The banging on the door was followed by the sound of it creaking open, and a cheery ‘hello.’ Lucy gave up on staring at the email from the estate agents, not that she’d been concentrating on it that hard – with the poorly pup on her mind – and closed the lid of her laptop with a sigh, just as Maisie flung the kitchen door open and dashed in, a small brown dog at her heels.
‘I’ve been to see my friend, have you got any cakes? Daddy says you’ve got cakes.’
Lucy grinned. ‘They’re for the picnic tomorrow.’
‘Hi!’ Charlie, looking much more relaxed than he had earlier at the surgery, ruffled his daughter’s hair. ‘You’ve had enough cake, and what happened to “Hello Lucy, how are you?”’
‘I don’t need to say that, she’s got a happy face so I already know.’ Maisie rooted through the wicker basket of toys near the back door. ‘Daddy says your puppy’s a poo.’ She giggled. ‘Poo and Roo go together. Come on Roo.’ Picking out a tug toy she waved it at the dog, before making a dash for the back garden.
‘My puppy’s a poo?’ Lucy raised an eyebrow. Not sure about the poo, or the fact Maisie had called it her puppy.
Charlie shook his head, trying not to smile. ‘It is indeed, well that’s my best guess, I think it’s a cockerpoo, a cocker spaniel poodle cross, and I have good news.’
‘About the puppy? She’s going to be okay?’
‘Yep. I thought I’d deliver the news in person, along with this.’ He held up a bottle of wine, then after a quick glance out of the window he leaned in and planted the softest of kisses on her lips. It was a gentle caress, the slightest brush of his dry lips against hers, but it found its way all the way down to her toes.
‘Oh.’ Lucy’s stomach gave a little flip, and the single syllable quivered. They’d said they wouldn’t get too involved over the summer, for Maisie’s sake. But they’d failed miserably. Not that the little girl had been affected. Charlie’s parents had been overjoyed that Josie was away. She’d always limited the time they could spend with their only granddaughter, and as soon as they’d known the coast was clear they’d been on the phone to Charlie – begging him to let them spend as much time as they could with Maisie over the summer. So Maisie had spent several weeks with her nana and grandad, and Lucy had spent rather a lot of time with Charlie.
Now, after two weeks of him spending as much time as he could with Maisie, and her spending rather more time than she wanted to with her spreadsheets preparing for the new school year, she had a very unladylike urge to jump on him.
He winked, as though he’d read her mind. ‘I really need to get my hands on you, think you’ll be able to cope with my animal urges once Maisie’s fast asleep tonight?’ The rough edge to his voice brought a rush of goosebumps to her arms.
‘I’ll do my best.’ She grinned as the heady atmosphere of anticipation lifted a bit. ‘Think you’ll be able to cope with all my demands?’
‘Oh, I’ll certainly do my best.’
They grinned at each other. Then he remembered the wine. ‘Open it now, finish it later?’
She smiled back at the question in his voice. She’d fallen in love, and she felt happier than she could ever remember being. But she also knew they had to keep this as low key as they could for Maisie’s sake, now she was back.
Lucy knew only too well how it felt to be abandoned by somebody you loved, what the upheaval from your family home could do to you. At least Maisie’s dad loved her, both her parents loved her, and her move to Langtry Meadows was to a lovely welcoming place. Nothing like the nightmare Lucy had experienced.
When she was not much older than Maisie, she’d been sure that nobody loved her. She’d thought her dad had abandoned her, and that her friends hated her. She’d lost her dog, her home, and her mother was working every hour she could to scrape a living. Lucy’s whole world had crumbled. Which was why, when she’d graduated, she’d buried herself in the anonymity of a city.
But she’d learned recently that the truth was far more complicated. Wasn’t it always? That her mum had feared for their lives, and fled her domineering and brutal husband. That starting a brand new life, severing all their ties had been what had saved them. Even though for years it hadn’t seemed like that.
Maisie’s situation was quite different. But Lucy knew that the little girl needed as much of her father’s attention as work allowed. For now, she had to be there for support, a helping hand, not her father’s lover. Which would be confusing, more than confusing as she was also going to be Maisie’s teacher.
