‘What do you mean?’ Jack sat up now, pushed his sunglasses on top of his head.
‘If you want to clear it, go for it. I’d like to see you get your hands dirty for once.’ He grinned. ‘And I’ve got plenty to do this year with the fruit field and keeping those Christmas trees shipshape until December, replanting more.’
‘Yeah, looks like you’re flat out, sitting around on your ass with a beer!’ Jack nodded to the bottle.
‘Very funny. It’s a quick break then back to it.’
Jack looked at the mess in front of them, and as he stared into the tangled branches, the ground barely visible beneath, he began to get excited about restoring the maze to its former glory. It would certainly distract him from his own family business, and perhaps here, he’d found his calling.
‘You’re on,’ he announced.
‘What?’
‘I’ll clear it for you,’ said Jack. ‘I’ll come up on weekends and I’ll get it looking like it does in the photo in your hallway.’
‘You’re serious?’
‘Of course.’
And that was how his maze project had started. It’d been a turning point for Jack, the moment he’d begun to fully appreciate the wider world that stretched beyond Manhattan, when he’d realised the emotional stretch outside of the city.
Now, jeans, a roll-necked jumper and a puffy jacket replaced last night’s party tux, clumpy bottle-green rain boots took the place of gleaming, well-fitted shoes, and Jack’s tidy dark-brown hair was covered in a grey waffle-knit hat. He made his way down the lane adjacent to the fruit fields and on to the maze that looked so much better already. Over the last six months, he’d hacked away the overgrown branches and leaves, taken the electric hedge trimmers to the conifers. Julia had been there to supervise—he’d told her it was unnecessary, but she said it wouldn’t be good for business to end up with a disfigured body stumbling out of the maze. It had been exhausting work with so much debris put into wheelbarrows and wheeled out following the maze’s unique pathways each time, but soon enough the paths of the maze were clear. He’d planted some more saplings, closely monitored them for diseases, and he’d kept them shaped. He’d rearranged some of the conifers and brought in a couple of more established trees at the start of the maze to cover the most obvious gaps and present the attraction in the best way he could. It was a labour of love and he’d fallen for it well and truly, revelling in the juxtaposition to his office job, the fresh air, the simplicity of outdoor life.
The farm had a good irrigation system in the other fields, and some kind of watering system in the maze, but it needed improvement. It was on the list for Nate and Julia when they had the funds and Jack knew if he paid for it they’d feel indebted to him forever, and that wasn’t what he wanted at all. So here he was, hooking up the garden hose to the outside supply near the lane. Once the maze was fully established, it would be easy to maintain if they kept on top of it.
Jack took out the wheelbarrow from the lock-up tin shed adjacent to the maze. The muscles in his arms strained as he manoeuvred it up to the entrance, and when his phone rang he tutted, pulled it out of his back pocket and saw it was his father calling before he switched it off. Whatever it was, it could wait. There was nothing in the business that couldn’t allow him a little leeway and some time out. With the wheelbarrow, Jack followed each part of the path in turn, hedges wider now he’d trimmed them back and shaped them. The widening was also necessary if Nate and Julia wanted to open the maze to the public—there’d be strollers or wheelchairs, both of which required the extra space.
Jack pulled out weeds, lifted up debris, dropping it into the wheelbarrow each time. He finished off by picking up the hose he’d connected earlier and watering beneath the trees, the area not always reached when it rained, satisfied for now that the conifers were looking good. The ground itself was more hardened than usual, but it was inevitable with temperatures plummeting with the season. He’d done a bit of research and discussed with Nate how important it was to deal with the soil compaction before it became troublesome and prevented proper draining, which would negate all his hard work.
As Jack wound up the hose and removed the heavy-duty gloves, Nate wandered over from another field.
‘Jack.’ His friend shook his hand and patted his opposite shoulder. ‘Good to see you. How’s your maze looking?’
It had become ‘his maze’ the second he’d offered to do something with it, and Jack didn’t mind in the slightest. As they walked back to the house, he explained what he’d done, how it was looking.
‘I’d like a few more of those conifers to take and become more robust and we’ll be good to go,’ said Jack as they took their boots off at the door.
‘Where’s Julia?’ Jack asked, already welcoming the warmth of the farmhouse compared to outside.
‘On the phone with her sister. It could be a while.’ Nate made coffee and handed one to Jack, before settling down in the armchair to the left of the fire. Jack sat opposite and let the mug warm his hands. Despite the gloves, the winter chill had still nipped at his fingers.
‘And how’s life in the big smoke?’ Nate asked.
‘Same as usual.’
‘That good?’
Jack smiled. ‘You know what it’s like. Making money, keeping Mom’s dream alive.’
‘Julia was in The Diamond Touch last week.’
‘Yeah?’
‘She picked up the wedding rings.’
‘That’s great.’ Here was his friend getting married to the love of his life and Jack didn’t even have a date. ‘How are the plans going?’
‘I’m leaving it all up to her, to be honest … too many cooks and all that.’
