by Hannah Ellis
“I spent a long time yesterday evening trying to explain social media to her and why we need a website. She thinks it’s unnecessary. How can you run a business without a website?”
“You don’t need to convince me,” Sam said. “Max and I had this conversation with her and Wendy so many times. The trouble is, they did run a very successful business without any technology, so it’s hard to argue.”
“Well I’m giving the place a shake-up anyway.”
He smiled kindly and took a swig of his beer. “Annette said you’re going to stay here during the week and go back to your boyfriend on the weekends?”
“That’s the plan,” Josie said. “I hope it works out okay. It’s about a four-hour drive back to Oxford so it’s not really ideal.”
“That’ll be tough on your relationship.” He shifted his gaze to the door as it opened and nodded at the older guy who walked in.
“Jack and I will be fine. We always are.”
Sam bit his lower lip and his eyebrows twitched at odd angles. Clearly he was dying to say something.
“What?” Josie asked.
“Nothing.” He paused. “Long-distance relationships are difficult, that’s all.”
“What are you, an expert on the subject?”
“Yes, actually.” His grin was teasing. “And I happen to know that only one percent of long-distance relationships work out.”
“Where did you get one percent from?”
“I made it up. But I guess it’s fairly accurate.”
“What makes you think Jack and I wouldn’t be in the one percent?”
He chuckled. “Is that a serious question?”
The smile fell from Josie’s face. The conversation, which had seemed casual, suddenly made her uncomfortable.
“Oh, come on,” he said. “You kissed me a week ago.”
She glared at him. “I’d drunk a lot of champagne. And I was upset about Jack.”
“Okay,” he said without inflection.
Josie reached for her glass and hastily swigged her drink. She needed to escape. “You don’t know anything about Jack and me, and I really don’t want to discuss it with you.” For a moment she stared at her half-empty glass. “I think I’m just going to head back. I had a long day and I could do with an early night.”
He stood when she did and caught hold of her arm. “I’m sorry.” He paused, then sighed. “You’re right; I have no right to comment on your relationship.”
“Don’t worry about it.” She shrugged his hand away. “I just feel like an early night.”
“Stay and finish your drink at least.” He looked at her in earnest and it set her insides fluttering again. “We’re probably going to be seeing a lot of each other, and I don’t want it to be weird. Are we allowed to be friends? Even though you’ve got a boyfriend?”
She should probably have said no, they couldn’t be friends. Not because she had a boyfriend, but because of the effect Sam had on her. When she was with him, she forgot all about Jack and tended to think mainly about the night she kissed him on the beach. It was completely inappropriate. She should definitely stay away from him.
“I guess we can be friends,” she agreed. “And I’ll stay and finish my drink if you promise not to comment on things you have no idea about.”
“I promise,” he said. “Although it’s going to seriously limit the conversation!”
She relaxed again, smiling at his joke. They stuck to more neutral topics while they finished their drinks. Sam told her a little more about his job and filled her in on what there was to do in the area – not very much, apparently.
When they stepped outside, dusk was setting in and the air had turned cool. Josie pulled her jumper on and they walked slowly through the village. A couple of cars drove past but otherwise there wasn’t much sign of life. There was a little shop beside the pub, and Josie peered at the opening times: Mon-Sat, 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Not exactly extensive opening hours.
As they walked quietly across the small village green, Josie took in the neat rows of houses bordering it. There were probably twenty at most, though there were more on the streets that branched away from the village.
They moved away from the houses. Their side of the road was bordered by a privet hedge while woodland stretched out on the other side of the road. Lonely birdsong floated from somewhere nearby.
“Not quite what you’re used to?” Sam seemed to read her mind.
“Not at all,” she said happily. “But I’m sure I’ll get used to it.”
Chapter 11
Josie groaned when she woke, then pulled the pillow over her head. Birds could be really loud. In Oxford she had no problem sleeping through the hum of traffic, or a muffled argument between the neighbours in the apartment above. Even sirens and the odd car horn blasting wouldn’t usually interrupt her sleep.
The birds at Oakbrook Farm were far more intrusive. It was almost as though they’d flown in the window and were sitting around the bedroom calling to each other. And as if the birds weren’t determined enough to wake her, the sun was getting involved too. The thin material at the window was a poor excuse for curtains.
She padded into the kitchen and grunted a good morning to Annette. When Annette offered to make her scrambled eggs, she accepted gratefully. Coffee arrived in front of her too. It was slightly different to living with Jack.
“I could get used to this,” she said as the first sips of coffee hit the spot and the fog of sleep lifted. “I just hope I get used to the birds. They’re so loud.”
“I don’t even notice them,” Annette said, popping bread into the toaster.
“There’s hope then!”
“How was your evening with Sam?” she asked. “You were back very early.”
She had come back early, but Annette had been in bed already. “It was good. The Bluebell Inn isn’t quite what I’m used to for a night out but it’s pleasant enough.”
Annette beat the eggs and poured them into the pan. “Sam’s good company, isn’t he?”
