A Surprise Christmas Wedding - Phillipa Ashley Page 0,23
the forest. He certainly hadn’t taken the job to give orders and watch other people doing the hard graft. Quite the contrary – the more time he spent out of doors in natural surroundings, the better.
With that in mind, he briefed the plantation supervisor as soon as Lottie had left. Kerr Henshall was a Scot in his early forties with a bone-dry sense of humour. He lived just a mile away, in Langmere village with his son.
‘OK. I’ve marked the two Nordmanns and the spruces for the big house. I’d like to make a start on felling them once I have the go-ahead from Lottie … from the office,’ Jay corrected himself. ‘I think we’ll do the Nordmanns first and transport them to the house in the truck.’
‘I’ll get it sorted,’ Kerr said confidently.
‘I’m sure you could but I’d also like to be involved in felling the trees.’
Kerr frowned. ‘We can handle that …’
‘I know, but I want to make sure these trees are at their very best for the big house.’
‘Whatever you say, boss.’
Jay guessed that Kerr felt Jay was micromanaging the situation. ‘It’ll give me an excuse to get out of the office,’ he said quickly, keen to keep his deputy onside.
Kerr smiled briefly. He seemed an easy-going guy and good at his job but Jay suspected that his predecessor had been very hands-off with the team. They must be finding it hard to get used to an upstart like himself.
‘Shall we get on with the thinning in the Middle Glade?’ Kerr said briskly. ‘We’re ready to take some of the wood down to the sawmill. You’ll be wanting to supervise that too, I take it?’ Kerr added casually, giving him a knowing look. ‘Or will you be away down to the big house again this afternoon?’
Jay groaned inwardly. Kerr had obviously picked up on Jay’s keenness to make sure everything was perfect for the offices. Whether he’d also connected that with Jay’s chat with Lottie, Jay wasn’t sure.
‘No, I’ll be here to keep an eye on you,’ he said, with a smile. ‘You’re not getting rid of me that easily.’
‘OK … Oh, and by the way, will you be joining us at the pub on Wednesday? We have a get-together at the local every month if we can.’ Kerr grinned. ‘Just a pint, a laugh and a meal. It’s a good chance for us to relax before the madness of Christmas starts.’
Jay was caught off-guard. ‘I um … I’m not sure what I’m doing that evening.’
Kerr nodded. ‘Well, the invitation’s open but if you’re otherwise engaged, that’s fine. I can see you might have a better offer.’
Jay cringed. So far, during breaks, he was comfortable while the talk had been about sport or nature but he dreaded being drawn into any conversations about his personal life.
‘Thanks for letting me know,’ he said, trying to keep his reply low-key.
‘Lottie usually organises it … nice lass …’ Kerr said. ‘But there’s no pressure if you don’t fancy it.’
Jay searched Kerr’s face for any hint that his colleague thought Lottie might be an added attraction for Jay.
Which she was, of course.
‘I’ll do my best,’ he said evenly. ‘Thanks for letting me know about it.’ Then briskly: ‘I’ll be off to the High Copse and then I’ll join you in the Middle Glade.’
He hurried away, wishing that people wouldn’t invite him to things … yet also recognising that socialising was a normal part of work – of life. He knew he was already getting a reputation for being standoffish at best and an antisocial weirdo at worst. He was aware he’d become a hermit over the past year, avoiding all contact with people from his past life and his present.
It wasn’t good for his mental health – but so far, he hadn’t cared.
He loved working in the outdoors. It had been his solace to be surrounded by trees and wildlife, and the fells. It had helped soothe him and put his problems in perspective, not to mention it was physically tiring. Even before he’d moved to Firholme from an estate in the north of the county, he loved to set off for a walk with Trevor after his work shift, taking off into the hills or down by the lake until darkness fell.
Sometimes he was alone, but long summer evenings attracted tourists. Even in autumn, there had been many visitors packing the russet fells, enjoying the autumn colours and the last days before winter arrived.