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  ‘And I’ve enjoyed your food.’ Jessica giggled. ‘Really, it was delicious.’ She glanced at the day-old stubble smattered across his delectably shaped jaw and had an insane urge to reach out and run her fingers across it, to feel it scratching against her fingertips. Thankfully, she managed to keep her hands busy by clasping them together and allowing them to rest near her stomach. Reaching out to touch his jaw would be a creepy move to make, so it was best to keep her hands to herself.

  Rueben treated her to one of his heart-stopping smiles. ‘Let’s definitely do it again sometime. I’ll have a rummage through Mum’s cookbooks next time I’m over there, see what else I can surprise you with.’ He pulled the door open but lingered before stepping out and, to Jessica’s surprise, turned to her quickly and placed a gentle, soft kiss upon her cheek. He pulled away slightly, his dark eyes running over her face, processing her reaction, repeatedly returning to her lips. He stepped outside and bounded down the steps before she could say anything, seeming almost eager to get away.

  Jessica watched his retreating figure accompanied by the crunching of the gravel. It was only then that she took notice of her hammering heart. She placed her hand against her cheek, resting it on the spot where he’d lain the kiss, where his lips had touched her skin for the first time.

  It was absurd but suddenly, she wanted to call him back, to invite him to spend the night there. Not to go to bed together, nothing like that, they were just friends after all, but so that he could continue to make her laugh, to fill the empty rooms with the sound of it.

  In the end, she turned away and closed the door. She turned the key in the lock and plodded up the stairs towards the lonely guestroom where she’d be spending the night.

  Chapter Seven

  Esme arrived in the morning, as bright and as chirpy as ever.

  Jessica had only just rolled out of bed. She yawned as she made her way downstairs to the door, still in her pyjamas. It was like Esme ran on batteries that were charged every night whilst she slept. Long-lasting batteries that didn’t ever seem to run out of charge. She was constantly bouncy and energetic. She made Jessica feel lazy in comparison.

  ‘Good morning!’ Esme sang when Jessica opened the door to her, blinking in the morning sunlight that blasted her in the face ‘And what a beautiful morning it is!’ Esme bustled into the hallway of Bluebell House and waltzed into the kitchen to pop the kettle on. The woman was unstoppable. ‘I had a grand old time with Jane last night,’ she said, breezing around the room, unwrapping her silk scarf from around her neck and folding it up neatly as she placed it on the counter. ‘We ate strawberries and cream and even had a glass of wine each. Oh, it was wonderful!’ Esme barely took a breath as she continued to recall her evening with Jane.

  Jessica stood propped up against the kitchen doorway and covered a yawn with her hand. She had a serious case of bed-hair going on and tried to pat it down before Esme could get another glimpse of her. ‘I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves.’ She attempted to inject some enthusiasm into her voice but due to the earliness of the day, she couldn’t manage it. ‘Do you mind if I head upstairs and drag some clothes on? I’m running a bit late this morning. Oh, Deb the estate agent is popping by this afternoon. She wants to have a look at the house, take some photos for the website. I said that it was fine if she dropped by. The sooner Bluebell House is up on the market, the sooner people will start seeing it. Hopefully it catches some potential buyers’ eyes! Today is the only day that she was available so I had to take her up on it, I’m afraid.’

  ‘You go ahead and get yourself dressed, dear. I’ll get some breakfast together and make us a coffee, then we’ll sit out on the porch before the packing recommences. There’ll be plenty of time left for your estate agent so don’t you worry about a thing.’

  Jessica spun around and headed back up the hallway. She jogged up the stairs and dragged one of her few summer dresses from out of the temporary wardrobe. It was a tiny dresser that stood in the corner of the room but it was big enough to fit her belongings during her stay. Her eyes caught on the postcards from Paris that she’d placed onto one of the shelves the day before. She made a mental note to ask Esme about them over breakfast, as she pulled on a pair of jeans and dragged on a t-shirt. She wasn’t entirely sure what it was that she wanted to ask about the postcards, what it was that she was digging at, but for some reason, they’d refused to leave her mind and now that she had Esme here, she may as well make the most of it. Fingers crossed that she could provide the answers Jessica felt like she needed, although why on earth she felt like she ‘needed’ them, she wasn’t entirely sure.

