All Wrapped Up, page 9
They both looked delighted about that.
‘And this time,’ laughed Dad, ‘because I won’t be up to my ears in plasterboard and grout, there might be time and opportunity for you to introduce us to your friends.’
‘And Pixie!’ Mum added.
Pixie ran back over to me at the sound of her name and I scooped her up again and knocked over the phone.
‘We’ll get a date in the diary soon,’ I promised, once I’d set it straight again. ‘I’d love you to come before the pumpkins are all harvested. You won’t believe what the fields around here look like when they’re at their peak.’
‘We got a bit of an idea from the photos you shared last year,’ Mum reminded me, ‘but it will be wonderful to see them for ourselves, won’t it, Dave?’
‘Trust you to focus on the most autumnal thing imaginable, Clem!’ Dad laughed.
‘You know me,’ I laughed back, thinking of Moses again and wishing I had met him. ‘Autumn is literally my everything!’
I ended the call before either of them asked what I was going to do now to fill my time and Pixie and I happily whiled away the rest of the day at the cottage.
Knowing that the full harvest moon was set to rise that evening and the sky had finally cleared again, I arranged cushions, blankets and snacks in the garden so we could be snugly settled in time to admire it as it crept golden, vast and glorious over the edge of the Fenland horizon. The appearance of the full moon was a spectacle I had regularly come to admire, with the dates noted on my phone calendar, and I was thrilled the weather hadn’t scuppered my plan to view the glowing harvest spectacle as it had the previous September.
‘Would you look at that, Pixie?’ I gasped as the size and colour intensified with every passing second. ‘Isn’t she magnificent?’
I took a few photos with a camera my parents had given me, but just like in the past when I went to concerts with Callum, I didn’t allow myself to become preoccupied with snapping away and filming.
It never ceased to amaze me that so many people viewed so much of their lives second-hand, through the screen on their phone, rather than with their own eyes. It was lovely to have a record, but I preferred to stay in the moment as much as possible, even though I ran a successful online account where images were the focus.
As far as I was concerned, the secret to successful and comfortable stargazing, and indeed moon-watching, was entirely down to getting in the right position and I was in a semi-recumbent state when I heard Ash’s truck pull up and Pixie started to bark.
My thoughts, as the moon rose, had drifted again to the autumn festival and I wondered if, rather than give up on it entirely, it might actually be worth considering running just an event or two over a couple of weekends, like I had originally suggested. It would be better than doing nothing at all and might inspire people to want to get further involved next year. And if that was the case, we could make it the spectacular then that Lizzie had been so certain it could be this first time around.
I sat up and stretched my neck from side to side, thinking I would run it by Ash now he was here. See if he thought that might be a feasible, rather than defeatist, option. Now the initial sting of the meeting had dulled a bit, and being preoccupied with Pixie had given me some distance from it, I found I really didn’t want to give up on it completely after all. Like I’d earlier said to Dad, autumn really was my everything and it would be a shame to miss out on celebrating it in such a meaningful way.
‘I was hoping you’d seen,’ Ash nodded at the moon, as he climbed stiffly out of his truck and rolled his shoulders, while Pixie leapt up and down for his attention on my side of the gate. ‘I’ve been watching it come up on the drive back.’
‘That sounds safe.’ I smiled wryly and then had to look away because the sight of him stretching his arms above his head and exposing a bit of his tummy made me feel a bit… funny.
‘How could I not watch it?’ he laughed.
He was right, of course. It must have been the ultimate distraction, just like Pixie had been for my parents earlier.
‘She hasn’t missed you at all, you know,’ I pointedly said as he opened the gate and she ecstatically launched herself at him. ‘To be honest, she hadn’t even noticed you’d gone.’
‘She’s probably just relieved that I’ve come back,’ he said, scooping her up.
‘Oh yes,’ I said, feeling chastened. ‘I didn’t think of that. How were things with your family when you set off? Is your nan really okay?’