“Yes,” Josie said with a frown. “But I have a boyfriend. You’re going to have to stop matchmaking.”
Annette quietly dished up two plates of eggs on toast and then joined Josie at the table. “I just think it’s such a shame. Have you got a friend we could set him up with?”
“No!” Josie said, chuckling. “Leave the poor guy alone. Maybe he’s happy being single.”
“I don’t think so. He’s the sort of person who likes being in a relationship.”
“Why isn’t he then?” Josie asked thoughtfully. “I can’t imagine he has any trouble attracting women.”
“He was with someone,” Annette said. “But …”
“But what?”
Annette shook her head. “Never mind. Just eat up. Your eggs will get cold.”
Reluctantly, Josie tucked into her breakfast. It was annoying that Annette hadn’t finished the conversation. She’d have quite liked to have heard about Sam’s past relationships.
After breakfast, she dressed and got to work painting the barn doors. The dogs wandered around outside with her and she enjoyed being in the fresh air. The birdsong was much more pleasant when it wasn’t dragging her from sleep. It was a gorgeous spring day, and Annette came out to water the rose bed along the side of the house and the flowerbeds around the patio.
When the barn doors were painted, Josie went back to her original task of taking photos. She found a bunch of dog toys and a few dog beds in a cupboard and set up one of the kennels as well as she could to take some snaps. She also took photos of the sign at the front gate and the house and the surrounding area. Macy, Charlie and Tilly dutifully modelled in a few of the shots, and Josie was reasonably satisfied with what she achieved. It would do, anyway; at least until they were up and running and she could get some better ones.
The rest of the day was spent setting up the website, and when Annette nodded her approval, Josie set it to live. Now she just needed bookings. Annette kept telling her th
ere was no rush and it would just take time for word to spread that they were open again, but Josie was impatient. She set up accounts on all social media platforms that week and got new business cards printed, along with a load of flyers. Then she trawled the surrounding area, calling at every pet shop and vet’s practice, asking them to display the flyers. It turned out to be a good way to get to know the area, and she ended up chatting away to the staff, who would surely be good contacts to have.
Whenever she drove through Averton village, she found herself keeping an eye out for Sam. After their evening in the pub at the beginning of the week, she hadn’t seen anything of him. Somehow she’d had the impression that he popped in to see Annette most days, so she was surprised not to see him.
On Friday, Annette told her to leave early so she might miss some of the rush hour traffic. The drive back to Oxford was gruelling nonetheless, and arriving back at Jack’s apartment was no relief at all. The place was a mess, and she cursed Jack, who was nowhere to be seen.
His phone rang for ages and she was about to give up when he finally answered.
“Where are you?” She wondered whether he’d be able to hear her over all the background noise.
“In the Fox and Greyhound.”
“Great. I just got home, the place is a mess and you’re in the pub. Can’t you ever clean up?”
“I thought you were coming back tomorrow. I was going to clean up in the morning.”
“No, I’m back now. And you’d have known exactly when I’d be back if you’d bothered to call me sometime this week.”
He ignored the barb. “Just don’t look at the mess, I’ll sort it out later. Come down to the pub.”
“I don’t want to. I’ve just spent four hours sitting in the car. I want to relax.”
“Shall I come home then?”
She sighed. She was too annoyed with him to want to spend time with him now. “No. I’m going to visit Mum and Dad. I’ll stay with them and see you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Whatever you want. I’m working tomorrow morning though …”
“So when exactly were you planning on cleaning up?” He started to talk but she’d had enough of the conversation. “Whatever, Jack, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.” She was fuming when she ended the call. It was so typical of Jack; he was laid-back to the point of being horizontal, and while his chilled-out attitude was one of the things she loved, it often made her feel like she was always nagging. Was it really too much to ask that he thought ahead and made a plan for the weekend? One which might involve his girlfriend. Why had she even bothered driving all the way back? And if he was expecting her to clean up his mess he was sorely mistaken.
She got straight back in the car and drove to her parents’ place on the outskirts of Oxford. It was wonderfully clean and tidy as always. Her mum was a neat freak, and Dad knew well enough not to leave anything in a mess. After a glass of wine and a good whinge to her mum, Josie felt marginally better. She filled her parents in on her new job and her surprisingly enjoyable week with Annette.
When she walked back into Jack’s apartment the following afternoon, it had been transformed. In fact, she didn’t remember it ever being so clean and tidy. Jack was sprawled on the couch, fast asleep. He looked so peaceful she didn’t have the heart to wake him and went and made a drink instead. This was the trouble with Jack: he could drive her mad and she’d be furious with him, then he’d buck his ideas up and be sweet and adorable.
He stirred when she sat beside him, then blinked up at her. “What do you think? Does it meet your standards?”
“It does,” she said.
“So I’m forgiven?”
“I suppose so.”
He sat up and wrapped his arms around her, squeezing until she laughed. “What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing. I’m just tired.”
“What do you want to do this afternoon?” he asked. “The weather’s nice – I thought we could go for a walk along the river. We could go to that cafe that does the huge ice cream sundaes. What do you think?”
