Page 82 of The Allotment on Willow Tree Lane

No bloody thanks!

Angry that his sanctuary had become a prison, he uttered a low growl, then let out a snort of rage when he saw a couple of teenagers at the far end of the allotment open the little gate and go inside. They were on his property! In his garden! And to add insult to injury, he thought he recognised them as being some of Ceri’s students. He was sure he had seen them at the allotment’s opening ceremony.

That damn allotment had a lot to answer for, and in a fit of temper he climbed out of his car, strode over to the entrance and yanked the sign off the gate. His lawyer would soon order this lot off his property. Damon mightn’t be able to come back to Willow Tree House for a while, but when he did, he would do so safe in the knowledge that there wouldn’t be a bunch of strangers peering through the hedge and trying to get into his garden. He was so mad he could cry. Having his heart broken into a thousand pieces by the woman he loved made him want to bawl too, and he blinked back tears.

Quickly returning to his car and relieved he hadn’t been spotted, he eased his phone out of his pocket. He’d call his lawyer now – no time like the present – but as soon as he switched his mobile on, it began to ring. Luke, Sadie and Frank had all called him – several times – but he didn’t want to speak to anyone. It was Frank who was phoning him now, and he dropped the call.

He’d also had a couple of missed calls from Ceri, and he narrowed his eyes, mainly to stop the tears from falling. Seeing her name made him want to weep. He’d also had a couple of messages from her, and the most recent one caught his eye.

Ceri was at her brother’s house.

He knew where that was, Cowslip Lane, in the house with the lilac bush in the garden and honeysuckle around the door.

Executing a swift three-point turn, he drove out of the lane muttering, ‘Bad idea, very bad idea,’ under his breath. But he couldn’t help himself. He had to see her one last time, even if it was to let her know how badly she had hurt him.

Careful to drive slowly and not draw any attention to the car, Damon circumnavigated the green and trundled up the high street until he came to Cowslip Road.

He could feel her drawing him towards her an irresistible siren call, and although he knew he should drive away and forget her, the urge to see Ceri one final time overrode rational thought.

A curtain twitched as he pulled up alongside Huw’s house and got out.

Taking his sunglasses off, he was dismayed to see that his hand was shaking, and he grasped the car door to stop the tremble.

He should walk away. This wasn’t going to solve anything; if anything, it would make things worse. But just as he was about to turn on his heel and let his head rule his treacherous heart, the door opened.

Ceri, pale, drawn, and tearful emerged, and the thousand pieces that his heart had already shattered into became a million.

‘Why?’ he croaked, shaking his head. He still couldn’t believe she had done this to him, tothem. She had ruined everything and had broken his heart in the process. ‘Howcouldyou?’ His voice caught.

‘Damon I’m—’

‘Ilovedyou. I thought you lovedme!’ he cried. ‘Do you know what you’vedone?’ He didn’t need an answer; her stricken expression told him she knew, and he said, ‘I never want to see you again.’ Tears trickled down his face but he made no attempt to brush them away. Let her see the damage she had caused.

She was crying too, and with all his heart he wanted to scoop her into his arms and kiss her tears away, but it was too late. He would never hold her again, never kiss her again. Never see her again.

They were over and he didn’t know how he’d ever recover.

With grief and despair threatening to overwhelm him, he got in the car.

‘Damon, please… I love you!’

Her cry seared his soul and he almost gave in, but an image of teenage girls walking through his gate flashed into his mind, and for one brief, blessed second, anger rose up, swamping the terrible sadness.

He pressed a button and as the window glided down, he called, ‘By the way, the land the allotment is on belongs tome. I want you and everyone else off it today.’ And with that, he slammed the car into first gear and gunned the accelerator.

He could see her saying something as she hurried towards him, her hands outstretched, but the noise of the engine drowned her out.

His final view of the only woman he would ever love was of her anguished face in his rear-view mirror as he drove away.

It was Huw who picked Ceri up off the pavement. She lay in a heap on the ground, sobbing bitterly, the sight of Damon’s devastated face seared indelibly on her mind.

‘Who was that?’ Huw asked, staring after the disappearing car as he put his arm around her and helped her to her feet. ‘Was it a reporter? Rowena told me what happened. I got home as fast as I could.’

‘It was Damon.’ Her voice was dead and flat.

‘Damon? I thought he was in London?’

‘So did I. He never wants to see me again,’ she keened, and once again her knees gave away.

---