Hattie's Home for Broken Hearts: A heartwarming laugh out loud romantic comedy

by Tilly Tennant

  ‘I swear they don’t watch as much television as that list might suggest,’ Melinda said behind a hand. Hattie laughed.

  ‘If I had four kids they’d do nothing but watch television while I recovered in a dark room.’

  ‘You know,’ Melinda said, lowering her voice further still as they sat on the low stone wall of the orchard, watching Jo with the kids, the bright morning sun throwing leafy shadows on the carpet of grass between the trees, ‘maybe you were right about her.’

  Hattie grinned. ‘I am right sometimes, aren’t I?’

  ‘Sometimes. I’m beginning to think you’re a lost-soul magnet.’

  Hattie threw her a sideways glance. ‘What on earth does that mean?’

  ‘Well,’ Melinda continued, ‘first of all you looked after Alphonse when nobody else would…’

  ‘He paid me,’ Hattie reminded her. ‘And I needed the job when Bertrand left me high and dry so I had to put up with him if I wanted to eat.’

  ‘I don’t think any amount of money would have persuaded me to stick his moods out,’ Melinda said. ‘So that still makes it an act of mercy in my book. And now this. I’m beginning to think you’re like that angel in that old film who comes down to earth to sort people’s lives out when they’re messed up.’

  Hattie’s laughter rang across the orchard. Jo and the kids all turned to see what the commotion was before they decided that, on balance, the chickens were still more interesting than whatever had tickled Hattie so much.

  ‘Don’t be daft,’ she said once she was able to speak. ‘I didn’t exactly make Alphonse happy. I burnt his show down for a start.’

  ‘Admittedly the burning-down thing might have blotted your copy book a bit, but I think he still actually cared a lot about you, and that was because you’d been there for him when he was lonely.’

  ‘You mean when Raul left him?’

  ‘I mean even after that. Why do you think he phoned the other week? He misses you because you did more than just work for him – you talked to him.’

  Hattie turned back to watch Jo talking to Melinda’s brood – or rather, listening to the crescendo of steadily growing noise and excited chatter that made getting her answers to their questions heard really quite impossible.

  ‘I’m going to ask her tonight,’ Hattie said. ‘I think she’ll say yes.’

  ‘About the visitor thing?’

  Hattie nodded. ‘Look – she’s fine with your lot. Admittedly there are some kids out there a million miles away from that type of good behaviour, but I can deal with those situations; Jo doesn’t have to get involved at all. I’m going to suggest a trial, a month or so, see how it goes.’

  ‘I think it’s a good idea. She’d be nuts to say no – I honestly don’t know why she’s never done it before.’

  ‘I suppose that would have involved interaction with lots of people, and we know she doesn’t like that. But she has me now and I can take care of those things.’

  Melinda nudged her with an affectionate smile. ‘She’s lucky to have you. Are you sure you don’t want to come and be my nanny, Mary Poppins?’

  Hattie grinned. ‘I’m lucky to have this place.’

  ‘You know, I’m still amazed at how you’ve settled. I never thought you’d stay.’

  ‘I don’t think anybody in Gillypuddle did. My parents said more or less the same thing.’

  ‘Has your dad been to talk to you-know-who yet?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘She does owe.’

  ‘A lot?’

  Hattie nodded, keeping one careful eye on Jo to make sure she wasn’t catching any of this conversation. But Sunshine, Ocean and Rain were giggling and chatting so enthusiastically now that it was hardly likely.

  ‘What are you going to do?’ Melinda asked.

  ‘I’ve already done it.’

  Melinda stared at her. ‘What’s that?’

  ‘Dad’s settled it.’

  Melinda sucked in her breath. ‘She won’t like it when she finds out.’

  ‘I know. But then I can use it to persuade her that my visitor idea is a good one. She’ll want to pay Dad back and she’ll need money to do that, so…’

  ‘Be careful it doesn’t blow up in your face.’

  ‘I am being careful.’

  ‘But you’re going to tell her about what you’ve done? You’ll have to at some point.’

  ‘I will – I’m choosing my moment.’

  ‘So your moment won’t be the same moment you put your ideas to her?’

