The Little Orchard on the Lane: An absolutely perfect and uplifting romantic comedy

by Tilly Tennant

It wasn’t long after Posy had finished her call to Jackson and the plasterer had packed up and left for the day that Asa came back to the annexe. He looked brighter than he had when she’d seen him with Sandra earlier (by brighter she meant not totally bereft), but he still wasn’t his usual self.

  ‘Has everything been OK?’ he asked in a dull voice as he inspected the new plasterwork.

  ‘Of course,’ Posy replied, trying to keep her tone light. ‘Not a problem.’

  ‘Good… I’m sorry I haven’t been here—’

  ‘Honestly, it’s fine; please don’t worry about it. You have other things to do, and that’s what you have a project manager for – right?’

  His answering smile was so empty it almost broke her heart to see it. If he found it so hard to raise, and if he was making that much effort just for her, she wanted to tell him that he really didn’t need to.

  ‘I was going to wipe down the surfaces actually,’ she said. ‘Plastering… you know… leaves that fine dust everywhere.’

  ‘Let me do it – you’ve been here working all afternoon and I’ve been…’

  His sentence hung in the air, unfinished. Posy didn’t feel she’d been working exactly, but now didn’t seem the time to go into that.

  ‘Let’s do it between us – quicker that way and then we can have a drink before supper.’

  Asa nodded. Posy went to the kitchen to get an extra cloth to go with the bucket of sudsy water she’d already prepared, her brain working furiously. This was horrible. She simply didn’t know what to do with this new and strange Asa. She had to find a way to snap him out of it, but something told her that asking him about his problems wasn’t going to help because she didn’t think he’d want to talk about it. If he wanted to, surely he’d have put her straight by now.

  ‘I should have asked if you were alright after your van trouble,’ he said as she came back through to the living room.

  Posy handed him the spare cloth. ‘Oh, that… I’m fine. It was just a flat tyre, after all.’

  ‘I don’t know how you managed to change it; even I’d have struggled on my own.’

  ‘Well…’ Posy began sheepishly, ‘I actually had some help. Lachlan changed the tyre.’

  Asa’s reaction was a satisfying one as his eyebrows rose even further.

  ‘Lachlan?’ he repeated. ‘As in Lachlan?’

  Posy grinned. ‘I know – nobody’s more surprised than me by that turn of events.’

  ‘How on earth…? How did this even happen?’

  ‘I don’t know. One minute I was struggling in the rain, the next he was there like a hero from the mists. And the man is a machine! Threw that old tyre off like it was an Olympic sport he’d been training for his whole life!’

  ‘Well,’ Asa said, the ghost of his old smile showing now, ‘those muscles had to be good for something. So he’s not just form over function then?’

  ‘Far from it. They really work – it’s like watching Hercules in action.’

  ‘Hmm… I always miss the fun. So he changed your tyre. And then what?’

  ‘He just drove off.’

  Asa folded his arms. ‘That’s it? He drove off? You didn’t try to seduce him?’

  Posy laughed. ‘Oh, yeah, like that would happen! I don’t think he’s the seducible type, is he?’

  ‘True, but having that heavenly physique at such close quarters, you must have been a little bit tempted to try.’

  ‘I’ve also got a boyfriend,’ Posy reminded him. ‘I’m sure Jackson wouldn’t be happy at the thought of me trying to seduce some random man who stopped to help with my tyre.’

  ‘Honestly, if your boyfriend had been there he might have been tempted too. You’d have to be straighter than straight not to at least think about it.’

  ‘Jackson is – I’m fairly sure of that,’ Posy said with a grin, happy to see Asa more like his old self again. ‘Which, apparently, is very lucky for me. Anyway, it’s difficult enough to get Lachlan talking, let alone anything else.’

  ‘He is the strong, silent type,’ Asa agreed. ‘I bet he’s riveting at dinner parties.’

  ‘Designed to be seen and not heard?’

  ‘Couldn’t have put it better myself.’

