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Chapter 24

‘Wow, hello, Apple Blossom Lane,’ Alyssa found herself saying as she rounded the corner into Hartglove’s main street.

She’d only got back from the weekend’s camping task the evening before, and perhaps it had been a short while since she’d wandered into town. But she hadn’t been expecting this. Her hand moved to her chest as she stopped to take it all in. The apple trees that lined the street had blossomed and the abundance of pinky-white petals made the whole place look transformed.

And the fragrance. Honeyed and almost fruity, like the tease of apple crumble. Since when had she become the sort of person who sniffed the air and had floaty thoughts about apple blossom?

She laughed to herself and started walking.

Of course, she guessed the blossom had been budding for a while – though she hadn’t properly noticed it. And she remembered many such apple blossom springs from her childhood, when some residents used to say that the trees’ tendency to blossom early was magical – though more sensible folk said they were simply unusual Hartglove hybrids. Either way, she was absolutely ignoring her weird impulse to start shaking boughs to make it fall like confetti, like her gawky younger self would have done.

Alyssa paced along the lane, wondering if she had more of a bounce in her step than usual. The sky was bright and perfectly spring-like, and was it just the surprise of the blossom that was encouraging her to fully see her old town for the first time since she’d returned? Why was she suddenly noticing how beautiful the honey-coloured shops were, with their pastel-painted signs, pretty bow windows and inviting displays? Wisteria vines trailed along the fronts of them, and she recalled that by summer, they’d be heavy with honey-scented purple flowers that would take over from the apple blossom and complement the street’s colourful bunting.

Did it feel like there was something different in the air today – beyond the flora? Maybe it was just the tempting coffee and cream fragrances wafting out from Anna’s gorgeous Italian dessert shop, which had bistro tables outside, now the weather was brighter. And had some of the shops had their paintwork touched up?

It was Monday morning, and Alyssa was stepping into town to run a few errands. She hadn’t been gone long, but something inside her felt good to be back. Had she missed the place? Her forehead creased. How could that be, when she’d managed not to pine over it for years? She would have to be careful about that, because after these tasks were done, she wasn’t sticking around, however nice the flowers were. She preferred a place with more prospects and fewer ghosts.

The old community hall snagged her attention as she walked by, even though she usually kept her head down when she passed it. It held sweat-inducing memories of that night. Her humiliating grand gesture, which did not turn out like a happy romcom. It was boarded up now, and she was surprised to feel a pang of sadness for it. Growing up, there had been all sorts of local events there – from spring balls to bake-offs and barbecues, and Morris dancing with funny sticks. Not all the memories had been bad ones. Hartglove Hall had been like the heart of everything. She remembered what Devan had said about missing the way things used to be. The sense of community that made people want to stay. His words had briefly resonated, before she’d pushed them away. As someone who wasn’t planning to stay, that wasn’t her problem. She shook her head.

‘Good morning, Miss Heart. Nice weekend?’

Horace from the allotments was waving at her from across the road. He was wearing his usual bumblebee wellies, but was that a new jacket? And he seemed even chirpier than usual, if that was possible.

‘Yes, Horace. I did have a good weekend.’ As she said the words, she realised she meant them. Wow. ‘And you?’

‘Oh, exemplary.’ There was a twinkle in his eyes that Alyssa couldn’t miss even from twelve paces. ‘And doesn’t Hartglove look glorious in bloom?’ He raised his arms up, as though she might not have noticed the eleventy-billion tiny buds that had sprouted.

‘Erm. Well, yes.’ She couldn’t lie about that.

‘Blossom is a sign of new beginnings. I think we’re just about ready for them.’

He bustled off, still beaming, before she could argue or ask more about his exemplary weekend.

With the sun on her face and the scent of tiramisu on the breeze, she sat on a painted bench, feeling drawn to update a few more of her personal details inside the ’Appy Together love app. Against the odds, she’d sort of enjoyed her weekend with Devan, even though the app was not getting her to fall for anyone. Their candid moments had been a good thing, even if she was still treading with extreme caution. Maybe it was time to sprinkle in a few truths of her own.

Smiling to herself, she typed ‘we’re on a break’ next to where she’d once raved about quinoa. And white-water rafting was promptly deleted, even if the much tamer wobbling around on a raft with Devan had turned out to be surprisingly uplifting. ‘Horticulture and taking care of the planet.’ She rolled her eyes, because buying the odd basil plant from Waitrose did not count. What were her hobbies, now she wasn’t pretending to enjoy unlikely sports and bendy yoga, and wasn’t quite so addicted to her phone? She typed ‘Open to ideas and still learning.’ There. That was better than ruining her reputation by admitting she’d stretched the truth further than an elephant on a bungee cord.

As she looked up, the flapping macramé hearts of the love garden allotments caught her eye in the distance. The trees that huddled close to the entrance of the gardens had blossomed too, making it look undeniably more inviting. Perhaps she should get on with the next stage of planning and planting on their patch. She’d lied that as the ‘expert’ she would get on with it herself, having been desperate to avoid further muddy dates with Devan. Though after their camping weekend, she was coming to wonder if team Alyvan wasn’t the worst thing in the world – in the interests of getting through these tasks in one piece. Though it did need a better name.

‘You’ll never guess what,’ said Jess, as Alyssa pushed her way into Halfpenny’s shop, a few minutes later.

She pulled Pikachu’s cage out from under the counter and popped it on top.

‘You’ve been arrested by the Cotswold constabulary for harbouring mice in a food shop?’ Alyssa joked. It still felt new that she could have fun without the urge to stay professional – but she was coming to like it, in small doses.

At least Jess was giggling back. ‘No! And he’s been staying at mine. But look.’ Jess moved the bedding around. ‘Meet Minnie. Pikachu’s got himself a girlfriend.’

Jess explained the stray mouse had been sniffing around, and when she’d opened the door to see if Pikachu wanted to play, his new mouse friend had jumped in and nose-kissed him.

‘And now I have two pet mice to contend with?’ Alyssa mock-huffed.

‘They breed quickly, signorina,’ said Anna, who appeared from the baking and other random objects aisle with a basket of supplies. ‘Just like the blossom swiftly blooms. You’ll soon have more than two.’ She clutched her ample bosom and pulled a swoony face.

What was going on in Hartglove today? Was whatever was in the air out there seeping inside too? It had been easier when all she’d needed to dodge was awkward encounters and badly cooked quinoa.

‘Anna’s dating!’ Jess blurted out. ‘Hasn’t it given her a whole new glow?’

Anna put her basket on the counter, her cheeks flushing. Her tiny cake earrings jangled as she fanned her face. ‘No, bella. We have only completed one love task. It is early days.’