Page 43 of The Allotment on Willow Tree Lane

‘Yes, although it sounded different so I think you must have been streaming the live version.’

Abruptly Damon pushed his chair back and got to his feet. ‘Forgot the salad dressing,’ he said, desperate to put an end to the conversation. It was a miracle Ceri hadn’t put two and two together already, and although he suspected it was probably only a matter of time, he didn’t want to let her in on his secret just yet. The anonymity was refreshing. Not only that, neither did he want to think too far ahead. He was enjoying the present too much and he didn’t want anything to spoil it. There would be time enough to come clean when he had to leave.

He hurried inside and spent a couple of minutes rooting around in the fridge and hoping Ceri would have forgotten all about it by the time he went back outside.

Thankfully, she had. She was busy throwing tiny pieces of bread to a small brown bird. The thrush took one look at Damon and flew off.

He laughed self-consciously. ‘I’m not that scary, am I?’

Ceri said. ‘Not at all. I reckon if you sat still long enough and did a little breadcrumb thing, you might be able to get it to eat out of your hand in time.’

‘Is that what you would do?’

‘There’s something quite magical about having a bird eat out of your hand. Robins tend to be the cheekiest and the easiest to persuade that you’re not a threat. I love the way they follow me around the garden whenever I’m doing any weeding. The minute I turn my back, one hops in to grab a juicy bug or worm, and then flies off to eat it before coming back for more.’

‘You really love what you do, don’t you?’ he observed.

He had been watching her face, the way her eyes lit up as she described the robin. In fact, he had been watching her all day, mostly out of the corner of his eye, but occasionally he had gazed at her directly, only turning away when there was a risk of her noticing.

‘I love gardening, and anything plant-y,’ she said.

‘Yet you work in a college?’

‘Yeah, I’m not so sure about teaching. I don’t know whether I’m cut out for it, but at least I still get to work with plants and it pays more than working in a garden centre, which is what I did before I moved to Foxmore. I’m hoping to be able to save enough out of my wages to buy a small piece of land in a few years.’

‘This is for your nursery, yes?’

She nodded. ‘But for now, I’ll have to make do with the allotment.’

Oh yes, the allotment. How could Damon forget? He still wasn’t keen on the idea of having half of Foxmore in the field next door to his house, but at least there was a fairly substantial hedge separating his property from the plot of land. The only thing he needed to worry about was that gate. Maybe he should padlock it? It wouldn’t prevent anyone from climbing over, but it should deter the casual nosy parker.

Using a piece of bread to mop up the last of the juice from the stir fry and popping it in his mouth, he asked, ‘More wine?’ He picked up the bottle to top up her glass.

Ceri shook her head. ‘Not for me, thanks. I’ve got lots of lessons to prepare in the morning, and I can’t think of anything worse than facing a group of teenagers when I’ve not got a clue what I’m doing.’

She got to her feet and began gathering the dishes, but Damon waved her away.

‘I think you’ve done enough for one day,’ he said. ‘You must be exhausted.’

‘No more than usual,’ she said. ‘Don’t forget, I’m used to being active all day, every day.’

‘That’s as maybe, but you’ve done me a huge favour in helping me with the drive, so there’s no way you’re going to clear up.’

‘In that case, I think I’ll love you and leave you,’ she said. ‘My bed is calling to me.’

Please, not that,Damon thought. He didn’t need an image of her in bed to keep him awake tonight. It had been bad enough imagining her in the shower.

‘I’ll walk you home,’ he offered, and Ceri gave him a look.

‘I’m perfectly capable of walking home by myself,’ she retorted.

‘I didn’t mean to suggest that you weren’t, but it is starting to get dark.’

‘I’ve got one word to say to you,’ she said. ‘Graveyard.’

‘Pardon?’

‘It was dark then, but you didn’t offer to walk me home.’

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