Page 68 of The Village of Lost and Found

He thought he was paying her a compliment, but for some reason it struck a nerve. She didn’t want to be just thought of as glamorous. She wanted people to think of her as capable, hard-working and bright. Perhaps she was a bit overdressed for the pub after all. ‘Well, I’m not that glamorous when I’m shifting loads of papers clearing out the newspaper office,’ she said, trying to sound casual.

He raised an eyebrow. ‘I thought parties were more your style.’

Now it was Lucy’s turn to shuffle in her seat under the scrutiny. The conversation wasn’t exactly turning out as she had hoped. ‘Not really,’ she said. ‘Anyway, I did sort of grow up in Cranbridge, so I’m more of a countryside lover than you give me credit for.’

‘But village life is so dull!’ he said, laughing.

Lucy could feel a few heads turn as his words carried across the beer garden. She glanced over to see Tom giving them a brief look before turning back to talk to Josh at a nearby table.

‘Well, maybe it’s not for everyone,’ she told him in a softer tone. ‘But it has its good parts. I like the community feel. I think that’s why everyone’s so upset about the quarry. Tom is still trying to track down the names behind the large conglomerate that’s behind it.’

‘Any luck?’ he asked.

She shook her head. ‘Unfortunately not.’

‘Shame,’ he said. ‘Otherwise I could approach them to buy the farm as well.’

Lucy was a little shocked. ‘You want to sell the farm?’

‘Oh God, yes,’ he said, with a heavy sigh. ‘It wasn’t mine anyway. I have no interest in staying there.’

‘Oh.’ Lucy was surprised. ‘But it would be shame to sell to someone who’s thinking of trashing the place and the climate, with a quarry. I mean, maybe there’s a start-up farmer who could take it over instead?’

Henry shrugged his shoulders. ‘I don’t care as long as they can pay off the debts. My uncle’s left me up to my neck in it.’

Lucy took another gulp of her drink, thinking fast. She hadn’t anticipated that Henry would be against their efforts to stop the quarry from happening. She had hoped that he would be happy to help.

Their eyes met. She felt a definite flutter somewhere deep inside and was pleased that there was a certain chemistry between them, but for some reason, that didn’t bring her any pleasure.

Then she glanced at Tom once more, before looking away, wondering why she was even comparing the two men.

The problem was that Henry was like every other man she had gone out with. He was handsome with a smooth patter of talk, but she was starting to realise that looks weren’t everything. And that perhaps a messy editor who was also becoming a friend might just mean more to her than she had previously thought.

And she had absolutely no idea what to do about it.

37

The following morning, Tom pulled up next to a gated field to try to catch his breath. He clutched his chest, attempting to calm his racing pulse.

How had he fallen so unfit so quickly? How long had it been since he’d been running? Six months? A lot longer than that, he had to concede.

At least his nightly habit of drinking in the pub hadn’t changed, although he’d even swapped to drinking sparkling water instead of Diet Coke. It meant that he could still catch up with Josh and his friends and enjoy their companionship. He’d even begun to buy pieces of fruit instead of pastries from Cranbridge Stores, much to Amber’s delight.

Best of all, he was enjoying seeing the world again, especially first thing in the morning. The day had dawned bright and sunny once more and another hot summer’s day lay ahead. In fact, the forecasters weren’t hopeful of any rain in the next couple of weeks. So the positive sunny spirit would continue.

As he began to move again, he felt his spirits lift. He felt in control. Even of his work, which made a change. He had been bluffing it for so long but not any more.

His friendship with Lucy had changed everything, thankfully for the better.

So the fact that he was bothered that she had gone on that date the previous evening had surprised him. She had looked good in that jumpsuit. Really good. What on earth was she doing with that wet blanket of a farmer for?

He wondered what Lucy saw in him. Yes, Henry might be considered good-looking, but he wasn’t a very good farmer. But then again, she wasn’t the farmer’s wife type either.

Whatever her reasons, they weren’t very good, he found himself thinking. She ought to be with someone stronger and perhaps more cheerful. Somebody who made her laugh.

He found himself on the outskirts of Cranbridge and was grateful when he could see the sparkling surface of the river in the distance. Anyway, it was for the best that he tried to dismiss any thoughts about Lucy’s love life. That was her business, wasn’t it?

With one final push, he was finally at the end of the river and was just heading past the row of bungalows when he spotted Frank putting some papers in the recycling bin in the front garden.