by Fay Keenan
‘No thanks, just butter it up. You’re Anna, aren’t you?’ Jonathan said, saving her the decision. ‘My father’s told me all about you.’
Anna smiled. ‘Yes. It’s – er – nice to meet you, Jonathan.’
‘Kind of you to be so polite,’ Jonathan replied with a mischievous smile. ‘Yes, that’s me. Black sheep, prodigal son and all-round bad penny, but attempting to reform my wicked ways these days.’ He extended a long fingered hand. ‘So you’re quite safe.’
Despite herself, in the face so such easy charm, Anna smiled. ‘I like to make up my own mind about people,’ she said. ‘Even the more… notorious ones.’
Jonathan’s smile turned into a grin. ‘Glad to hear it. And so nice to meet the woman who’s been reminding my brother that there is life outside of his office. It’s about time he remembered he has a heart as well as a brain.’
‘It’s early days,’ Anna said, blushing. ‘We’ve only known each other a few months.’
‘And, before you say it, absolutely none of my business!’ Jonathan said, his smile slightly gentler. ‘You don’t need to worry; I won’t be probing you for further details.’ He turned briefly back to his computer screen. ‘Even though I’ve decided to use this place as a kind of virtual office for a day or two. If that’s all right with you, naturally.’
‘I shouldn’t think it’ll be a problem, provided you buy a few cups of coffee, of course. Speaking of which, I’d better get this one sorted out.’ Table space was limited in the tea shop, though, and she might have to kick him out if things got really hectic. She also wondered how Matthew was likely to react if he got wind of the arrangement, but Jonathan was a paying customer and she had no quarrel with him personally, so for the moment she tried not to dwell on it.
Anna, despite the hours of practice since she’d taken on the tea shop, still found the big Italian coffee machine a touch intimidating. She fiddled and steamed until she’d got the perfect espresso, then busied herself with the toast. Sneaking a look in Jonathan’s direction while she waited for the toast to pop up, she grudgingly admitted that, while absolutely not her type, Jonathan was decidedly attractive. Although she was more than aware of his hugely questionable past, her initial impression of him was not altogether bad. Buttering the toast, and taking that and the coffee over to his table, she set them both down.
‘Thanks, darling,’ Jonathan said, looking up from his screen. ‘Much appreciated.’
‘Let me know if you need anything else,’ Anna replied, making to turn away.
‘Aren’t you going to ask?’ Jonathan said, eyes now having returned to his laptop.
‘Ask what?’
‘Why I’m choosing to work in the local tea shop rather than at a desk at the organisation I will eventually own half of?’
‘Given your… history with Matthew, I assume he’s banned you from site.’
Jonathan gave a rueful smile. ‘On the contrary, he actually offered me use of my old office; he’s nothing if not accommodating. But let’s just say I thought it more tactful to conduct my end of the business elsewhere for the moment.’
‘Not into bridge building, then?’ Anna asked, before she could stop herself.
‘Any bridge I chose to build at the moment, Matthew would doubtless chuck a Molotov cocktail at, but who knows, given time…’ he trailed off. ‘For now, though, I think I prefer the rather more chilled atmosphere here.’ Turning back to the laptop screen, he began typing again. Anna busied herself with preparing some sandwiches for the lunchtime rush.
*
After a busy shift, Anna finished work and wandered down to collect Ellie from nursery. Jonathan had worked at the table he’d chosen for most of the morning, and Anna had tried not to make it obvious she’d been observing him, but, knowing both his genetic closeness to Matthew, and the brothers’ tangled history, she found it difficult not to ignore him completely.
Despite the casual clothing, Jonathan had spent his time either tapping on his laptop or making phone calls. He seemed completely engrossed in his work, and as she’d walked past him, seeing to customers and clearing tables, she’d realised it wasn’t all about FastStream and Carter’s. Quite a few calls were to people unconnected with the cider business. Anna came to realise that Jonathan had quite a few irons in the fire. Was that in case it really didn’t work out back in the family business, and he had to make a sharp exit again? She couldn’t help making the inevitable comparison; Matthew had devoted his life to the familial concern, hadn’t ever deviated from that course once he was set on it. Jonathan, on the other hand, had a wheeler-dealer’s ability to have his fingers in several pies. She wondered how the two would mesh in the running of the family trade; if, indeed, they ever would.