Tonight though was special. They’d agreed that they needed to distract Maisie from the fast approaching start of term. Charlie and his daughter would stay with Lucy in the cottage, then in the morning they’d make a picnic together, before heading off on an adventure.
‘Sounds nice.’ She grabbed a corkscrew. ‘Is she okay?’ Lucy kept her voice low, even though Roo was barking and Maisie was squealing excitedly.
Charlie shrugged. ‘She’s been a bit subdued.’ The smile dropped from his face, the fan of laughter lines she loved so much faded away. ‘It’s my fault, she’s probably spent far too much time with Mum and Dad this summer and in between I’ve let her see too much of her old friends, and not got her to mix with the kids here.’
‘It’s not your fault.’ She chided him gently, wishing she could take the worry away from his eyes. ‘Everybody is away over the summer anyway, and she needs to know her old friends are still there for her, young kids need to feel secure, it helps them cope with change.’ She glanced down. ‘I lost all my friends when I moved.’ It had been horrible, she’d come to terms with it, discovered why it had been that way. But she could still remember how it felt. The hurt. The feeling of being cast aside – and even the logic of knowing it wasn’t actually like that couldn’t rewrite the memories. Which was why she had to resist the temptations of the gorgeous Charlie Davenport, and make sure they did this right.
‘I know.’ He put a warm hand over hers, squeezed, and brought a lump to her throat.
‘We can chat later, when she’s in bed? Come up with a plan.’
He laughed then, a warm, deep laugh and looked straight into her eyes. More tempting than a box of her favourite hard caramel chocolates. ‘You and your plans, you haven’t got a colour coded spreadsheet in mind, have you?’
‘Of course.’ She took his lead, moved on from the difficult topic that she was sure occupied most of his waking hours. ‘So, how’s the puppy?’
‘She’s not got parvo.’ His words were muffled, as his head was in the cupboard. ‘We’ll have to keep her in a few days, but then she’s all yours. So, what are you going to call her?’ He reappeared, holding two wine glasses.
‘All mine?’ She frowned.
‘You are keeping her, aren’t you?’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, if you can’t I suppose I can get Sally to ring the dogs’ home, but they won’t be keen with all the care she’ll need, she’s really poorly. Needs some TLC and building up.’
‘Stop.’ Lucy held up a hand. Okay, she had been thinking about keeping the pup, after all hadn’t it been one of her thoughts as she’d stood in Jasmine Cottage? But it had just been a passing thought. ‘Just stop, I know exactly what you’re playing at. I’ll look after her for now, okay? Then we’ll find another home. And you can stop smirking.’
He grinned, and poured the wine. ‘You were really upset when Elsie Harrington told you that somebody else wanted that podgy retriever pup of hers.’ His tone was a gentle tease.
‘No I wasn’t!’ The last of Elsie’s litter of puppies had been adorable, and for the first time in years she’d actually started to wonder if a dog in her life might not be a bad thing.
‘You were. You got your sulky face on.’
‘I don’t have a sulky face.’
‘You did that I can cope, leave me alone, thing.’
‘Charlie!’
His grin broadened until the dimples appeared at the side of his mouth. ‘It’s okay,’ he leant forward,
his broad, suntanned forearms resting on the table, ‘I know you’re a soft touch under that strict school teacher exterior.’
‘You’ll be getting detention if you don’t behave.’
‘Oh, yes please, now you’re talking.’ He chuckled, and the shiver of goosebumps shot down her arms again.
‘Stop being naughty!’
‘I can’t help it when you’re around.’ His gaze grabbed hers, held her, for a moment serious, and she couldn’t miss the meaning.
‘You’re bad.’
‘You make me that way.’ The husky tone made her wriggle in her seat. ‘You’re in so much trouble later.’
‘Promises, promises.’
‘You betcha.’ He touched the tip of her nose with one warm finger, shook his head then pulled away reluctantly and turned his attention back to the wine. ‘I know you didn’t want to give Elsie her puppy back, even though you wouldn’t admit it.’
