The Winter Garden Page 12

  ‘Hell yeah,’ he laughed. ‘I’ll wear you down in the end.’

  Poppy laughed and swatted him with the back of her hand and whoever was outside strode off.

  ‘Come on, you,’ I said, pulling at her sleeve, ‘isn’t it time you were getting back to work?’

  ‘Bugger,’ she said, looking at her watch, ‘you’re right. I’m going to be late.’

  ‘I’ll give you a lift in the van, if you like,’ Zak offered. ‘I’m heading that way.’

  ‘No thanks,’ said Poppy, following me to the door.

  ‘Sure?’

  Poppy rolled her eyes and shook her head.

  ‘You’re incorrigible,’ she tutted.

  I didn’t think he’d know what that meant.

  ‘She’s sure,’ I told him. ‘She can jog.’

  ‘And what about you, Freya?’ he asked, turning his baby blues back to me. ‘Can I tempt you to an afternoon in the pub?’

  ‘Absolutely, one hundred per cent not,’ I told him. ‘Some of us have work to do.’

  My eyes quickly scanned the corridor but the only evidence that someone had just been in it was the swinging door at the end.

  ‘Damn,’ I muttered.

  ‘What’s up with you?’ frowned Poppy as she followed me out. ‘I thought that went very well.’

  I raised my eyebrows.

  ‘I meant with Luke,’ she added, as we headed outside. ‘Don’t take any notice of Zak. He’s like that with everyone. You’ll soon get used to him. He even flirts with Mark and Neil if he gets half a chance. He thinks he’s God’s gift, but he’s harmless really.’

  I didn’t think Finn would agree and, to be honest, I didn’t either. I got the distinct impression that Zak’s mouth and cocky manner had the potential to cause plenty of harm.

  Chapter 11

  The next few days were the busiest I’d encountered for a while. Chloe went great guns with the tasks I’d assigned her on Tuesday, our brief clash over my misinterpreted lack of interest for Finn’s part in Winterfest thankfully forgotten, and by the end of Wednesday the first specific planting area for the Winter Garden had been weeded and dug over, ready for the new scheme.

  The already established and beautifully bright stemmed dogwoods were going to have their numbers doubled, and an array of early bulbs, aconites, violets and anemones were to be planted beneath. It was just about still mild enough to get away with putting the bulbs in and I knew it was going to look dazzling when the low winter sun hit it, but would still be impressive even on the dullest of days. I could already visualise the contrasting vibrant red and orange stems underlit by a carpet of bright yellow and purple flowers, and if that clever combo didn’t lift everyone’s primal spirits, then nothing would.

  That said, the mere thought of it wasn’t enough to stop my mood dipping a little, but really that was down to my aching muscles. It had been a while since I’d done anything so intensely physical and Chloe and I were taking a much-needed break when Lisa came to find us on Thursday afternoon.

  ‘Are you coming over to the house?’ she asked, her head appearing around the door and making us jump.

  ‘Already?’

  I checked my watch; the afternoon had really run away with us. There was definitely no danger of time dragging during the working week at Prosperous Place.

  ‘Yes,’ Lisa said hurriedly. ‘He’ll be on in a minute. You are coming, aren’t you?’

  ‘Of course,’ I said, grabbing my keys and encouraging Nell out of her basket. ‘You’re coming too, aren’t you, Chloe?’

  ‘Wouldn’t miss it for the world,’ she said, standing up and stretching out her back.

  Luke had bagged a spot on Radio Norfolk to promote Winterfest and everyone who could was going to listen ahead of walking into the city together for the festive switch-on later that evening. I hadn’t been all that keen to go and see the lights – a bath and an early night had been much more tempting – but Poppy had looked so disappointed when I turned the invitation down, that I changed my mind.

  ‘I’m so pleased you’ve signed up to help with Winterfest, Freya,’ Lisa said as we walked to the house. ‘I wasn’t all that keen myself, but when Carole said you weren’t sure about doing it alone, I willingly stepped into the breach.’

  ‘She said that, did she?’ came Chloe’s voice behind us.

  ‘Yes,’ said Lisa, twisting round to look at her. ‘That is right, isn’t it?’

