Page 86 of All Wrapped Up
I couldn’t wait to get out of the building after that, but I wasn’t even halfway across the car park when I realised I’d have to go back in again because I’d forgotten Pixie’s prescription.I’d paid for her wormer but, in my haste to rush off, I’d left the bag on the counter.
‘Damn,’ I muttered, as I turned us around. ‘Come on, Pixie.’
‘You can come out now!’ I heard Will say loudly as I opened the door again. ‘She’s gone.’
He had his back to me and was flicking through a drawer of one of the filing cabinets behind the reception desk.
‘I forgot to take this,’ I said, feeling mortified as I snatched up the bag which was still on the counter. He could only have been talking about me and it was obvious who he must have been talking to. ‘I’m properly going now.’
Will spun around to look at me, just as a door at the far end of the practice opened. I didn’t hang around to see who came out of it and I didn’t look back as I strode out.
‘Bye,’ I stammered and rushed off again.
I didn’t think I could have felt more of a fool if I’d tried. Not only did it seem that Ash didn’t want to talk to me, he didn’t want to see me, either. I had no idea what it was that I’d done to provoke such a sudden and dramatic turnaround, but it didn’t bode well for our friendship and it wasn’t going to do much for us running the festival together, either!
Chapter 20
The next evening, the cloud cover was too dense to catch even a glimpse of the full moon, so I didn’t bother sitting out, but I did feel grateful that Molly, the so-called Wynthorpe Witch, had alerted me to the lunar cycle before I’d checked it myself and I hadn’t gone to the trouble of setting up Draconid meteor shower stargazing events as a result.
Even though the forecast predicted clear skies going forward, the brightness of the only just waning moon would have made it hard for attendees to spot much and with my friendship with Ash in ruins, a night out with him under the dimmed constellations trying to keep everyone entertained was the last thing I would have wanted. Assuming he turned up.
Before I’d taken Pixie to the vets I had felt resolved to clear the air between us, but the fact that he’d changed the appointment and then gone in to hiding to ensure he wouldn’t have to see me, spoke volumes and I began to realise I’d put my faith in the wrong friend.
Consequently, I spent some time coming up with excuses I could make and situations I could conjure to avoid running into him for the next few weeks. It would be easier once thefestival was finished, as long as I remembered to book Pixie’s future appointments at the vets to specifically see Will, but in the meantime, I’d just have to remain in stealth mode and on guard whenever I thought it likely that our paths were going to cross.
Ash was the only person I’d talked to about Callum since my move to the Fens and, even though I hadn’t shared much, I regretted telling him that I was a widow and that I’d closed my heart to any prospect of love in the future. Ash hadn’t turned out to be the friend I’d hoped for and knowing that I’d shared such intimate details after knowing him for such a short time only served to make me feel even more of a fool.
‘Never again,’ I said vehemently, as I went around the cottage and pulled the curtains closed to shut out the night. ‘I’ll learn the lesson and never share that part of myself with anyone I don’t know again.’
They were harsh words, fiercely spoken, and, in that moment, they were most sincerely meant.
When I got up the following morning, there was a message on my phone sent from Amber at Skylark Farm, asking me if I might have the time that evening to walk around the nature trail and give my opinion on the lighting they’d installed and whether I thought a couple of autumnal moonlight walks might be a suitable addition to the festival schedule.
Personally, I thought the idea had the potential to be another health and safety nightmare for Jason to flag, and it was that concern which prompted me to say that yes, I would be happy to call in and take a quick tour. There were still some dates on the festival calendar that coincided with the next lunar cycle thatmight work out, so it was paramount that the idea was given careful public participation consideration. Not that I was going to be liable for any potential mishaps, such as trips over tree roots – that would be Jake and Amber’s responsibility – but I was nonetheless eager to eliminate any further grumblings from Jason.
‘Come on, Pixie,’ I said, as she wrestled with the pretty plaid coat I’d bundled her into. ‘Best feet forward and all that.’
The yarn bombers, now they’d finished decorating the square, were knitting a variety of autumn themed outfits for dogs with a view to having a ‘best dressed’ competition at some point. I had been rather taken with the pumpkin outfit and wanted to enter Pixie for judging wearing that, but if she objected this much to a bog-standard coat, then I didn’t reckon much for my chances of wrapping her up in an orange orb!
‘If you stop worrying at it,’ I told her as she gave me a martyred look, ‘you’ll soon forget you’re even wearing it.’
There were a couple of vehicles parked up when I arrived at the farm, but with Amber already waiting for me in the yard, I didn’t have a chance to work out if they belonged to the family or notice if Ash’s truck was amongst them.
‘Clemmie,’ she said warmly. ‘Thank you so much for turning out to do this tonight. We really appreciate it.’
‘I’m happy to,’ I told her. ‘It’s a wonderful idea and, as long as the path is safe to walk in the dark, it will be an interesting addition to the schedule.’
‘That’s what we thought, too,’ she smiled. ‘And with you having such a wonderful grasp of everything, we thought you’d be the best person to ask.’
‘That’s exactly what you said to me just five minutes ago, Amber,’ said a voice behind me and I spun around.
‘Ash,’ I gasped, as I felt my tummy tumble. ‘I didn’t know you were going to be here.’
‘Likewise,’ he responded and turned bright red.
Given his behaviour over Pixie’s appointment, I hoped he felt as mortified as he deserved to. I wasn’t sure how I felt.
‘As you’rebothso involved with the festival,’ commented Jake who then joined us, ‘we thought we’d ask the pair of you to walk the trail.’