  ‘Um… I’m still thinking about that.’

  Melinda shook her head. ‘You’re a braver woman than me.’

  Hattie smiled but her stomach churned. The decision had been made in a split second of impulsive recklessness and it had plagued her ever since, despite her trying to pretend that she was perfectly at ease with it. Her dad had phoned her from Seth’s practice and told her what he’d managed to find out, along with a figure for what Jo owed Seth, and she’d gone ahead and told her dad to settle it there and then. It was too late to change that now, but she’d had time to think over what she’d done and she was worried about Jo’s reaction, despite what she’d have Melinda believe. Worse than that was the possibility of Jo finding out from someone other than Hattie. What if Seth himself mentioned it in passing? What if Jo called to actually pay it? What if she asked him to tally up what she owed and he told her there was nothing to pay and then told her why? Seth and Jo did necessarily have a lot of communication from week to week and that wasn’t such a wild possibility.

  There was only one thing for it – Hattie would have to go down to the practice and warn Seth; explain the situation and ask him to avoid discussion of Jo’s bill with her if he could. It was going to sound odd, and maybe even a little dodgy, she supposed. On the plus side, at least she got to see him again.

  Jo tossed a sack of hay onto the pile in the barn as if it weighed nothing. ‘We’re fine as we are.’

  Hattie struggled with her sack but she wasn’t going to be beaten, just like she wasn’t going to be beaten on this. She was right and she just had to make Jo see that.

  ‘We’re not fine,’ she said. ‘Look at this place.’

  ‘You don’t like it you can leave,’ Jo huffed.

  ‘That’s not what I mean and you know it. I just think we could do so much more here with more money – take more animals in, do better for the ones we’ve got.’

  ‘The ones we’ve got are happy and well cared for. I do my best for them.’

  ‘I know you do. I know you want the best for them, which is why I don’t understand why this is such a problem. Visitors bring money and you can put that straight back into the sanctuary.’

  ‘Visitors bring trouble.’

  ‘Some might, granted. The odd one, maybe, but the majority of them will be animal lovers just like us.’

  ‘My donkeys are not performing seals; they’re creatures who’ve had hard lives. They deserve a little peace and kindness now. This place is called a sanctuary for a reason.’

  Hattie swallowed an impatient sigh as Jo flipped another sack onto the pile. ‘How much does all this hay cost?’

  ‘I don’t have to discuss my running costs with you.’

  ‘And that’s just one thing,’ Hattie said, ignoring the dismissal. ‘You can’t even pay me more than minimum wage.’

  ‘You’re complaining now? I just said, if you don’t like it—’

  ‘I’m not complaining and I don’t want to leave; I’m just saying. I’m trying to make you see that making the place earn a bit more money isn’t a bad thing.’

  ‘So that I can pay you a higher wage? I told you at the start what was on offer and you took the job. If you don’t like it—’

  ‘I know I can leave. But I don’t want to leave. I like it here, Jo. I love it here. I feel like you’ve saved me like you saved the donkeys because I was lost, all at sea, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. But now I know. I want
to care for these donkeys like you do. You only want what’s best and so do I. I just happen to think that this is what’s best and I’m sorry if you don’t agree and you don’t want to hear it because I’m just going to keep on nagging until you say yes.’ Hattie held Jo’s disapproving gaze. ‘You’d do it too if you thought it was going to help the donkeys.’

  Jo rested her hands on her hips. ‘It means that much to you?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Jo wiped a hand across her brow and studied Hattie. The look on her face was one Hattie hadn’t seen before – at least not directed at her. Maybe she’d seen it directed at Norbert or Blue or Minty. It was almost tender. But then it passed like the clouds blowing in to smother the sun on a stormy day. A moment later, Jo shook her head and reached for another sack.

  ‘Still no. I don’t need folks tramping all over my land.’

