by Hannah Ellis
“This sounds like it’s about to get complicated. Didn’t you say you worked things out with Jack again?”
“Yeah. It’s not complicated. Jack and I made up. The thing with Sam was just a momentary weakness. You know how it is at weddings… So much champagne and romance. It was nothing.”
“I might have to come and visit then… if there’s a hot guy going spare.”
“You should!” Josie said. “Definitely. There’s a pub in the village. We can go wild!”
Chapter 8
Josie arrived at Oakbrook Farm on Sunday afternoon and gave a quick knock at the door. She presumed it wasn’t the sort of place where you had to wait to be invited in and opened the door herself.
“I’m here!”
“So you are!” Sam’s eyes crinkled in amusement. He was making coffee, and a young woman stood beside him while a little boy held on to his leg. Josie was only expecting to find Annette, and the scene confused her.
“Sorry.” Her smile faded to fixed and unnatural. She was glad that the dogs were jumping around her and she distracted herself stroking them in turn. “Where’s Annette?”
“Upstairs,” Sam said. “Checking your room’s perfect!”
“Hi!” Josie said to the redheaded woman.
“Sorry,” Sam said. “This is Amber.”
“I’ve just been hearing about you,” Amber said, smiling brightly.
“All good I hope?” Josie’s brain was busy trying to figure things out. Who was the woman? Did Sam have a wife and kid that no one had mentioned? Surely not or they’d have been at the wedding – and he wouldn’t have kissed Josie.
“Definitely all good,” she said. “Do you want a coffee?”
“Yes, please. Who’s this then?” she asked, smiling at the kid. Sam picked the little boy up and Josie walked over and tickled his cheek.
“This is my godson,” Sam said. “Kieron.”
“Sam and I went to school together,” Amber explained. “I live at the other side of Averton. Kieron and I often call up here in the afternoons. I like to get him out for a walk and he usually falls asleep in his buggy. Wasn’t interested today, though. Hopefully he’ll sleep on the way home.”
Sam threw him up in the air, making him giggle. “I’ll take him outside for a run around. That’ll wear him out.”
Amber nodded her approval. “Thanks, Sam.”
The dogs followed Sam outside and the room fell silent.
“My husband’s away this week,” Amber said, passing Josie a coffee and taking a seat at the table. “So I feel like a single parent. Sam takes pity on me and helps with Kieron.”
“That’s good.” Josie picked up her coffee, feeling slightly uncomfortable. There was something about the way Amber looked at her that made her wonder what had been said about her. She wasn’t sure she was going to like living in a village. What if Sam wasn’t exaggerating when he said they were all a bunch of gossips?
“It’s great that you’re helping Annette out,” Amber said. “We’ve all been a bit worried about her since Wendy died. Opening up the kennels again will be good for her.” She stopped talking at the sound of footsteps on the stairs.
“There you are.” Annette grinned at Josie. “And I see you’ve met Amber. How was the drive?”
“Long! But fine.”
“We’re a bit out of the way here,” Amber said. “It sounds like it’s going to be a change for you, living out in the countryside?”
Josie blew on her coffee and took a sip. “Annette has promised to let me get back to civilisation from time to time. I’ll be needing a fix of traffic and pollution… crowds… those sorts of things.”
“We really are lacking in those aspects,” Amber said lightly. “Though there’s a chance you’ll get stuck behind a tractor on our little country roads once in a while. Not quite the same as queuing traffic but not far off.”
“That’s something to look forward to then.” Josie smiled. “Seriously, though, I don’t know what to expect. I’ve always lived in cities. I visit Lizzie and Max in Hope Cove now and again, and that’s always good fun, but it’s only ever a short visit.”
“You’re going to love it,” Annette said. “I bet you’ll enjoy being part of a community.”
“I won’t have to get involved in things, will I? Fundraisers and committees and stuff? I’m not quite sure what I’m getting myself into!”
“Not yet,” Amber said. “First, everyone will want to meet you, check you’re a suitable addition to Averton. Then there’ll be a swearing in ceremony before you’re forced to join committees.”
“Stop teasing,” Annette said. “You’ll scare her away before she’s even unpacked.”
“Speaking of unpacking,” Josie said. “I’m going to unload the car.”
“I can help,” Amber said.
“Thanks. I haven’t actually got much. Only one suitcase.”
“I’ll get off then, leave you to settle in. It was lovely to meet you.” She gave Josie a hug, which took her by surprise. After being unsure at first, Josie thought she’d probably get on well with Amber. It would be nice to have a woman close to her age around the place.
Outside, Sam was kicking a ball to Kieron, who toddled around unsteadily. The dogs wandered freely and didn’t seem at all bothered when Kieron pulled their tails or patted them roughly on the back. Macy bounced around Josie’s feet, watching as she pulled her suitcase out of the boot.
“I’ll help,” Sam said, once he’d said goodbye to Amber and Kieron.
“This is all I’ve got,” she said. “I travel light.”
He flashed his cheeky grin. “So you can make a quick exit if you need to?”