  ‘No,’ I said, ‘not really. I was nabbed by both Carole and Poppy. According to them, you were the one feeling jittery about flying solo and needed a partner to extend your session with!’

  Lisa shook her head. ‘The sneaky mares,’ she tutted. ‘I might have known, but never mind, hey?’ she grinned. ‘I think what we’re planning will work really well together. I’m looking forward to it, aren’t you?’

  ‘I’m sure it will be fine,’ I agreed, resigned to the situation now there was no going back. Luke was about to announce the event to the nation, well, the Radio Norfolk listeners anyway, so it was too late to change my mind. ‘More than fine.’

  ‘That’s the spirit,’ said Chloe with a laugh.

  The three of us joined Carole and Graham, Ryan, Heather, Mark, Harold, Kate and a collection of children, cats and dogs around the radio in the kitchen and grinned as Luke’s name was announced.

  His smooth, deep voice was made for radio and the presenter was clearly smitten. She gave him far more airtime than I was sure was necessary and listening to him reminded me of the day I had asked Eloise for a sign and had been led to Norwich.

  It brought a lump to my throat as I looked around the kitchen at everyone’s faces as they listened eagerly to what Luke had to say, and I wondered if there were any listeners about to find their own lives transformed by a trip to Prosperous Place, just like mine had been.

  By the time the interview ended, Ryan, whose phone was set up to receive Grow-Well social media notifications, was inundated with messages, posts, shares and retweets.

  ‘Something tells me we’re not going to have a problem with numbers,’ Carole beamed.

  ‘Just as well you got so many of us to sign up to help out then, isn’t it, Carole?’ Lisa said meaningfully.

  ‘Poppy helped too,’ our clever coordinator quickly pointed out. ‘And it will be wonderful to have everyone involved.’

  I supposed I couldn’t argue with that, although I would have been far happier taking a back seat and handing out materials and making tea.

  ‘Right,’ said Kate, once everyone had finished scraping chairs and chatting, ‘Let’s all meet in the square at four fifteen, shall we? That gives us an hour to get there before everything kicks off and hopefully time to grab some chips from the market.’

  She and Luke had kindly offered to buy food for everyone and, from what I’d heard from Carole about the traditional switch-on, the city centre was going to be packed.

  ‘Sounds perfect,’ said Heather, gathering her brood together.

  ‘Don’t worry if I’m not there on time,’ said Lisa. ‘I will be coming, but it might be a stretch to get my lot back from school and changed by then. If I don’t manage it, I won’t be far behind you, and John’s finishing early so he can help.’

  ‘And I’ll meet you all there,’ said Chloe. ‘I want to go home for a quick shower first.’

  We all went our separate ways and I wondered if Finn would be joining us. I hadn’t seen or heard him all week, aside from his shadow in the corridor on Monday and then I was still assuming that that had been him. I hadn’t seen anything of Zak either, but I didn’t mind about that.

  * * *

  In total, including children (but not dogs, as they were staying home because of the crowds and fireworks), there were well over twenty of us gathered together on the square by Kate’s recommended time.

  ‘It’s nothing short of a Christmas miracle,’ Lisa laughed as she and John ushered their beaming brood across the road.

  ‘Just goes to show what can be achieved
with the right motivation, doesn’t it?’ John joined in, giving his wife a squeeze.

  ‘I wish it really could be Christmas every day,’ said their little lad, Archie, as he jumped up and down.

  ‘Now, don’t start that,’ said John with a grin. ‘We’ll all be sick of those words in a few weeks’ time.’

  ‘Not me,’ said Archie, puffing out his cheeks and pulling off his woolly hat, which Lisa shoved straight back on.

  A cheer went up as Luke jogged over the road from Prosperous Place, closely followed by Finn.

  ‘It was mad trying to get back through the city,’ Luke panted. ‘I should never have taken the car.’

  I hadn’t ventured into the city yet, but I knew the radio station was located in The Forum building which was next to county hall where a Norwich striker and his YouTube sensation girlfriend would be turning on the lights, so it was hardly surprising that he had found it busy.

  ‘How did I do?’

