Chapter 8

8

Pulling a string of ivy from the front of her jumper, Laura grabbed her secateurs before turning to the rather overgrown hedge separating the front garden from the path. After her chat with Jackson last night, she felt a lot more positive and having had the best night’s sleep she’d had since moving in, again thanks to him for the fresh bedding, meaning she was able to spend her first night in the bed, she felt as though she could achieve anything. Or at least more than she had the previous days.

Laura threw another bunch of twigs into the heap behind her before standing up and looking around the front garden. She’d only been working out here for a few hours, but she could already see the difference she’d made. She’d trimmed the lavender back from where it had been encroaching onto the narrow garden path, pulling the ivy from between the plants as she went. She was about halfway up from the gate along the hedge and although it was by no means perfect, it looked a lot better than before. Maybe when she was up and running, open and earning money, she’d be able to employ a gardener.

A noise from behind the row of conifers drew her attention away from her thoughts and she glanced over in the direction of Jackson’s house. It sounded as though his front door had banged shut. Throwing the secateurs down next to the heap of twigs and weeds, Laura ran out of the gate and onto the street. She’d been half listening out and half hoping she’d hear him leave so she could thank him again for yesterday and apologise for crying at him.

As she walked along the pavement she paused. She could hear his and another voice, a child’s, laughing and chatting. Whose kid could that be? He hadn’t mentioned anything about looking after a child. Although she’d been so wrapped up in her own drama that she hadn’t given a thought to what was going on in his life. That was something else she needed to apologise for, but this probably wasn’t the right time.

Turning, she began making her way back towards her gate. She’d catch him later.

‘Laura!’ Jackson’s voice rose, catching her attention.

Oops, too late. She turned and smiled as he walked up to her, a little girl who must have only been about five or six held his hand and skipped along next to him. ‘Morning.’

‘Morning. Laura, this is my niece, Eden. Eden, this is my good friend, Laura.’ Jackson grinned as he introduced them.

‘Hello, Eden. That’s such a beautiful name.’

‘Thank you.’ Eden tugged on Jackson’s hand before looking up at him and pointing at the grass which ran beneath the trees along the path next to the road. ‘Can I pick the flowers?’

‘Yes, of course you can.’ Letting go of her hand, Jackson smiled as Eden knelt down and began picking the daisies, which, thanks to the mild winter, were still going strong.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt or anything. I was just going to come and say thank you again for yesterday and apologise for…’ Laura held her arms out, ‘everything.’

‘No worries, it was good to catch up.’ Jackson grinned at her.

Laura looked at Eden as the young girl held up the daisies she’d picked, showing Jackson before turning back and gathering some more. Jackson’s only brother had left home as soon as he’d turned sixteen, leaving Jackson to deal with his parents alone from the age of twelve, and she had never heard him talk about his brother since. ‘Your niece?’

‘Yes. You remember Billy? He reached out and got in contact with me about a year ago.’ Jackson shrugged. ‘We spoke about things and we’re pretty close now. I look after Eden the occasional weekend and, like today, for an hour or so in the mornings before school when Billy and his wife, Jane’s, shifts overlap.’

‘Oh right. That’s great he got back in contact.’ She touched his forearm. She still remembered the day Jackson had run round to their house in floods of tears because Billy had left, only leaving him a scribbled note. It had been the day that Laura’s parents had set him up a bed in the spare room and offered for him to move in. Of course, Jackson being Jackson had stayed only a handful of times, preferring to go back home to check his parents hadn’t drunk themselves into so much of a stupor that they’d be in danger of setting the house on fire, or worse.

‘Yes, it is.’ Jackson nodded, a huge grin on his face as he watched Eden begin to make a daisy chain from the flowers she’d picked. ‘It really is. He’s in a good place now and only lives half an hour away, which means I can help out with childcare when needed.’

‘I’m really pleased for you.’ Jackson deserved happiness. He was one of those people who would do anything for anyone else, no questions asked. He always had been.

‘Thanks.’ Jackson looked back at her.

‘Oh, I meant to ask you yesterday, although I’m not sure if I should or if I’m going to sound completely crazy…’

‘Go on.’

‘As I think I said yesterday, it was a sheep that pushed my ladder over, which is why I ended up becoming stranded on the roof.’ She frowned. ‘I know that sounds impossible and even now, as I say it, I’m doubting myself and wondering if I hallucinated or something, but I swear, there was a sheep in my garden. It came barging out of the hedge and ran across the lawn.’

‘Oh, that’ll be Claudette.’ He spoke as though it was the most normal thing in the world for a sheep to pass through the garden.

‘Claudette? There really is a sheep then? I wasn’t seeing things?’

‘Haha, no. You weren’t imagining things. She escaped from one of the farmer’s fields outside the village and the whole village has been trying to capture her for over a month now.’

‘A sheep is running amok in Meadowfield.’ Laura let out a laugh. ‘Sorry, I shouldn’t laugh, but is this what village life is like? Sheep causing chaos?’

Jackson chuckled. ‘It seems to be. Old Mrs Pritchard down the road was the first one to spot her and managed to corner her in her shed, or so she thought, so the village mayoress, Miss Cooke, rang round a few sanctuaries and found her a place, but by the time someone came to collect her, the sheep was nowhere to be seen and the whole village was doubting Mrs Pritchard’s sanity. It wasn’t until Claudette had rummaged through some shopping bags Phillip McGuire had left on Paddy’s back step for him that people began to take poor Mrs Pritchard seriously.’

Laura covered her mouth as a loud guffaw escaped. ‘I can just picture Claudette running around the village, making her way from house to house.’

‘Exactly!’ Jackson wiped his eyes as he tried to compose himself again. ‘I probably should have warned you about the village sheep when I first saw you.’

‘Haha, yes you should have!’ She dried the tears of laughter from her cheeks with the sleeve of her coat. ‘Won’t the farmer just come and collect her?’

‘I shouldn’t think one sheep is worth his time. Besides, as stern as Miss Cooke can be with us villagers, she’s a different person when it comes to animals and she figured Claudette has made the escape and deserves to live her life out someplace she won’t end up on someone’s plate.’ Jackson shrugged.

‘Fair enough.’ Laura smiled at Eden as the young girl walked up to her uncle with the daisy chain she’d made draping from her hands.

‘Look, Uncle Jackson. Do you like it?’

‘Aw, that looks lovely, Eden.’ Jackson grinned as he looked down. ‘Do you want me to help you put it around your neck? You could wear it as a necklace.’

‘No, it’s for you. You wear it, Uncle Jackson.’ Eden stood on her tiptoes as Jackson bent down, allowing her to hang it around his neck.

‘Thank you. I love it.’ Straightening his back, he high-fived Eden.

‘You’ll wear it at work today?’ she checked.

‘I will indeed. I’m sure it’ll make my customers very happy.’

‘All day?’

‘All day.’ Jackson held out his hand before looking back at Laura. ‘On which note, we should get going, as Eden is coming to help me at the pub until her mummy picks her up in a few minutes. See you later.’

‘That sounds fun. See you later.’ Laura waved before watching as Eden took Jackson’s hand, unable to turn away. Jackson must have said something funny to his niece as Eden looked up at him, her uncontrollable giggle filling the air. Laura smiled. She didn’t think she’d ever seen anything sweeter. He’d make an amazing dad one day.

Sighing heavily, she forced herself to spin on her heels and head back to her garden. Why had that thought even popped into her mind?