  Hattie let out a squeal of frustration. She hadn’t wanted to lose her temper over this because she knew the moment she did, Jo would only dig her heels in deeper, but there was just no talking to the woman. As she stormed out of the barn, she half expected Jo to come after her – angry, apologetic – she didn’t know which, but something at least. But as she marched up the hill to the high field, not really planning but letting her feet take her where they would, she quickly realised that Jo wasn’t coming after her and probably never would. Maybe she just didn’t care about Hattie after all. Maybe the friendship Hattie thought she’d seen just wasn’t there. Hattie had been so certain that they’d been bonding over the past weeks, forming a connection, working together for a common goal in a way that was bound to form a team, and then a friendship, that before long Hattie would be able to reach across that icy chasm and touch Jo’s humanity. But maybe Jo didn’t want friendship as Hattie had imagined she must. Maybe she just wasn’t like other people. Maybe she genuinely didn’t care about being alone. Could anyone really be happy in such isolation?

  All these weeks, Hattie had thought she was changing Jo, but what if it had been the other way around? What if Hattie had been assimilating into Jo’s way of life and not vice versa? As the thought occurred to her, it startled her. After all, she’d left the bright lights of Paris for this and she ought to have felt more alien here at Sweet Briar than she did – Seth had even said so. The fact was, she didn’t feel alien here – she loved it. So when she strove to talk Jo into opening Sweet Briar up to the world, maybe she wasn’t trying to ensure the sanctuary’s survival for Jo or the donkeys, maybe she was trying to save it for herself. She’d wanted to do something that mattered, something that had worth, and now that she’d found that thing she couldn’t give it up. It made her feel so good and so useful. She’d never amounted to anything, never really felt she meant anything to anyone, and now that she did, she wanted to hold on to that feeling of worth. Now, she could think about Charlotte and not feel like the child who failed and she thought that, maybe, if her sister were here to see it, she’d think Hattie was worth something too.

  At the top field, Norbert trotted over to greet her. She reached into her pocket for a treat but it was empty. She hated to let him down, but today the notion left her feeling more hollow and useless than ever. Now just about everyone was disappointed in her – even Norbert.

  ‘Sorry, fella,’ she said, scratching behind his ear. ‘Looks like I forgot to stock up. I was kind of in a hurry.’ He blew through his nose at her and she smiled sadly. ‘At least you don’t give me backchat.’

  Across the field, Loki and Lola were braying at each other. Just the usual sibling rivalry then, Hattie thought. She turned back to Norbert and rubbed a hand over his neck. When Jo came up to the field, all the donkeys rushed to her. On a good day, maybe half of them would come to greet Hattie. On days like today, it was just Norbert. That was OK, she kept telling herself – she needed to earn their trust and they didn’t give it easily. Jo had done that and of course they loved her. Jo didn’t even have to try with them. She didn’t have to be charming and sociable – she just had to care. The thing was, if they could look into Hattie’s heart they’d see she cared too; it was just harder for her to get things right. She worried and doubted and second-guessed and she made the wrong choices – she didn’t have Jo’s composure and self-reliance. Hattie still thought she was right about her visitor plans, but Jo had the strength to stand her ground and say no whatever came her way, and Hattie wished she had a little of that in her.

  Hattie looked out across the bay. The restless sea pushed and pulled under a grey sky. Even when the weather wasn’t perfect, this view was. You could paint Sweet Briar in any palette you wanted – spring, autumn, storm or sun – and it would still be beautiful. She didn’t want to lose this view but she could see a day when, perhaps, they might all lose it. Jo couldn’t keep running it on fresh air, but it was beginning to look as if she’d never come around to Hattie’s way of thinking. Perhaps, after their spat, she might even throw Hattie out. She couldn’t deny that there was a small part of her that wondered if it might not be for the best. She was beginning to realise that she could never be content to watch Jo run Sweet Briar into the ground and do nothing.

  When Hattie got back, Jo was standing at the stove stirring something in a pan. She didn’t turn around as Hattie slipped in and closed the door softly behind her, though she must have heard her come in. Hattie decided to go up to her room, partly to get changed out of her grubby work clothes, but partly to stay out of Jo’s way. She was just sneaking through the kitchen when Jo’s voice stopped her.

  ‘I don’t want adverts all over the place,’ she said. ‘If they come, they come, and if they don’t it won’t bother me.’

  Hattie turned around. Jo was still bent over the stove, intent on her pan.

