Page 17 of The Love Position

‘And Sophia is what? Some kind of test?’

‘She might be a gift? Sometimes the people and situations that seem the hardest to deal with can enrich us beyond all imagining. They give us a different perspective. A deeper insight and understanding.’

‘I don’t want a girlfriend.’

‘And you don’t have to have one. But Sophia isn’t Daniella. And you’re not the man you were, thirteen years ago.’

Isaac rubbed the centre of his chest as an old ache resurfaced.

‘Sophia’s going through a lot right now. And I know she’s not looking for a relationship. Maybe a friendship with her is what you need?’

He nodded, but he wasn’t convinced. Life was easier and safer for everyone if he stayed in his lane. But even that was now under threat. Taking a letter from his bag, he handed it to Eveline.

‘This arrived last week.’

She scanned the contents. ‘Oh, my goodness! Can they do that?’

‘Yes. My land is in the middle of the proposed bypass around Foxbrooke. So, if it goes ahead, my home will be under a compulsory purchase order.’

‘Can you challenge it?’

He nodded. ‘But there’s no guarantee I’ll win.’

‘I’m so sorry. Have you taken any legal advice?’

‘Not yet. It’s still sinking in, to be honest.’

‘And after all the work you’ve put into your house. Oh, Isaac.’

‘It’s not a done deal, and I don’t want you to worry. I think this is partly why I’ve been so unsettled.’

‘Maybe. Well, if there is anything I can do, please just ask.’

‘I will.’

‘And even though it won’t solve any of your problems, I do have something for you that I know will put a smile on your face.’

‘Sausages?’

She grinned. ‘And a packet of home-cured bacon.’

Leaving the rectory, his bag heavy with sausages and bacon from Eveline’s pigs, Isaac made his way through Foxbrooke village. It was a crisp and clear February day and normally he would have treated the walk home as an exercise in mindfulness, noting everything his senses took in as he moved through the ever-unfolding present.

But today he wasn’t grounded in the here and now. He was living in an uncertain future. He knew he was playing safe with his life. After his world broke apart in his twenties, he’d set out to smash every piece of who he was to dust, and create something better and more sustainable. Yes, that involved a simpler life, but what was wrong with that? Why should shallow connections and conspicuous consumerism be the cornerstone of one’s life?

Eveline isn’t like that. And she’s married and starting a family. In the heart of the community.

He shook the thoughts away. Eveline also didn’t have the capacity for uncontrollable rage that he had. Him being romantically unattached was better for everyone.

But I can’t get Sophia out of my head.

Turning off a minor road at the very edge of the village onto a track, he checked the mailbox by the locked five-bar gate marking the entrance to his property. Large signs were stuck to it reading ‘Private Property’, ‘Keep Out’, ‘No Right of Access’.

Apart from Eveline, no-one knew where he lived and he’d been happy to keep things that way. His home was his sanctuary and the last thing he wanted was to have his privacy invaded in the way that Eveline’s constantly was.

He stared at the signs, printed in angry red letters as if seeing them for the first time.

That’s pretty aggressive for a yoga teacher.

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