‘Oh, OK. Well, I promise not to let you die.’
He smiled and took his hearing aids out, his world going almost completely silent, so he couldn’t hear her breathing any more and that bothered him more than anything else. She lay on his chest, her head propped up on her hands, just watching him, a smile on her face. He popped the hearing aids on top of her bedside drawers. He looked back at her to see she was still staring at him, a big smile on her face. He stroked her hair, needing to be connected to her in some way now he wouldn’t be able to hear her.
She started to talk and he focussed on her lips so he could see what she was saying.
‘So lip-reading, how accurate is it?’ she said.
‘Not very accurate, a lot of it is guesswork based on the context, plus other facial features, body language and the expression in someone’s eyes. Even the best lip-readers in the world can only read about thirty to forty percent of what is being said. And that’s only if the person talking is well lit and looking face on. Facial hair is also a bit of a problem. So don’t grow a moustache. There are also many words that look very similar or identical on the lips, like “I love you” looks the exact same as “olive juice” and “elephant shoes”.’
She laughed and he hated that he couldn’t hear that either. It was just an echoey noise, like being underwater.
She looked back at him. ‘OK, just so there’s no confusion, I’m going to stop talking and do this instead.’
And with that, she leaned forward and kissed him.
Christ, there could be no misunderstanding this. He stroked down her hair, tasting her lips, inhaling her scent, all of his other senses coming alive. She was magnificent and she made him feel utterly spectacular. He had kissed quite a few women in his life, but it had never felt like this. This was different, better in so many ways, and he had no idea why.
She pulled back slightly and smiled.
‘Well thanks for clearing that up,’ he said.
Her smile grew and she gave him another brief kiss on the lips. ‘Goodnight Andrew.’
She reached up and turned off the light but the moon outside poured through the windows, bathing everything in silver. She lay back down and snuggled into his chest where he knew she would feel his heart hammering against his ribs. Sleep would be very far away again tonight.
Fifteen
Willow woke the next morning to an empty bed and, judging by the silence in the rest of the house, Andrew wasn’t there either. She sat up and looked around. Next to her on the pillow was a note and a yellow rose. She picked it up and stroked the soft petals as she read the note.
My lovely Willow,
You are quite honestly the most incredible woman I have ever met and I could quite easily have stayed in your bed for the rest of the day, holding you in my arms and maybe even enjoying more of those glorious kisses. But I’m not sure where we are, whether that wonderful kiss last night was just a temporary reprieve or a step forward, and I thought if you woke up this morning and regretted the kiss, I would save you the awkwardness of having that conversation again. If you still don’t want a relationship just yet, then I’m happy to wait until you do. But if last night was you throwing caution to the wind and you’d like to do this thing properly, then I’d like to ask you round to dinner tonight as our first official date. I make a mean chicken tikka masala and there will be candles and flowers and definitely more kisses. If you don’t want that just yet, you don’t need to worry. I can freeze the extra curry and I promise you it won’t be awkward if you say no. But if it’s a yes, then I look forward to seeing you at seven.
Yours hopefully
Andrew x
Oh god. She couldn’t help but smile at this wonderfully sweet note. This man, it was ridiculous how much she felt for him already. And while there was a part of her that still wasn’t sure whether running head first into a relationship mere days after arriving in Happiness was a good idea, there was a part of her that wanted to see where this incredible connection would lead.
She wondered what her mum would say if she knew Willow was falling in love just a few days after she had arrived in her new home. She didn’t really have a close relationship with her mum. After her parents divorced several years before, her mum had moved to Scotland rather than stay near her dad and Willow had moved to St Octavia, where Ruby lived. But Willow had never been close to her mum. The overriding sense she got from her mum was disappointment. ‘Oh Willow’ was one of her mum’s favourite phrases, followed by a sad shake of the head every time she heard what Willow had done or said. When Willow had announced she was moving to Happiness, ‘Oh Willow’ must have been used three or four times in the same conversation. Willow certainly didn’t need her mum’s approval or most likely disapproval when it came to matters of the heart.
Ruby, however, would probably go to completely the opposite end of the spectrum and tell Willow to stop messing around and go for it. They had known each other since going to university together and had shared a room in their halls of residence. Ruby was definitely more the throw-caution-to-the-wind type.
No, if she was going to make a decision like this, she would have to do it on her own. And what she really wanted to do and what she should do were probably two very different things. But when she next saw Andrew, she would simply listen to her heart and then she’d know what she should do.
* * *
Willow got down to her shop just before nine and the street was almost deserted. She waved at Tabitha who was opening the pub for breakfast. Maybe news hadn’t spread about the Secret Society’s deliveries the night before.
Just as Willow pushed open the door she saw Mary running down the street, waving at Tabitha.
‘I got one, Tabby, I got one.’
‘Mum, are you OK?’ Tabitha asked. ‘What did you get?’
‘A secret gift!’ Mary said excitedly as Willow watched from inside her shop.
‘Really? What was it?’ Tabitha asked as she put the menu board outside the door.
Willow watched Roger walk out of his cheese shop with Dorothy and his sister Liz.