Josie tried to ignore the way her stomach went all fluttery. She brushed aside thoughts of dancing with him, of kissing him. “I can’t actually believe I’m doing this,” she said. “Moving here and working in a kennels. Especially since I don’t actually know anything about dogs.”
“I’m sure you’ll be great.”
She wished he’d stop smiling; it made her feel funny. And for some reason, her mind just wanted to rewind to the evening on the beach at Hope Cove.
“I hope so,” she said, looking quickly away from him and heading inside. She wondered how much he was going to be around. Was he there every day? She hoped not. Her brain seemed to go all foggy around him.
She was glad he only came inside for a few minutes and then left. It was unnerving, the way she felt so self-conscious around him. The looks he gave her were teasing and lingering and made her heart race in a way which would be exciting if she was single. She wasn’t, though; she’d agreed to give things another go with Jack.
She tried calling him as she unpacked her clothes into the large chest of drawers in her new bedroom. The flowery wallpaper wasn’t really to her taste, but the room was light and airy and Josie had never been too concerned by interior design. When Jack didn’t answer she left a message saying she’d arrived safely and would talk to him soon.
It didn’t take her long to unpack, and then she went down and ate dinner with Annette in the kitchen.
“I’ve been doing some research,” Josie said, when they sat in the living room later that evening. “Into boarding kennels. I’ve been looking what other places are doing and I’ve got some great ideas. I thought I could start by revamping your website and updating all your social media accounts. We’ll need to decide what services we’re going to offer. I don’t know what you were offering before but—”
Annette chuckled. “Slow down! I don’t even know what all those words mean. What are you talking about social media for? That’s the tweeting thing?”
Josie shook her head. “Twitter? Yes. But there’s also Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat…”
“We did have a Facebook page,” Annette said. “Max set it up. He said we needed it. I’m not really sure what it was for, though.”
“People have different preferences when it comes to social media so we need to be available to interact on
all of them.”
“You’ve lost me.” Annette stared at her blankly. “Who will we be interacting with? And why?”
“Customers,” Josie said slowly.
“It’s a boarding kennels. People bring their dogs, we look after them, then they pick them up again.”
“I know that! But there’s so much more you can offer. I can upload videos and photos so people can check in and see how the dogs are doing. They could even FaceTime with them if they wanted.”
“You’ve lost me again.”
“Video call…”
“With the dogs?”
“Yes!”
Annette started chuckling.
“Okay,” Josie said, amused. “Maybe we’ll build up to that stuff. I’ll start with your website.”
“Yes, I think we’ve got one of those.”
Josie stared at her for a moment then slapped a hand to her forehead and dropped back dramatically onto the couch.
Reaching over, Annette patted her knee affectionately. “We might have a few generational differences.”
“A few? How can you run a business and not know anything about your own website?”
“I have a telephone,” Annette said proudly. “People call and book their dogs in. Then they bring them and we look after them until they pick them up again.”
“Tell me it’s a mobile at least?”
Annette shook her head. “It doesn’t have a cord, though, and it works out on the patio too.”
With her hands over her face, Josie whimpered a fake cry. “I guess I’m going to be busy.”
Chapter 9
Josie opened up the big double doors to the barn the next morning. She wanted to take some photos for the website and was trying to let as much light in as possible. It was beautiful inside the barn with the neat red brick stalls and the quaint stable doors. Annette didn’t know exactly how big each kennel was but they looked spacious to Josie, and she was keen to measure up so she could include the information on the website.
“What’s wrong?” Annette asked when she wandered in. “I thought you were taking photos.”
“I’m just thinking… what if I give the stable doors a lick of paint? Brighten them up.”
“They’re fine as they are,” Annette said.
“But the kennels look a bit bare too. When I looked at other kennels online some of them were set up so that each kennel looked like a little living room. They had couches and carpets.”
“I think you were looking at the luxury places,” Annette said. “That’s not what we do.”
“But you could go a bit upmarket. Charge a bit more…”
“We’ve had the same customers for years. They’ll all come back. We don’t need to do a lot of refurbishing.”
“Just the painting then,” Josie said. “I could do the front gate by the road too.”
“Okay,” Annette said. “You can give them a lick of paint.”
“And the big barn doors, of course.”
“Of course,” Annette said, rolling her eyes.
Josie hurried to catch up with Annette as she walked back outside. “And if I can find second-hand furniture – free or really cheap – would that be okay?”
“Fine,” Annette said, shaking her head but smiling at the same time.
***
It was a half-hour drive to the nearest hardware shop, and Josie picked out terracotta paint very similar to what was already in the barn but a slightly lighter shade. It would be easy enough to slap a fresh coat on but should make a difference. She was determined to do a good job for Annette.
It was a pleasant afternoon, especially painting the gates outside in the sunshine.
“It’s amazing the difference a fresh coat of paint makes,” Annette said, wandering over to check on the worker.
“I told you,” Josie said, smiling. “By the way, I’ll need a ladder for the barn doors. Have you got one?”
“No.” She paused. “Call Sam, he’ll lend you one.”
