Shirley Jump - A Forever Family - Falling For You

She could have got a lot more quotes to liven up her original front page if she’d had a mind to, but she’d kept that to herself. She wasn’t about to annoy the man who had it in his power to put up her rent.

‘It’s really tough on the charity that relies on the event,’ she said. Concentrate on that. Not on Hal.

‘It must have come as a real shock when Cranbrook Park was sold overnight to a man who doesn’t buy into the whole noblesse-oblige thing.’

‘It was quick, wasn’t it?’ Almost as if Hal had been watching, waiting…

‘Once you’re in hock to the tax man you’re done for. They won’t wait for the market to pick up. As long as they’re covered they don’t care how cheap they sell. And it would need to be cheap. The place is going to take a fortune to restore.’

‘I suppose.’

‘No doubt North will finance it with a high-end executive estate on that meadow running beside the May. It’s a prime riverside location and out of sight of the Hall. Perfect.’

‘What? But that’s Archie’s meadow!’ she protested. He was right, though. It was perfect. Forget dancing on Sir Robert’s grave. How much more satisfying would Hal find it to make Sir Robert watch as he trampolined a thousand years of Cranbrook family history into the dirt. ‘He’d never get it through planning,’ she objected.

‘You think a man like North is going to let petty bureaucracy stand in his way? If the local planners prove obstinate, he’ll put in a appeal to the Secretary of State on the grounds of the local need for jobs, houses.’ He shrugged. ‘They’re probably mates. There’s a story for you.’

‘I can’t print that!’

She wouldn’t have to. All it would take was a photograph of them together and people would leap to their own conclusions. And there was nothing like a suggestion of dirty doings at the Town Hall to boost circulation.

She would be flavour of the month. And if it made her feel just a little bit soiled? The way she’d felt as she’d listened to gossip about him in the café near his office, well, it was her job. It paid the rent, kept Ally warm and fed.

‘Besides, what will happen to poor old Archie?’

‘Oh, please. If North has any sense that donkey was cats’ meat within a week of him moving in. You should sue him for not keeping him under control,’ he added. ‘Or are you saving that for another headline?’

‘Of course not. He’s always been a lamb with me.’ As long as she had an apple to buy him off. ‘Archie,’ she added, rubbing the back of her hand over her mouth. Hal North was something else…

‘Kebabs, then. Millionaire Makes Mincemeat of Maybridge Mascot…’

‘Shut up, Tim,’ she muttered as Brian walked through the office.

‘Children, children!’ Jessica Dixon, the features editor raised her head from her PC. ‘The only thing that should concern you on today’s front page is who is going to be this year’s Fairy Godmother. Or Godfather,’ she added, looking at Tim over her spectacles. ‘This is an equal-opportunity chance to volunteer.’

‘Tim in a tutu and wings.’ Cheered at the thought, Claire grinned. ‘Now that I would pay good money to see.’

CHAPTER SIX

Maybridge wish week!

IT’S Maybridge Wish Week! Time for the Maybridge Observer’s Fairy Godmother to wave her magic wand and make some wishes come true for members of the community.

In the past few years, we’ve hunted down grant funding, drummed up support from local business and enlisted the help of a volunteer army from our community to refurbish the pensioners’ day-care centre, built a modern, fully equipped sports pavilion on the old playing fields and turned a derelict cinema into an arts centre that is now a vibrant part of Maybridge life, as well as dozens of smaller projects to make life easier for groups and individuals.

So—what next?

We’re asking you to tell us what project you’d like to see tackled this year…

—Maybridge Observer, April 27.

* * *

‘Have you seen this?’

Hal glanced at the newspaper Bea Webb was holding up.

‘The Maybridge Observer Fairy Godmother?’ he asked blandly, ignoring the headline and concentrating instead on the cartoon fairy waving her wand and sprinkling gold sparkle over the newspaper masthead.

She looked exactly like Claire Thackeray.

‘If only. According to this, Maybridge has become a “fun-free zone” since your arrival.’

He took the paper from her and dropped it in the bin, refusing to think about the way she called him every day at the same time to ask about his plans. To think about the fact that he was always at his desk, waiting for her call. Glancing at his watch if she was a little late.

That her voice, clear, confident, the product of all that expensive private education that had gone to waste in a moment of lust with a man who hadn’t bothered to stick around and deal with his own mess, had taken up residence in his head.

‘I need someone in the office full-time, Bea,’ he said, firmly changing the subject. ‘Will you ask Penny if she’s prepared to do more hours?’

She shook her head. ‘Why don’t you stick to the plan and leave all this to the professionals, Hal?’

Good question.

* * *

Claire knew that Tim had just been winding her up, but she couldn’t get Archie out of her head.

Okay, he was a bit—more than a bit—of a liability and while Sir Robert might have had a soft spot for the beast, Hal North had no reason to consider him anything but a pain in the fishing rod, but…

Just…but.

She looked up as Brian stopped by her desk. ‘How far have you got with the Teddy Bears Picnic story, Claire?’

‘I’m working on it,’ she said. ‘I thought I might run over and take some photographs of Cranbrook woods.’

‘No need. I sent Marcus over there this morning. I want you to focus on the “all this and he won’t share it for a day, not even for a good cause” angle.’ Her heart was still sinking when he said, ‘On the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt to go and have a good look round. Take some pictures if you see any sign of surveying.’

‘Have you heard something?’ she asked.

‘No. Charlie Peascod is being unusually close-mouthed. Why don’t you pop along this evening and see what’s going on? Take your little girl with you. You can always say you’re on a nature walk or something.’

‘I’m not taking Ally with me! Suppose we’re thrown out for trespassing?’

‘We couldn’t get that lucky.’ Maybe her expression betrayed just how far he’d stepped over the line because he said, ‘It’s nearly lunchtime. You might as well go now. But don’t take all day about it.’

* * *

The minute Bea had left, Hal walked across the courtyard towards the garages.

Claire’s bike was standing, upended, still minus a wheel, in one corner. It had been more than a week since her bike had been damaged, too long for her to be without any kind of transport. And when it was fixed she wouldn’t have an excuse to ring him.

‘Gary?’

There was a clank of metal, the familiar sound of a spanner hitting concrete, followed by a muttered oath.

He followed the sound to the workshop and the years rolled back as he saw the boy and an old motorcycle in pieces strewn all around him.

* * *

The minute Claire got home, she changed into jeans, boots and, with her camera tucked into her pocket, she walked down to the meadow.

It was a classic flower meadow. It hadn’t been ploughed in centuries, just grazed by sheep, rabbits and Archie. Except that Archie wasn’t there.

Forget looking for surveyors setting up levels, she had to talk to Hal, find out what on earth was going on.

* * *

‘Okay, hand me the nut…’