  ***

  Over plates of eggs benedict, they decided that they’d deal with the dining room next. ‘If I were you, I’d keep the majority of items from the dining room, dear,’ Esme piped up. ‘I expect the china in the cabinet is worth a lot of money, so you’d do well to keep them all in your possession. They’re far too nice to give away or put in the rubbish pile.’

  Ignoring the comments about the fine china, Jessica dived straight in, eager to bring up the subject of the Parisian postcards. ‘Esme, I found some postcards in an old photo album yesterday when we were packing up the lounge,’ she rushed out, before Esme could lead them onto a new subject of conversation. ‘I was supposed to mention it to you yesterday, but it slipped my mind.’ Immediately, Esme became curious and motioned for her to continue. ‘They’re so odd. They’re all from Paris. The strange thing is, there’s no message on them. They’re signed with the letter “H” and have an address on them but that’s it. No “Hey, how are you doing?” or “I’m having a lovely time on holiday in Paris!”’

  Esme remained quiet.

  ‘Esme?’ Jessica asked.

  ‘Signed with the letter ‘H’, you say? How curious.’

  Jessica frowned. ‘So, you don’t know anything about them? Who they’re from? Why they were tucked into the back of that photo album?’

  ‘I’m afraid not, dear, although I’m rather intrigued myself. Perhaps they’re just from an old friend of your parents. I do remember, if I recall correctly, some talk years ago of a friend of theirs’ who lived in Paris.’ Esme performed a small shrug and returned to her cup of coffee.

  ‘Oh, right.’ Jessica chewed her lip. She felt deflated by that answer. She didn’t know why but she’d been hoping for something juicier than that and she’d hoped Esme would have known the details. Apparently not.

  ‘How was dinner with Rueben last night?’ Esme asked, her eyes sparkling. ‘What did he treat you to?’

  As Jessica thought back to the night before, a slow smile grew on her lips, a smile which, she realised, she had no control over. She didn’t even acknowledge just how much she was smiling until Esme raised her eyebrows, seemingly impressed with such a positive reaction. Jessica immediately reined the smile back in, aware that her teeth were completely on show. ‘It was wonderful,’ she said finally. ‘He cooked us a three-course meal, starting with tomato and basil soup with a side of crusty bread, spaghetti bolognese for our main, and he finished it off with a gorgeous chocolate cheesecake.’ She licked her lips at the memory, not only of the food, but of the glorious moment of when his lips had touched her cheek before he’d left. She’d keep that bit to herself though. ‘I had a really good night. He’s such great company. He made me laugh and smile and he didn’t leave until gone 9pm. We talked about his mum and dad, our hobbies, all that sort of stuff. I feel like I know him a lot more now which is nice. It’s great to have a friendly face around the place while I sort through everything. As well as your face.’

  ‘It sounds like he really went to town then, and wasn’t it lovely of him to get that food in for you? He’s such a gentleman. If I was young enough, I’d snap Rueben Greer up in a heartbeat.’ Esme smiled cheekily before clapping her hands together in a business-like way. ‘Right. Let’s clear this up and head to the dining room, shall we? There’s no time like the present and if your estate agent is popping round, it’s probabl
y best if everything is back in order before she arrives, don’t you agree?’

  ***

  The majority of the china locked away in the cabinet was dusty seeing as it hadn’t been used for God knew how long. It had only ever had a purpose of remaining on display for people to admire. The dining room was rich and opulent with a delicately created bronze chandelier that hung regally above the shiny wooden surface of the six-seat dining table. Thick, heavy velvet curtains hung either side of the window, held back by golden tasselled ropes. It was the sort of room that would be perfect for hosting dinner parties, for inviting friends round and spending the night in grand company.

  Jessica wasn’t sure how she felt about the room but the memory of sitting across the table from Rueben popped into her mind and suddenly it didn’t seem so bad. She had a flashback of when he’d made a move to take her empty bowl and their fingers had accidentally touched. It sent a shiver of pleasure inching up her spine and she felt her cheeks flushing at the mere memory of it.

