They turned back to walk again, and Mel made sure to walk closer to Ruby than she had before.
Barney bounded about by their feet, and Ruby grabbed onto Mel’s arm as the dog clattered into Mel’s knee to steady her. She seemed to go still for just a beat but then slid her hand into the crook of Mel’s arm, apparently content to leave it there for the time being. Perhaps in case her dog tries to kill me again.
“I know it’s not good to say this, but my girls.”
“You’re friends with Jasmine and Chloe?”
Ruby nodded. “I think they’re the closest friends I have.” She chuckled, shaking her head so her hair fell about her shoulders and out of her eyes. She pushed her glasses up her nose. “Is that terrible?”
“Of course not. I think people find friendships in all sorts of places.”
Ruby squeezed her arm. “I don’t have many female friends. I have Alexander, who supports me at work, more so than a PA ought to really. He lets me have a moan.”
“Like all good friends should.”
“That’s right.”
They turned a corner and came in sight of a large gate that led out onto the road again. “The café’s just through the gate and to the right.”
Ruby stooped down and whistled. Barney raced up to her and sat excitedly. After Ruby clipped her lead back on, she gave her a treat and stuffed the ball back into the plastic bag. “Dogs are allowed?”
“I would never invite Barney out for a coffee if she wasn’t allowed in the café. That’s just rude.”
Ruby chuckled. They made their way through the gate, allowing it to swing closed behind them, before scraping their feet on the rough mat and going inside.
The café was one of Mel’s favourites. She and James often frequented the establishment if she wanted a change of scenery from her conservatory. It was set into the hillside, with exposed rock jutting out into the café area. A few mothers with very small children sat chatting and drinking tea.
Once they found a table and Mel had gone to the counter to place their orders, Ruby attached Barney to the leg of her chair and rested back into her seat with a sigh. “A lovely walk.”
“Bracing,” Mel agreed. “Got rid of the cobwebs.”
“Do you walk regularly?”
“I try to do a walk a day when I’m off. And one good cycle a week.” She shifted her feet around under the table uncomfortably. “Although I’m still not allowed. Yet.”
“Did you manage to get to the baths?” Ruby leant forward, took a napkin from the holder, and placed it in front of her.
“Yeah, did a few lengths last week.”
“They’re not too bad. So long as you don’t catch it when the kids are there.”
“Ah yes, you don’t have much of an affinity with kids, do you?”
Ruby just grimaced and slid her fingers into her hair.
Reaching forward to touch her hand, Mel sent her a kind wink. “Don’t worry. We’ve still got a month, and you’ll have me to protect you from the scary children.” She said the last two words with a fake-shaky voice.
Ruby chuckled. “Oh good.”
“So, I went to get the wood the other day, and the manure is sitting waiting for Wednesday, when I’ll pop it in my car and bring it up.”
“Fantastic. Do I owe you for those?”
“Just a fiver for the wood. The manure, my friend was happy to get rid of.”
“Great.”
“When did you want to go to the garden centre to get the other stuff?”
Ruby fumbled in her pocket for her phone as their drinks arrived: one big pot of tea and two china cups. Barney shifted about on her bottom, clearly expecting a treat to come out of the pocket instead of Ruby’s phone. Ruby rolled her eyes and slipped her a biscuit. “As you’re being so good.”
Barney lay down on her front and chomped away.
“I was thinking,” Ruby continued. “Would it be okay to get everything from the internet?”
“If that’s less scary for you, and more convenient.” That’s a shame. I was looking forward to showing her the different plants at our local place. Mel chose to hide her disappointment.
“Okay. I made a wish list.”
How organised. Mel couldn’t help the grin that spread onto her face. “Good idea.”
After flicking through her phone, Ruby held it out and turned the screen round so that Mel could see.
