Page 61 of Rough Around the Hedges

I stared at the back of her head. Could I trust her? My interactions with the de Havilland family had never really been anything to write home about, but there was something niggling at me where she was concerned.

She felt… different.

As if she truly did care for this place.

And, ultimately, that was why all these people were gathered here today. If we could add a voice as notable as hers…

“All right. Get out and grab a box from the back,” I said, shoving open my door. “I assume you’re willing to work if you’re here.”

Eleanor’s face lit up. “Use me as you wish, Miss Matthews!”

“Rose.”

“Pardon me?”

“Call me Rose, Mrs de Havilland.” I smiled through the car at her. “And I’ll make you regret ever offering yourself to me like that.”

14

ROSE

Ever-Growing Shit List

“Ican’t believe you got yourself arrested.”

I stared through the little gap in the door at Oliver. “I didn’t get arrested.”

He blinked at me. “Rose, you’re sitting in a jail cell right now. We’re having this conversation through window bars. How can you say that?”

“That might be the case, but I still didn’t get arrested. No cuffs were used.” I wiggled my hands and looked from him to the other man present. “Tell him, Shaun.”

Shaun closed his eyes, and he looked as though he wanted to be anywhere but right here, right now, having this conversation.

Honestly, it was an expression I was all too familiar with.

“She’s right. She wasn’t arrested. She’s technically in there for a time-out,” he said.

I really hated the idea that this was a time-out.

What was I, a toddler?

No. I was a grown woman. I didn’t need a time out.

But it did always prove my point that I hadn’t been arrested, so I would continue to deal with it and use the phrase to my advantage.

I smiled and leant back against the cold stone wall, crossing my arms over my chest triumphantly. “I told you.Not. Arrested.”

Oliver frowned at me. “You’re far too smug for someone sitting in a jail cell.” He turned to Shaun. “How is it possible she wasn’t arrested? I just watched her run through the heart of the village wearing nothing but lettuce leaves over her most intimate areas. She even danced on the bloody fountain in the middle of the town square. I’m going to have nightmares for a week at least.”

That was a lie.

I wasn’t only wearing lettuce leaves.

There was some chard mixed into the bra for extra coverage around the old nipples. The rainbow stems really added a funky pop of colour to an otherwise very green get-up.

Seriously. I respected rainbow chard a lot. Those neon-coloured stems were something else.

Not to mention I was wearing skin-coloured bikini briefs and nipple pasties under my greenery,thank you very much.

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