He grins and it’s like sunshine on a gloomy day. I have this overwhelming feeling that for the first time ever I’m on the right track with my life – but I don’t want to say goodbye to Leo. Seeing his happy, lazy smile every day has energised me and helped me forget about the past. Without him and his guys the place will feel deserted. Lonely.
Thankfully I have the Firecracker to keep me from falling into despair! I know in the coming days it’ll feel empty around here without the footfall of tradesmen and visitors alike. I try hard to hide a sniffle as I realise the best part of my days have been when I’ve wandered outside, coffee cups in hand, and spent time with Leo, with just the tender sunrise between us.
‘Did you manage to find a camp leader?’ He unclips his tool belt, flashing a sneak peek of muscled abs.
The news hasn’t spread around town yet? That’s a first! ‘Yeah, we found a nomad called Noah who seems almost too good to be true. He’s had a lot of experience with similar ventures so I’m hoping it all works out. Can’t be any worse than me attempting to lead them, anyway. He’s been in and out a bit already. We’ve sorted the schedule and he’s been checking out the woodlands and the lakes for suitable activities to do.’
‘Noah? I haven’t heard of him around town.’
I make a doubtful face. ‘The gossip mill has ground to a halt?’
He gives me a half-smile. ‘Is that even possible?’
‘Probably not.’
We fall into silence, and I kick the floor, wondering what to say. Part of me wants to think of an excuse, another job to keep him here. Am I so desperate for friendship that I’d resort to paying for it!? But really, I know it’s that Leo is an all-round good guy and we’ve spent the past couple of weeks working for a common goal that’s made me feel closer to him. My days will feel so strange without Leo here! Where’s the bloody chicken when I need it! I could innocently leap into his arms and I wouldn’t need to explain why!
‘I’d better go to the Tipsy Tadpole and make enquiries about Noah, then,’ I say only half-jokingly.
‘Make sure you do, Orly. I might even ask around about him.’
‘Really?’ He has a slight edge to his voice as if he doesn’t like Noah already, sight unseen. ‘I was joking, Leo.’
He mumbles something and then says, ‘I just want to make sure he’s above board. Make sure you’ll be safe.’
I grin. ‘My knight in shining armour, you.’
Her averts his eyes. ‘I know you have Es close by, but still.’
‘Well, thank you. Let me know what the rumour mill has to say, but I have a feeling he’s a good sort.’ His eyes flash with something I can’t translate. ‘I’ll transfer the remaining money I owe you.’
He waves me away. ‘You can pay next month.’
‘No, no, I’m sure you’ve got bills to pay too.’ We head outside and Leo stops and stares at me as if debating what to say.
The sun sinks, leaving the sky awash with lilacs and magentas. We lapse into silence and it’s at that moment a small part of me falls hard for this new life. With hands dirty from being plunged into the earth, the fruity scent of honeysuckle in the air, the glorious riot of colour the sun produces as it leaves us for half a day, and this man who stands in front of me with a good heart and warm smile. Could I tempt fate and think of dating again? It seems like the universe is pointing the way, as the sun makes a halo around Leo’s lovely head, as if saying: Here’s the one for you!
He leaves me with a soft kiss on the cheek and I stand there for ages, tears rolling down my cheeks. Happy tears at the hall being complete and the idea that love is in the air if I take a chance …
Later that night I’m tucked up in bed, with freshly washed locks even though Esterlita has warned me many a time not to sleep with wet hair or I’ll lose my mind. Something to look forward to. Her Pinoy beliefs amuse me so. While sad music plays in the background I call Maya.
‘Darling, how’s things?’
Her bright, bubbly voice is just the thing to keep me grounded. ‘Good, the hall is finished and it looks fabulous. It’s hard to believe we’ll have six campers here tomorrow!’
‘Tomorrow! How I wish I was there.’
‘I’m nervous but I think that’s only because it’s the first one and once I get to know them all, things will click into place.’
‘That’s to be expected, and of course you will. You’re good at people-ing.’
I laugh. ‘I think I’ve seen the last of the notes too.’
She gasps. ‘How do you know?’