Ellie was pleased to see Anna when she picked her up from nursery, and spent the walk home chattering nineteen to the dozen about the things she’d see, done and eaten that day. Anna was relieved she’d taken to nursery so well; she’d been concerned that the little girl would struggle to fit in, or that her naturally sunny nature would be compromised by encounters with other children, but, so far, she’d adapted well. Her rather matter of fact ‘Daddy’s died’ response to other children’s questions was as good as any, although it made Anna’s throat ache whenever she heard it.
Just as she was burrowing in her bag for her house keys, her phone buzzed.
Dad promising to get home early tonight. BBQ @ours? Ellie too! xxx
Smiling, Anna replied to Meredith in the affirmative. That was tea sorted, then. She made a mental note to take over some of the vanilla and orange cupcakes she’d been experimenting with for the tea shop; she’d not tried them out on anyone other than Ellie yet, and she knew that Meredith, as well as her father, would be more than willing taste testers. Grabbing her spotted cake tin from the top of the kitchen cupboards, she loaded up four from the plate on the counter where they lay. The action made her stomach flutter; would she and Ellie soon be a more permanent fixture in Matthew and Meredith’s lives? Would her family of two, and Matthew’s family of two, soon be one coherent whole? Cursing inwardly for her unguarded thoughts, she cut them off. One day at a time, she reminded herself firmly.
*
‘So you met Uncle Jonno today?’ Meredith whispered, when Matthew was out of earshot refreshing Anna’s glass. Matthew had brought home a few bottles of a new variety of cider that the firm was currently trialling. Sweet and light with the colour of summer roses, the company was trying to decide on a name. It was the kind of cider you could easily drink a lot of, and, already one glass down, Anna had to keep reminding herself that she had to work in the morning.
How did that get out so quickly? she wondered. ‘You could say that,’ Anna replied carefully. ‘He was doing some work in the tea shop and introduced himself.’
‘He’s funny, isn’t he? I’m glad he’s come back.’
‘He seems nice.’ Anna passed Ellie her cup of squash. ‘I bet your granddad’s glad of the company in the cottage.’
‘Yup, although he said Uncle Jonno’s about as messy as he was as a teenager! I just wish Dad would be a bit more pleased to see him,’ Meredith sighed. ‘Granddad said they used to be really close when they were kids, but not for years now.’
Careful, Anna thought. She knew Meredith hadn’t made the link between Jonathan, and Tara, and she didn’t want to be the one to enlighten her. ‘I’m sure they’ll work it all out eventually,’ she said.
‘Why did he stay away so long? Has Dad said anything to you?’
‘Not really,’ Anna hedged. Then, with some relief, she saw Matthew coming back out of the kitchen with the barbecue provisions. ‘Those look good,’ she said, taking the tray from him.
‘Some of Sid’s sausages, and couple of steaks from Maurice’s,’ Matthew said. ‘He assures me they’ll only take a couple of minutes each side.’
‘Thank god we’ve got a gas barbecue,’ Meredith hissed as Matthew walked over to light the fire, all thoughts of interrogating Anna further te
mporarily forgotten. ‘Not even Dad can mess this up.’
Anna laughed. ‘Your faith in your father is touching.’
‘You haven’t had to live with ten years of burnt bangers and chicken crawling off the plate!’ Meredith grimaced. ‘Granddad eventually convinced him to get a gas one, and we’ve not had food poisoning since.’
Good for Granddad, Anna thought, not for the first time. Settling back with her glass, she looked forward to dinner.
*
Sometime later, Anna and Matthew sat watching Meredith pushing Ellie on the swing in the garden.
‘They get on well, don’t they?’ Matthew observed. ‘One of the unforeseen consequences of the divorce was the guilt that I was denying Meredith any siblings. I think she’d have been a great big sister.’
‘It’s not too late,’ Anna said. ‘You’re hardly on your Zimmer frame. Who knows what the future holds.’
