Page 157 of Rough Around the Hedges

“I’d throw one at you, too,” she replied, unbothered. “Did she hit you in the head?”

“No, my shoulder.”

“Shame. Maybe it would have knocked some sense into you if she’d got you in the noggin.”

I leant forwards and offered her the top of my head. “Go ahead.”

She didn’t move for a second, and then I felt a sharp ‘thwack’ as her hand connected with the back of my head.

“I can’t believe I birthed such an idiot,” she replied, giving me a shove right after. “I told you not to piss off my daughter-in-law, and there you are, doing it every five minutes.”

“What do you want me to do, write lines?”

“Yes. Five hundred of them should suffice until you get the message.” She sniffed, then smiled, squeezing my arm. “Hey, don’t look so scared, son. It’ll be fine. You can’t blame her forthinking what she does—you’ve been adamant about selling this entire time, so when she hears the word ‘contract,’ she’s bound to think that’s what it’s about.”

“I don’t blame her. I just wish she didn’t disappear when she saw me. I could have explained it to her.”

“Well, yes. It wasn’t the most mature move on her part, but so what? Humans are emotional creatures by nature, and we rarely react ‘appropriately’ or ‘the right way’ at the time. I’m sure she’s woken up feeling a bit silly this morning, but that’s also part of the process.” Mum sat back in her chair, smiling softly at me. “If that’s what she needed to do, then so be it. For someone who loves and cares as passionately as she does, it only makes sense that her negative emotions are just as powerful. She feels everything so deeply. If she needed to be selfish for one night, as long as she’s safe, then it doesn’t matter where she goes.”

“And she was safe,” I replied, dropping my chin. “She text Isa at midnight saying she was fine, but that was it.”

“There you are, then. Rose was only taking care of herself—if we all did that when we needed it, maybe self-care wouldn’t be seen as such a selfish thing.”

“I know. I understand. I just…” I sighed again, meeting Mum’s understanding gaze. “Selfishly, I wanted her to listen to me.”

“And those feelings of yours are just as valid as hers,” she replied. “And they’re not selfish, either. You simply wanted different things at the same time. Perhaps, now, she’s ready to hear you out reasonably.”

“Mother, Rose is not reasonable.”

“Yes, but that’s part of her charm, isn’t it?” She grinned, finishing her tea. “Let me know when you find her, won’t you? I need to come and see how badly you screw this up.”

“Thank you for the vote of confidence,” I replied dryly. “You could try and be more supportive of your son as he faces getting his heart broken.”

“You’d need a heart for that, sweetie.”

“Mother!”

33

ROSE

Bertha, I Choose You!

Isat cross-legged on my bedroom floor, stark naked, staring at myself in the mirror.

I could do this.

I could get dressed, go to the allotments, and be an adult today. Everyone needed me. We would need to arrange contractors and handymen to help us dismantle the sheds and greenhouses, plus find new homes for them all.

Even if they were given away, it was better than leaving them there to rot.

Or be smashed by building equipment. Whatever.

Even if it broke my heart every single day, I could do this. I had to do this. I’d had my night of wallowing in self-pity, feeling sorry for myself while crying in the bathtub of a nice hotel, and now I had to be the adult I was.

I couldn’t hide forever.

I also knew I’d have to see Oliver at some point. I sincerely hoped it wouldn’t be today because I was liable to hop a fence to escape him, but if he showed up, then he showed up.

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