‘And now?’
‘Well, I still don’t need a man to make me happy, I’m perfectly fine without one, but I’m also very very over the moon with one too,’ Willow giggled, knowing she wasn’t really making a lot of sense. ‘I think in reality swearing off all men was a bit ridiculous. What I should have said was that I didn’t want a relationship with a man unless he set my world on fire.’
Andrew chuckled. ‘And I tick that box for you?’
‘Oh god yes.’
‘Well that’s good to know.’
‘What about you, why were you not interested in a relationship? You said you’d had some crappy ones.’
Andrew sighed and he didn’t speak for a while. ‘I think my biggest issue with being deaf is people’s reactions to it. It’s something different to what they know and some are scared of it.’
Willow frowned. ‘Really?’
‘I had one girlfriend, thankfully we hadn’t been going out that long, maybe a month, she was horrified when she found out I was deaf, saying I should have told her because she could catch it.’
‘I don’t know whether to laugh or cry at that,’ Willow said.
‘You can laugh, I did.’
‘People can’t seriously be that stupid,’ she said.
‘Don’t forget we live in a world where thousands of people still believe the earth is flat. Trust me, there are lots of stupid people in the world.’
‘That’s depressing.’
‘I know. I’ve had quite a few similar issues over the years. I think a lot of hearing people don’t understand what it really means to be deaf.’
Willow thought about this for a moment. She could never really comprehend what it was like to be deaf. She could stick earplugs in and walk around like that all day but that was very different from living with that for the whole of her life. And dealing with people’s prejudices and opinions on it would be something else entirely too. She’d never had to cope with being labelled as different. Would this lack of understanding on her part eventually be a sticking point for them as it had been for his other girlfriends?
‘When one girlfriend found out I was deaf, she said things like, “But you look just like a normal person, you talk like a normal person,” without realising how offensive that was. It was a big novelty to her, she’d ask me to lip-read what people were saying, she’d ask me to teach her sign language, but only the swear words. It didn’t last long.’
‘I think I’d rather know how to sign cake or biscuit or the kinds of things that we are most likely to say in bed when you’ve taken your hearing aids out. Things like “Kiss me” or “Make love to me.”
He grinned. ‘Trust me, you’re never going to have to ask for those things.’
She smiled and then reached up and stroked his cheek. From what Jacob had said, Andrew had his heart broken in the past. And though these women he’d dated didn’t sound like they were the best, it didn’t seem like any of them had broken his heart.
‘Did you love any of these women?’ she asked carefully.
He nodded. ‘None of the ones I’ve mentioned, but there was one woman, Sophie. I loved her. Looking back, I’m not sure why. She had this perfect image of what her life was going to be. I don’t think she was over the moon when she found out I was deaf, it didn’t fit in with her perfect ideals, and I thought for a while we might break up but we didn’t. We were together for about two years and I thought we were happy. We talked about marriage, kids, buying a house together. When my niece, Poppy, was born, it was clear from very early on that she was deaf. And Sophie just couldn’t get her head around that. She asked me if we were to have children would our kids be deaf too. I told her that statistically more deaf children were born to hearing parents than to deaf parents but yes there was a chance, especially as there seemed to be a gene in our family. She said she didn't want to have deaf children and we broke up. I was… heartbroken.’
‘Oh Andrew, that’s horrible.’
‘I think that was the first time in my life that I didn’t feel good enough. It was even worse that I was made to feel that way by someone I loved.’
‘No, don’t ever think like that. That was more her issue than it ever was yours.’
‘I know, I do realise that. And in many ways I do feel like we’d had a lucky break.’
