Summer in the Orchard

by Fay Keenan

  ‘Hi,’ Alex said as they reached each other. ‘Nice afternoon.’

  ‘It is,’ Sophie replied, gesturing towards Barney. ‘It was too hot to walk him earlier, so when I popped in on Gran I offered to take him out now it’s cooled down a bit.’ Barney panted by her side, exhausted from the dash down the Strawberry Line, but as Alex extended a hand he lifted his big wet nose and nuzzled it into Alex’s palm.

  ‘Oh, Barney!’ Sophie shook her head. ‘You don’t have to show everyone quite so much love when you see them.’

  Alex laughed and ruffled behind the Weimaraner’s ears. Barney rested his huge head against Alex’s thigh. ‘Good boy. Barney’s pretty much the size that Prince, the Doberman I had as a kid, used to be.’

  ‘Don’t be fooled.’ Sophie snorted. ‘He’s as lazy as he is huge. Which is just as well, since Gran’s struggling to do the walks she used to. I take him out when I can, but he could really do with a bit more exercise, just so he doesn’t get any fatter.’

  ‘How much exercise does he need?’

  ‘Oh, only about half an hour a day,’ Sophie said. ‘But he’ll do more if he’s pushed.’

  Alex was still stroking Barney’s big, lugubrious face, and the dog reacted ecstatically to his touch, belying his sombre appearance. Sophie found herself feeling strangely jealous. Alex did have such wonderful hands, after all. Tearing her gaze away from them, she tried to focus on his face again, but that combination of hair, eyes and glorious bone structure was equally distracting. Clearly it had been too long since she’d been on a date; she needed to get a grip.

  ‘I don’t mind taking him out,’ Alex said. ‘I run most days, and it would be a good way to get to know the countryside round here.’

  ‘I’m sure Gran would appreciate the help,’ Sophie said. ‘Although bear in mind that Weimaraners can be quite particular about whom they’ll listen to. Barney can have selective hearing sometimes!’

  ‘I’ll bear that in mind,’ Alex said. ‘Anyway, since I’ll be sharing his living space from tomorrow, it’s the least I can do.’

  ‘You decided to take Gran up on her offer, then?’ Secretly, Sophie wasn’t surprised; Lily could be very persuasive once she’d set her mind to something, and she’d obviously taken a bit of a shine to Alex. Lily had told Sophie she’d be having a house guest for the rest of Alex’s internship when Sophie had popped in to get Barney. Sophie had felt a genuine flutter in her stomach when Lily had broken the news to her; the knowledge that her path would cross with Alex’s in her downtime as well as at work made her uncertain how to feel. Would it be crossing professional lines a little too far to be socialising with him as well as working with him?

  ‘Your grandmother has a knack of talking people into things, I’m guessing.’ Alex smiled, then glanced at his watch. ‘I ought to get going, anyway, or I’m going to be late for dinner.’

  ‘Where are you off to?’ Sophie asked, and then cursed herself for sounding so curious. It really was none of her business.

  ‘Matthew’s invited me to dinner at his place. I guess I’d better be on my best behaviour, as an intern.’

  Sophie grinned back. ‘I wouldn’t worry. He’s got three children and a dog, and from what I can gather things are pretty informal.’

  ‘I’ve got to get to the wine shop and grab a bottle anyway,’ Alex said. ‘I wonder if they already know what his favourite wine is.’

  Sophie laughed. ‘He and Kelli are pretty good friends, so I’m guessing they will.’

  ‘Uh, speaking of going out…’ Alex said, suddenly looking hesitant.

  ‘Yes?’ Sophie’s stomach fluttered a little more at the sudden change in direction of the conversation.

  ‘Would you like to, er, go out for a drink with me some time?’

  Sophie’s stomach suddenly started turning somersaults. For a second she paused.

  ‘Not to worry if not,’ Alex said hurriedly. ‘It was just a thought. But I didn’t want to make things awkward between us. We’ve got to work together, after all.’