Lucy tried to scowl, but he was right. He knew her too well. She’d grown quite attached in the few days that she’d looked after Elsie’s dog Molly, and her puppy. She was fairly sure that Elsie had been plotting to persuade her to home the dog, but when a neighbour was devastated by the loss of her own Labrador, Elsie had felt she had no choice but to offer her Podge, as Lucy had named him. But she’d decided it was for the best.
A tiny, malnourished runt of a puppy with mismatched eyes and an aptitude for projectile vomiting wasn’t for the best. Even if she couldn’t stop thinking about the animal.
‘She’s stopped being sick now.’ Charlie grinned, as though he’d read her mind.
She sighed. ‘I haven’t really got time though have I? Being sensible. Term starts in a few days, and there’s bound to be tons of work to do, and parents evenings and …’ and possibly a new home to renovate.
‘She’ll be good company for you.’ His voice was soft, but it hung between them. The unspoken agreement, she’d be company for her because he couldn’t be right now, he had Maisie. ‘Sometimes it’s better not being too sensible.’
‘I have got all the other animals.’
‘The other animals aren’t yours, they’re Annie’s. And anyway, a dog is different.’ He was right. A dog was different. The sound of Maisie and Roo filtered through from the garden. She’d played with her own dog Sandy when she was that age, and she’d been heartbroken to leave him behind when they’d moved. She’d sworn she’d never get attached to an animal in that way again. But maybe now was the right time.
Things had changed since she’d moved to Langtry Meadows. She’d changed.
‘So?’
She shook her head at him, but couldn’t help the smile that came to her lips. It was the right time. ‘Piper. I’m going to call her Piper.’
‘Let’s drink to Piper then.’ He raised his glass, his eyes seeming to assess her, and it was there, that moment when she knew that whatever happened, she’d always love him. She gave herself a mental shake. ‘You look like you need a drink, are you okay?’
‘Well actually,’ this was a brilliant time to concentrate on the other big issue, and distract herself, and her urges. ‘I’ve had a bit of a strange day.’ She sighed.
He was studying her, looking serious. ‘What? Has something else happened?’ His voice was soft, concerned.
‘My house, the one in Birmingham?’
‘Oh no, it’s not been trashed or anything?’ He put his drink down, laid a warm hand over Lucy’s.
‘No, no, it’s not that.’ She hadn’t been able to believe the response when she’d rung the agent who was letting her house out, within the space of an hour she’d had a return call, and an email confirmation in her inbox. ‘The people who are renting it from me might want to buy.’
It was all so much to take in. In the space of one short day she’d found an idyllic home, and it looked like it was hers for the taking.
When she’d taken a temporary job at the school in Langtry Meadows, Lucy had had no intention of hanging around. She liked working in Birmingham, and as soon as the opportunity arose she’d be back there like a flash. Which was why she’d let her home out. But the village had got under her skin, and she’d soon found herself accepting the permanent position that Timothy Parry, the headmaster had offered. Now it was hard to imagine living anywhere else.
‘That’s fantastic!’ Charlie paused, his eyes searching her face. ‘Isn’t it?’
‘Well yes …’
‘But?’ He frowned. ‘You’ve take a permanent job on here, and you can’t live in this place for ever, can you? I mean, what happens when Annie comes back? Selling yours means you can afford to look for a place, doesn’t it?’
Which was true, Annie had planned to be away for at least a year, but beyond that who knew? That had been fine when she’d only planned on staying a term, but it was a rather different situation now. She’d already been in Langtry Meadows for six months, what if Annie and her husband were back next spring? ‘Well yes, I mean I have got a job. But the school’s still got an uncertain future, even knowing it’s not on the list they’re considering closing this year.’ And it was the final step. Letting go of the security blanket that had cloaked her insecurities of the past.
‘That could be the same anywhere.’ His voice was gentle, with a question at the end of it. ‘What’s the real problem, don’t you want it to work out?’ The way he said it, the way he was looking at her with that slightly unsure edge to his voice, said it all.
