honour your aunt’s memory by celebrating the solstice.’
‘That’s today, is it?’ he said, sounding amused.
‘Yes,’ I sighed, ‘it is and, as today is my day off, I’m free to come and go as I please.’
‘But you’re working next Saturday to make up for taking the extra day, right? I have remembered that correctly, haven’t I?’
‘No,’ I said patiently. ‘I worked last Saturday to make up for it. I put the hours in before I’d taken them. We did discuss it at some length.’
‘Oh yeah,’ he nodded. ‘I do recall now you come to mention it.’
He certainly should. He had tried to make a pass at me when we were in the glasshouse talking it over and I had been forced to resort to some nifty tactics with the hosepipe to ward him off. Accidentally, of course. Not.
‘So,’ I said, raising my eyebrows. ‘We’ve established that I’m here, so if you don’t mind…’
I went to shut the door, but he took a step closer and I stopped. Shutting the door in his face wouldn’t do anything to enhance our working relationship and besides, one day I might need a reference from this guy.
‘Actually,’ he said, ‘there’s something I need to talk to you about. Can I come in? Just for a minute.’
‘Can it wait until the morning?’ I asked, trying to sound friendlier. ‘I’m just about to turn in for the night.’
I was determined not to let him cross the cottage threshold, even if it was only for a minute. I didn’t trust him and I certainly wouldn’t have felt comfortable talking to him wearing nothing more than my flimsy cotton bathrobe. Nell’s low-level growling behind me told me that she was reluctant for me to let him in too.
‘How about we meet in the office at eight and we’ll talk then,’ I suggested. ‘We can have a coffee.’
He narrowed his eyes but thankfully stood down. ‘All right,’ he said. ‘I’ll see you at eight. Sweet dreams.’
Even though the bath had soothed my body and settled my busy brain after my unusually sociable day, my brief exchange with Jackson meant that falling asleep was impossible. There was no doubt in my mind that he was going to tell me he was selling up, and the more I thought about it, the more awake I stayed.
Consequently, rather than feeling rested and refreshed the next morning as planned, I flung back the duvet feeling cranky, looking puffy-eyed, with untameable locks and feeling thoroughly unhappy about having to grant him an early audience. At least I’d been canny enough to suggest we meet in the office, where I could keep the heavy old desk between us.
‘Good morning,’ he called, right on the stroke of eight. ‘How did you sleep?’
One look at my face and it should have been obvious that I hadn’t.
‘Fine,’ I said tightly, pushing my chair further under the table. ‘What did you want to talk about, Jackson? I have a lot to get on with this morning.’
‘Making hay while the sun still shines, hey?’
‘Something like that.’
It had been a hot and sunny September so far and the garden was still wearing its beautiful late-summer bloom. The borders Eloise and I had revamped and replanted together were filling out nicely. I had known, when she suggested the project, that she was planting for the future and it saddened me to think that I most likely wouldn’t see them flourish.
‘You promised me a coffee,’ Jackson reminded me.
‘Sorry,’ I apologised. ‘I’ve run out. I thought there was a teaspoon or two left, but the tin’s empty.’
I don’t know why he looked so put out. He had told me on more than one occasion that he hated instant anyway.
‘Right,’ he said, eyeing me for a moment before lowering himself into the seat opposite so we were at eye level.
My disturbed night had left me feeling cranky and my bad mood was putting me in danger of sabotaging the reference I had a feeling I was going to need, but in that moment, faced with his smug expression, I didn’t much care.
‘In that case,’ he began, cocking his head to one side, ‘let’s get straight down to it, shall we?’
I swallowed and looked him dead in the eye. I had been dreading this moment ever since he turned up after Eloise’s funeral and took over. I had known from the very first moment I clapped eyes on him that he wasn’t going to take the place on and continue to run it as my dear friend