way she and Asa had, which was funny when Posy recalled that Asa had been the more reserved sibling in the beginning. The way things were with Giles felt more like a father–daughter (or perhaps uncle–niece, as it ought to be) situation than friends. Perhaps that was down to the bigger age gap, or perhaps it was just that he was married and settled and took life a lot more seriously than Asa did. In the end it didn’t really matter, Posy supposed – she only knew that she liked him a lot and she felt he liked her too, which was confirmed by his generous offer that morning.
‘We’ve been thinking,’ he began, glancing at Sandra who was buttering toast for their ‘after-breakfast breakfast’ – the meal they ate almost three hours after they’d got up, after they’d been to inspect the grounds together and seen that all was well. ‘Perhaps, as you’re spending so much time here helping out, we ought to put you on the insurance for our little van.’
‘That’s really kind of you,’ Posy said. ‘Although Asa has already said I can use his car whenever I need.’
‘True, but when you’ve got to pick up things from the hardware store – as you undoubtedly will need to once the structural work on Asa’s annexe is finished and you come to decorate – you’re going to need something bigger and tougher than his car.’
‘Doesn’t Asa drive the van?’ Posy asked. When she thought about it, they could probably place online orders too, but maybe they would want a few on-the-spot things from time to time that they wouldn’t want to wait for and perhaps Giles was thinking of those occasions.
‘Well, yes. We just wondered if you might find it useful to be able to use the van too.’
‘The thing is… I’m a little nervous driving, to be honest. I mean, I can drive, but I don’t need to very often in London so I hardly ever bother and I think… well, I know it’s made me a bit rusty.’
‘Maybe now’s the time to get better again,’ Sandra said. ‘The roads are quiet here so you wouldn’t have to be nervous.’
Posy smiled gratefully. While it was true she rarely used her driving skills she also loved any excuse to walk around the orchard and the area around Astercombe. But, she supposed, Giles had a point about picking up hardware and the weather wouldn’t always be kind enough for walking. Maybe she could even offer to help them with cider deliveries if she became more confident behind the wheel of their van – and it was only a small one anyway so it wouldn’t be as intimidating as it could have been if they’d owned a transit or something much more unwieldy. It would be one way of repaying them for the kindness they’d shown her since she’d come to stay with them.
‘OK,’ she said finally, ‘that sounds good. Thank you. If I can drive the van then I can run errands for you too.’
‘Oh, we have plenty of people to do that,’ Sandra put in. ‘No need for you to worry.’
‘But they’re not here all the time and I am… well, I am at the moment.’
Sandra smiled. ‘You’d really want to?’
‘Of course!’ Posy replied. ‘I mean, I am taking huge advantage of your hospitality already.’
‘Also helping Asa for free,’ Giles reminded her.
‘Oh, I’d enjoy doing that anyway – any excuse to redesign a room and I’m there.’
Sandra placed the plate of toast in front of Giles and turned to Posy. ‘I’ll give the insurance company a call later, get it all sorted – no point in messing around. Then you’ll be able to start taking it out straight away.’
‘Thank you.’ Posy held up the jar of coffee Giles had furnished her with. ‘And thanks for the coffee too. I’ll walk to Astercombe straight after breakfast to get you a replacement.’
‘Wait until the van insurance is sorted and go in that,’ Giles said mildly. ‘That way it’s a great excuse for a trial run and you don’t have to worry about how much shopping you might want to bring back.’
Posy didn’t think she’d buy that much but having the van would enable her to drive to a bigger town for provisions if she was minded to, where she’d get a better choice and cheaper
prices. Perhaps she’d ask Asa to come so she’d have a little moral support and someone to navigate while she concentrated on getting used to an unfamiliar vehicle. She nodded. ‘That sounds like a good idea actually.’
‘I’ll let you know when it’s all gone through,’ Sandra said. ‘There’s nothing I ought to know about, is there? Motoring convictions, speeding tickets…? Anything the insurers might not like?’
Posy had to grin. ‘If only my life was that exciting. I’m afraid there’s nothing – no naughty things in my past at all!’
* * *
Later that afternoon it was raining heavily, and though she would have walked in it to get supplies regardless, it seemed the perfect time to take the newly insured and currently not in use van instead. Asa was needed by Giles, however, something about amending advertising copy, and so Posy decided to forfeit the longer drive out to a bigger town for more shopping and pop into Astercombe instead. The convenience store had a little car park and would do for now, and she might just call into the nearby (everything was nearby in tiny Astercombe) farm shop to see what treats they had. If something looked nice enough she’d take it and cook for everyone that evening.
Sandra and Giles insisted that Posy and Asa join them at the big house for supper almost every evening where they would cook, and Posy figured it was about time she took her turn, even if Asa kept telling her not to worry because they both loved cooking and always wanted to do it anyway.
The van was surprisingly light and easy to drive. Posy had expected some cumbersome, tank-like experience, but it wasn’t all that different to the estate car her mum had back at home. Once she got used to it, she could see herself zipping up and down with deliveries and shopping in no time. In fact, she was glad she hadn’t waited and given her anxieties time to get the better of her, otherwise it might have been ages before she’d plucked up the courage to take the van out.
With access to this and to Asa’s car, she quickly began to realise, she also had the freedom to see a lot more of the surrounding area if people at Oleander House were too busy to drive out with her, and she really did want to see a lot more of it, from mystical Glastonbury Tor to the majesty of Cheddar Gorge. She wanted to go to the coast, to villages and towns like the quaintly named Street, Axminster, Wells… so many places she’d heard of and read about and she wanted to see them all.
There was years for all that, Asa had told her when she’d mentioned it to him, plenty of visits to Oleander House in the future when she could do all that – but if she had the means to travel then why wait?
