Blackberry Picking at Jasmine Cottage - Zara Stoneley

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specifically, it was Josie. What would happen when Maisie’s mum came back?

      It would break her heart if Charlie moved on, and she couldn’t follow. And it would be beyond awful if Josie moved back to the area, and made things difficult for them.

      ‘Of course.’ She squeezed his hand. ‘I do want it to work out.’ Those gorgeous brown eyes of his were studying her intently. He cared, she knew he cared, but that didn’t alter anything. ‘But it is complicated, isn’t it?’

      He nodded. ‘It might be.’ She knew he’d understand, know she wasn’t just talking about houses, jobs. ‘But nothing we can’t handle.’

      Lucy hoped so. ‘Well,’ she paused, ‘the other bit of my strange day,’ how much drama could a girl cram into one short day? ‘One of the little cottages opposite the green has just come up for sale. I could buy it.’

      ‘Wow,’ Charlie sat back, and ran his fingers through his hair, ‘you have had a busy day! But that’s perfect timing, isn’t it?’

      She nodded slowly. ‘It’s gorgeous too, but, well, should I wait until …’ It was a massive step. She should do it, just for her. But he was part of her life.

      He put his glass down, and gave her a funny lopsided grin which she didn’t quite understand. ‘Wait? Why? So you don’t want to commit to life here? I thought …’

      ‘You thought?’

      ‘Well, me and you, I thought you’d be around to help me with Maisie, and for, well, us.’

      She felt like he was squeezing her heart. ‘I do want to be here for us.’ She wrapped her arms round him. Rested her forehead against his. ‘I do.’ But what if the immediate future didn’t have a Charlie and Lucy shaped gap? Loving Charlie was one thing, but coming between him and Maisie was something she’d never want to do. ‘But should I wait until Josie comes back, until we know …’

      Charlie shook his head, his forehead brushing against hers, his dark gaze hitting her head on. ‘Josie’s dictated to me for long enough. You know Maisie means the world to me, I’ll never give her up, but you mean the world to me too, whatever we need to do to make this work we will. Yes? Do it, if it’s what you want to do?’

      She nodded, looking at him through the tears she hadn’t realised had sprung into her eyes. ‘It is.’

      ‘Good.’ Then not even glancing up to check whether Maisie was nearby, he kissed her.

       Chapter 3

      ‘I wondered where you were!’ Jill smiled at Maisie, who was kneeling down in the playground, clutching Roo to her chest. The tears that had been building in her big brown eyes spilled over, as she sensed the inevitable. Her grip tightened on the little dog. ‘I need your help, Maisie.’

      Lucy stood back. Yesterday morning, the little girl had been more than a little reluctant to leave her dad and dog, and she was sure there had been a muttered ‘you’re not my mummy’, so today she had decided to use different tactics.

      ‘Our guinea pig isn’t at all well, and I’m sure somebody told me you were the best person to help. But, if they’re wrong I can always ask one of the other children.’ Maisie’s grip loosened on the dog, and she stood up, taking the hand that Jill was holding out.

      Lucy could practically see the whoosh of tension leave Charlie’s body as his daughter disappeared into the school building.

      ‘Morning.’ Lucy smiled at Charlie. ‘You’ll go bald if you’re not careful.’

      He gave a wry smile, but stopped running his fingers through his hair.

      The first few days of the new school year had been chaotic and Lucy had been glad the term had started on a Wednesday and they hadn’t had a full week to cope with. The children, and staff, had been exhausted by the end of Friday. And now they were already into the second week, and were starting to settle into a routine. Apart from Maisie.

      ‘She seemed fine last week, but this week …’ He shrugged, looking at a loss.

      ‘I know. She was very quiet over the weekend though. She’s bright Charlie, she was mulling it over.’

      ‘I thought bringing Roo with us might help, but if anything it’s made her worse.’ The little terrier looked up at the sound of his name, and Lucy patted his head.

      ‘She’d be hanging on to you if Roo wasn’t here. She’ll be okay, honest. She just needs time, and Jill will keep a close eye on her.’

      ‘I hope so.’

      The school bell rang, and the last of the children started to make their way towards the entrance door. ‘Shoo, go, and make sure you bring Roo with you when you pick her up!’

      ‘I wanted to bring Roo in to school.’ Maisie was looking down at the desk, and Lucy knew it was to hide the shine of tears. ‘Roo will be sad.’

      ‘I’m sure he will.’ Lucy squatted down. ‘Daddy will look after him though, and he’ll be very happy to see you this afternoon, won’t he?’

      ‘Daddy’s busy.’ She gave a large theatrical sigh, but Lucy was glad to see that the threat of tears seemed to have abated. ‘He’s always busy. Why can’t dogs come to school?’

      She was just trying to formulate the best answer to that, when Rosie chipped in. ‘They can.’ She was doodling away industriously at what looked like a picture of a sheep, or it could have been a legless dog, or even a very hairy guinea pig, and didn’t even look up. ‘Our other teacher let us have a pet day. We always have one. I brought my rat in. Do you like my picture, Miss?’

      Lucy stared, and wondered if looking at it from a different angle would help. ‘Very good, I thought we were all drawing our favourite animals?’

      ‘He is.’ She scribbled harder until the point of her pencil snapped off. ‘He’s the furry caterpillar I found on the fence on holiday, he was enormous.’ She picked up a brown crayon. ‘We stayed in a big caravan. But Mummy wouldn’t let me bring him home. That’s why,’ she glanced up at Lucy, ‘I’ll have to bring our rat to pet day. It’s pet day tomorrow, isn’t it Miss?’ She nodded at Maisie knowledgeably. ‘You can bring Roo, as long as he’s not going to try and eat my rat.’

      Lucy looked up at Jill, who shrugged apologetically, then pointed to the large calendar.

      How on earth had she forgotten that tomorrow was pet day?

      ‘My mam says caterpillars are a bleeding nuisance.’

      ‘Sophie, we don’t say that, do we?’

      ‘A bleeding’ she paused, and frowned, ‘pest. They eat our lettuces.’

      ‘I wish my mummy was here.’

      Lucy put an arm round Maisie, swallowing down the lump in her throat. She remembered wishing her dad had been there when she wasn’t that much older than Maisie. The little girl was only six, what kind of mother just upped and left her child for six months? Josie had to have a good reason, she had to. ‘Draw her a lovely picture of Roo, and you can show her on skype can’t you? I’m sure she’s missing you and Roo.’

      ‘Lunch time meeting.’ Liz Potts stuck her head round the door, then was off before either Lucy or Jill had time to question her.

      ‘What’s that about then?’ Jill raised an eyebrow.

      ‘Your guess is as good as mine.’ But even as she said the words, Lucy felt a twinge of anticipation. It was Tuesday, the children had been back at school five days now, and five days into the new school year had an ominous ring to it. It was the earliest date that the Ofsted inspectors could come calling.

      Lucy sank down with a sigh onto one

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