Page 149 of Rough Around the Hedges

I laughed, and tears finally spilled over my eyes. “Damn it. I really thought he might change his mind, you know? Last night, we—I thought we felt the same. He made me think that, Isa. Why would he do that if he knew he was going to destroy me today?”

“Maybe you misunderstood,” she replied gently. “Maybe it was a different contract.”

“No. Luke specifically said that Oliver was the one who didn’t want me to know. Is there anything else he could do that would require it being kept a secret from me?”

Silence.

“I doubt it.” Her voice was sad. “Okay. Well, we can’t cancel the meeting. You have to tell everyone, babe. They need to know it’s done so we can all properly begin the process of getting out of there.”

She was right.

No matter how I felt right now, I had a job to do. I was the chairwoman of the committee, and I couldn’t run away from this. I had to deliver the news nobody wanted to hear, and the sooner I did it, the better.

“All right.” I wiped my cheeks. “Can you just tell everyone I’ll be fifteen minutes late? I’m not in Hanbury right now, and I need to run into a Tesco or something to freshen up. I’ve only just had time to process it.”

“Of course. Do you need me to do anything for you?”

“Hold my hand when I tell everyone,” I murmured.

“You got it.”

It was showtime.

I’d conducted these meetings a hundred times, but this would probably be the last one. Guilt snaked around in the pit of my stomach as I looked out over everyone’s apprehensive faces, but what could I do?

I’d done everything I could.

We all had.

I looked at Alan, and he nodded that I was good to go. “Hell—” My words were interrupted by a huge screech going through the hall, and everyone flinched. Laughs rang out immediately after, and for a moment, the heavy tension was all gone.

“Jesus, Alan! It’s every single time!” Isa laughed, her hands covering her ears.

“Sorry, sorry! I’ll never get the hang of this!” He scrambled to the machine and adjusted it. “Should be good now, Rose. Sorry.”

I looked at him and smiled, laughing as I dipped my head. The weight of the moment had settled on us once again, and Iwas sure the look on my face told them everything they needed to know.

Isa slipped her hand into mine, squeezing my fingers.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly into the microphone. “I… We… We tried our best, but we couldn’t stop the sale. The contracts were signed today. If you haven’t made preparations to clear your plots, you should endeavour to do so as soon as you possibly can. We have to be out by the twenty-third, but if we all work together, I’m sure we can make it happen.” I swallowed hard, looking out at the sea of sad faces before me. “I’m sorry, everyone. I know how much this place means to us all, and—”

“Well, screw ’im,” Bernie hollered from the back, standing up shakily. He raised his fist in the air. “Screw ’im, I say!”

“Hear, hear!” came from several places around the room, and Isa hugged me as everyone joined in the sentiment.

“We haven’t lost anything,” Uncle Dean said, standing up and walking up to the front. He put his hands on my shoulders. “Sure, we’ve lost those little spaces to grow our plants in, but that’s it, Ro. Bugger him—let him take it! We’re all still here, aren’t we?”

“Exactly!” George said, following him to his feet and waving Bernie’s stick in the air, much to the other man’s chagrin. “We aren’t a community because of the allotments, Rose. They’re a part ofourcommunity. Heck, I’ll plant potatoes on the primary school’s roundabout if I have to!”

That got a laugh out of everyone, including me.

Not because it was funny.

Because he actually would.

“Goodness, no,” Susan said, shaking her head. “You’d get fined for your phallic veggies!”

He wiggled his long-haired eyebrows at her. “You know you love ’em really, Susan.”

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