‘Oh, it said something about being the last warning. I’m hoping it really means it’s the very last attempt. It’s bloody tiring and I’d hate a camper to come across one.’
‘I hope so too, darling. They were starting to get a little tedious. Quite repetitive.’
I laugh. ‘Yes, as far as campaigns to frighten one away, they were really lacking in imagination.’
‘So do you still suspect Freya?’
‘Yeah maybe, but I’m beginning to wonder if it’s not teenage kids. There’s a bunch of them who smoke cigarettes along the banks of the lake. I’m guessing they had free rein of the place before I moved in. Maybe there weren’t squatters here, but teenagers using it as a hangout place and now I’ve ruined all their fun.’
‘Makes sense.’
‘Yeah.’ But as I say it, I wonder if I’m right. I tell her all about Esterlita’s theories and how she’s certain I’m sitting on a ticking time bomb.
‘She thinks it’s the CIA? But we’re in the UK.’
‘Or the KGB, FBI or IRA. I think she’s watched too many spy movies to be honest.’
Maya laughs. ‘How’s that delectable man?’
‘Bob? Haven’t seen him for a while, but I can put in a good word for you if you like?’
‘Oh stop, you know I’m talking about Leo!’
I fall back onto my bed. ‘He’s too perfect, Maya. And it’s been the longest night ever, knowing tomorrow I won’t wake up to him waiting for me. I won’t walk outside and be greeted by that wide smile that makes my heart race. I haven’t felt like this before, and I don’t quite know what to do about it. I should be panicking about the campers arriving, I should be checking the hall one thousand times to make sure everything is ready, but instead I’m in the cottage listening to sad music and missing him.’
‘Ooh, ho, ho, you’ve got the classic signs.’
I clutch my heart. ‘Of what?’
‘You’re lovesick, my friend. And there’s only one cure.’
I close my eyes. ‘What’s the cure?’
‘Leo. Leo is the cure.’
I groan. ‘I don’t have time for this.’
She clucks her tongue. ‘Yes, yes you do.’
I feel like I’m stuck inside a love bubble and all I can do is think about the damn man and wish he was here. ‘I don’t want to be lovesick. Can’t you prescribe some kind of remedy? Wine, yoga, something?’
She laughs so loud I have to remove the phone from my ear. ‘I’m going to google bridesmaid’s dresses. Let me know what palette you prefer.’
‘Wow, Maya, once again, you sure can jump ahead with these things.’
‘When you know, you know.’
‘You sound like Esterlita.’
‘I haven’t heard from her in a while actually.’
I toy with the edge of the pillowcase. ‘She’s not been herself. I think she did too much work around the cottage, and even though she’s a Firecracker, she needs a bit more downtime than she was having. I told her to rest up for a bit.’ Still, I thought she’d pop in for an episode of The Real Housewives but she hasn’t. I put it down to the fact that she can’t help herself if she’s over here – she’ll start rearranging my cushions, cleaning out my fridge and telling me I’ll prematurely age if I keep drinking too much coffee.
‘Maybe she’s got some catering jobs.’
‘Yeah, I have seen her van fly past a few times. It’s a wonder any of her food arrives edibl
e, the way she drives.’
‘Like she’s got something to hide.’
I laugh. ‘You sound exactly like Esterlita, talking like that.’
Chapter 20
Car doors slam and a babble of voices ring out. I peek out of the front window to catch a glimpse of my very first campers! There’s a group of four already, with two more due soon.
‘The dark-haired guy, Thomas, is single!’ Esterlita booms, making my soul leave my body. How does she sneak up like that?
‘How did you get in?’ I ask, downplaying the fact I’m thrilled to see her. Her eyes are bright and she looks refreshed as if the break worked wonders for her.
‘Through the back door. I see you’re suddenly security-conscious and locked me out the front way …’
‘I knew it wouldn’t stop you. Es. You’d climb in the window if you had to.’
With a tut she says, ‘That was one time, Orly. You’re never going to let me live that down, are you? I was concerned about you, and …’
I raise a brow. ‘What?’