  Asa began to wipe down a windowsill. Posy wanted to ask if he was OK now, if he wanted to talk yet about whatever had been going on earlier, but she didn’t want to jeopardise the progress they were making here. He was already on his way to a happier mood and perhaps it just needed time. Torn, in the end she decided it could wait. Perhaps he’d tell her when he was ready without her prompting, and perhaps that was better.

  ‘I was thinking I might go home this weekend,’ she said instead. She’d been planning to mention it at supper, but now suddenly seemed like a good time. ‘If you can spare me, that is.’

  Asa turned to her. ‘Not for good?’

  Posy smiled. ‘Of course not! I just feel like I haven’t seen anyone back home for a few weeks and it’s probably time I showed my face. Don’t want them all forgetting who I am.’

  ‘Oh,’ he said, looking faintly relieved. ‘You must go if you feel that way.’

  Posy glanced across as he wiped down the TV cabinet. His expression gave nothing away, but something in his tone suggested his mood had slipped back again to the melancholy she’d seen earlier.

  ‘Why don’t you come?’ she asked.

  The idea struck her in a sudden flash. Asa had said on many occasions he wanted to visit London again and she’d thought before about inviting him – so why not now? Yes, she’d have to dedicate some time to Jackson, and she’d have to try to see Marella too – not to mention quality time with her mum, of course. But maybe she could take Asa out for a few hours and, when she couldn’t be with him Carmel might enjoy the opportunity to get to know him better.

  ‘That’s sweet but I’m sure you have lots of people you need to see – you don’t want to be dragging your dull old uncle around.’

  ‘Asa – you’re like nobody’s dull old uncle. My friends will love you; they’ll think you’re more exciting than me!’

  He looked round with a small smile. ‘You think?’

  ‘Are you kidding? Marella will go nuts for you!’

  ‘It does sound fun – it’s been ages since I had a wild night out.’

  ‘I’m not sure it’ll be wild,’ Posy replied with a smile. ‘But it’s usually fun, especially if Marella is there.’

  ‘Will Marella and Jackson be there at the same time?’

  Posy frowned. Asa had spotted a situation that she hadn’t even considered in her enthusiasm for the plan. Marella and Jackson had met, of course, at the same party where Posy and Jackson first hit it off. But being at the same party wasn’t like being at a party together. They’d never all hung out as a single unit before – there’d barely been time for Posy and Jackson to go out as a couple before Posy had left for Somerset, let alone for Posy, Jackson and Marella to all go out together.

  ‘I think,’ she said slowly, ‘with you there too it could be good. The more the merrier, like they say. More people to interact with, less room for awkwardness…’

  ‘Hmm,’ he said. ‘I see what you mean. As long as they’re not embarrassed to be out with me.’

  ‘Of course they won’t be!’

  ‘I’m a bit of a bumpkin – I know that. Not to mention old.’

  ‘You’re not old and you’re certainly not a bumpkin! You’re cool and funny and they’re going to love you!’

  Asa grinned, and Posy knew she’d won the battle.

  London wasn’t going to know what had hit it.

  * * *

  Posy had never heard Jackson whine before. He’d have denied he was doing anything of the sort, of course, but if it wasn’t whining then it sounded very close and it was irritating the hell out of her. She was beginning to wish she’d never phoned him with her news and now she wanted to end the call as quickly as possible – which was a novelty in itself. Usually she’d spend hours on the phone to him – s
chedule allowing – happy to chat. Thank God Asa was out of the way so he couldn’t hear that the main topic of conversation and the reason for Jackson’s complaints was him.

  ‘I thought it would be just us, spending time together,’ he said.

  ‘It will be… at some point. I just wanted to bring Asa along; he needs cheering up. We can still fit in some time for each other over the weekend.’

  ‘Can’t he stay in with your mum when we go out?’

  ‘No! Asa hasn’t had a good night out in ages and he needs one. He’s been desperate to go out in London and I promised—’

  ‘But he’s so old! Where are we going to take him?’

  Posy glared at the phone; it didn’t matter that Jackson couldn’t see it. ‘He’s not on a walking frame yet! I’m taking him to a decent bar or club – wherever he wants to go. He’s been putting me up for weeks – it’s the least I can do. Marella’s happy enough with it.’

  ‘Yeah, but Marella… why can’t Marella take him out then?’