Mel blinked rapidly as the words on the screen bounced a little, but not as much as they usually did. The space behind the letters wasn’t as white as it could be—Ruby obviously kept the screen on a dim setting. It helped. She didn’t want to miss anything, her stomach fluttering with nerves and the hope that Ruby wouldn’t notice as she lingered over the list. She pulled a look onto her face that she hoped would suggest she was considering the options, rather than struggling. “Yep, yep, all good. You’ll need canes though,” Mel said as she got to the end. “And tomato feed. Good thinking getting some small trowels; I wouldn’t have thought about that.”
“Then the kids can dig or do whatever jobs you give them.” Ruby caught Mel’s gaze and cleared her throat at her raised eyebrow. “We. We give them.”
“Love the colours. Nothing like a bit of rainbow-themed fun to pass a Wednesday afternoon.”
Ruby poured their tea from the huge pot, holding the strainer between thumb and forefinger. Loose tea; how terribly decadent. She and James usually only had coffee when they frequented the café.
Mel turned to study the cake display but turned swiftly back around when she felt Ruby’s gaze on her.
Ruby smiled. “Did you want cake?”
“I’m good with tea, actually.”
“So, the seeds are okay?”
“They’re a good brand,” Mel replied, going back to the list on Ruby’s phone. “And the compost you’ve chosen is perfect. Absolutely the one I would have chosen.” She gave Ruby a thumbs up.
Ruby visibly blushed, and her eyes were bright behind her glasses.
“So, I reckon, the bed closest to the greenhouse—we put flowers in that one. I see you found some marigolds and loads of different sunflowers. Good thinking.” She handed the phone back to Ruby, who scrolled through and nodded at the amendments Mel had made. “Then the one behind it—we’ll plant the potatoes one side, and the onions the other. If we have room we can pop some salad in there too, but I have a feeling the potatoes will take up most of the room. Then the other one, at the back, we can save for when it’s warmer and plant with tomatoes and peppers.”
“Will it be too cold, putting them outside?” The blatant worry in Ruby’s voice for her future baby seedlings was endearing.
“We’ll have to see what the summer temperature’s like,” Mel replied. “If it stays above fifteen, we should be fine. We can always put cloches over them.”
“Cloches?”
“Little…” Mel held up her hand in a spider-like shape to indicate the see-through bell-shaped covers for plants. “Plastic things to keep the sunlight in but the cold out.”
“All right.”
“If the plants are small enough we can use coke bottles.”
Ruby tapped away at her phone and then set it on the table with a flourish. “Bought. I’ve ordered it to arrive at uni in a couple of weeks.”
“Fabulous.”
They sipped at their tea. The murmuring of other customers was gentle and soothing, especially after their blustery, cold walk earlier. Mel felt her whole body sinking into the plastic chair and stretched her legs under the table, wiggling her foot around on her ankle. It was still a bit stiff, but it was getting there. Eight weeks in a cast had caused her ankle to seize up on occasion, but a short stretch and roll was all it took to loosen it.
She looked across at the woman that sat a few feet from her. She seemed calm as well. Even Barney was curled
up at her feet, the hour walking and playing apparently enough for the small dog.
Ruby tucked her hair behind one ear and caught Mel’s gaze. There was something in those eyes, a knowing look that indicated Ruby was aware she was being looked at. Mel didn’t mind so much; she hoped Ruby knew she was something she enjoyed looking at.
Considering Ruby’s earlier comment about Mel being attractive, Mel contemplated whether to return the favour. I suppose it’s only fair.
She settled on: “Your hair looks lovely today.” But immediately blanched and put a hand to her hot cheek.
Ruby chuckled and averted her gaze, her fingertip playing with the delicate handle of her teacup. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Is that clear enough? Do I need to say anything else to let her know that I think she’s pretty? “Uh…” Mel scratched the back of her neck. “…and your glasses really suit you.”
“Smooth,” Ruby said, pulling forth a chuckle from Mel. “I get the gist.”
“Okay.” Mel hung her head, but her heart soured. Message received. She stared into her tea for a while, hoping Ruby thought her inability to talk was endearing, rather than an element of her suspected stupidity.
