‘I saw her and Jo this morning when I was in the farmyard collecting the eggs. They said they were making a shrine near the willow tree. I thought I’d put these there.’
‘That’s a lovely thought, Tasha. You do that and I’ll get us a cold drink.’
‘Can Erin come around and bring something?’ Tasha asked as she sipped her iced tea.
‘Of course she can. Carrie said a few people from the village would like to bring something as a tribute.’
‘She wasn’t just dumped, was she, the baby?’
‘No. She was put there quite carefully, I think.’
‘And now she has been discovered, she’ll be loved all over again. People want to show that, even though she is no longer here, she is cared for. That’s good, isn’t it?’
‘Very good.’
‘Sometimes life seems so cruel and horrible and if you read the news, you think that everyone is at each other’s throats. It upsets me, overwhelms me. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me or my family or friends or the world. I lie awake worrying about it.’
‘Me too. We each have to do what we can in our own small way. We have to look after each other. There’s kindness to be found, Tasha. I’ve found it here.’
‘Your mum seems kind.’
‘Yes, she is. Annoying, but kind.’
‘Erin can be annoying.’
‘All friends can be annoying, but when you love someone, you make allowances and hope they make allowances for you.’
‘Erin thinks you’ve upset Lance.’
‘Why does she think that?’
‘Because he came to see you and when he got back, he was very quiet and then he snapped at her. Lance never snaps.’
Jules pushed a piece of lemon away from the side of her glass.
‘You could do worse than Lance, you know. He’s very honourable and kind and…’
‘Tasha, stop!’ Jules said. ‘That’s just what my mother said. I know you both mean well, but please stop. It’s complicated. I’llhurt him. I’ll hurt Erin and Fitz even though I have never met him. I have hurt so many people in the past. I can’t get anyone’s hopes up. I can’t commit because it will probably all go wrong because of me. And now, thanks to Gavin, I know what it’s like to be really hurt.’
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
‘Carrie says that it’s your pride that’s hurting with Gavin.’
She opened them again and looked straight into Tasha’s concerned face.
‘Does she indeed? Nice to know my personal life is the talk of the village.’
‘It isn’t. Granny used to say when I fell off my pony that the best thing to do was to get straight back on again. She also says that there are only so many times that things can go wrong before they start to go right. Perhaps Lance is your chance for things to start going right.’
‘What are you going to be when you leave school, a relationship counsellor or a producer of romantic films?’
‘I might be a psychologist,’ Tasha replied. ‘I’ve read that people with difficult parents often make very good psychologists.’
‘I’m surprised there aren’t more of them around then.’
‘Did Lance ask you out on a date?’
‘No, he didn’t!’
