along and to them, destroyed it all. She was the perfect villain. I was the poor, tragic Cinderella left standing at the altar and he was clearly led astray. And now I’m their poor, tragic spinster. Doomed to be eternally single.’ Emily raised her hands up to a damson branch and pulled against it so she was arching forward. ‘They’ve basically ruined every relationship I’ve ever had since.’
‘So what do you do?’ Jane asked.
Emily let go of the branch so it flipped back and she had to do a jump forward to right herself. ‘I don’t have them any more,’ she said, and wandered back over to the table. ‘At least, not serious ones anyway.’
Chapter Nine
As head of the Cherry Pie Show committee, Jonathan White, Annie’s brother, had called an urgent meeting for Saturday afternoon. When the time came, they all gathered around the noticeboard in the centre of the allotment. Emily stood out from the general gardening masses, dressed in a gold and white playsuit and her wellingtons. She had a hangover from the wine they’d drunk the night before at the allotment, she’d slept really badly mulling over everything that had happened with Giles and her past, and this whole gathering was just too provincial and boring for her. She was only there because Annie had promised her a slap-up brunch at the cafe afterwards.
‘Gather round, people.’ Jonathan was standing on an orange box at the front. He clapped his hands and said, ‘If you could stop talking at the back. Annie, is that you? Stop talking. This is an important meeting.’
Annie shook her head, her eyes closed for a second or two as if she had to let anything her brother said just roll off her. Jane giggled under her breath. Emily wasn’t listening, she was messing on her phone and yawned twice before saying, ‘Do we have to be here?’
‘I’m afraid to say there’s been some bad news about the show,’ Jonathan started, then stopped and cleared his throat, pausing for effect like he was delivering an
X Factor
verdict. ‘I’ve been in discussions to try and rectify things and I hasten to add this has been quite a bit of time and trouble—’
‘Jesus, Jonathan, just tell us what’s happened!’ Martha shouted from where she was standing at the back. She had her rake with her and bashed it against the floor when she spoke.
Emily glanced up from her phone and sniggered.
‘I was coming to it, Martha, thank you,’ Jonathan said, breathing in through his nose and glaring at the people in the back row. ‘Unfortunately we’ve been told that the primary school will be undergoing renovations, beginning when term ends, meaning a clash for the Cherry Pie Show this year. Currently there is no alternative option for a venue of that size.’
‘The primary school?’ Emily muttered to Annie under her breath. ‘Is that where the show’s held?’
Jane nodded.
‘Are you kidding? All this work everyone’s doing and it’s held at the primary school. Where at the primary school?’
‘They have a little hall.’ Annie shrugged.
‘Seriously?’
‘Annie, I’m not going to ask you again,’ Jonathan said. ‘You really are disturbing the meeting.’
‘Oh for god’s sake, Jonathan,’ Martha sighed really loudly. ‘Get off your bloody high horse. Or your orange box.’
A general murmur of laughter rippled through the crowd.
‘Thank you, Martha.’ Jonathan tilted his head a touch and raised his eyebrows at her with a glare. ‘If you don’t have anything positive to add, I wonder if you need to be here.’
Emily took a step closer to where Annie and Jane were standing and whispered, ‘He’s such an idiot. I don’t know how you grew up with him, Annie.’
Martha raised her brows. ‘He’s a little toad. Always has been.’
Jonathan clapped his hands together to silence them. ‘So what I’m proposing,’ he went on speaking really loudly to pretend he couldn’t hear the chatter at the back. ‘What I’m proposing is – and I
‘So what do you do?’ Jane asked.
Emily let go of the branch so it flipped back and she had to do a jump forward to right herself. ‘I don’t have them any more,’ she said, and wandered back over to the table. ‘At least, not serious ones anyway.’
Chapter Nine
As head of the Cherry Pie Show committee, Jonathan White, Annie’s brother, had called an urgent meeting for Saturday afternoon. When the time came, they all gathered around the noticeboard in the centre of the allotment. Emily stood out from the general gardening masses, dressed in a gold and white playsuit and her wellingtons. She had a hangover from the wine they’d drunk the night before at the allotment, she’d slept really badly mulling over everything that had happened with Giles and her past, and this whole gathering was just too provincial and boring for her. She was only there because Annie had promised her a slap-up brunch at the cafe afterwards.
‘Gather round, people.’ Jonathan was standing on an orange box at the front. He clapped his hands and said, ‘If you could stop talking at the back. Annie, is that you? Stop talking. This is an important meeting.’
Annie shook her head, her eyes closed for a second or two as if she had to let anything her brother said just roll off her. Jane giggled under her breath. Emily wasn’t listening, she was messing on her phone and yawned twice before saying, ‘Do we have to be here?’
‘I’m afraid to say there’s been some bad news about the show,’ Jonathan started, then stopped and cleared his throat, pausing for effect like he was delivering an
X Factor
verdict. ‘I’ve been in discussions to try and rectify things and I hasten to add this has been quite a bit of time and trouble—’
‘Jesus, Jonathan, just tell us what’s happened!’ Martha shouted from where she was standing at the back. She had her rake with her and bashed it against the floor when she spoke.
Emily glanced up from her phone and sniggered.
‘I was coming to it, Martha, thank you,’ Jonathan said, breathing in through his nose and glaring at the people in the back row. ‘Unfortunately we’ve been told that the primary school will be undergoing renovations, beginning when term ends, meaning a clash for the Cherry Pie Show this year. Currently there is no alternative option for a venue of that size.’
‘The primary school?’ Emily muttered to Annie under her breath. ‘Is that where the show’s held?’
Jane nodded.
‘Are you kidding? All this work everyone’s doing and it’s held at the primary school. Where at the primary school?’
‘They have a little hall.’ Annie shrugged.
‘Seriously?’
‘Annie, I’m not going to ask you again,’ Jonathan said. ‘You really are disturbing the meeting.’
‘Oh for god’s sake, Jonathan,’ Martha sighed really loudly. ‘Get off your bloody high horse. Or your orange box.’
A general murmur of laughter rippled through the crowd.
‘Thank you, Martha.’ Jonathan tilted his head a touch and raised his eyebrows at her with a glare. ‘If you don’t have anything positive to add, I wonder if you need to be here.’
Emily took a step closer to where Annie and Jane were standing and whispered, ‘He’s such an idiot. I don’t know how you grew up with him, Annie.’
Martha raised her brows. ‘He’s a little toad. Always has been.’
Jonathan clapped his hands together to silence them. ‘So what I’m proposing,’ he went on speaking really loudly to pretend he couldn’t hear the chatter at the back. ‘What I’m proposing is – and I
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