  ‘Because she doesn’t know him!’

  ‘Neither do I!’

  Posy let out a sharp breath. ‘But I’ll be there, won’t I?’ she said through gritted teeth, trying very hard not to shout. ‘You’d be asking Marella to take him out solo if you had your way; that’s not fair to her or my uncle.’

  ‘See, that’s just weird too. He’s your uncle and he’s coming out with us.’

  ‘It’s not weird.’

  ‘Of course it is! Who goes out clubbing with their uncle?’

  ‘He’s not like a normal uncle. And he’s hardly older than us really.’

  ‘You said he was about ten years older than you.’

  ‘That’s no big deal. He’s fun. Jackson, please… when you get to know him you’ll love him.’

  The line was quiet for a moment. Finally Jackson spoke again.

  ‘You’re dead set on this?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Will there be any time for just the two of us at all?’

  ‘If you’re free Sunday I could come over and Asa could go out sightseeing with my mum. How does that sound?’

  ‘I don’t suppose I’ve got much of a choice if I want to see you.’

  ‘You will be seeing me on Saturday night.’

  ‘You know it’s not what I mean. Don’t give me a hard time – I’m only complaining because I like you.’

  ‘There’s no need to complain; we have all the time in the world to see each other once I’m back in London for good.’

  ‘I know but…’

  The line was quiet again and Posy, though vaguely irritated by the conversation, couldn’t help but smile to herself. It was nice to be wanted like this, even though it felt like Jackson’s demands were a little unreasonable. If he liked her as much as he said then she supposed she couldn’t blame him for wanting them to spend time together where it would be just the two of them. If she hadn’t promised Asa a night out then perhaps she would have liked that too.

  ‘So I can tell Asa it’s all on?’ she asked.

  ‘I suppose you were going to anyway.’

  ‘Honestly – yes. But I’d rather do it with you fully onboard.’

  There was another pause. ‘Fine. If there’s no other option then you’ll have to consider me totally onboard.’

  Chapter Nineteen

  They’d all agreed that the first wine bar – though it was perfectly trendy, situated in the very coolest part of Soho – lacked atmosphere. Marella had been annoyed – someone at work had gushed about an evening they’d spent there – and after half an hour announced that she’d been in livelier crypts and they’d decided to move on to a place she and Posy had been to before and knew was more fun. It was in a dingier street and it wasn’t quite as trendy, but they’d always had a good time in there.

  Jackson reached for Posy’s hand as they walked to it. It wasn’t far so there was no need for a cab and, besides, Asa had said if he was in London he wanted to see it all first hand, not through the window of a taxi.

  ‘I missed you,’ Jackson said in a low voice.

  Posy gave him a brief smile. ‘I missed you too,’ she said.

  ‘Honestly?’

  ‘Of course.’

  ‘Do you have to go back to his place again after this weekend?’ Jackson asked, angling his head at Asa who was currently walking a few paces ahead chatting to Marella. Posy could tell they’d already clicked and were getting along famously. She’d known they would, but she was glad to see it just the same.

  ‘You mean Asa?’ Posy asked, knowing full well who Jackson meant but disliking the way he refused to use her uncle’s name. ‘Yes, I do. I haven’t finished there yet.’

  ‘But it’s just workers there now, isn’t it? Surely you’ve done your bit?’

  ‘I said I’d project manage.’

  ‘For free. You don’t owe them – you can come back whenever you want; they can hardly complain.’

  ‘They’re not complaining and they’ve been very kind to me and my mum. They’re family.’

  Posy had never told Jackson the full story of how Asa, Giles and Sandra had come to be in her life. As far as he was concerned, distance meant they didn’t see each other often but were a family just like any other. She’d meant to tell him – it was no secret – but the right moment had simply never presented itself. Now, she didn’t feel much like telling him at all.

  ‘So when are you coming back?’ he asked.