‘What kind of person doesn’t love their child unconditionally regardless of whether they can hear, see, talk, read, write, or even walk as well as their peers? I understand having a child who is deaf or blind could be a challenge, but having children is a challenge. Those sleepless nights, potty training, settling a child at night, is the car seat fitted properly, are they getting enough milk, is the bath water hot or cool enough for them. As they get older the responsibility of teaching them right from wrong, teaching them about different cultures and beliefs, how many sweets is too many, how much screen time is too much, their friends, their boyfriends and girlfriends, are they happy, are they safe. All of that is bloody hard work. But I would love my child, completely and utterly, regardless of any condition they might have.’
Andrew smiled, giving her a kiss on the forehead. ‘I think that is the right answer.’
‘Please, please don’t take that on your shoulders. You are an incredible man and any woman would be very lucky to raise their child with you,’ Willow said.
He stared at her for a moment and then bent his head and kissed her. But this was very different to their other kisses. This was sweeter, more tender, filled with love.
He pulled back slightly. ‘I think I better take you home now.’
‘Oh.’ Willow felt a little disappointed that their date had come to an end already but a quick glance at the clock showed that it was approaching midnight.
‘Not because I want to, but because I really want to take you upstairs and spend the rest of the night making love to you—’
Willow opened her mouth to speak but Andrew quickly carried on talking.
‘And before you say that’s a good idea, I’m going to remind you that we’re supposed to be taking this slow.’
‘I’m not sure I agreed to that.’
Andrew groaned and stood up. ‘Come on, let’s get you home.’
He pulled his boots on as Willow tied up her own shoes and then he quickly bundled her out of the house.
Willow giggled at his haste. She couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed that his plan for the rest of the night wasn’t going to happen but there was a large part of her that was quite relieved. A few days earlier she hadn’t even wanted a relationship; it made sense to take things slow, at least for now. She’d never slept with a man on a first date before and, although it felt like she’d known Andrew for a lifetime already, she still thought it was probably a good idea for her to go home.
He linked hands with her as he switched on his torch. The path wound away from them, disappearing into the trees, the bushes either side of them casting odd shadows in the torchlight.
‘You can give Jacob a call now and tell him the coast is clear,’ Willow said.
‘He’s staying in the pub actually, they have a few rooms there. There really isn’t enough room in my house for the two of us. There really isn’t enough room in this village for the two of us, but he’s thinking of moving here.’
‘Really? Is that so he can keep an eye on you?’
‘I hope not. But he can be a bit overprotective at times, he’s been like it all his life. He says he wants somewhere quiet to settle down and raise a family. Those are honestly words I never thought I’d hear coming out of his mouth. I mean, it’ll be nice that I get to see him a bit more often but I kind of wish his settling down wasn’t happening right on my doorstep.’
‘Do Lottie and Poppy live nearby?’
‘Not too far away so I guess it’ll be nice for Jacob to be closer to them too. He adores Poppy. We all do.’
‘I can’t wait to meet her.’
He looked down at her. ‘She will love you. You pretty much have her dr
eam job.’
Willow smiled. ‘It’s my dream job too.’
There was a screech of an owl nearby which made her jump, though Andrew didn’t seem bothered by it at all.
‘Did you always want to be a candlemaker when you were growing up?’
‘Oh no, I changed my mind weekly about what I wanted to be. A vet, a dancer, an astronaut, a scientist – which I thought would involve dealing with lots of potions – an actor, an archaeologist… I’ve always been very crafty though, and when I got older I knew I wanted to run my own business. I took business studies at university which is where I met Ruby. Making candles was something I enjoyed and it just sort of turned into my job while I was looking for something practical to do with my degree. What about you, what did you want to be when you grew up?’
‘Batman.’
Willow laughed. ‘Now that’s a great goal.’
‘I think the anonymity appealed, no one knowing who he was. Everyone knew who I was at school. I could have had my own persona, “Deaf Kid”. Except I’m not sure what my superpowers would have been. I was pretty crap at most things.’
Willow frowned. His childhood would have been very different from hers in many ways.
‘What was it like growing up with that label over your head?’