  ‘These are so dainty, aren’t they?’ Jessica commented as she wrapped yet another bowl up in rustling newspaper. It felt like it weighed next to nothing. Pearly white china with an intricate royal blue patterning winding around the sides of it. ‘I wonder where they all came from. They must have cost a bomb.’ She eyed the few remaining items, each as expensive as the other. They looked far too delicate to actually use which made them seem pointless, really.

  ‘Probably an antiques shop somewhere,’ Esme replied. ‘Your parents were fond of expensive things.’

  Jessica frowned. ‘I don’t get it myself. Why spend so much money on something that you’re never going to use? It just seems like such a waste.’ She couldn’t understand the logic of it. She was strikingly different to her parents in countless ways. Whereas they would have paid ridiculous amounts of money for items that they’d never use, Jessica was much more of a bargain hunter. Expensive finery wasn’t something that took her fancy, second-hand books were definitely more her thing. Plus, why on earth would they have spent money on something that they probably never even looked at again once it had been shut away behind a glass screen? She shrugged.

  She placed the wrapped up bowl into the box with care and brushed a stray piece of hair away from her face as she realised that they’d finally finished. Esme wrapped up the few remaining pieces with care and placed them into the box with a flourish.

  ‘Another room done and dusted,’ Jessica announced placing her hands onto her hips. ‘I can’t believe it’s taken us so long.’ She turned to peer through the windows out to the gardens and with a dance of her heart, saw Rueben strolling along. She smiled as she watched him disappear into the shed and immediately she wanted to head outside to join him. In a purely friendly manner, of course. She turned to Esme who was taping up the last of the boxes. ‘Shall we take a break? Head outside?’ She nodded towards the window, indicating the sunlight that was streaming through the glass and into the room, stretching across the floor.

  ‘Oh, I’m afraid I can’t, dear. I promised Jane that I’d pop round and see her and there are a few bits and bobs that I need to do back at the cottage, too, but seeing as that’s another room off our list, you go and enjoy yourself! Enjoy the summer sunshine while it’s here, and enjoy lovely Rueben’s company, too.’ Esme winked. Jessica chose to ignore it but couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth inching upwards into a smirk.

  ***

  Once Esme had left with promises of returning the next day, Jessica strolled across the grass with the rest of the day stretching out before her. She tried not to appear too eager as she powered down towards Rueben.

  He was completely absorbed in whatever it was that he was doing.

  ‘Hello, you,’ she called happily as she approached.

  ‘Well, hello, pretty lady. You look gorgeous today, as always.’ Rueben straightened his posture and held a hand to his forehead to shield his eyes from the sun. He had a few smudges of mud on his cheeks. He looked cute, Jessica decided. ‘Another room done?’ he asked, tugging on each finger of the gardening gloves he was wearing before finally removing them completely. He wiggled his fingers in the fresh air and grinned at her as he did so.

  Still brimming over with delight at his compliment, Jessica nodded. She was pleased with the progress that she and Esme were making. ‘Yep, the dining room is now complete. I can’t believe it’s taken us all morning.’ She looked back towards Bluebell House. ‘We’re slowly making progress and it feels good. The boxes are in the hall ready to go. Would you mind taking them to the storage unit whenever you have time?’

  ‘Sure. Of course.’ He nodded and smiled brightly. It seemed that he was happy to help wherever he could. He was cleanly-shaven today, Jessica noticed, and smelt pleasantly of lemon and mint. She could feel herself leaning in closer towards him, just to get another whiff, even if it was only a small one.

  ‘So, what are you doing with the rest of your day then?’ Rueben asked.

  ‘No idea. I feel a bit lost. I could get started on another room in the house but I feel like I need a break from cardboard boxes.’ She laughed to herself then glanced up at the blue sky above. ‘The weather is too nice to be cooped up inside, anyway. But there’s not really anything else for me to do.’ She shrugged and looked out to the fields just over Rueben’s shoulder.

  ‘Fancy a ride with me to the storage place?’ he asked, cocking his head to the side. His floppy, conker-brown hair fell to cover the top of his left eye slightly. She wanted to lean forward and brush it away. Her fingers twitched.

  Jessica grinned at his offer. ‘Yes!’ Then she remembered Deb’s visit with a frown and sighed loudly. ‘Oh no, I forgot, I can’t. The estate agent is coming round to see Bluebell House and take some photos of it for the website. Damn it.’ Her shoulders dropped.