“Okay,” Josie said, following her towards the house. “What’s his number?”
“I thought you two had swapped numbers already.”
“Nope.”
There was a look in Annette’s eyes that Josie couldn’t quite read.
“I’ve got a boyfriend. I told you this. Don’t start trying your hand at matchmaking.”
“But surely this Jack fella isn’t as good of a catch as Sam…”
“Annette!” Josie tried to sound stern but couldn’t help but be amused. In Annette’s eyes no one would be better than Sam. “Jack’s great. I’m very happy. Please don’t meddle.”
“I’ll try not to,” she said as they reached the house. Annette opened a drawer under the microwave and pulled out a dog-eared red book. “Here you go.”
“What’s this?”
“An address book. Sam’s number’s in there.”
“So you have people’s numbers handwritten in a book? It’s like I’ve moved to the dark ages.”
“It’s also number three on speed dial if you want to use the house phone.”
“Speed dial on your cordless phone. Very high tech! I think I’ll just send him a message.” She flicked through the book and looked blankly up at Annette.
“His last name’s Blake. Go to the tab with a ‘B’.” She tutted as she walked away, and Josie was amused as she flicked through the book and found Sam’s number.
“Blake,” she muttered as she walked back outside with her phone in her hand. “Samuel Blake.” It was a nice name. “Josie Blake,” she said without thinking and then cursed under her breath. Why was she trying out his last name? Was she going mad? Surely moving to the country hadn’t made her crazy already.
She pressed call without meaning to and a sense of panic gripped her. She wasn’t prepared to chat to him; she’d intended to send him a breezy text message.
When he answered, she panicked even more.
“Hi.” Her voice sounded weird – too high-pitched. “It’s Josie.” There was a pause and she skipped the part where she should wait for him to reply. “Annette’s new employee. Lizzie’s sister…” Oh, God. She was an idiot.
“The bridesmaid with the quirky shoes?”
“Yes, that’s me.”
“Josie, my new neighbour who I saw yesterday?”
It was tempting to say no and hang up. If there were a rewind button for life, now was the time she needed it.
“I remember you,” he said, his voice full of teasing. “I might seem pretty old to you, but I’ve actually got a decent memory. I think you’d have got away with just Josie.”
“I wouldn’t want any misunderstandings,” she said confidently. You could usually minimise embarrassment by being confident.
“Of course not,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
“Erm… I just wanted to say hi…” It was difficult to be confident when you forgot what you were calling for. Her mind whirred. “A ladder!” she blurted out. “I need to borrow a ladder, please. Annette said you have one.”
“I have indeed,” he said. “I’ll bring it over after work.”
She thanked him and hung up. Next time she’d definitely stick to breezy text messages.
***
Apart from the barn doors, she’d finished all the painting when Sam arrived. It had been a productive day and she was happy with the results.
Sam held up a red hand when he walked into the kitchen. “You could’ve warned me about wet paint.”
“Sorry.” Josie smirked at Annette while he went to the sink and began scrubbing.
“The ladder’s in the barn,” he said. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”
“She’s been a busy little bee,” Annette said. “Do me a favour and take Josie down to the pub for a celebratory drink. She deserves one after her first day on the job.”
Josie opened her mouth to protest, but Sam agreed immediately and moved back to the door, beckoning for her to follow him with a flick of the head. “See you later, Annet
te!” he called over his shoulder.
Pushing her feet into her shoes, Josie followed after him. “I’m not sure what just happened,” she said, pulling her hair up into a ponytail as she caught up with him.
“Annette likes to meddle,” he said. “She’s trying to set us up and it’s probably easier to just go along with it…”
She slowed, then stopped halfway down the drive. “I can’t go along with it.”
“I didn’t mean actually go along with it.” He turned back, seeming to sense her unease. “I know you’ve got a boyfriend … and that the thing at the wedding was just a … thing at a wedding! But Annette wants us to go for a drink together. I was planning on nipping to the pub anyway…” His confidence seemed to vanish and they stood locked in silence for a moment. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”
She supposed a quick drink couldn’t do any harm.
Chapter 10
The Bluebell Inn was what Josie considered a stereotypical country pub. The furniture was wooden and dated, and the decor was old-fashioned. There was nothing remarkable about it but it was pleasant enough – and conveniently situated a ten-minute walk from Oakbrook Farm. Sam introduced her to the barman, Andy, who was chatty and welcoming. There were only a few other people in the pub.
Once Andy had poured their drinks, Josie followed Sam to a small table by the window.
“So you spent your first day painting the kennels?” Sam said, sitting on a stool while Josie took the chair opposite him. “What else have you got planned?”
“I didn’t plan on painting,” she said. “I only went out to take some photos for the website. I thought the photos would look better if I spruced the place up a bit.”
“Don’t tell me you managed to do the painting and set up a website all in one day?”
“No.” She smiled. “The website is on my list for tomorrow. Along with setting up social media accounts.”
“Lots of change at Oakbrook then. Annette won’t know what’s hit her.”