‘Oh … nothing. Why are you rubbing your temples like that?’
Like always, Esterlita bamboozles me with her machine-gun voice and inklings that she’s been spying on me for whatever reason. The woman is hard to keep up with. ‘I’ve got a cracking headache. I hope I’m not coming down with something. Look, they’re here – I don’t have time to get sick.’
Esterlita slaps a hand to my forehead. ‘Ouch.’
‘Stop fussing,’ she admonishes. ‘Have you got a cold?’
‘Maybe it’s just nerves.’
She scoffs, reaches into her handbag and produces a family-size jar of Vicks VapoRub. ‘Golly, who knew they made them that big.’
‘Only if you know where to look,’ she says and touches her nose. ‘Sit down.’
‘Es, I don’t have time!’ Another car arrives, followed by a cab, and our last two campers step from the vehicles and stand apart from the group, looking decidedly anxious. We need to sort welcome drinks, fresh fruit and give them a tour. ‘Where the bloody buggery is Noah?’ I’ve set start times for the guy but he must think they’re just a suggestion because he only turns up when he wants to.
‘SIT.’
I comply begrudgingly, knowing I’ll only delay matters if I don’t listen to her. ‘Well hurry up, Es, They’re all here.’ I’m jittery with nerves and just want to get the day underway.
But the Firecracker has to lecture me first. ‘Health is number one. If you don’t have your health, you don’t have anything.’
‘Yeah, yeah, get on with it.’
Esterlita dips her index finger into the family-sized jar. ‘Close your eyes!’
‘My eyes, why? You can’t …’
‘They’re waiting; now do as I say.’
I huff and I puff but of course I do exactly as she says.
She promptly starts swiping the thick white goo on my temples, my forehead, behind my ears, under my nose, before I push her hands away. ‘What are you doing? I’m going to stink to high heaven!’ The campers are going to take one sniff of me and bolt.
‘Hush your mouth! In ten minutes you’ll be cured! Don’t you want to be cured? Didn’t your mother ever teach you anything? Lie down. I need to do your feet and you need to put socks on so it soaks in.’
‘What? No? How can Vicks cure nerves?’
‘Pssh. It cures everything! How can you not know this?’
I quickly take my shoes and socks off wondering how I get myself into these predicaments. A few minutes later we’re mercifully finished and I bustle to the kitchen while Esterlita follows closely behind. We wash our hands before preparing welcome drinks.
‘Alcohol-free this time, Es.’
‘Bosh, you’re so boring.’
I shake my head. ‘I think it’s called duty of care, but OK, yes, I’m boring.’
‘Stop that frowning right now or you’ll wrinkle like an old prune, eh. And then what? No man, no babies. A big old rattling hall with just the ghosts for company.’
‘You’re on fire today, Es.’
She waves me away as she assembles glassware on a tray. It’s then I note she’s wearing the busiest dress I’ve ever seen. Its motley colours are so bright it actually hurts my eyes to look at it. ‘Does your dress have cats on it?’
‘Yes, cats wrestling one another, a glimpse into your future if you don’t listen to me.’
I laugh; only Esterlita could tie her clothing to what she envisages as the demise of my love life. I take great delight in teasing her back. ‘A houseful of cats wouldn’t be so bad.’
‘I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that and hope the spirits didn’t hear.’
‘OK.’
‘Not OK.’
I hide a smile.
‘I notice you’re not stressed anymore,’ she says giving me a ‘take that’ look. ‘The Vicks worked, eh?’
Damn it, she’s right. My headache is gone and I feel a lot more relaxed. ‘Or maybe it’s your sunny personality?’
‘Sometimes you make me want to hurt you, Orly.’
‘I aim to please. Now let’s go welcome our campers.’
Outside, our campers hold their suitcase handles and look anywhere but at each other. We make our way to them, glasses clinking on the tray Esterlita holds aloft.