  Sophie’s head was screaming at her to politely turn Alex down; that it couldn’t go anywhere, even if they did go on a date or two, and that mixing work and play was definitely a bad idea. But her heart was fluttering in her chest, and she was flattered to be asked. The way her body had been responding to Alex was sending her a very definite signal that she was attracted to him. And anyway, turning him down would make things awkward between them, at least for a little while. Perhaps it was better to say yes, and if things didn’t work out after one drink, they could agree just to be colleagues for the duration.

  Taking a deep breath, and before her head could win, Sophie took the plunge. ‘I’m a bit wary of going out with people I work with.’ Seeing Alex’s face drop slightly, she continued hurriedly. ‘But I think I’d like to go for a drink with you. Let’s sort something out next week and see how it goes, shall we? Since you’ve got to rush off now.’ So much for not crossing professional lines, she thought. One offer of a date and she’d caved right in quicker than a landslide on Cheddar Gorge.

  ‘Sure.’ Alex replied. ‘I’ll look forward to that.’ He gave her a final smile, and then set off at a jog, leaving Sophie alone with Barney tugging on the lead beside her. Realising her heart was still racing, she breathed out, wondering exactly how to play things over the next few days. Working with Alex was one thing, but seeing him socially added a whole new dimension. She hoped it wasn’t going to be an awkward one, especially since he was moving in with her grandmother, too. What if Alex broke her already fragile heart? After Mark, she wasn’t sure she could cope with another trauma.

  9

  Alex wandered up the driveway to Cowslip Barn, Matthew Carter’s white farmhouse, three quarters of an hour later, having showered, changed and remembered to bring the bottle of red wine with him. Kelli, Little Somerby’s top sommelier and owner of the village wine shop, had proved useful when quizzed about what the Carters’ CEO’s favourite tipple was, and Alex had been relieved to discover that they shared similar taste. A bottle of full bodied Tinamou Cabernet Sauvignon was in his hand, ready to have with dinner. He hoped it was compatible with whatever Matthew or his wife was cooking.

  As he neared the house, along with the unmistakeable aroma of a barbecue, he could hear voices emanating from the back garden: the sound of a young child burbling happily, a slightly older one chatting away, presumably to Matthew, whose low, earthy rumble he could hear in response, although he couldn’t quite make out the words, and then a sudden laugh, which threw Alex off guard for a moment. This was a happy family, he thought; a stable family. How he missed that, in the wake of his mother’s death and his stepfather’s illness.

  Steeling himself, he headed towards the back garden. The tall, wooden side gate was on the latch, and he clicked it open and walked through, hoping they wouldn’t mind his presumption, but he doubted they’d hear the doorbell from the back. As he entered the back garden, the sense of completeness, of unity, that the Carter family immediately presented, almost knocked him sideways.

  Over by an ancient oak tree in the back of the garden was Matthew’s stepdaughter, Ellie, being pushed by her mother, Anna, on the swing that was attached to one of the heavy boughs. Matthew himself was tending to the gas barbecue and taking a sip from a bottle of lager while he turned the cooking meat. Their youngest child, little Jack, named after his paternal grandfather, sandy haired and brown eyed, eighteen months old and into everything, was toddling around on the grass, a little away from the barbecue, pulling a green wooden dinosaur on a red string behind him as he made his way over to Anna and Ellie. The only absentee was Meredith.

  ‘Alex, hi,’ Matthew said, putting his beer down on the picnic table and loping over to greet his guest.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind me just coming round, but I didn’t think you’d hear me if I rang the bell.’ Alex’s palms were immediately, cursedly, sweaty, and before shaking Matthew’s outstretched palm he wiped his own on his jeans.

 
; ‘Not at all,’ Matthew replied. ‘Actually, the bell hasn’t worked for years. We kind of like it that way – keeps the cold callers at bay!’

  Alex laughed a little too loudly, and felt relieved when Matthew called to Anna, who wandered over to the patio, taking little Jack’s hand on the way.

  ‘This is my better half, Anna,’ Matthew said, smiling down at his wife and picking up little Jack to get a better look at their guest. ‘And this is the most recent addition to the family, Jack.’

  ‘Named after your father,’ Alex said without thinking.

  ‘That’s right.’ Matthew smiled. ‘Sadly he died before they could meet, but this little one seems to be the spitting image of his grandfather in looks and temperament.’