  Everyone began telling him at once and Ryan showed him his phone, scrolling through the social media feeds, the screen lighting up their faces in the near dark. From what I could make out, every session would be booked by the end of the week and if I pitched in, I wouldn’t have to worry about twiddling my thumbs during the weekends for a good while to come.

  ‘Not too shabby then?’ Luke grinned, clapping his hands together. ‘Right, who wants chips?’

  We made our way along the already busy paths into the city like some overgrown and extra-long school crocodile. Most of the men had little ones on their shoulders, even Finn, who was looking even larger thanks to an oversized knitted sweater. He was carrying Jasmine on his shoulders and it made for a very striking tableau, though I hoped we wouldn’t encounter any height restrictions along the route. I should have lent her the hard hat one of the builders had left back in the garden office.

  Just as predicted, the city centre was awash with people and we had to queue for a while before everyone had their own cone of chips. The children had all been lifted down before we entered the market, which was made up of rows and rows of individual striped canopied permanent stalls. From the glimpses I had seen, it looked as though you could buy anything you wanted, from practically anywhere in the world.

  ‘You all right?’ asked Ryan, coming to stand next to me as I sprinkled salt on my chips.

  ‘Yes,’ I nodded, letting out a long breath. ‘I’m okay.’

  ‘Sure?’

  I looked at his young face and was surprised to find his brow etched with a frown.

  ‘Only I know that look,’ he said, giving me a sympathetic smile. ‘I had a bit of a moment in here myself when I first moved in with my sister. It’s tight for space, isn’t it?’

  The eagle-eyed youngster had picked up on my sudden feeling of claustrophobia and kindly rushed over to check up on me. He really was a kind-hearted young lad. No wonder Poppy always looked so proud when she talked about him.

  ‘Yes,’ I said, swallowing hard. ‘It is a bit of a squeeze and I’m not all that comfortable in enclosed spaces.’

  I had been doing my best not to think about it, but Ryan’s observation and kindly meant intervention had kicked my awareness of the limited space up a notch.

  ‘And what doesn’t help is being stuck in here with a tree like him,’ he added, giving Finn’s arm a friendly thump.

  ‘What’s up?’ Finn asked, awkwardly twisting around and looking down at us.

  Now Ryan had drawn my attention to it, Finn did seem to take up an extraordinary amount of room. I looked up at him and felt my knees weaken as my chest started to flutter with a sudden palpitation. I should have stayed focused on my feet.

  ‘Freya’s feeling a bit hemmed in,’ said Ryan as Poppy called for him to collect his chips.

  Finn’s eyes flicked back to my face and I wished Ryan hadn’t pointed my problem out, even though he had meant it kindly.

  ‘I’ll be okay,’ I swallowed again, looking around for a way out. ‘I just need a breath of air, that’s all.’

  ‘Here,’ said Finn, offering me a hand to hold, ‘I can see the way, come with me.’

  ‘I don’t need to hold your hand,’ I told him.

  ‘Yes, you do,’ he said firmly, ‘otherwise I’ll lose you. Come on.’

  I did as I was told and my knees felt even wobblier as I slipped my hand into his, but I didn’t think that had anything to do with the cosy confines of the market, because they didn’t feel any stronger once we had eased our way out and were standing in the slightly less cramped spot on the steps with the best view of county hall. The only thing it could have been was his close proximity, but I wasn’t prepared to consider what that might mean.

  ‘How’s that?’ he asked, letting go of my hand, but still standing close. ‘Do you feel any better now?’

  ‘Much,’ I lied, my cheeks flushed from the cold and my fingers tingling as a result of having his hand wrapped around mine. ‘Heaps better, thanks, Finn.’

  ‘It was a squeeze in there,’ he said, looking back along the crowded rows, ‘it’s not usually as busy as this.’

  ‘I haven’t been able to cope with being boxed in since one of my cousins locked me in a cupboard when we were playing hide and seek,’ I blurted out. ‘I was only little, but I’ve never forgotten it.’

  I don’t know why I’d felt the need to justify what had happened. It wasn’t usually something I talked about. Working outdoors practically guaranteed wide-open spaces and it had been a while since I’d been affected by the impact of my relative’s nasty little prank.