Matthew smiled. ‘Are you trying to tell me something?’
Anna smiled back. ‘Not exactly, but I felt the same way when James died. It seemed terribly unfair to be deprived of that choice whether or not to have another child.’
‘You never think, when you’re standing there at the altar, that there will ever be a time when you won’t love that person; when you’ll be without them.’ He laughed, but there was a trace of bitterness in his tone. ‘How wrong can you be?’
‘No one really knows what the future holds,’ Anna said softly. ‘But we can try to make the most of the chances we get.’ She slid a hand across the gap between their chairs and into his.
Playfully, Matthew turned Anna’s hand upwards and tickled her palm with his fingertips. ‘All too true,’ he said softly. Lifting her hand, he kissed her wrist. ‘How I wish you could stay with me tonight.’
Anna shivered as Matthew’s lips hovered a fraction longer on the pulse point in her wrist. ‘Me too.’
‘Maybe one day soon we won’t have to keep parting at the end of the evening,’ Matthew murmured.
‘That would be nice,’ Anna said guardedly. She glanced back over to where Meredith was now spinning Ellie round and round on the grass. ‘Although I don’t know what those two would make of it.’
‘Meredith’s already asked why I keep coming back home every evening after seeing you. She seems to think she’ll be perfectly fine by herself.’
‘But you’re not quite ready to leave her alone all night,’ Anna finished the thought. She shivered as she thought back to the blissful nights they’d spent together when Meredith was in Belfast.
‘Not yet. But soon. I promise.’ He stared at her for a moment, as if considering whether or not to ask a question. ‘Does Ellie talk about her father?’ he asked, eventually.
‘She acts as though she remembers,’ Anna said. ‘But I think, actually, her memories are just the things I’ve told her. I used to worry about keeping them alive for her; that we needed to talk about James every single day to keep him real and in her life, but it all felt too forced. We have our pictures, and I have the memories.’
‘What are you two gassing about?’ Meredith asked as she sauntered back up to them, Ellie wrapped around her neck. ‘And can we join in?’
Anna smiled. ‘Nothing important.’ Looking at her watch, she realised it was already an hour past Ellie’s usual bedtime. ‘We’d better get going.’
‘Do you want me to run you home?’ Matthew asked, wondering for a second where he’d put the keys to the Land Rover, then remembering that it was, yet again, in pieces at Patrick’s.
‘No, it’s fine,’ Anna replied. ‘It’s still light, we’ll be OK walking.’
‘Sefton could do with a run,’ Meredith said, ‘so I’ll come out that way with you if you like.’
‘Merry sleep in my bed?’ Ellie asked as Meredith gently disentangled her from her waist.
Anna blushed, recalling the conversation she’d just had. ‘Not tonight, darling; Merry’s got school in the morning, and you’ve got nursery. Perhaps some other time.’
‘Merry and Mathew stay at our house soon!’ Ellie squeaked. ‘Please?’
Matthew laughed. ‘We’ll see, Munchkin. But for tonight we’ll have to say goodnight.’ Kissing Anna briefly, he turned to Meredith. ‘No loitering on the way home, daughter of mine. If you want to phone that boy, do it when you’re back home.’
‘All right, all right, as long as you don’t, like, listen in on me,’ Meredith grumbled. ‘I’ll just go and get Seffy’s lead.’
‘I hold him?’ Ellie asked.
‘I should think so,’ Meredith replied, smiling. ‘He’s pretty tired from racing around with us all night so you should be able to handle him.’
‘Yay!’ Ellie jumped up and down on the spot.
The collie might have been tired, but Ellie showed no such signs as she bounced home holding Sefton’s extendable lead. Anna watched her fondly; yet again she marvelled at how adaptable her daughter was. Could she, should she, dare hope for a future that included both Matthew and Meredith?
30
Monday lunchtime came, and Matthew, who had had no breakfast and a long morning, decided, much against his usual routine, to take a proper lunch break. He emerged into the sunlight, feeling markedly lifted as the warmth enveloped him.