All eyes turn to me and I see only excitement reflected back. Noah is busy out back giving the hall a once-over and organising their first activity, thank the Lord. The guy is much more of a free spirit than I imagined, but at least he’s here now. ‘Welcome to Honeysuckle Hall!’ I say brightly, grateful the bloody Vicks VapoRub has worked so I can enjoy this moment. ‘I’m Orly and this is Esterlita. We’re here to help, so if you have any questions just let us know but, for now, please help yourself to refreshments.’
On a tall table we set out fruit cups and a selection of flamboyant Filipino cakes that Esterlita assures me will be popular. They jiggle like jelly when campers bump the table.
Once everyone has helped themselves, I hand out name badges as Noah joins us carrying a big foam ball. He sniffs the air as if he finds something repulsive and then I realise the offending scent is me but there’s nothing I can do about it now.
‘This is Noah, everyone. He’s our camp leader and will be in charge of most of the activities. He’s your go-to guy when it comes to all the athletic pursuits, and when we take you through to the hall he’ll share the timetable with you so you know what’s on the cards for the next few days.’
‘Welcome!’ Noah says and flashes a megawatt smile. The group grin back and slug their drinks. ‘I thought we’d start with an icebreaker game called “Catch the ball” so we can all get to know each other a little better,’ he says. ‘If you’d like to make a circle we’ll start.’
We fall into a circle on the soft grass.
‘When you catch the ball you have to tell us something about yourself, and then throw it to someone else. It can be anything you like: why you’re here, what you do for work, what you dream of …’
There’s a few nervous titters as the ball is lobbed into the sky before resting in the hands of the dark-haired guy Esterlita assures me is single. ‘I’m Thomas,’ he says in a broad Liverpudlian accent. ‘I work in middle management for a big supermarket chain. I’d been about to call my boss and tell him where to stick his underpaid and overworked job when the ad for the camp caught my eye. Used my sick leave to be here and figured if this doesn’t help with corporate burnout then nothing will. If I’m still feeling exhausted by the thought of returning to work then I’ll march back in there next week and quit. There’s got to be more to life than this, right? Tell me I’m right?’ Half-moons darken the underside of his eyes and I notice he truly does look as exhausted as he claims. He’s burnout personified and the reason I wanted to start these camps in the first place.
There are murmurs of agreement as he throws the ball to a tall blonde who I know from the completed surveys owns her own fitness club. ‘I’m Teani.
I dream of packing it all in and backpacking around the world. Of course, I won’t do it, but a girl can dream.’
I make a mental note to ask Teani later why she feels she can’t follow her dream.
The ball is swiftly passed to Jock, a Scottish gent with a roguish vibe. ‘Yeah, the name’s a cliché, what can I say? I’m here because a camp for adults intrigued me. Why should kids get to have all the fun? Some of my best memories growing up were school camps and sleep-outs, and a nostalgic part of me wondered if the magic would still be there as a bald, fifty-something man who’s kind of set in his ways.’
Everyone laughs and I think Jock might be the type of guy everyone is drawn to for his jocular, easy-going nature.
‘I’m Lulu. A harried mother of five children, one husband, two dogs, three cats, and a goldfish named Stumpy – don’t ask. I’m here, simply to get away from it all. Let them see just how much I do, how much they take for granted. I didn’t stock up the freezer with ready-made meals, I didn’t lay out their gym kits, I didn’t even make my bloody bed. The idea of doing something just for myself appealed in a way nothing has for so long. So let’s throw ourselves off a gorge, or fling ourselves up and down mountains. I want to take the reins of my life back and if that means scaring myself silly doing it, then so be it. I just want to feel alive again.’
We all let out a cheer for no-nonsense Lulu who sounds like she’s going to give everything a red-hot go, no matter what.
‘I’m Jo,’ says a girl who hides behind a long fringe. ‘I’m Teani’s neighbour. She dragged me here, like she does most days to her fitness club. I’m the quiet, reserved type who’s easily led – clearly – so I’ll probably hate most of the activities but I’ll look like I’m enjoying them and I’ll leave a glowing review. It’s just my way. This is probably the most you’ll hear from me too, so … hey.’
We fall about laughing and I say, ‘I love your honesty, and the glowing review part sounds wonderful, thanks, Jo.’
Escape to Honeysuckle Hall Page 20