He was silent for the longest time. ‘It was fine really. All kids have issues growing up, don’t they? Anyway, I heard there was a lot of interest in the mystery gifts today.’
He had changed the subject again. Every time he started opening up to her, he slammed that door closed before she could see inside. She didn’t know whether to push it, but if he wasn’t comfortable talking to her about that, what could she do? It did hurt a little that he didn’t want to share that with her. If they were going to be in a proper relationship they needed to be able to talk to each other about the good, the bad and the ugly. Still, it was very early days for them, maybe that level of trust would come later. She decided to let it pass for now.
‘Oh yes, the whole village was talking about it, who it could be, who is going to be next, why they are doing it. Everyone is very excited.’
‘So who’s next on our list of Secret Society gifts?’ Andrew asked.
‘Well, a lot of people think it’s Kitty and Ken giving the presents so I wondered if we should give them one so people would stop thinking it was them.’
Andrew clearly thought about this for a moment. ‘If people think it’s them, let them carry on thinking it for a while. It takes the attention off us.’
‘That’s a good point. What about Joseph? That way, if Dorothy still thinks the cake is from him, Joseph getting a gift will make it clear that it wasn’t before she embarrasses herself with her declarations of undying love for him.’
‘Good idea,’ Andrew said. ‘Any ideas what you’re going to give him? I can’t remember much from the night we compiled that list, other than that was the first time we kissed and that was pretty bloody memorable.’
‘Mmm, most heated first kiss ever,’ Willow said. ‘I do have an idea for him, but I think it’s something that will need to be made.’
She looked up at him with hopeful puppy dog eyes.
Andrew laughed. ‘Don’t look at me like that. I have a whole village to renovate.’
‘How is that coming along?’ Willow asked as they walked past Joseph’s house and into the trees.
‘It is actually coming along a lot faster than I thought it would. Jack and his team are doing a great job and, although there will still be a lot of work that will need to be done at the end of August, there are now twelve houses that are painted on the outside and four that are ready to move in.’
‘That’s good.’
‘Yeah, I’d done a few before they started and they’ve been working on the ones that didn’t need too much doing to them. Some of the houses that need a lot more work we are just going to paint the outside so it at least it looks good for when we have the open day. If a lot of people suddenly want to move in, we will have to stagger their arrival so all the houses are finished in time. I’m not sure how much interest we will have but hopefully we’ll get a few more people who want to move here.’
‘We just need to make sure the open day goes off with a bang. Oh, talking of which, I was thinking—’
‘Here we go again,’ Andrew teased. ‘More bright ideas.’
‘Hey!’ Willow laughed. ‘You love my ideas.’
‘Go on then, tell me your idea.’
‘I think we need to have stuff going on in the village that will encourage people to stay for most of the day. The longer people are here, the more likely it is they will fall in love with the place. If the castle opens, that could take care of entertainment during the day, but I wonder if we should do something on the night, a firework display perhaps, maybe over the castle or at the end of the village overlooking the sea. We could do a lantern parade where everyone will carry a lantern down to the cliff tops, show everyone who visits this thriving community spirit. I could make the lanterns very easily. We could make it a big family day.’
‘It’s not a bad idea,’ Andrew said. ‘Although firework displays can be very expensive. I have a friend, Leo, who runs his own firework display company. He owes me a massive favour actually, maybe he’d do it on the cheap. I’ll speak to Kitty and Ken about it tomorrow and then I’ll give Leo a call. Anyway, back to Joseph. This thing you want making for him, is it big, small, metal, wood?’
‘I’m not sure,’ Willow said. ‘He loves gardening and I saw him on his knees the other day, doing some weeding, and it was a real struggle for him to get up. I kind of thought we could make him some kind of knee cushion that had a frame around the outside so he could use that to help him get back up.’
‘That sounds like it should be made from metal. If it’s wood, it could rot if it gets wet and muddy. Jacob would be your best bet for something like that. He’s a whizz with any kind of metalwork. I’ll ask him tomorrow.’
