Page 15 of Perfect

“All is good and yes Connor was there on time and Ilovethe farm and my room too, it’s very me.” My response was babbled, but there was so much I wanted to say.

He shot me a smile before strolling over to the chair of the dressing table, spinning it around, and sitting on it backward.

We chatted as I sat on the bed and it didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, even when he asked how mum was doing. It felt natural. As if we had never been apart.

Dad explained why he had invested in the farm and that he had also purchased other bits of land in Yorkshire as a new business venture. Dad had been born on a farm and my Grandad had been a wealthy business owner. He had obviously decided to follow in his dad’s footsteps as I’d thought. Dad used to own propertydown south too but sold it to raise the capital for all the farming stuff he needed to replace here.

We must have sat there, catching up for around half an hour before he checked his watch and explained that he needed a shower before dinner. He spoke about Rachel’s disappointment that she couldn’t be here for when I arrived and I listened and offered my sympathies that her mother was unwell again.

Dad stood and dusted off the chair before squeezing my arm. “So, I’ll see you at dinner kido. Anna serves it at seven sharp and it’s just us tonight. She needs to pop to the village.”

“No Connor?” I asked, unable to stop myself.

“No, he goes to the pub on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

I felt a strange mix of disappointment and relief that Connor wouldn’t be there, but at least it would give me more uninterrupted quality time with my father.

“See you in a bit,” Dad smiled and turned to leave.

“Yes—oh and Dad,” I began. He peered back at me from the doorway. “I’m so glad I’m here. It’s going to be a great summer.”

His face lit up again at my blatant ‘olive branch’ attempt.

“It will be. You never know, maybe you’ll want to stay longer, you know you’re always welcome.” He paused, his eyes searching my face. “Anyway, see you at dinner, I want to hear all about your exams.”

I nodded, not even slightly worried. I was confident I had done fairly well, considering the shit I’d had to deal with at the time. “Cool. I’ll fill you in later.”

As dad closed the door gently behind him, I checked the time on my phone and saw that I had an hour before dinner. This was the perfect amount of time for a walk in what was left of the sunshine.

I sent my mum a text to say I’d arrived and wondered if I’d receive a response. She usually started drinking around supper time. I glanced out of the window to double-check the weather and decided against adding a cardigan to my outfit, I didn’t want more creases. After briefly rechecking my appearance in the floor-length mirror, I left my bedroom with a sense of adventure brewing.

As I made my way down the stairs into the hallway, I could hear pots and pans clanging in the kitchen, no doubt Anna was cooking supper. I exited the house and scanned the yard, it still looked as cluttered as before. Connor’s car was goneand in its place was a battered old Land Rover which I assumed belonged to my dad. It was strange really as Dad usually drove the fanciest of cars.

It was still a bright evening but was much cooler than I had anticipated. The farm was situated in a valley and I loved the countryside setting. I knew from Dad’s emails that the farm grew crops, kept sheep and pigs but made most of its money from trading cattle.

I plodded over and into the barn where a cluster of cows were housed and eyed the glossy black and white coats. There were tons of them; all fenced together, but they looked fairly healthy and content. I was surprised that the dung smell from earlier had disappeared and that the air was now quite sweet.

I stepped onto the metal fencing to peer further into the enclosure. A couple of furry heads lifted to peer at me, their mouths continuously chewing.

“Careful you don’t fall in,” a voice uttered from behind me. Startled I jerked my head around to see two men standing at the entrance of the barn. One was near my dad’s age and the other my own I guessed. I released my death grip from the fence and lowered myself to the hay-strewn floor.

“Now youmustbe Harlow,” the older of the two men began, moving forward with a hand raised towards me. He was tall and gangly with a mop of curly blonde hair and he was well-spoken, not a hint of Yorkshire. I noticed he held a large bag in one hand.

I approached them, avoiding a smudge of what looked suspiciously like part of a cow pat, and shook his hand with a bright smile.

“Yes, that’s right,” I admitted as my heart rate normalised, raising a ‘hi there’ hand at the younger guy. Shaking hands with a boy my age would surely be weird. It was definitely an old person’s thing to do.

They both wore beige combats and green T-shirts with a medical-type logo on them.

“I’m Marcus. I’m your dad’s vet and this is my apprentice, Tom,” the older chap introduced.

“Yeah, but we’re vets to your dad’s livestock, not to your dad,” the boy Tom joked with a nervous chuckle. He transferred his weight from one foot to the other in a swaying motion as he spoke. I’d seen guys do this before. He was probably a bit shy in the company of girls. I grinned, not wanting him to feel silly.

Vets? That made sense considering the logo.

Tom had a genuine, friendly smile on his face and I felt thankful that at least there was one guy here near my age, who hadn’t taken an immediate dislike to me.

“I was just admiring the cows; this is probably the closest I’ve been to one in my entire life.” I laughed.

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