Chapter Text
Catherine thanked the last of her customers and flipped the closed sign on the door locking it after her, she grabbed the lead from her pocket and walked the short distance to her cottage pulling the gate open hearing her dog barking his hello. She barely got the door open as he pushed through it into the front garden bouncing around her,
‘Ok Rufus I know I am late calm your tits.’ She said attaching his lead and leading him out to the pavement. Rufus pulled her to the right towards the church knowing the way by now sniffing at every tuft of grass eyeing every other passing dog or human until he was satisfied that the world was still in order and marched onwards tail aloft. Catherine stopped to say a quick hello to the vicar before slipping down the path next to the church to the sprawling Gloucestershire fields beyond. As soon as they were out of danger of cars she let Rufus off his lead seeing him bound down the track disappearing into hedgerows to appear moments later covered in leaves and twigs barking at her occasionally to tell her to hurry up but Catherine was letting her limbs soak up the late afternoon sun, somewhat of a rarity in May in the middle of England. She let her hair flow in the breeze not caring that she would look like an eighties reject by the time she got home and rolled up the sleeves of her t-shirt to try and get some colour into her pale skin. She rounded the corner out onto the bridle path calling to Rufus to stay away from the road finally reaching him and clipping his lead on with much protest,
‘You can’t moan at me when you are dead.’ She said as a car zoomed by going much too fast for the road, she checked again crossing to the other side making her way down the side of the large estate that nobody ever seemed to occupy, ‘ah those famous rich people Rufus, more money than sense, who buys a mansion and then never lives in it?’ she said shaking her head walking towards the cottage close to the end of the drive. She glanced over the hedge seeing an older man knelt down in the middle of the rose bed, ‘afternoon Tim.’ She hollered seeing him straighten up his hands moving to his back as it creaked,
‘Afternoon Cathy dear.’
‘Lovely day for a spot of gardening.’ She said as Rufus barked at his front gate, the old man walked over to her reaching down and tickling behind the Irish setter’s ears getting a hefty lick for his troubles, ‘hello Rufus, yes I know mummy is getting later and later…working too hard.’ He said to the dog and Catherine laughed,
‘It’s been manic with the warm weather all the city folk have come back to their idyllic retreat and we are devising a new range which we are trying to bring in plus updating some of the old classics.’ She said seeing Wanda wave at her from the side path bringing out some flowers and placing them down next to the front door step,
‘Hello darling how are you?’ she approached wiping her hands on her shorts and leaning in to give the young woman a hug kissing her on the cheek before ruffling Rufus’s head,
‘Good thanks you? How’s the knee?’
‘Not too bad now the warmer weather is here.’
‘You two looking forward to your cruise?’ she asked trying to get Rufus to sit down again but failing as he twisted around her knees,
‘I think a little get away is just what we need but typical now that the sun has arrived.’ Wanda said rolling her bright blue eyes, ‘oh well. How’s work?’ she asked,
‘Manic I was just telling Tim that we are launching some new lines, going to start making some different pastries and Danishes as well as some savoury items which is going to be fun, I mean we aren’t Greggs or anything but you know and then we have been looking in to buying the shop that has come up for sale next door and maybe turning it into a coffee shop use our bread and rolls for the sandwiches and I have been chatting to Kerry in the cake shop down the road and she said she could make muffins, cookies, cakes the lot. That leaves us to add in the pastries and hire people who can actually make coffee unlike me and see how it goes; we have made enough to be able to do it so that way it keeps the trade local.’
‘Good on you.’ Wanda looked impressed,
‘Well we have to do something to try and keep Starbucks out of town.’
‘Well if you made Greggs disappear I’m sure you can keep the wolves at bay.’ Wanda said, ‘and we will certainly pop in when we come into town, won’t we Tim.’
‘Definitely.’ He said, ‘well I will leave you two to gossip, those roses won’t weed themselves.’ He said disappearing into the large mass of leaves again.
‘Cathy we have a favour to ask you.’ Wanda said,
‘Ok.’ She said raising one eyebrow,
‘On your way back how about you pop in for a coffee and we can both ask you.’ She said, Catherine agreed feeling Rufus pull at her again,
‘I better let him off otherwise he will moan at me all night.’ She said, ‘I will be back in about an hour.’ She said waving goodbye and making her way to the fields her mind whirring about what the couple could want.
Fifty minutes later she was back with a little bit of mud splattered up her calves from her quick dash through the woods pushing open the garden gate seeing Tim had long retreated inside the rose bed now weed free and the borders tidy, she tied Rufus to the cast iron boot scraper next to the door and rung the bell smiling as Tim answered the door,
‘Come in dear, you don’t have to leave him outside you know bring him round the back.’ Tim said,
‘I’ll go through the gate he got a bit muddy in the woods.’ She hoiked him round the back getting him to stay on the lawn, ‘can I borrow your hose?’ Wanda nodded, Catherine switched it on giving him a quick hose down telling him to go and lie in the sun seeing him immediately disappear into the far end of the garden sniffing around.
‘So Cathy can I get you a drink?’ Wanda asked,
‘You are buttering me up for something aren’t you?’ she asked,
‘Yeah we are, I know this is a big ask but we are going away for a month and we need someone to water the garden, feed the fish and make sure the house isn’t burgled. We know you walk past here every day to walk Rufus so we were wondering we know it’s a huge ask, but Phil and Janice are coming with us and there isn’t anyone else we trust to look after the place. Tracy lives too far away she said she would pop down every week if she could which was no good and Ben well he is too busy.’ Wanda sighed.
‘Of course I will do it, just leave me instructions and I might have a quick chop of the grass at some point if you want.’ She said accepting her gin and tonic,
‘Oh ok that was…easy…’ Wanda said smiling,
‘Well did you think I was going to say no, I have no life you know this, all I do is work, so coming and watering the garden or feeding the fish might be a welcome distraction.’ She said wondering if she really was the best person to pick, she hadn’t really ever been in the house before and only crossed beyond the gate a handful of times; it was no secret the couple who occupied Owl Cottage kept themselves to themselves.
‘Excellent in that case I will put the dinner on.’ Wanda said, ‘do you eat fish?’
‘I eat anything that doesn’t contain mustard.’ She said seeing Wanda disappear returning moments later with some salad in a bowl and some plates with the cutlery balanced on top. ‘Tell me Tim what do I have to do with this garden then? I don’t have to water my patio.’ He chuckled a deep laugh,
‘Just water everything you see, pots twice as much as the ground, if it’s particularly dry give it a thorough going over. In terms of the grass the mower is in the shed the extension cable is on the hook above it and the power socket is in the conservatory, don’t worry about trimming the edges, you don’t need to do any weeding. The fish need feeding every other day in the summer, just a small scoop of food doesn’t matter what time of day.’ He said and Catherine nodded trying to take in all the information,
‘Ok I think I can handle that.’ She said as Wanda came out with three plates of salmon and new potatoes, ‘this looks yummy.’ Catherine added as she got a pile of salad heaped on her plate, ‘so when do you two leave?’ she asked beginning to eat feeling ravenous,
‘We leave for the port Wednesday night, so the first day that we need you to check is I suppose Thursday.’ Wanda said. Catherine nodded letting the group fall into a comfortable silence as they ate admiring the garden and the early summer sunshine.