He put Pixie down again and turned his full attention to me. I could see then how tired he looked and wondered how he was going to manage to be up in time for his stint in the practice the next day.
‘As okay as she can be,’ he said, sounding relieved. ‘And I’m very grateful for that.’
‘I can imagine,’ I said, as I rubbed my hands together because the evening had turned chilly. ‘Can I get you a drink or something to eat? You must be done in.’
‘Thanks,’ he said, picking Pixie, who was practically sitting on his feet, back up again. ‘As appealing as that sounds, I’m going to pass. I’m afraid that if I stop for more than a minute, I’ll be asleep on my feet and I really need to get back to the barn.’
‘Of course.’
I had been about to offer to keep Pixie for another night, but seeing the way she nuzzled into his neck and the way some of the tension in his shoulders disappeared as a result, I decided he needed her company more than I did. Though it would be a wrench to say goodbye. Pixie had bought an extra something to Rowan Cottage and even if she didn’t turn out to be the dog for me, I wondered if there would be another who might.
‘I’ll just get her stuff.’
Ash followed me inside, after commenting on how lovely my moon-watching set up looked. Had it been any other evening, I would have insisted he stayed and tried it out.
‘Have you heard from Lizzie today?’ he asked, as I bundled everything Pixie’s visit had required back into its bag.
It felt like she had been with me for far longer than one night.
‘To be honest,’ I said, ‘I haven’t looked at my phone since calling my parents earlier, so I’m not sure.’
‘I bet you haven’t changed your mind about the festival, have you? As I mentioned before, Lizzie told me all about what happened at the meeting, because I was worried when I couldn’t get hold of you, so I can understand why you went to ground.’
‘Non meeting,’ I muttered, feeling a little mortified that my withdrawal from the town had been so noticed.
‘Oh, Clemmie.’
‘I’m not feeling quite so bad about it now,’ I sighed.
‘Well, that’s something. Do you maybe have an alternative idea in mind?’
When Ash had pulled up, I’d had every intention of discussing with him what I was now considering, but he looked so worn out, I put off telling him.
‘I might, but it’s the last thing you need to be thinking about right now,’ I told him as he tried and failed to stifle a well-timed yawn. ‘Are you sure you’re going to be okay to drive back to the barn?’
‘I daresay you’re right,’ he agreed. ‘But we’ll talk about it all soon. And yes, I’ll be fine. It’s not far. You’ll have to come and visit. There’s this magnificent hare who has practically made its home in the garden. I think you’d like to see that.’
‘I’d love to see that,’ I enthused. ‘I often see them bounding across the fields and boxing in the spring, but I’ve never seen one up close. Can you get close?’
‘If Pixie doesn’t yap,’ he smiled. ‘Right, come on. Home and bed.’
‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Time for bed for all of us.’
‘Did Pixie make it into yours last night?’ he asked, looking right at me.
‘What do you think?’ I smiled.
Chapter 8
In spite of the fact that I hadn’t slept nearly as well without Pixie to keep me company, the next morning I woke feeling surprisingly, but pleasingly more determined than ever that the idea for the taster autumn festival I’d been considering the day before, was a good one. Consequently, I got ready, bright and early, to head into town, to run it by Lizzie, with nary a thought about what Jason had said playing havoc with my new-found, and almost completely restored, confidence.
Having the mini-festival idea to focus on helped me stop thinking quite so much about Pixie, or the lack of Pixie, and I was grateful for that. Considering she’d only been with me for one night and one full day, she’d made quite an impact and I was also wondering if, along with reigniting the festival flames, I should perhaps take her now after all. I had the feeling that we were a good fit and that the quality of my sleep would be much improved if I did offer her a home, but I wanted to be certain that she would benefit from the situation even more than me.
‘One thing at a time, Clemmie,’ I told myself as I picked out my favourite fox patterned scarf and draped it loosely around my neck. ‘One thing at a time.’
My first thing was immediately thwarted because I had forgotten that both The Cherry Tree Café and the gallery next door, didn’t open on a Monday, but I braced myself and instead ventured into the pub, the place of my humiliation, to try and get it back on track.
