Page 152 of Rough Around the Hedges

“But did you?” Isa said, staring at me.

“We’ve been over this. He didn’t want me to know, and that’s the only thing he could keep from me.” I ran my hand through my hair, immediately regretting it when I caught a tangle. I worked it out as I spoke. “It’s fine. It’s done. It’s over. I just want to move on. Tell everyone sorry, but I really need to go now.”

Susan nodded, and I escaped the hall before Isa could say another word. She rushed out after me over to where we were both parked and stopped. “Hey, isn’t that his car?”

I turned around and stared at the white Range Rover indicating into the carpark. “I need to get out of here. I can’t see him right now.”

“Here, here!” She grabbed my hand and took Ramona’s keys, shoving her own into my hand. “You stick out like a sore thumb in that highlighter of a van. Take my car. Go to my place.”

“No, I need to be alone.” I climbed into the car and put the keys in the ignition. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, of course. Just go, Rose. Are you going home?”

I shook my head. “Alone, alone.”

“Gotcha.” She nodded and stepped back, closing the door. She waved her hands in a ‘go, go!’ motion, and I backed out of the space and pulled away.

I wasn’t lying.

I did need to be alone. Today had been one the worst days of my life, and that meeting had been nothing short of an emotional rollercoaster.

Actually, it was a whole damn theme park.

I couldn’t even begin to process that George and Susan were now engaged after all these years.

My heart was still too sore to be able to be completely happy for anyone else. And that was okay. I had plenty of time to be happy for my two favourite senior citizens. I knew they wouldn’t mind if I did that a little later.

For now, I just wanted to feel all of this. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to process everything. I needed to accept what was happening, what we were losing, and what I had lost.

And that was why I took the road out of Hanbury instead of the one that would take me home.

I didn’t want to be found, and I knew exactly how to make sure my wish came true.

32

OLIVER

A Series of Unfortunate Misunderstandings

My tires squealed against the wet ground as I pulled up, and I jumped out without even cutting the engine.

My stomach had been in knots for the past thirty minutes, ever since I found out she’d come into the main house before she’d left. I’d gotten here as quickly as I could after that, so here I was.

In the dying hour of daylight, rushing into the village hall at the end of the plot holders’ meeting.

And she wasn’t here. There was no sign of her red hair anywhere.

Rose would never leave before everyone else was gone. She was the first person in and the last person out. Always.

Something was wrong.

If what Bruce had been told was right, then she’d come right around the time Piers sent the final document through. Had she heard me and Luke? If so, what had she misunderstood?

“Oh, didn’t expect to see you here,” George said. “You got some big balls, eh, lad?”

“George.” I grabbed his shoulders. “Where’s Rose? What did she say here?”

“Whoa,” he replied, patting my arms. “Breathe, son.”

---