Page 88 of Moonlight Kisses at Willow Tree Hall

He and Bert walked away, deep in discussion.

‘Sorry to have put you on the spot like that,’ said Will, in a hushed tone. ‘I know you’re anxious to move on with your life.’

Jack thought for a moment. ‘The trouble is I’m not sure which direction to go in. I don’t build things any more. I only seem to tear them down. And I hate it. Really hate it.’

‘Well, you’re a bloody good electrician, if this morning’s work is to be gauged,’ said Will. ‘Maybe you could do that instead. Put your old skills to good use.’

Jack found that he was smiling. ‘Maybe I could.’

‘And it was nice to see Grandad looking so cheerful,’ said Will, with a sudden frown. ‘This whole business of the takeover has been bringing him down.’

As they carried on with their work, Jack realised that he had begun to ignore the consequences of the land and buildings that he had worked on for the past few years. He had only seen the pound signs, but his job had affected real people. Was he losing his nerve? His competitive edge?

He knew that he had a house that was bought and paid for. That he was financially secure. He didn’t need to keep going and going with the next extravagant project – which made him wonder what to do with his life.

For once, he didn’t feel like running. He felt comfortable. Amongst friends.

And then there was Lily. He still needed to make amends with her. So perhaps a few more weeks would work in his favour. He knew that he was deliberately stringing out the list of jobs around Willow Tree Hall so that he could stick around the village more.

And that this wasn’t about anything other than Lily.

35

Despite Annie’s and Rose’s enthusiasm, Lily was still worried about the new start that she had been given at Willow Tree Hall.

She wasn’t at all confident that she was up to the task ahead. But the Harris family appeared to have faith in her, so she brought out her phone and began to make her to-do lists once more.

Top of the list was to talk to Lauren.

She decided that perhaps the least stressful setting to meet would be Megan’s house, next door to her own home.

‘I wanted to apologise,’ said Lily as the three of them sat down at the table. ‘I know I wasn’t the easiest person to work for.’

‘That’s OK,’ muttered Lauren, not making eye contact.

‘Have you got another job yet?’ asked Lily gently.

Lauren shook her head.

Megan rolled her eyes at her teenage niece’s sullen attitude, but didn’t say anything.

‘That’s good,’ said Lily. ‘Because I have a proposition for you.’

‘Is it about cleaning?’ said Lauren, looking downcast.

‘In a way,’ Lily told her. ‘How about you still work at Willow Tree Hall, but cleaning only every morning? I think we could both keep on top of things with only those few hours each day.’

‘So I’d be part-time,’ said Lauren, with a pout.

‘Well, that depends on how you feel,’ said Lily. ‘You see, I was thinking that perhaps in the afternoons you could do some cooking for the family. Pies. Cakes. Bread. Even preparing the family’s dinner.’

She held her breath, but was relieved to see Lauren’s face light up.

‘You mean I could do my cooking and get paid for it?’ said Lauren, looking amazed.

Lily nodded. ‘That’s right.’

Lauren looked at Megan. ‘Is this for real?’