  Posy looked up at him. ‘In a few weeks maybe. I don’t know… when everything is done. It’s hard to tell with these things; work gets delayed. It’s not like I’ve got anything to come home for right now… I mean, jobwise,’ she added quickly, seeing the expression of hurt cross his face. ‘I mean, we can see each other whenever, can’t we? I can come back for a weekend or you could even come to stay at Oleander House. I’ll talk to Asa – now that he’s met you I’m sure he won’t mind if you bunk down at his place for a couple of nights. In fact he’d probably like it.’

  Jackson threw a look at Asa’s back, and Posy could have sworn it was one of distrust. Why, was another matter… Was he actually jealous of Asa? She couldn’t think why, but neither could she think of a reason Jackson might have to dislike him.

  ‘I guess,’ was all he said.

  She gave his hand a squeeze to rally his mood. She didn’t want to be at odds with him – not tonight.

  ‘You’ll love Astercombe,’ she said brightly.

  ‘Where?’

  ‘The village I’m staying at, silly.’

  ‘Oh, yeah… that place.’

  ‘I’ll let you try all the cider they make,’ she continued. She dropped her voice. ‘Maybe even in the barn behind the hay bales when everyone has gone to bed…’

  At this he grinned and she was glad to see his mood lift.

  ‘That sounds good. Cider in the hay bales with you; like that book… Cider with Posy.’

  She laughed. ‘It’s Cider with Rosie, but I think your version works for us.’

  ‘Yeah, it works for me.’

  ‘So you’ll come?’

  ‘I thought you had to clear it with your family?’

  ‘I do, but I’m almost certain they won’t mind. You’re going to love them, you know, and you’ll love Oleander Orchard.’

  ‘I think I’ll love the barn…’

  Posy grinned. ‘About that… we might have to share it with rather a lot of brewing equipment. And maybe a few hundred crates of apples…’

  ‘We won’t get hungry then.’

  ‘That’s for sure!’

  Marella turned and called to them.

  ‘Come on you two; we’re wasting valuable clubbing time while you dawdle along like an old married couple!’

  ‘Don’t you worry, we’re right behind you,’ Posy called back. ‘Go in and we’ll follow.’

  ‘And I thought I was the old man of the group,’ Asa chipped in. Posy smiled, but when she glanced to her side she saw that Jackson wasn’t smiling. Inwardly she g
ave a sigh. Hadn’t she just sorted this out? How could he still be annoyed about this? If he’d only give Asa a chance and forget he was Posy’s uncle he’d enjoy his company. Yes, he was a little older than them, but it was hardly a chasm of an age difference. They could all listen to the same music and laugh at the same jokes for one evening, surely?

  Posy looked ahead once more to see Marella leading Asa into a bar called The Pin. It was a tiny place specialising in just about any gin you could care to name and transforming them into the most incredible cocktails. Its size was a large part of its atmosphere, but at the same time it was often full very early on. Tonight was no exception and the clientele were spilling out onto the street with their drinks, while it looked like anyone who had plans to get to the bar to order had a serious battle on their hands. Having sampled The Pin’s wares before, Posy knew it was a battle worth undertaking and she was ready for it.

  They squeezed in, Asa’s face lighting up as he noticed the old teak shelves above the bar that had once contained chunky bottles of ancient remedies, back when the building had belonged to a thriving apothecary. These days the shelves were lined with a dizzying array of gin bottles of all shapes and colours.

  ‘Not a cider in sight!’ he exclaimed. ‘I love it here already!’

  Posy laughed. ‘It’s a good job we don’t all feel like that about cider. Better not let Giles hear you say that.’

  ‘Oh, just because we make cider doesn’t mean I have to drink it day and night. You can get sick of something, you know.’

  ‘The rhubarb and ginger is good,’ Marella said. ‘That’s my fave. They do a nice pine-needle gin—’

  ‘Pine needle?’ Asa pulled a face.

  Marella smiled. ‘It’s better than it sounds! They do this really incredible watermelon one too – you liked that, didn’t you, Posy?’

  Posy nodded. ‘And the lime and orange… Was that what it was or was it lemon and orange…?’

  Jackson looked at the shelves with almost as much distrust as he’d looked at Asa’s back as they’d walked here. ‘Don’t they do anything other than gin?’

  A man pushed past Posy, causing her to stumble and reach out for Jackson’s arm to steady herself.