Chapter 12
The items arrived in good time and Mel and Ruby spent a sunny but fresh afternoon organising them all into the shed and greenhouse. It seemed to Ruby as if the clean and empty spaces had been taken over by a hundred-thousand pots—all of varying size, and huge bags of compost. The seeds were contained within a clipped plastic box to keep them dry, and Mel had set up several hooks for the children’s gardening gloves and trowels.
Everything was ready. Ruby spent the occasional free period during the week alone, looking over her neatly organised allotment. It really had started to feel like hers; something that she had created.
Mel was part of that too and had started to become part of other things in Ruby’s life as well. Their aquarium visit was drawing closer, and it wasn’t simply the new rays that were making Ruby’s stomach flutter and causing her face to break into a grin every time she thought about it.
On the first day of the gardening group, Ruby sat on the patio area bouncing her foot and tapping her fingertips on her coffee mug. When Mel poked her head out of the paramedic block door, Ruby felt her stuttering heart relax a bit. “Hiya,” she called, a cleansing breath filling her lungs and calming her further.
“Hey. All ready?”
Ruby nodded and swept her gaze one last time over the small garden patch. When she looked back at Mel, she was settling herself into the plastic chair opposite.
“You’re nervous.”
“Thanks for pointing that out.”
Mel lifted a hand and laid it carefully on Ruby’s shoulder. Her thumb rubbed soothing circles onto her jacket. “It’ll be fine. I’m here.”
Ruby felt a shudder go through her, but once she locked her gaze with Mel’s, her shoulders softened. “Thank you.” She covered Mel’s hand.
“Drink up. Kids aren’t too careful when they’re digging. I expect the risk of a piece of compost accidentally landing in your coffee will go up once the kids arrive.”
Ruby finished her coffee. It’s not raining; everything is ready; Mel is here. Stop being a wimp.
“And today is all to do with learning about plants. Very messy, but nothing they can really get wrong.”
“Yep.” Ruby exhaled with pursed lips.
“Kids like to get messy.”
“Yeah, I just hope their teacher doesn’t mind them getting covered in goodness-knows-what.”
Mel laughed. “They’re here to garden. If a teacher isn’t intelligent enough to know they’re going to get at least a bit dirty…” Mel left the sentence unfinished with a wave of her hand.
“Anyway,” Ruby said, deciding to focus on something else for a while: a distraction from her nerves. “How are things? You’ve stopped limping, I see.”
“Yep.” Mel rubbed her leg. “It’s not too bad. Still twinges sometimes.”
“That’s good. How’s your dad? I’ve not actually seen you all week.”
“True. And he’s okay. Played some lovely tunes for the other residents while I was visiting the other day.” Mel’s face appeared touched by the sunshine of the memory. “Sometimes he does this thing where he messes up, then pretends it was deliberate. Like a comedy sketch.”
Ruby chuckled. “Sounds a good giggle.”
“Yeah, he’s got a great sense of humour. He was a big fan of Morecambe and Wise. I remember sitting in with him on a Saturday night; he’d have a glass of bitter, my mum a sherry, and dad would pour a bit of his beer into my lemonade. It was mostly foam, but it made me feel like a grown up while we shared a bag of peanuts and watched Eric and Ernie ham it up.”
“My dad loved the skit they did with Angela Rippon.”
Mel laughed. “It was her legs, right?”
Ruby grinned. “Can’t fault him, can you?”
“Not a bit.”
They were quiet when the chuckles died down, until the sound of a large vehicle reversing in the car park made Ruby turn her head. Her pulse quickened again, and she sat up straight. She lifted her shaking hand towards Mel before she could stop herself.
Mel grasped her fingers with a reassuring expression before standing. “Come on, let’s go meet them.”
Around thirty children had arrived, all of them with a flicker of energy remaining from lunchtime play. A sea of little faces, all differently coloured and shaped, met Ruby and Mel as they strode—Mel purposefully, in contrast to her own reluctant strides—through the entrance. Ruby forced a wide smile onto her face, trying to mirror Mel’s bouncy enthusiasm.