‘Is it safe?’ I joked, as I approached the bar to order a coffee. ‘Or am I going to be made a fool of again?’
Evelyn shook her head.
‘The only fool around here is Jason,’ she tutted. ‘I take it Lizzie has now told you what he did?’
‘Aside from humiliate me, you mean?’ I replied. ‘No, she hasn’t. I haven’t seen her since the meeting and she hasn’t mentioned it in any of her messages.’
I had felt guilty as I earlier listened to and read what Lizzie had sent. I really shouldn’t have opted for total radio silence, because she was clearly concerned about me and yes, I knew I could have called or messaged her when I realised that, but I had decided, in the spirit of my renewed conviction to make meaningful connections, that talking face to face would be better.
‘In that case,’ Evelyn said intriguingly, ‘I won’t steal her thunder.’
‘You don’t happen to know where I might find her today, do you?’ I asked.
‘Most likely in the gallery,’ Evelyn told me. ‘She often works in the crafting space at the back when it’s closed.’
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘I hadn’t thought that she might be there even though it’s shut.’
‘Do you still want a coffee?’
‘I’ll come back for one if I can’t find her.’
‘In that case,’ Evelyn smiled, ‘I hope I won’t see you later.’
She was laughing at her own joke as I left and crossed the square to the gallery.
‘I was starting to get really worried about you,’ said Lizzie, as she immediately opened the door when she spotted me. ‘I’ve been too busy to drive out to the cottage again, but I was planning to stop by as soon as I had finished up here later tonight if I hadn’t heard from you by then.’
‘I’m sorry,’ I apologised, waiting while she locked the door behind me. ‘I’m sorry I just sort of… disappeared.’
‘No sort of about it,’ she pointed out. ‘You went completely AWOL and I couldn’t even keep tabs on you on Insta because your posting seems to have slowed right down. I hope that isn’t because I sussed out who you are.’
My lack of the usual regular posts had been a bit related to that, but I was over it now, so I wasn’t going to tell her and make her feel even worse than she obviously already did.
‘No, no,’ I therefore said, airily dismissing her deduction. ‘I’ve just been busy. Normal online service has been resumed from today and, if you agree with what I’m about to suggest, the festival might be back on, too.’
Her concerned expression transformed into one of excitement.
‘Now about that—’ she grinned.
‘Me first,’ I cut in. ‘Please.’
‘Go on then,’ she laughed.
I explained about how I thought we could simply set up a couple of weekends of events and which workshops might work with the limited number of people we now knew wanted to be involved.
‘It wouldn’t take too much effort to sort it all out,’ I finished up, feeling rather out of breath. Lizzie looked fit to burst, so I hoped that meant she was also keen. ‘And this idea, on a much smaller scale than the original one, might be the perfect lead in for the full-blown festival next year. What do you think?’
‘Well,’ she laughed, ‘for a start, I’m thrilled that Jason hasn’t completely put you off.’
‘He did for a while,’ I admitted, ‘but at the end of the day, I just can’t seem to let this festival idea go, Lizzie. I really want to see it happen in some way. I might not have known Moses, as Jason was so keen to point out, but given his passion for the cosy season, I feel like we could have been kindred spirits.’
‘Good,’ she clapped.
‘So, you think the mini festival idea might work then?’
‘I actually think the original, grander idea will work—’
‘No,’ I cut in, trying not to sound frustrated. ‘It really won’t. You saw the turnout for the meeting and you heard the objection to me, the town stranger, being involved. It might have only been one voice, but I wouldn’t want more to join it. With something smaller going on, I could keep a lower profile. Sort of direct the whole thing off stage. Make it more of a… side quest than an autumn extravaganza.’
Lizzie pulled out two chairs for us to sit on.
‘Please, Clemmie,’ she begged, as I flopped down. ‘Please just listen. Yes, I did see the turnout and yes, I did hear the objection and I can tell you that Jason was entirely responsible for both.’