‘What’s going on?’ Roger said.
‘Mary got a present too,’ Tabitha said.
Willow wanted to wander over and join in the chat but she was a terrible liar and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to withstand the inquisition, should any questions come her way.
She decided she would clean the windows so she could at least listen. She quickly filled a bowl with soapy water, grabbed a cloth and stepped back outside.
Mary was showing off her new antique watch to anyone who was passing and there was quite the gathering now.
‘There was a knock on the door late last night and when I went to answer it, no one was there,’ she said. ‘But there was this beautifully wrapped box there instead and this watch was inside.’
Willow glanced around as she started scrubbing. Dorothy looked a little put out that Mary had received a mystery gift too. Of course, if Mary had received a gift too, then Dorothy’s gift was less likely to be from Joseph.
‘Who do you think it’s from?’ Tabitha asked. She’d now been joined by her husband Connor, Julia and several other villagers Willow hadn’t met yet.
‘I don’t know, maybe Kitty and Ken,’ Mary said.
‘Lord, I think they’ve done enough for us,’ Julia said, her pink candyfloss hair styled in a beehive today, wibbling like jelly on top of her head. ‘This whole village could probably be a contender for some best-looking village award by the time all the renovations and improvements have been made. I don’t think they’re roaming the streets late at night giving presents to us all as well.’
‘Well who is it then?’ Dorothy asked.
‘Well you thought your gift was from Joseph. Maybe he’s giving presents to everyone,’ Liz said.
‘It’s not Joseph,’ Dorothy said, protectively, as if Liz was trying to steal Joseph from her.
‘Well who is it?’ Connor asked, admiring the watch.
‘Ar
e you sure it’s not that lovely Andrew?’ Liz asked.
‘I don’t think it’s Andrew,’ Julia said, quite proudly, as if about to impart some great pearl of wisdom to exonerate him. ‘I was walking Colin and Rufus past Sunrise Cottage early this morning and who should walk out of there but the man himself. His hair was all dishevelled and he hadn’t shaved. He had the biggest grin on his face. I think it’s safe to say he stayed the night at our young Willow’s house last night, which meant he had other things to occupy himself than giving out secret gifts in the middle of the night.’
Everyone turned to stare at Willow and she found her cheeks flushing bright red. Here was the perfect alibi for both of them – but at what cost? By the way they were all looking at her with excitement in their eyes, this was probably the biggest piece of gossip the villagers had heard since the invention of sliced bread.
Oh god, what should she say? If she lied and said that he’d just popped round that morning then they would know instantly that she wasn’t telling the truth and then their alibi would go straight out the window.
Fortunately, she was saved from any more embarrassment or questions by Ginny’s arrival.
‘What’s going on?’ Ginny asked the happy throng. ‘Did you all get a present too?’
‘Did you get one?’ Dorothy asked, incredulously.
‘Yes,’ Ginny beamed. ‘Someone left a beautiful bouquet of flowers on my doorstep. They knocked on my door and—’
‘When you answered, there was no one there,’ Roger said. ‘Yes, we got the picture.’
Another man joined the group then. ‘Are you talking about last night’s activities?’
‘Did you get a present too, Pete?’ Liz asked.
‘No, but Elsie’s house was painted.’
The little crowd collectively ooohed.
‘Oh, it’s definitely Andrew then,’ Liz said, knowingly.
All eyes swivelled in Willow’s direction to see if she would say otherwise.
‘He came to my house straight after he’d finished playing darts,’ Willow said honestly. Telling the truth was far easier. ‘And we spent the rest of the night together.’
Good lord, now it sounded like something far more wonderful than what had actually happened.
Everyone looked so delighted by this piece of news, it was as if they had just won the lottery. They all leaned forward eagerly to hear the next bit of gossip. Oh to hell with it, there was no going back now.
‘And let me tell you, he was definitely far too busy with me to go out painting houses in the middle of the night.’
There were gasps and squeals of excitement and Willow wanted the ground to swallow her up. She’d just practically declared to the whole village that she and Andrew had had sex the night before.
‘Well, must get on, lots of work to do.’ Willow quickly scuttled into her shop and closed the door.
She sat down and let her head fall into her hands. It was safe to say that when Andrew heard that piece of gossip, their date would be well and truly off the table, and she didn’t blame him at all.
* * *
Willow had been busy working in her shop all morning, keeping her head down, not getting involved in the gossip that continued to be bandied about outside on the street. She was so embarrassed that she’d said that about her and Andrew. Of all the things to say to preserve their alibi, why did she have to come out with that? And what would Andrew think when he heard? He seemed like a private person, he wouldn’t want that kind of gossip spread around the village even if it was true, let alone when it was false.
She busied herself with the ice candles she was making. She draped the wick inside the paper cup and attached the other end to a lollipop stick which she rested on the top of the cup. She grabbed the jug of small ice cubes she had just taken from the freezer and started pouring it out into the paper cup, either side of the lollipop stick, until the cup was half filled with ice. She took the jug of melted bright yellow wax off the heat and gave it a stir.