As Matthew strolled along the village main street, he was hailed by several people, including Patrick Flanagan, who told him the Land Rover would be ready to pick back up by the end of the day. It had seen the inside of Patrick’s workshop more often than its own driveway of late, and Matthew was reluctantly coming to the conclusion he’d have to get rid of the old vehicle soon. He shuddered at the thought of buying something more sensible and reliable, but, time, it seemed, was pretty much up for the Land Rover, unless he intended to keep pouring good money after bad.
It truly was a gorgeous day, and he had no need of his suit jacket. Shrugging out of it, he slung it over his arm. He felt a teenagerish excitement at seeing Anna, however briefly. He’d sworn to himself he wasn’t going to encroach on her; she needed some space for her own life; the tea shop was her territory; but, after a hard morning poring over contracts for the FastStream deal and other strategic plans, he yearned for a quick word with her, and a sandwich.
It constantly amazed him how much he was enjoying laying himself bare to Anna; how she’d appeared in his life and cast a charmed glow over it. When he knew he was going to see her, he counted the minutes, and saying farewell of an evening was a wrench, even though he only lived a short walk away.
His destination came into view, a little way up the High Street on the other side of the road, and his heart began to beat faster. It was a heart he’d guarded fiercely over the years since his marriage had ended, and that Anna had managed to break through the barriers and reach it was a source of constant wonder, and occasional terror for him. Today, inexplicably, he felt as carefree as the teenagers on a leave out from St Jude’s as they queued for pizza at the takeaway right at the top of the high street.
As he passed the village butcher, its proprietor waved a cheery hand. Brown’s had been part of Little Somerby for almost as long as Carter’s, and the two families had often collaborated on village projects and events. The current incumbent, Maurice, he of the delectable steaks, was a cheerful man with a keen eye and a biting wit. Fond of a pint of cider at the local pub after closing up shop, he was a well-known and well-loved figure. Matthew raised a hand back in greeting.
Next to the butcher’s was the local wine shop, catering for the more extravagant tastes of the Little Somerby residents. Amy, the proprietor, had been treated with mild suspicion by the locals at first, but her open and friendly manner had won around the most hardened of supermarket plonk buyers, and now she had a steady stream of ‘regular occasion’ customers, who fancied a change from their usual Côtes du Rhône and Chardonnay. He might have been a producer of a rival beverage, but still drank plenty of wine to make her acquaintance. Perhaps, on his way back, he’d nip in and grab a bottle to take over to Anna’s tonigh
t.
And finally, near the top of the street, was The Little Orchard Tea Shop. Suddenly hungry, and wanting to see Anna, he quickened his pace. The High Street was busy with cars, and for a few moments he continued walking on the opposite side of the road, thwarted from crossing. Eagerly, feeling as foolish as a teenager on his first date, he tried to catch a glimpse of Anna as he walked, but the sunlight was too strong, reflecting off the spotless glass of the tea shop’s windows. Peering even more closely as he wandered towards the tea shop, he eventually made out two figures by the window table. As he looked on he took in the broad shoulders and confident demeanour of the man sat at the table and Anna, smiling prettily down at him as she took his order.
Suddenly, he lost his appetite. Turning on his heel, all thoughts of lunch forgotten, he walked briskly back towards his office.
*
Anna’s morning had been a busy one. As she’d hoped, the book exchange idea had brought in a few more regular customers, and she’d played host this morning to a group of local readers who, with a little cake-based encouragement, were keen to swap books and talk about their reading. This had been the result of a small promotional campaign, nicknamed ‘Fudge Cake and Fiction’, that Anna had launched when she’d set up the Welsh dresser book exchange. Itching to capitalise on customers who were also avid readers, she’d converted the area of the tea shop with the sofas into an impromptu reading corner, and advertised a free sample of the day’s cake to customers who came in and either exchanged or bought a book from the shelf. So far, she’d had a few takers. She’d had to smother a grin the previous week when the vicar’s wife had come in and swapped a biography of Emily Bronte for the copy of Fifty Shades of Grey that Charlotte had shoved onto the Welsh dresser’s shelf as a joke. The next time the vicar came in for his habitual post matins latte, she couldn’t help wondering if his unusually cheerful demeanour was down to his wife’s new choice of reading matter.