No sooner had these thoughts entered and left her mind than she saw the roof of Sunnyfields Guest House behind a row of trees. She considered popping in to say hello but quickly decided that perhaps visiting unannounced wasn’t the best idea. Besides, they’d probably seen enough of her this week anyway.
A moment later the sign informing her Astercombe was now less than two miles away appeared and made up Posy’s mind for her on that score.
And no sooner had she seen that sign than she heard a loud pop, and then the van suddenly swerved on the road, forcing her to slam the brakes on. Shaking, Posy manoeuvred it onto a grass verge as best she could, out of the way of the road, and killed the engine.
After a moment of deep breathing to calm herself, she got out to see if she could find some explanation for why the van would behave like that. It didn’t take her long to spot the blown-out tyre at the front. She was no great expert, but either the air pressure had been wrong or something very sharp had been on the road to cause it, although looking now she couldn’t see anything that might be the culprit.
To add to her woes, no sooner had she stepped out of the vehicle than the rain became torrential. She glanced back at the rooftop of Sunnyfields. Could she get help there? It was certainly closer than Oleander House but, again, she didn’t want to impose on Karen and Ray, who would have enough of their own to be getting on with.
Hurrying back to the driver’s door and getting in, Posy grabbed her phone. So much for independence, she mused as she dialled Asa’s number.
There was no answer. Rather than leave a message on his service she decided to call Giles – they were working together this morning, as far as she knew, so he ought to be close by. But there was no reply from him either and she had to assume that they were working together but didn’t want to be interrupted and had both put their phones out of the way. Posy didn’t have Sandra’s number – she’d never needed it – but she did have the number for the house phone stored in her contacts. She quickly tried that, only to get no reply there either.
Silently cursing her luck, she decided there was nothing else to be done but to walk back for help. She didn’t have the first clue how to change a tyre – a fact that would have been lamented by any twenty-first-century feminist worth her salt, but a fact just the same. Posy had never needed to change a tyre – just like she’d never needed to moonwalk – so why would she have learned? Although, she reflected ruefully as she climbed out of the van and zipped her coat up, if any situation was going to persuade her to rectify that, it would be one very much like this.
She’d barely taken ten steps when she checked herself. What was the good of making a nuisance of herself at the orchard when they were all busy?
Come on! Are you really that useless, Posy?
She turned back to the van and got her key out to open it. There had to be a manual or something in the glove box with instructions on how to change a tyre, and surely it couldn’t be that difficult to follow them?
As she’d suspected, there was a booklet detailing where the spare and the jack could be found. It didn’t tell her how to replace the tyre, but she took another look and it sort of made sense. There were a few tools in the back, including something that would take the wheel nuts off (though she had absolutely no idea what it was called and found it almost laughable that she’d survived twenty-seven years on the planet knowing very little about these things). It all looked heavy and grimy but still… if everyone at the orchard was working they really wouldn’t thank her for making them come out for this.
Steeling herself, she decided to give it a go. What was the worst that could happen? She wouldn’t be able to do it and she’d have to walk back for help. But if she could do it…? How proud and pleased she’d be, and how much less of a burden she’d be to everyone. The last thing she wanted was to be a burden, especially as Giles and Sandra had been kind enough to trust her with the van in the first place.
Firstly, she dragged the jack out and positioned it as best she could. She couldn’t see instructions on where, exactly, to place it, but it looked fairly straightforward. Then she began to work it up so that the van would lift enough for her to get the damaged tyre off.
That was when she recognised her first mistake. The verge she’d parked on was soft and, instead of lifting the van, the jack simply began to sink into the soil. By the time she’d realised, however, it was well and truly stuck and no amount of pulling would get it out. So she resorted to yanking at clumps of grass and earth to try and free it, becoming so frustrated and increasingly annoyed at herself, and absorbed in her task to the point of near obsession, that she never even heard the car pull up alongside. At least, if she heard, she didn’t register anything until she heard the voice.
‘Alright there?’
She spun around and, as he recognised her, Lachlan’s look of polite concern transformed into one of almost comical exasperation.
‘Why is it always you?’ he asked wearily.
Posy gave an audible groan, which probably didn’t help the situation. ‘I could say the same thing to you,’ she said, unable to hide the vexation in her tone. She had enough on her plate without running into Groundskeeper Willie.
‘In that case I’ll leave you to… whatever it is you’re doing.’ He paused and frowned slightly. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Changing a tyre.’
She wanted to add something deeply sarcastic to her reply because wh
at she was doing was obvious to anyone, but she was wet, getting wetter by the second, tired and fed up, and she didn’t have the energy. She simply turned her attention back to the jack, which seemed to be sinking further into the ground in front of her very eyes, despite her efforts to free it.
‘Is that what you’re calling it?’
She looked up again, and if he didn’t already have form that told her the man possessed no sense of humour whatsoever, she’d have sworn he was finding her predicament funny. Not that he smiled or displayed any of the normal clues to suggest amusement, but his tone was ever so slightly less aggressive than usual and his eyes were almost warm.
‘You want some help?’ he added.
‘I can do it – thank you,’ she said stiffly, blowing a lock of wet hair from her face, only for it to glue itself to her forehead.
‘And a fine job you’re doing,’ he said. ‘I can see my services would be wasted.’
She waited for more sarcasm but none came.
‘It might be a bit heavy—’ he began.
‘For a little girl like me?’ Posy fired back.
‘For anyone. Easier with two pairs of hands.’
Posy stared up at him. Was this the same man she’d encountered before?
‘Here,’ Lachlan continued without waiting for her reply. He bent down to grab the jack, and with one swift pull he’d managed to free it. He turned to her. ‘Get in and let the handbrake off so we can push it to level ground.’
The Little Orchard on the Lane: An absolutely perfect and uplifting romantic comedy Page 18
