“Something?” Frankie repeated.
“Something.” Pippa’s tone left no doubt as to what she meant.
“YES!” Frankie whooped.
Pippa sighed. “Yeah, but I think Alex’s call just now gave the wrong impression. Wolfie disappeared pretty quickly, didn’t he?”
“Well, he needs to stop being a baby.” Frankie pulled a face. “Alex is out of your life, right?”
“Big time!” Pippa exclaimed. She was mildly annoyed that Wolfie could believe anything else, after their afternoon together.
“You’ll set Wolfie straight,” Frankie said. “But more importantly”—he gripped her shoulders— “Tell. Me. Everything.”
ChapterTwenty
Wolfie didn’t emerge from the library, not even to say goodbye to Frankie and Theo. Pippa had spent the past couple of hours in an anxiously frustrated state. He’d clearly reacted to Alex’s poorly timed phone call, but Pippa was damned if she was going to run around appeasing Wolfie with regards to Alex’s status. If today hadn’t made it abundantly clear where her heart lay, then she wasn’t sure what would.
Pippa took her mind off her frustrations by running through her outstanding tasks: cleaning, dusting and polishing various pieces of furniture throughout the house. By early evening, she was scrubbing the kitchen sink to a high shine, when her phone began buzzing in her back pocket.
“Mr Rogers!” she greeted the caller. “Thanks for calling me back.”
“Sorry it’s taken an age to get back to you.” The butcher’s voice was rasping, but kindly. “It’s been rather a frantic few weeks.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Pippa dropped her cleaning cloths in the sink. “I hope everything’s all right?”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “My daughter’s going through a divorce. Long story,” he advised hastily as Pippa made sympathetic noises. “And so we’ve been preoccupied with that. Glad to report business has been booming however.”
“That’s great to hear,” Pippa replied. “And apropos of the offer I was hoping to make.”
“Yes, I did see your emails,” Mr Rogers said. “And I heard the voicemails. The Hurst Bridge Summer Fair! What a blast from the past.”
“Indeed,” Pippa said. “I was very much hoping Pigs in Clover would still be interested in hiring out a stall on the green. We have one space left.” Pippa had been holding out against a couple of last-minute offers from other businesses, hoping she could get the famous butcher to come on board. “It’s a premium spot,” she said. “And your fee would go towards a worthy cause.”
“I know. I was going to refuse,” Mr Rogers said, and Pippa’s heart plummeted. “But Iris – my daughter – insisted I take part.”
“Really?”
“Yes. She reminded me just how lovely the fairs were once upon a time. And,” he conceded, “I checked the accounts for the last ones we participated in, which was some time ago, mind. The numbers don’t lie – the fairs were always good business.”
“As will this one be,” Pippa said confidently. “We fully expect the same level of footfall, if not more, now that we have improved bus routes from across the region.”
“You can stop the pitching,” the man laughed. “I’m in, at the price you quoted.”
Pippa had to stop herself from shouting in delight. For Pigs in Clover,she would have been willing to negotiate, but the fact she didn’t have to was a huge bonus. “You won’t regret it.”
“I’m sure I won’t,” he said. “I’ll sign the agreement and email it over. I say, the prizegiving isn’t at Squires, is it?”
“It is,” Pippa said. “Just like the old days.”
“Marvellous,” Mr Rogers remarked. “You know, Iris applied for the housesitting gig there.”
Pippa froze. “She did?”
“Yes,” he replied. “She fancied a clean break after leaving Dan but didn’t even get invited for interview.”
Pippa’s mind was a whirl. Wolfie had told her that no one else applied for the role. “You’re sure Iris definitely applied?” she asked dumbly. “For Squires?”
“Yes. She had an interview booked in for the Wednesday and then got a call Tuesday night saying the position was no longer available.” He chuckled lightly. “You must have an excellent interview technique.” Pippa gaped. Her interview had been on a Tuesday, hadn’t it? But why would Wolfie lie about not having had any interest in the role? Unless her sob story about Alex had moved him to the point he had felt obliged to offer her the place. “Anyway, Iris is sorted with a great job now, so everything worked out,” Mr Rogers went on amiably. “Look, I’d best dash, but I’ll email over the agreement, yes?”