  Anna laughed. ‘Yup, he’s inherited your father’s ability to charm, and no mistake!’ She brushed a lock of hair out of the child’s eyes. ‘And over there on the swing is his big sister, Ellie.’ She smiled fondly at the six year old, who was swinging higher and higher, shrieking every time she flew up into the air. ‘And I hear you’ve already met Merry?’

  Alex nodded. ‘We got chatting when she was adding some things to the museum. Will she be joining us tonight?’

  Mathew shook his head. ‘She’s got, er, other plans,’ he said. ‘She was a bit cagey about where, and with whom, but, as my wife keeps reminding me, she’s nineteen now, so she should be able to be trusted away from the house.’

  Alex grinned. ‘Not easy as a father, though.’

  ‘You could say that.’ Matthew gestured to the bottles of beer that were in a bucket of ice on the patio. ‘Help yourself to a drink. Dinner’ll be ready in about ten minutes.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Alex replied, leaning down to grab a bottle, and handing Matthew the bottle of red wine. He must try not to drink too much, for fear of saying something he shouldn’t.

  Matthew nodded in approval when he saw the label on the bottle. ‘Have you been talking to Kelli?’

  ‘She pointed me in the right direction.’ Alex grinned.

  ‘Makes me think I’m spending a little too much time there.’ Matthew smiled back. ‘But it’s useful having a shop in the village that really knows your tastes.’ He put it down on the table. ‘I’ll open it to breathe, and we’ll have a glass after these, shall we?’ He gestured to the table. ‘Take a seat if you like.’

  ‘Thanks,’ Alex replied. Relieved for a moment that the pressure was off, he watched as Ellie came skipping across the garden, obviously tired of the swing, and plonked herself down on the opposite seat to him.

  ‘Hello,’ he said.

  Suddenly shy, the little girl smiled, but said nothing. She helped herself to a slice of the thickly buttered white loaf that sat on the table and nibbled at it, watching Alex speculatively. Alex tried again. ‘Have you had a good week at school?’

  Ellie swallowed her mouthful and then, deciding Alex was worth talking to, she nodded. ‘Yes, thank you. We’re doing a project about the Romans.’

  ‘Really?’ Alex smiled. ‘And what have you learned so far?’

  ‘That they ate with their fingers,’ Ellie replied, grabbing another slice of bread.

  ‘Not too much, darling,’ Anna chided. ‘Or you won’t eat your dinner.’

  Ellie rolled her eyes in a curiously teenaged gesture before putting the slice of bread onto the plate in front of her. ‘OK, Mum.’

  Matthew was beginning to load up the serving plates with the cooked meat, and as he walked back to the picnic table Alex sprang up and took the plate from him, setting it down in the middle of the table. ‘Here, let me,’ he said.

  ‘Wow,’ Ellie said as Alex remained standing. ‘You’re as tall as Daddy Matthew is!’

  Alex felt his stomach flip again with nerves. Even the most innocuous comment from a child was enough to make him anxious.

  ‘Ellie’s right.’ Anna smiled. ‘There’s not much in it between you two. Although everyone looks tall when you’re six years old, I suppose!’ She looked as if she was about to comment further, but then seemed to think better of it.

  ‘Help yourself, Alex,’ Matthew said as he returned to the table. ‘Don’t stand on ceremony or it’ll all go before you get the chance!’

  Alex looked at the laden garden table, covered with bread, salads, freshly cooked food and even a pudding for after, and he smiled. ‘It all looks great.’

  ‘Shall I plate some up for Merry for later?’ Anna asked.

  ‘Could do,’ Matthew said non-committally. ‘I’m not sure what time she’ll be back, though.’

  ‘She said she was in need of a girls’ night out,’ Anna said. ‘And I know she hasn’t seen much of Izzy since she’s been back for the summer, so I dare say they’ll be catching up for a while tonight.’

  ‘It’s great that she still keeps in touch with her school friends, even now she’s at university,’ Alex said, keen to keep the conversation going. ‘She was telling me the other day she’s starting to think about what happens when she finishes her degree.’

  Matthew gave a short laugh. ‘Be sure to let me know if she commits herself to anything,’ he said. ‘She’s been as cagey about that as she has about her social life!’