  ‘You can deal with them,’ Jo continued. ‘I haven’t a clue what to charge but I trust you’ve thought of that – you seem to have been giving this a lot of thought.’

  ‘I have,’ Hattie said, trying to steady the beginnings of hope with a dollop of caution. Could this be the turning point? She didn’t dare imagine it.

  ‘A month,’ Jo said.

  ‘A month,’ Hattie agreed. ‘That’s all I need – just to see how it goes. I won’t let you down.’

  ‘If you do, you’ll be out.’

  ‘I know,’ Hattie said.

  Jo gave a short nod and reached for the salt cellar from a shelf above the stove. But then she turned and glanced at Hattie. They had reached an understanding that didn’t need to be spoken. Jo was trusting Hattie with a lot more than the future of Sweet Briar and Hattie realised that she couldn’t screw it up. After all, she’d been here before: finally winning the trust of someone she’d been trying to wear down for months, finally winning a chance to prove herself only to cock it up marvellously. It had forced her to leave Paris, though, in the end, Paris hadn’t meant that much to her – not like Sweet Briar and the donkeys did.

  ‘I won’t let you down,’ Hattie repeated, and she hoped that was true.

  Chapter Fifteen

  She had three reasons to go into the village the next day, but Hattie shared only one of them with Jo. The first was to have a quiet word with Seth about the situation of Jo’s bill. The second was to talk to a few of the local businesses about directing visitors up to the sanctuary. It wasn’t advertising exactly, but Hattie decided to keep it quiet and low-key because she didn’t want to risk Jo changing her mind. The third was to get her dad’s help with creating a website for Sweet Briar. Her dad was the epitome of the silver surfer (though his silver hairs had parted company with his head many years before) and even Hattie had to admit that he was far more computer literate than she was. Before he’d retired he’d designed and built the website for the GP’s surgery and it was better than any professional could have managed. It had to be, because the new GP was very particular and she was perfectly happy to continue using it.

  The first call was Castle House Practice. Hattie had phoned ahead and made arrangements with a bemused-sounding Seth to go early, b
efore the surgery opened for business. Although he’d sounded surprised, he’d agreed readily to the request.

  At the entrance, Hattie took a moment to smooth her hair and then rang the bell. Thirty seconds later, Seth opened up.

  ‘Good morning, Hattie.’

  Hattie stepped in and found herself in the surgery reception. She’d never been in before – they’d had Peanut years before and her parents had taken care of all his health needs with no input from her or Charlotte. Since then they’d not had another pet even though Hattie had pushed for one many times. Her parents had said they were just too busy to have an animal around the place, but now Hattie realised that they were probably too tired from their demanding jobs to care for one, and once Peanut had gone they’d decided not to have another. The reception was a little on the chilly side, despite the season, the sun choosing to rise from a spot beyond the north-facing windows, and it smelt of antiseptic and old magazines.

  ‘Thanks so much for seeing me.’

  Without realising it, Hattie put another anxious hand to her hair and smoothed down the lengths. Melinda would have laughed to see how much effort Hattie had put in but Hattie didn’t care – her friend would have been doing the same thing in her position. And Hattie’s mother probably had a point – if Hattie was interested in Seth (and she couldn’t deny that she was more than interested) then she’d probably have to join a lengthy queue. Or, better still, find a way of vaulting to the front of it.

  Today, Hattie wore her hair down with loose curls pinned up at the sides, and she’d put on a little layer of the very expensive French foundation and blusher she’d treated herself to in Paris and that she would probably never be able to afford again once it had gone. She also had her floaty summer trousers on, which she never wore these days because they were perfectly useless around the farm but perfectly pretty on a day like today. There was no denying she’d made an effort. Anyway, she reasoned, only having herself to convince but doing it anyway, it did a girl good to make an effort from time to time. It was nice to feel nice. She’d spent the weeks since she’d moved into Sweet Briar in farming clothes and she’d hardly recognised herself in the mirror that morning, but she’d liked what she saw. At least Jo had been busy with the chickens – she wouldn’t have commented but Hattie was pretty sure she’d have some sort of opinion on Hattie’s makeover and it probably wouldn’t be encouraging.