  ‘In that case,’ Finn tutted, ‘I’m not surprised you found it a bit much.’

  Thankfully there wasn’t time for me to further overshare as the rest of the Nightingale Square gang edged their way up the steps to stand near and around us and a cheer went up as Santa’s sleigh arrived at the front of county hall having finished its tour around the city streets, where it had further fuelled everyone’s excitement for the evening’s entertainment. Music started to play somewhere and the noise level seemed to increase tenfold. Fortunately, I felt fine with the sky, rather than the canopied market, above me.

  ‘Is that your phone?’ Poppy asked, giving me a nudge as she went around with a bag, collecting everyone’s rubbish.

  I had no idea how she could have heard it, but I reached into my pocket and pulled it out. A text from Chloe had just landed, asking where we all were. There was no way I would be able to see her, or her me for that matter, so it was time to enlist the help of the tree, as Ryan had called him, again.

  ‘Finn!’ I shouted above the din. ‘Chloe’s somewhere in that direction, I think. Is there any chance you can spot her?’ I knew it was a long shot. ‘Or could you maybe wave that way and she might be able to pick you out.’

  By some miracle, the plan worked and within a few minutes she joined us, laughing as she told everyone how she had spotted Finn’s hand waving above the crowd and used him as a human satnav to reach us.

  ‘You’re coming in handy with those great bear mitts of yours tonight, mate!’ laughed Ryan, clapping Finn on the back.

  ‘What does that mean?’ Chloe asked, turning to look at me.

  ‘No time,’ I said back, pointing to where a group of people had stepped out on to the county hall balcony and were preparing to start the countdown.

  Lights, fireworks and more music filled the next couple of hours and as wonderful and exciting as it all was, I was grateful to be standing among friends. I had no idea what I’d been doing at Broad-Meadows on November the twelfth the previous year, but I knew for certain that it didn’t involve anywhere near as many people or as much noise.

  ‘You look as if you’ve had enough,’ Lisa laughed, unaware of how I was really beginning to feel. ‘Are you going to head back with us? Some of the others are stopping off at The Dragon en route, if you fancy it, the lucky buggers.’

  The Prosperous Place crowd grew even larger as we walked back because Poppy and Jacob were joined by their friends Lou and
Colin, who ran shops on the street next to Nightingale Square, and most people had bags of various sizes which further added to our bulk. I still wasn’t ready to start my Christmas shopping just yet, not that I had all that much to get, but clearly some people were keen to get ahead.

  ‘I think I’m going to carry on with the others,’ I said to Poppy as we reached the pub and split into two groups.

  Carole and Graham were going home, along with everyone who had children to get to bed.

  ‘You can’t go yet,’ said Chloe, slipping her arm through mine. ‘I’ve just spent the last half a mile convincing Finn to come in for a quick pint.’

  I felt that horrible pang of jealousy prickle again. The pair had already walked most of the way back arm in arm, even though they were ridiculously mismatched height wise, and now Chloe was lining me up to play gooseberry. I really wasn’t in the mood.

  ‘That’s as maybe,’ I said, ‘but I need to get back for Nell.’

  ‘I thought Ryan said she had Gus for company tonight,’ Finn pointed out.

  I hadn’t realised that he knew about that. Poppy had thought it would be a good idea to put the dogs together so if they were disturbed by the echo of any fireworks, they could console each other.

  ‘She has,’ I conceded.

  ‘There you are then,’ said Chloe, pulling me towards the pub. ‘A quick one won’t hurt, will it? It’s about time you were introduced to our fabulous Dragon!’

  The Dragon was fabulous, but it was also pretty small, or at least it felt it by the time the nine of us had squeezed in to join the regulars and the rest of the post switch-on party revellers who were also heading home the slow way after an evening in the city.

  ‘All right?’ asked Finn, frowning down at me once he’d clocked how busy it was.

  It was kind of him to ask, but I couldn’t help wishing that I hadn’t told him the real reason behind my wobbly moment back in the market. I didn’t need him looking out for me every time there were more than half a dozen people in a room. I daresay my uncharitable thought was a bit ungrateful, but really, I just didn’t want a fuss.