Helen had even researched how golf courses were created and maintained to better gage the impact on the environment—though not even her finely tuned cyberstalking skills could give her a company name, or anything else, about the new owners so that she could better research their intentions. Stiff-lipped Mr. Roberts had said several times that he also wasn’t at liberty to divulge any details.
“Will you be kept on as estate manager?” she asked.
“Only up until I retire next year.” He folded the stepladder and placed it in his van. “I’ll drop the new tenancy agreement to you later when I’m out walking the dogs. Should be just after lunch if that’s okay?”
“That’ll be great, thank you. I’ll be in.”
Helen waved him off then wandered down to the river path to make her way back home. Her boots squelched in the mud, her toes frozen. Crows cawed in the bare trees above her. As she reached the chocolate brown water, an ice-cold wind picked up. She zipped up her coat and pulled her hood over her head.
At this time of year, it was so hard to picture the branches full of green leaves, the fields and hedgerows bursting with flowers and berries, or the birdsong and the buzzing of bees. The unusual spate of crisp, bright days was over now, and under an overcast, gloomy sky such as today, winter in the country looked bleak and desolate. It made spring and summer even more magical.
Helen took the track to the lake and sat on the same log where, all those months ago, she’d drooled over Sebastian’s magnificent form.
It had been five days and he still hadn’t asked about her fake Friday-night date. His next text, the day after, mentioned onlyhisdate with his friend Jimmy. Didn’t Sebastian care that she was dating? Or hadn’t he believed her?
Either way, it served her right for lying to him.
And it served her right for being such a chicken. She should just ask him if what he’d said that awful day she’d blacked out was true.
The wind turned wet and a fine spray hung in the air. As the crows continued to caw around her, Helen made her way home.
In her kitchen, warm and dry, she settled at her laptop with a steaming mug of tea and searched for flights to Vancouver again. She’d applied for her passport so that should be processed within a few weeks and flights in the spring weren’t as expensive. If she got a few more clients by then, she should have enough spare cash to visit Sebastian in April or May.
Would they still be friends then?
Would he still be single?
Helen clicked on a few more flight options. If she was seriously considering visiting Sebastian, it was time to find out what he thought about the idea. It was 6 a.m. in Vancouver. He’d be on his way to the pool. She seized the moment and texted him.
So I was thinking about booking a holiday … what would you say to me visiting Vancouver?
His reply came almost immediately.
For when?
Um …
Next year, possibly spring?
She waited a few, very long minutes. Was he checking his diary? Paging through his little notebook? She jolted when her phone buzzed.
Hotels can get busy and expensive after May … but you should find some decent accommodation before then. I’ll help you look.
Helen stared at her phone.
Then stared some more.
Okay.That certainly told her a few things!
Namely that he didn’t want her to stay with him.
For several minutes, Helen sat in silence.
Until her phone buzzed again.
If that was Sebastian messaging with a list of recommended hotels, she’d send him the finger emoji.
Of all the things to say!