There was a noise at the door and she looked up to see the silhouette of Andrew leaning against the door frame. The sun was blazing behind him so she couldn’t see his face and whether he was angry or not.
She quickly ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his chest in embarrassment. God, she needed to apologise, to explain why she did it. She realised he wasn’t hugging her back. He really was pissed off.
‘Well this is a lovely greeting, although I don’t think my brother would be too impressed,’ Andrew said, sarcastically, except it didn’t actually sound like Andrew at all.
She frowned in confusion and looked up. This was a man who looked like Andrew but was definitely not. It looked like someone had tried to copy Andrew’s face but not got it exactly right. It was the eyes that were so different. There was no warmth or kindness there.
She yelped in fright and stumbled back, tripping over a box of wax on the floor. She would have fallen over if the doppelganger hadn’t reached out and grabbed her arm.
She stepped back out of his touch to look at him some more and suddenly what he’d said made sense.
‘You’re Andrew’s brother, Jacob?’
‘Yes, good to meet you, although I wasn’t expecting a welcome as warm as that.’
‘God, I’m so sorry. I thought you were Andrew. I don’t normally go hugging strange men.’
‘No, just kissing them and sleeping in the same bed as them.’
She frowned; she didn’t like his tone. ‘If you’re talking about me and Andrew then that’s absolutely none of your business.’
‘He’s my little brother, it comes with the territory,’ Jacob said.
‘Sticking your nose in?’
‘Looking out for him. You’re all he’s been talking about all morning. And I wanted to come and meet the woman my brother has fallen in love with.’
Willow swallowed. ‘He said he’s fallen in love with me?’
‘No, but the huge grin on his face speaks volumes.’ He cocked his head to look at her. ‘So what’s your story, Willow McKay?’
He’d come here to see if she was good enough for his brother. She didn’t know whether to be incensed by that or find the whole thing hilarious.
She turned her attention back to the yellow wax, gave it another stir and slowly poured it into one of the paper cups covering the ice cubes, then moved on to the next cup and did the same.
‘What would you like to know?’ Willow said, her eyes on the wax the whole time.
‘Well, Andrew said you’re not interested in a relationship after not long coming out of a crap one. Yet you’ve kissed him, slept in the same bed as him and, he says, he’s asked you out on a date tonight and he has no idea if you’re going to turn up. So what I’d like to know is, are you just playing some weird little game with my brother?’
Holy shit. Put it like that and she did sound like a complete bitch. God, she didn’t want to play games with Andrew. That wasn’t what this was. But in trying to decide whether it was best to avoid having a relationship or just to go for it, she was messing him around and she hated that. He was so utterly lovely and he deserved better than that. He was being so sweet and patient but she had kissed him and slept in the same bed as him. No wonder the poor guy was so confused. And just because she wasn’t ready to have these feelings didn’t mean they would go away. Working with Andrew on the Secret Society business, spending time with him, those feelings were only going to intensify. It was crazy to try to deny how she felt any more and it wasn’t fair on him either.
She carefully filled another cup with wax, listening to the ice crack and hiss a little as it came in contact with the hot liquid. ‘You’re right. I had no intention of coming here and falling straight into a relationship. And then I met your brother with his kind eyes and his beautiful smile and his silly sense of humour. I love how easy he is to talk to and his patience and warmth. I really like your brother. And yes, I have been overly cautious because it scares me how much I
like him, but it was never my intention to hurt him, that was the very last thing I wanted. Truth be told, I think I’ve fallen a little bit in love with Andrew Harrington and that terrifies me.’
Jacob was completely silent and she looked up at him to find he was staring at her like she was a complicated puzzle he was trying to work out.
She carried on pouring the wax into the remaining cups, wondering if he was waiting for more from her.
Jacob moved to the table and picked up the first paper cup she had filled which had probably gone hard already. He carried it over to the towel she had laid out on the other side of the table and started ripping the paper cup carefully away from the wax. ‘I made these with my niece a few weeks ago, she loved doing them.’
Willow watched him. ‘Poppy?’
He looked up. ‘Yes, did Andrew tell you about her?’
‘Yes he did. She sounds like a lovely little girl.’
A smile appeared on his face, the first one Willow had seen. ‘Yes she is.’
Willow watched him remove the candle carefully, letting the water drain out onto the towel. She wasn’t sure what was going on. He seemed to have completely moved on from the subject of her and Andrew already.
‘You’ll have to bring her here one day, she can help me make some candles.’
His smile grew. ‘This place would be like heaven for her, she loves making candles.’
‘Then I’d definitely like to meet her. Although I don’t know any sign language so maybe you could stay and help her.’
‘I could do that. Although Andrew knows sign language too and I’m sure you’d rather spend the day with him than his grumpy older brother.’
Willow smiled. ‘I don’t think you’re half bad.’
He smiled at this, then he frowned.
‘He told you Poppy was deaf?’
‘Yes.’
She could see he was mulling this over.
The Little Village of Happiness: A gorgeous uplifting romantic comedy to escape with this summer Page 12