“If you say so.” Mae rolled her eyes. “But if Alex genuinely wants you back then he’s bound to be threatened by rich, handsome, mysterious Wolfie Squires.”
“But Alex hasn’t got the right!” Pippa cried. “To upend my life and saunter in, allOh Pip never told me about the house sale…”She lifted her nose and squared her shoulders in an imitation of Alex.
“Bang on,” Mae smirked. “If you do end up jobless then maybe consider a career as an impressionist.”
“That may happen sooner than you think, because the sale is definitely happening.” Pippa updated Mae on what Wolfie had told her. “Everything is a mess!”
“Oi.” Mae pointed at her. “No, it’s not. You’re going to be fine. And as for a mess, well, I must disagree. The fair is in great shape and that’s largely thanks to you. I knew you’d organise the shit out of this thing, and you have.”
“We still don’t have medics!” Pippa wailed. “We have to have—”
Mae raised a hand. “You might be wrong there. I got a call only an hour ago from a private hire medical group who are interested. They tend to a lot of large-scale concerts and celebrity events, but they are available on the day. Could be our saviours!”
“They sound expensive,” Pippa fretted. “We have to spend—”
“As little as possible, yes, yes.” Mae flapped a hand. “Thing is, apparently they’re looking to do more charity projects. For free. Sort of, marketing themselves a bit.”
“At a small country fair?” Pippa was taken aback. “Bit weird.”
“I know,” Mae agreed. “I kind of got the impression they were, I dunno, connected somehow.”
“Connected?” Pippa repeated.
“Yeah.” Mae nodded. “The person I was talking to said something about ‘our urgent need had been impressed upon them’which made me think maybe someone from round here asked them to volunteer, even though they’re based down south-east way.”
Pippa sighed with relief. “Listen, if they’re kosher, I don’t care where they come from. They could be from bloody Mars! Let’s check them out and—”
“Yes, yes, yes, I’m on it!” Mae declared. “You’re going through a lot right now and working hard enough.” She fixed Pippa with a determined stare. “We’re going to have an amazing event and raise heaps of money for our friend’s school. Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Pippa tried her best to match Mae’s enthusiasm, but it fell flat. How could she be happy and carefree when the man who’d broken her heart was back in town?
ChapterEighteen
Pippa yawned. She’d barely slept the night before, thanks to Alex’s unexpected appearance. Her mind had refused to relax, instead analysing every second of their reunion, examining each word, each gesture. Should it trouble her that she hadn’t been a weeping, raw mess after his visit? In fact, the overwhelming sensation remained irritation. No, Pippa was resolute. Alex could beg all he wanted; it could never mend the damage he had caused.
Her meeting with Mae the previous day had done little to soothe her busy brain, although the red wine had definitely helped. The fair was in good shape, that much was true, but there was so much yet to be done: the barriers to secure the roads, a load of signage needed printing and then there was the mystery medical company that had volunteered their services – would they be able to save the day? Had someone from Hurst Bridge called them in? If so, who?
Overnight, heavy rain had fallen and, when Pippa opened her bedroom curtains, the lush green hills were spread out before her like a bejewelled carpet. Although grey clouds continued to loom overhead, pockets of bright clear blue remained. Pippa opened all the windows and allowed the fresh air to rush in. It smelt so enticing that she decided to take herself on a walk later that day.
As she leafed through the binder of chores over coffee in the kitchen, she heard Wolfie’s deep voice echoing through the house. It sounded like he was at work in the library. Today’s task was to dust down all the shelves in there, but if he was planning to be in the library all day, she’d have to choose a different job. Pippa steeled herself, tried not to think of Mae’s ‘new penis’ catchphrase, and headed to the library.
Poking her head round the door, it was clear that Wolfie was finishing a video call. He closed the window down as she entered the room, but she recognised Steffany fromTop Stay,as one of the other people on the call. It must be their offer he’d accepted. So that was that, then, Pippa surmised. A hotel. A bland, corporate block of bricks instead of this beautiful building. It beggared belief.
Her emotions must have been writ clear across her face because the moment Wolfie clocked her expression he grimaced. “Good day to you too,” he said crisply, writing something in a notebook.
“You’re selling toTop Staythen,” Pippa shot back.
“Until the contracts are signed, I’m not confirming anything,” Wolfie said, leaning back in his chair. “But the sale is proceeding. Papers are being drafted and reviewed by my lawyer as we speak.” He leaned back in his chair. “If you’re concerned about having somewhere to live, please don’t be. We’ll work something out.”
“I’m not worried about me.” Pippa ignored the way her body was responding to the way his arm biceps strained the sleeves of his T-shirt. Some things were more important.
“Oh yes, the people of Hurst Bridge. Howwillthey cope without their beloved Squires?” He rolled his eyes.
It was as if their conversation about Hurst Bridge yesterday had never happened. Pippa understood he had reasons for not loving the house himself and she totally respected them. But did he have to be so callous about the importance of the house to the people who lived near it? “Don’t be like that.”
“Like what?” Wolfie said. “I know your feelings on the matter, but I have to be practical here.”
Pippa wondered where the Wolfie of yesterday was, the outdoorsy, laughing man who’d tried to fix the damaged garden and helped to find a runaway pig. “What’s wrong with you?”