Mel leant back and allowed Ruby to introduce them, her arms folded loosely, her stance relaxed. Ruby took strength and comfort from Mel’s confidence. Even without a touch from her, she felt warm and grounded.
The teacher, a Mrs Denzie, wore a beige coat and sported a designer handbag and a pinched expression, which Ruby associated with sucking lemons. She walked with an attitude that exuded boredom and confidence in equal measure.
Ruby strode up to the woman, who seemed around their age, and offered her a hand. “Hiya. I’m Ms Clark. Ruby. I’m not sure what the protocol is about what the children call me. I’m happy with Ruby, if you think it appropriate?”
Mrs Denzie shook her hand and perhaps squeezed a little too hard. She was obviously as enamoured by the prospect of gardening as Ruby had been at first. However, Ruby was now feeling quite excited at the prospect of growing things, teaching the kids, and—shockingly—having fun.
“Whatever you like,” Mrs Denzie replied, indicating it was up to Ruby what she allowed the children to call her.
“Ruby it is, then.”
“And I’m Mel Jackson.” Mel held out her own hand, and as she did so, her sleeve rode up, displaying the three rubber charity bands she always wore. Ruby had asked her about them previously, and Mel had explained that one was for bullying, one for dementia, and one was a pride bracelet she’d purchased from the last parade she’d been to.
One of Mrs Denzie’s eyebrows rose, and Ruby tracked her gaze down to the rainbow bangle on Mel’s wrist. Discomfort tugged at Ruby’s insides. Was Mrs Denzie homophobic? Did she even know what a rainbow bangle meant? Mel appeared oblivious.
They led the children through the grounds and into the allotment area. A few straggling university students were gathered on benches, but Ruby tried to ignore them. She recognised a few and hoped they’d keep their mouths closed and let her get on with the daunting job of organising the group.
“Welcome, everyone.” Ruby’s chest tightened as every pair of eyes stared at her. “I hope your journey was okay.”
A pause while most of the children looked at her in confusion.
Ruby swallowed. “So, our aim here is to make some money for the
Air Ambulance.”
“What’s that?” a dark-skinned boy asked.
Mel stepped forward. “Sometimes, when someone really hurts themselves and needs to be taken to a big hospital really quickly, it’s better to take them in a helicopter.” She grinned directly at the lad who had asked the question. “And the helicopter is run by a charity called the Air Ambulance Charity. They rely on donations from the public.”
“So, like, in proper emergencies. When someone’s been shot, or they’ve had their leg cut off?”
Most of the kids grimaced. Ruby tried to remain stoic but caught the sparkle of amusement in Mel’s eyes.
“That’s right. So, we’re going to make some money at the end of the year to help them out. Sound good?”
Murmurs of agreement floated across the garden. Ruby relaxed—just a bit.
“Right, today we’re going to work boys against girls,” Ruby explained, the previously agreed-upon plan with Mel giving her confidence. “Boys on this side.” She held her left hand out. “Girls on this side.” Her right hand stuck out, and she waited for the jostling and fidgeting to die down as they sorted themselves out. “Excellent.” She rubbed her hands together, a ripple of excitement running through her. “Now, you’re all going to grab some gloves, and a trowel, and I want you to see how many earth worms you can find.”
Most of the children appeared excited by the prospect, but one girl, blonde and pretty with pink wellies, stepped up to Ruby. “Don’t they bite?” she asked, her nose wrinkled as she crossed her arms.
“Nope. They don’t have teeth. And they only eat earth.”
“That’s why they’re called earth worms, ninny,” the dark-skinned boy told her.
Blondie rolled her eyes and huffed in a very adolescent way, despite her being five years away from being a teenager.
“Less of the name calling, lad,” Ruby replied kindly. “What’s your name?”
“Michael,” he replied grinning, obviously pleased he wasn’t being told off by the adult for his rudeness. “That’s Chelsea.”
“We could do with name badges, what d’you think, Ruby?” Mel was touching her chin in an over-exaggerated thoughtful way.
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