‘OK.’
They cleared the trees and Sunrise Cottage gleamed in the moonlight that sparkled over the sea.
‘If Joseph’s gift is going to take a few days, I’ll have to think of someone else to give the gift to tomorrow,’ Willow said as they walked up the path to her house. ‘Maybe even a few people like we did last night.’
‘Why don’t we meet for lunch tomorrow, in the pub and you can tell me what the plan is for tomorrow night,’ Andrew said.
‘OK. Is lunch going to be our second date?’
Andrew grinned. ‘Yes, why not.’
‘OK, I’ll see you tomorrow.’ Willow leaned up and kissed him and he wrapped his arms around her back, holding her tight.
He pulled back. ‘Goodnight Willow McKay. Sweet dreams.’
She smiled. ‘Oh, I’m sure they will be.’
He gave her a sweet kiss on the nose and then walked off into the darkness.
She watched him go and then went inside. Her dreams were going to be very nice indeed that night.
Nineteen
Andrew woke up with a huge smile on his face. The night before had been wonderful and it was safe to say he was completely smitten with Willow McKay. He was going to see her again at lunch and he couldn’t wait.
Also his friend Morgan was coming today with the screens for the backdrop to cover the houses at the entrance to the village. She’d be here for a few days painting the screens and erecting them.
He got up and quickly washed and dressed. He made himself some toast, wrapped it in a piece of kitchen towel and left the house.
He automatically looked down towards Sunrise Cottage in the hope he might see Willow, and was surprised to see Jacob walking up from that direction.
‘I’m guessing I’m not who you were hoping to see,’ his brother said.
‘Your ugly mug versus Willow’s lovely face, hmm tough choice,’ Andrew said, as Jacob fell in at his side and they started walking towards the village.
‘I’ve just seen her,’ Jacob gestured over his sho
ulder.
‘You did?’ Andrew looked back towards Willow’s house but sadly couldn’t spot her.
‘She was sitting on the bench in her front garden with a big happy grin on her face. I didn’t talk to her, I didn’t want to interrupt whatever daydream she was in. She didn’t see me anyway. I’m sure she was too busy thinking about you.’
Andrew smiled at that, although the smile fell off his face when Jacob swiped a slice of toast from the paper towel.
‘Hey!’
‘I’m hungry.’
‘Then go to the pub for breakfast.’
‘Oh I’ll do that too, this is my starter.’ Jacob took a big bite.
Andrew rolled his eyes. ‘What were you doing down there anyway?’
‘I was just out for a walk.’
‘Really?’ Andrew asked, dryly.
Jacob laughed. ‘Genuinely. I thought I’d explore a little. It’s a nice place.’
‘Don’t start that again. This place is too small for you and your ego.’
‘My ego would fit in perfectly here, thank you very much.’ Jacob munched on his toast. ‘OK, maybe the walk had the added bonus of seeing if you spent the night at Willow’s house again.’
‘Ha. I knew it. Actually I was the perfect gentleman.’
Jacob snorted. ‘You mean she turned you down.’
‘No, we’re taking things slow.’
‘And I bet that’s killing you.’
‘Like you wouldn’t believe,’ Andrew said and his brother laughed.
Jacob finished his slice of toast and then went to take another but Andrew held it out of reach.
Jacob shrugged. ‘So it went well, last night?’
‘Yes, it was wonderful. I know you’re going to give me hell over this but I don’t care. I honestly think I’m going to marry this girl.’
‘Christ!’ Jacob muttered. ‘I told you not to fall in love with her.’
‘I haven’t. Yet.’
‘I thought you were taking it slow.’
‘We are but… she’s pretty bloody special.’
‘You’ve been on one date; do you know how ridiculous you sound?’ Jacob said.
The Little Village of Happiness: A gorgeous uplifting romantic comedy to escape with this summer Page 15