‘But if everything else moves forward and we don’t…’ explained Norman.
‘I don’t get it,’ said Vicky. Eden came to show them the picture she’d drawn and Blythe took a photo. Pictures of Eden and the occasional coffee were all Blythe ever posted on her Facebook page these days.
Leonora shuffled her papers to gain everyone’s attention. ‘Anyway, let’s crack on. I can catch up with Sarvan and Mr Ashton afterwards.’
‘I’ll update him. Sam. Mr Ashton,’ said Blythe. ‘If you like.’
‘Someone’s keen,’ said Vicky, with a wink.
‘Not really. Just trying to be helpful.’ Blythe couldn’t make eye contact with her friend.
‘I think it’s best if I do it,’ said Leonora. ‘First impressions and all that. I’m sure you understand.’ It was hard not to take offence at Leonora sometimes.
‘Actually, I’ll be there anyway because of Turpin so…’
‘Fine,’ said Leonora dismissively. Blythe puffed out a breath – the time to come clean about Christmas in Holly Cross had arrived.
*
That evening Blythe was due round at Sam’s to feed Turpin. After a slightly stilted text exchange Sam had conceded that for the time being it made sense to leave the cat food and dishes in his utility, which was great because she would have felt like a prize idiot carrying them across the village. When she got there she wasn’t sure what to do. With Murray she’d had her own door key. Sam had suggested she could use the side gate but now she was there it didn’t seem right to just let herself into his garden. She went to the door and knocked.
A puzzled-looking Sam opened the door. ‘The side gate is open.’
‘Fine, I’ll use the tradesman’s entrance,’ she said, still a bit miffed at Sam’s lack of compassion for Turpin.
‘Don’t be daft. Come through. It’s fine.’ He stood back and she jutted out her chin as she walked into the hallway. She was actually very keen to see how things looked inside now he’d moved his stuff in, but she also didn’t want him to see that she was being downright nosy so she did super-quick fleeting glances into the rooms off the hall as she passed. She didn’t see much but what she did catch sight of was all very tasteful.
She went through to the utility. Nothing much had changed there, only the addition of a laundry basket on the counter. Blythe had a sneaky peak inside.
‘Someone called Leonora…’ began Sam, making Blythe jump and knock the basket to the floor where an array of clothes tumbled out.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Blythe, hastily grabbing up the garments until she realised she now had Sam’s underpants in her hand. She dropped them quickly. Then felt that maybe that was rude but was too rigid with embarrassment to pick them up again.
Sam grinned at her. ‘You won’t catch anything. They’re clean. I’ve just not got around to sorting them out yet. He leaned past her to collect up the items and return the basket to the worktop.
‘I’ll be out of your hair in a moment. Well, I usually sit in the garden for a bit and talk to Turpin.’ Now she’d said it out loud she realised it made her sound a bit of a crackpot or – possibly even worse – a bit of a sad case. ‘Is that weird?’
‘I’ll be working, so it doesn’t bother me.’
‘Great.’ She gave a tight smile before sorting out Turpin’s food and taking it outside.
Blythe sat and waited. There was no sign of the cat. He had run off at high speed the previous evening thanks to the rude interruption of the Shih Tzu and the garden chair. She hoped it hadn’t scared him off. Despite his hissing she had felt he was beginning to trust her. The garden was looking lovely. All the roses had been dead-headed and it looked like the apple tree had been pruned.
Sam joined her outside. ‘Did you want a coffee or something while you wait?’
‘Tea, please. If it’s not too much trouble.’
‘I know my way around a kettle,’ he said, before disappearing inside. He returned a short while afterwards with two mugs. She hadn’t realised he was going to join her. He pulled up a chair and sat down facing into the garden the same as Blythe.
‘You’ve got to work quickly. The garden looks good.’
‘This is the first time I’ve been out here,’ he said.
‘Oh, right.’ That was odd. She realised now that the garden had looked perfect all through the summer. ‘One of the neighbours must have been taking care of it and mowing the lawn. It’s the sort of thing people here do for each other.’
‘Holly Cross seems like a close community. I’ve had another invitation to a village committee meeting,’ he said. A prickly sensation spread across Blythe’s skin.
‘Village committee?’