He knew, they both knew, that the problem wasn’t just about letting go of the dreams she’d put in place to protect herself – the big school, challenging kids, promotion prospects. It was him. Charlie Davenport, and his daughter Maisie. Them.
Or more specifically, it was Josie. What would happen when Maisie’s mum came back?
It would break her heart if Charlie moved on, and she couldn’t follow. And it would be beyond awful if Josie moved back to the area, and made things difficult for them.
‘Of course.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘I do want it to work out.’ Those gorgeous brown eyes of his were studying her intently. He cared, she knew he cared, but that didn’t alter anything. ‘But it is complicated, isn’t it?’
He nodded. ‘It might be.’ She knew he’d understand, know she wasn’t just talking about houses, jobs. ‘But nothing we can’t handle.’
Lucy hoped so. ‘Well,’ she paused, ‘the other bit of my strange day,’ how much drama could a girl cram into one short day? ‘One of the little cottages opposite the green has just come up for sale. I could buy it.’
‘Wow,’ Charlie sat back, and ran his fingers through his hair, ‘you have had a busy day! But that’s perfect timing, isn’t it?’
She nodded slowly. ‘It’s gorgeous too, but, well, should I wait until …’ It was a massive step. She should do it, just for her. But he was part of her life.
He put his glass down, and gave her a funny lopsided grin which she didn’t quite understand. ‘Wait? Why? So you don’t want to commit to life here? I thought …’
‘You thought?’
‘Well, me and you, I thought you’d be around to help me with Maisie, and for, well, us.’
She felt like he was squeezing her heart. ‘I do want to be here for us.’ She wrapped her arms round him. Rested her forehead against his. ‘I do.’ But what if the immediate future didn’t have a Charlie and Lucy shaped gap? Loving Charlie was one thing, but coming between him and Maisie was something she’d never want to do. ‘But should I wait until Josie comes back, until we know …’
Charlie shook his head, his forehead brushing against hers, his dark gaze hitting her head on. ‘Josie’s dictated to me for long enough. You know Maisie means the world to me, I’ll never give her up, but you mean the world to me too, whatever we need to do to make this work we will. Yes? Do it, if it’s what you want to do?’
She nodded, looking at him through the tears she hadn’t realised had sprung into her eyes. ‘It is.’
‘Good.’ Then not even glancing up to check
whether Maisie was nearby, he kissed her.
Chapter 3
‘I wondered where you were!’ Jill smiled at Maisie, who was kneeling down in the playground, clutching Roo to her chest. The tears that had been building in her big brown eyes spilled over, as she sensed the inevitable. Her grip tightened on the little dog. ‘I need your help, Maisie.’
Lucy stood back. Yesterday morning, the little girl had been more than a little reluctant to leave her dad and dog, and she was sure there had been a muttered ‘you’re not my mummy’, so today she had decided to use different tactics.
‘Our guinea pig isn’t at all well, and I’m sure somebody told me you were the best person to help. But, if they’re wrong I can always ask one of the other children.’ Maisie’s grip loosened on the dog, and she stood up, taking the hand that Jill was holding out.
Lucy could practically see the whoosh of tension leave Charlie’s body as his daughter disappeared into the school building.
‘Morning.’ Lucy smiled at Charlie. ‘You’ll go bald if you’re not careful.’
He gave a wry smile, but stopped running his fingers through his hair.
The first few days of the new school year had been chaotic and Lucy had been glad the term had started on a Wednesday and they hadn’t had a full week to cope with. The children, and staff, had been exhausted by the end of Friday. And now they were already into the second week, and were starting to settle into a routine. Apart from Maisie.
‘She seemed fine last week, but this week …’ He shrugged, looking at a loss.
‘I know. She was very quiet over the weekend though. She’s bright Charlie, she was mulling it over.’
‘I thought bringing Roo with us might help, but if anything it’s made her worse.’ The little terrier looked up at the sound of his name, and Lucy patted his head.
‘She’d be hanging on to you if Roo wasn’t here. She’ll be okay, honest. She just needs time, and Jill will keep a close eye on her.’
‘I hope so.’
Coming Home to Jasmine Cottage Page 3