  ‘Oh, she didn’t say anything specific,’ Alex said hastily, not wanting to imply that he’d gained any earth shattering confidences from the boss’ daughter. ‘Just that she was starting to consider her options.’

  ‘Well, she knows we’ll support her, whatever she decides,’ Matthew said, picking up the wine bottle and filling up three glasses. Passing one to Alex, he smiled. ‘So how are you finding things at work?’

  Alex took a sip of his wine, which was, as he’d hoped, exactly to his own taste as well, before he answered. ‘It’s been great so far.’ Even if that hadn’t been true, he thought, he’d at least have tried to be diplomatic. ‘Sophie’s been showing me the ropes – she’s a great teacher.’

  ‘She’s one of the most gifted blenders in the business,’ Matthew replied. ‘Long may we keep hold of her.’

  ‘There’s so much to take in with a business the scale of Carter’s,’ Alex said between bites of his barbecued chicken legs. ‘Four months isn’t really enough to get my head around it all.’

  ‘Well, you’re welcome to keep in touch after you go back,’ Matthew said. ‘It would be great to see how you incorporate what you learn here over in BC.’ He looked speculatively at Alex as he picked up his wine glass. ‘Perhaps I’ll take a trip over – see what we can learn from you.’

  Alex laughed. ‘I don’t know what I could teach you about cider making that you and your family doesn’t already know!’

  ‘We’re always open to new ideas,’ Matthew said. ‘But enough shop talk. What do you like to do when you’re not learning about apples?’

  Alex took a moment before he responded. It really didn’t sit well with him that he had to be so careful about what he revealed to a man who had welcomed him so easily into his home, but the time needed to be right. ‘Well, as you know, I was a corporate lawyer until about six months ago,’ he said, hoping it was fairly neutral ground. ‘But when Mom got sick, I decided it was time to realise the dream she had about moving out to the countryside and doing something more connected to the land. Land’s not something we’re short of in BC, and the time seemed right to make a move away from the city.’

  ‘Matthew studied law at university,’ Anna said, seizing on the common ground.

  ‘It’s a seductive mistress.’ Matthew smiled ruefully. ‘I nearly got to practise it, too, but it wasn’t to be.’ Matthew had been forced to give up a prized internship at a large legal firm in the north of England after Jack, his father, had suffered a heart attack and had to hand over the cider business to his elder son before either was truly ready for that to happen. Despite making peace with his choices some years ago, occasionally Matthew still wondered what might have been if he’d had the chance to follow his own path for a few years. That was why he was so keen for Meredith to take her time before she made any long term
decisions about her future career. Whether she joined the family firm or not, Matthew wanted her to be absolutely sure that she chose what she wanted.

  ‘It was a great career to have,’ Alex replied. ‘But in the end, the pull of the countryside got too much. It was time to make a change.’

  ‘Well, you couldn’t get more different than renovating an old cider farm!’ Anna said. ‘It must be taking some work.’

  Alex laughed. ‘It was a wreck when I first saw it, but it’s starting to get there. We hope to be pressing in the late summer next year, if everything goes to plan.’

  ‘And we’re back to cider again.’ Matthew joined in with the laughter. ‘Anyone would think we’re obsessed.’

  ‘I’m saying nothing.’ Anna raised an eyebrow. Matthew’s energy was legendary when it came to the family business. She couldn’t help noticing a similar light of enthusiasm in Alex’s eyes when he spoke.

  Dinner passed swiftly, in a back and forth of amiable conversation, and before long Alex found himself sitting on one of the garden chairs further down the lawn, sipping his second glass of red wine. Anna had excused herself to put Jack and Ellie to bed, and so he sat with Matthew, enjoying the still warm rays of the mid-evening sun, and the man’s company.

  ‘This is certainly a beautiful place,’ Alex said as he looked around the garden and then glanced back at the large white farmhouse, turned slightly rosy by the rays of the sleepy evening sun.

  ‘Thanks,’ Matthew replied. ‘It was my great-grandfather’s house, originally, and kind of goes with the territory. My first wife didn’t like it much, and before I met Anna it had kind of fallen into a state of bloke-ish decay, but she’s been putting her own stamp on it since we got married. Meredith’s relieved it’s not about to fall down around our ears any more!’