  Rueben shrugged. ‘Well, that’s okay. We can always go once she’s finished? We have plenty of time. I can finish planting these extra few bulbs and then once she’s finished, we can get going. I don’t know what it is but in summer, this garden just seems to flourish without my help. The only job I really have is to tame it back otherwise it would run wild. But yes, once the estate agent is finished, let me know and we’ll go take a ride.’

  ‘Okay. Great idea. Hopefully she won’t stick around for too long.’ Jessica was eager to get out of the house and into Rueben’s van. Something about ‘going for a ride’ with him set a flutter of butterflies raging freely in her stomach. She felt like a teenage girl again, excited at the prospect of being closed up in his van with him as they bumped along the lanes.

  With a parting wave, Jessica headed back to Bluebell House. As she strolled across the grass back towards the porch, she threw a glance over her shoulder towards Rueben and was delighted when she found that he was watching her as she walked away. She waved once more, feeling a little ridiculous, and then hurried onwards with warm cheeks.

  ***

  Deb called just moments after Jessica had stepped into the house and explained in a grumpy manner that she was just around the corner and had had to stop to let a group of horse riders pass by the car in one of the lanes. ‘I’ve been rolling slowly behind for what feels like hours now,’ Deb grumbled. ‘I’m tempted to beep.’

  She arrived a while later and Jessica stepped outside to meet her from her flash Audi. Deb was a short but slender woman. Petite would probably be the word. Dressed in a smart jacket and skinny jeans with designer sunglasses pushed up into her thick blonde hair she was a stunning woman, there was no doubt about it.

  ‘Hi, Deb!’ Jessica called. ‘I’m so glad to finally meet you.’

  ‘Miss McAdams! The pleasure is mine. Now then…’ Deb turned her large blue eyes towards Bluebell House and gasped. ‘Isn’t she a beauty?’ She took it in, eyes glittering at the potential of having such a grand property within her care. She slowly shook her head in disbelief. ‘Why on earth are you wanting to sell it?’ She turned to Jessica wearing a frown.

  ‘Well, don’t yo
u think it’s a little big for just one person?’ Jessica asked, laughing lightly. ‘Anyway, I live back in London. That’s where my job is. My life, my friends. Bluebell House is much more suited to a large family, with children preferably.’ She looked back towards the house. Yes, that’s exactly what the place needed. A big old family, perhaps with a dog just to complete the image.

  ‘Oh, I see. Well, I can tell you now, Bluebell House won’t be staying on the market for long. It’s going to be snapped up in no time, I can assure you.’ Deb swung her shoulder bag round to the front and opened it up to pull out a large black notebook. She looked at Jessica expectantly, notebook clutched to her chest, wearing a polite smile.

  For some bizarre reason, Jessica suddenly felt as if she’d forgotten what she was doing. She’d become lost in the imaginings of a new family living in Bluebell House. When she realised Deb was waiting for her to make a move, she blinked a few times and smiled. ‘Shall we?’ Jessica waved an arm towards Bluebell House. Deb took the lead and began towards it hurriedly, Jessica following behind, trying her best to keep up with the woman’s eager steps.

  Showing Deb around Bluebell House was a bit like listening to a scratched record that was stuck on repeat. ‘Oh, wow.’ ‘Oh my word.’ ‘Oh my gosh.’ She was definitely impressed and even more so when Jessica offered to make her a coffee and she spotted Rueben in the garden as she passed by the kitchen window.

  ‘And who is that?’ Deb asked, forehead touching the glass of the window as she tried to get a better look at him. He was still pottering about in the flowerbeds. Where he was happiest, Jessica thought with a small smile to herself.

  She passed Deb her coffee. ‘That is local gardener and handyman, Rueben Greer,’ she explained, casting a sideways glance at Deb’s intrigued expression. She wasn’t sure why but seeing Deb looking at Rueben like that annoyed her somewhat. She was looking at him like he was a piece of meat, eyes narrowed slightly, dampening her lips with her tongue. Jessica pursed her lips and willed Rueben not to turn around. Deb was the type of woman that men seemed to love. The thought of Rueben taking a liking to Deb did funny things to Jessica as she flicked her eyes between Deb and Rueben.