She agreed, glad the atmosphere between them had gone.
***
Oxford was beautiful in the spring. The rich greens of the grassy riverbank were interspersed with delicate yellow and white wildflowers. Weeping willows swayed in the breeze, gently tickling the surface of the water.
Josie filled Jack in on her new job as they ambled along, and told him all about village life and the little country pub. He enthusiastically asked lots of questions and even had his own ideas for the kennels, most of which were ridiculous, like installing a swimming pool for the dogs. Jack could always make her laugh.
They spent the evening on the couch watching a film, and it was late when Josie woke the next morning. Jack was still snoring and she left him in bed while she got herself some toast.
“What do you want to do today?” she asked when he finally emerged. “I can drive back late tonight. I don’t think Annette cares when I get back.”
Jack frowned and ran a hand through his hair. “I said I’d help Clive this afternoon.” He glanced at his watch. “I need to leave soon.”
She frowned. Jack often helped his uncle at his café on the weekends but she’d assumed he’d have said he couldn’t this week in favour of spending time with her. Obviously not. “Can’t you tell him you’re busy today?”
“It’s too late now. He won’t have time to find someone else. Why don’t you come with me and hang out? The weather’s supposed to be great today.”
She used to do that a lot. The café was right by the river. A beautiful spot. When she and Jack first got together she spent most Sundays down there while he worked. She’d lie on a picnic blanket on the grassy area by the café, soaking up the sun and watching the world go by. It had always seemed so idyllic. Of course Emily used to come and keep her company too. The novelty soon wore off when Emily got her book deal and ditched her to move to London.
“I’ll just be bored,” she said sulkily. “I thought you’d have made time for me this weekend.”
“I skipped football this morning,” he said.
“Wow!” Her voice was full of sarcasm and she could feel her anger levels rising. “That was good of you. I can’t believe you would sacrifice a morning of kicking a ball around a field to spend time with me.”
He shook his head and gave her a look that said she was being unreasonable.
“Come on, Josie. You know I work at the weekends. I can’t rearrange my whole life because you’ve decided to take a job in the middle of nowhere.”
He went to get a cup of coffee and she stayed on the couch taking calming breaths. Of course she didn’t expect him to rearrange his whole life, but was it really so unreasonable to think he might reorganise his weekend to spend time with her? He didn’t actually need to work at the weekend. He already had a full-time job. Clive could definitely arrange someone else to work at the café.
“Jack,” she said calmly, pulling her legs under her on the couch. “Did you know that only one percent of long-distance relationships work?”
He sat beside her and blew on his coffee. “Where did you get that rubbish from?”
“I just heard it somewhere.” She brushed aside thoughts of Sam. “But it made me think. We need to put some effort in if we want this to work.”
“Right,” he said wearily. “And that means I should stop going to the pub on Fridays, give up playing football, stop working weekends and make sure the place is spotless for when Your Highness gets home?”
“You don’t need to be like that about it,” she snapped. “Of course I don’t like coming back to a complete mess.”
“But you’re seriously asking me to give up football, and tell Clive I can’t help him out anymore?”
“No.” She wasn’t quite sure what she was getting at, or what she expected him to say. “I’m just not sure how a long-distance relationship is going to work.”
“Are you splitting up with me again? Because it was you who sai
d we should stop doing that.”
“I’m not breaking up with you.” Her voice was confident, but for a moment she wondered where her relationship with Jack was headed. They never discussed the future. “Don’t you think it’s weird that we don’t talk all week? Neither of us thinks about calling or sending a message. Do you even think about me when I’m not here?”
“Of course I do. You’re worrying about nothing. We’ll be fine. It might just take a bit of time to adjust to you working away, that’s all. I’ll make sure I’m not in the pub next Friday when you get home, and I’ll talk to Clive about taking the odd weekend off. Okay?”
“Okay.” She leaned into him when he put an arm around her.
He kissed her cheek quickly. “I’ve gotta get showered. Are you sure you won’t come down to the café? Clive always likes to see you… ”
She shook her head. “I’ll probably just head back to Averton.”
Chapter 12
The drive back to Averton was quiet and went much faster than Friday’s journey. Josie was about half an hour away from the farm when she passed through a village and spotted a couple of older gentlemen struggling out of a house carrying a couch. She slowed, watching the scene, and then stopped behind the skip they were heading for and jumped out quick.
“Excuse me.” She darted in front of them, blocking the way to the skip. “Are you getting rid of that?”
“Yes, love,” the grey-haired man said. “Can you get out of the way? It’s heavy. In fact, you couldn’t give us a hand, could you?”
“Can I have it?” she said eagerly.
They stopped and eased it down to the ground. “You want the couch?”
“Yeah, please. I mean, if it’s just going to go in the skip?”
“It’s not in the best shape,” the second man said, resting on it as he caught his breath.
“That’s fine,” she said. “It doesn’t matter.”
They glanced at each other and nodded. “You’re welcome to it,” the grey-haired man said.
Josie looked from the couch to her car.