Page 26 of The Wishing Tree Beside the Shor
I walk around the trunk to put some distance between us because standing here ogling Ryan’s arms and daydreaming about his accent is guaranteed not to end well. ‘I can’t believe the hotel company wouldn’t want to keep the tree. It’s an attraction in itself.’
‘Companies like that only care about one thing, and no one’s going topayto come and see the tree, so it doesn’t fit into their agenda. Besides, even if they could somehow be persuaded to save it, it would lose its beauty with a multi-storey modern architecture building plonked beside it.’
I’m so distracted by Ryan that I let out a yelp when Baaabra Streisand headbutts my leg. She looks morally offended by my yelp, and I apologise profusely, going to ruffle her head like you would a dog, but I stop with my hand hovering mid-air. Do sheep even like being petted?
She answers the question for me by jolting herself up to headbutt my hand, and I stroke her woolly white head for a moment, and then she gives an annoyed huff and trots away, clearly unimpressed by my sheep-petting abilities.
When I risk a glance at her, she’s staring at me and grinding her teeth. She may be plotting to kill me. Or has got trapped wind and could do with a Rennie.
‘Ihatetheir entire industry,’ Ryan continues. ‘They don’t care aboutpeople. It’s all about money. They hoover up every spare inch of greenery and pave it with concrete. We all know the planet is dying as we stand and watch, and people like Landoperty Developments are making it worse.’ He sighs and pushes a hand through his hair. ‘Sorry, I must sound like a real hippy-dippy tree hugger to someone who lives in a paved paradise city.’ He waves around a hand like he’s trying to draw skyscrapers in the air.
‘Plenty worse things you could be.’ Like a property developer. Someone intending to screw over their friends to get a promotion. I’m so ashamed of working for a company who destroys places like this. It makes me start wondering how many other trees Harrison has been responsible for cutting down. How many other beautiful areas he’s annihilated. How many other people has he made to feel inconsequential, like their feelings and opinions don’t matter because of their age? How many other care homes and vulnerable people have lost special areas because they didn’t have someone as dynamic as Ryan to fight for them?
‘I don’t think enough people in the area know what’s happening,’ I say. ‘The land hasn’t been sold yet, so no planning application has gone in, so there’s been no public notices or chances for the public to object. I’ve seen a lot of protests and they only work if the whole community gets involved.’
‘Are there a lot of protests in the food industry then?’ He asks with a raised eyebrow.
Oh God. ‘Oh, yeah, loads. Over, er, salmon prices mainly. They add astronomical import duties.’
He looks confused. ‘Aren’t salmon British? I thought most were caught in our rivers.’
He’s probably right. Trust me to choose import duties on a fish that, if it was any more British, would be queuing in the rain with a cup of tea and biscuits and complaining about the weather. ‘These are special salmon. From, er, Japan. Sushi, y’know? The Japanese are good at fish and add the price to prove it.’ Oh God, Fliss,shut up. I sound like I’ve never even eaten in a restaurant, never mind work in one.
‘Is Riscaldar not Italian then?’
Oh God,isit? ‘Nooo, it’s a bit of everything. Whatever customers fancy.’
‘Right … Sorry, I’m clearly a simple Welshman who doesn’t understand gourmet food. You seriously have to protest about salmon prices?’
‘Well, people will protest about anything these days, won’t they? Even fish.’ I’m a vegetarian. I don’t eveneatfish – how did we get into this conversation and how quickly can we get out of it? ‘What I mean is, we need to make this protestbig. This tree is forgotten about. To everyone in the area, it’s justhere. It’s always been here – itwillalways be here, but what happens when people realise it won’t be if the hotel company get their way? Can you imagine all of these carvings – all of these stories – being lost forever? We need to find some of the people behind these markings and share their stories – locally and online with the wider world in general.’
He grins. ‘I should’ve known if anyone would know how to save this tree, it would be Fee Kerr. You always did make the unlikeliest of things seem possible.’
If I develop sunstroke later, it will be nothing to do with the burning orb in the sky and everything to do with Ryan Sullivan’s easy compliments. I never knew he thought that. To me,healways made the impossible seem reasonable. At the plant nursery, he always had complete faith in me. I liked experimenting with different varieties, cross-pollinating, cross-breeding, playing around with different ideas, and he never once doubted that they would go well, despite the various disasters I was responsible for.
‘This is brilliant.’ He sounds as young and excitable as he used to when seedlings we’d given up on popped through the compost. ‘You’rebrilliant. Fee …’
I’ve somehow drifted closer to him and he goes to hug me, but the chain hooks over his foot and pulls taut and he stumbles against the tree instead.
I sidestep like it was an intentional accident. Hugging Ryan Sullivan is better avoided when I can still feel the imaginary imprint of his arms around me from where the old ’uns pushed me into him yesterday. It’s not something that needs repeating anytime soon.
‘As you can see, I’ve retained my elegance and decorum through the years.’ He pushes himself up, rubbing his bare shoulder where it hit the bark.
‘How can you be comfortable in that thing?’ I ask, to distract from the idea of himwantingto hug me.
‘What, this?’ Both his hands settle on the heavy chain clipped at his waist, drawing my eyes to what is undoubtedly a washboard stomach underneath his vest top, like anyone needed any extra reasons to focus on Ryan’s body today, given what that blue tank top is doing for his arms. ‘It’s fine. I need to be able to move around freely, but from a legal point of view, someone has to be chained to the tree at all times. If any authority figures show up, I’ll jump back in to be on the safe side.’ He pats the bark near where my hand is resting on the tree trunk, so close that the tips of his fingers graze the tips of mine.
I expect him to yank his hand back like he’s touched a stinging nettle, but he doesn’t move. The warmth of the tips of his fingers where they’re pressing against the side of mine are like burning hotspots, making my fingers seem cold in comparison.
He stares at them too. ‘Do you believe things happen for a reason? You coming back here after so many years, right at the exact moment we need you? I always thought I’d see you again when the time was right. And I guess the universe has decided the time is right.’
I melt. If I was a snowman, I’d be a puddle by now. He always knew exactly what to say to make me feel valued.
And I can’t be feeling things like that around Ryan Sullivan.
‘We should …’ I yank my hand away and gesture vaguely towards the group of residents. I start back up the path through the brambles and go to sit on the bench occupied by Godfrey.
‘Hi.’ I hold my hand out and he takes it between both of his liver-spotted ones and gives it a shake. ‘I’m Fliss. I used to come to your strawberry patch all the time. It was my favourite place in the world when I was growing up.’