I frowned at that.
‘How could he have been responsible for the turnout?’
Lizzie shook her head as if she still couldn’t believe it.
‘He got in touch with the woman who’s the admin for the Wynbridge community online pages and told her to change the details,’ she told me in a rush. ‘He said, as bold as brass so she didn’t question it, that there’d been a last-minute change of venue that needed announcing immediately or the meeting wouldn’t come off.’
‘I don’t believe it,’ I said indignantly.
‘It’s true,’ Lizzie insisted. ‘The admin was in such a panic, because the meeting time was so close, she made the changes and posted an alert to highlight it without checking the facts with anyone else. She feels absolutely awful now.’
‘You’re really being serious?’
‘Deadly serious.’
‘What a horrible position to put her in. The poor woman.’
‘Jason is horrible.’
I didn’t feel inclined to disagree. He’d certainly been horrible to me.
‘He knew most people would check the page before heading out,’ Lizzie said crossly, ‘because it’s always up to date and that meant his cunning tactic had maximum impact. The only people who made it to The Mermaid were the ones who hadn’t seen the changed post, like us, because we were already nearby or on our way.’
‘The few people who hadn’t seen it,’ I said bitterly.
‘Exactly,’ Lizzie agreed. ‘I had no idea what had gone on until someone came in to the café and asked if Jemma and I knew why the woman who was supposed to be in charge of the meeting hadn’t shown up. Once I’d set her straight, I then followed it up with the page admin and the trail led me straight to Jason and what he’d done.’
‘So, was it about me then?’ I swallowed. ‘Had he somehow found out that I was the person in charge and for some reason taken a dislike to me?’
Lizzie shook her head.
‘No,’ she said firmly. ‘No, Clemmie. Absolutely not. This is just Jason causing trouble and getting himself further agitated by the bee he keeps in his bonnet. If it had been Moses himself fronting the meeting, Jason still would have objected.’
‘What bee might that be then?’
‘The one he calls the Wynbridge gentrification project,’ Lizzie told me.
She put sarcastic air quotes around the words and disparagingly rolled her eyes as she uttered them.
‘The what?’ I frowned.
‘He’s been a thorn in some of our sides for a few years now. Ever since we opened the café, we’ve heard him grumbling. According to him, all the new businesses in town and the Christmas market and festive events, have turned Wynbridge into, what he terms, a toffs’ town.’
‘A what?’
‘The sort of place that’s all style and no substance. Somewhere where you can buy bespoke crafts and artwork, but you can’t find a post office or buy a pint of milk.’
‘But that’s ludicrous!’ I objected.
‘I know.’ Lizzie shrugged.
‘I might not know all that much about the town yet,’ I forthrightly said, ‘but I know there are plenty of places to buy groceries and I’ve seen the post office with my own eyes. Wynbridge has got the balance just right as far as I can tell.’
‘Exactly. You’ll struggle to find anywhere with a stronger sense of community than Wynbridge, too,’ Lizzie said proudly. ‘There’s a genuine generosity of spirit and neighbourliness here, but because some of us have a fondness for bunting and making the town look nice, Jason thinks it’s turned into something—’
‘Twee!’ I butted in. ‘I remember him saying the autumn festival would be twee and wholesome.’
‘Oh yes.’ Lizzie nodded. ‘He did say that, didn’t he? That should have alerted me to the fact that he’d climbed on to his usual soapbox, but I didn’t twig…’
‘So, what would he rather the town looked like? Somewhere that hasn’t evolved at all or has become stagnant, with empty shops and neglected public spaces that no one cares about?’
‘Most likely.’
‘Well, I can tell you, I came across lots of those sad and dingy former market towns when I was looking to move a couple of years back and it was a blessed relief to drive through Wynbridge on my way to view Rowan Cottage and note the difference.’
‘And yet,’ Lizzie said astutely, ‘you’re only just now getting to know your way around the town and finding out how well it operates.’
