round of golf with his lawyer to talk about the demands being made by his aunt for this. He wasn’t leaving till he’d seen her.
The guy next to Emily leant over and said something to her under her breath. She nodded her head from side to side, clearly unsure whether she agreed. He shrugged and picked up his cup.
The waiter shouted that Will’s coffee was ready.
He turned to go and pick it up and pay just as Emily said, ‘She’s out the back. Probably in the orchard.’
Will paused. ‘Thanks,’ he said.
Emily narrowed her eyes at him as if in warning. He nodded. Then back-stepped a couple of paces before turning to pay for his coffee and try and work out how he got to this orchard.
The moody Spanish guy behind the counter went over and held the door open to the kitchen. ‘You can go through here,’ he said, seemingly observing Will with the same combination of wariness and interest that Emily had.
Jane clearly had quite a few supporters on this island, and somehow they all seemed to know about Will.
Will grabbed his coffee and walked through the back door, following where the guy had pointed through the little kitchen and out another door to a tiny garden with a crumbling stone wall and the remains of a big tree that had obviously crashed through the wall at some point.
He didn’t look back at any point but he could feel the whole place watching him.
There was no one in the garden. Behind the wall were hundreds of cherry trees. The great red fruits were glistening in the sunshine. He put his coffee down on the wall and looked out over the fallen trunk. Through the leaves and the long grass he could just see someone in the distance leaning up against one of the trees, their back to the cafe, a mound of cherries in their hand, seemingly waiting, killing some time probably before the person they were avoiding had gone and they could safely go back.
Will jumped the wall and, brushing the lichen and rubble off his hands, picked up the coffee and strolled through the orchard in the direction of the woman he was pretty certain was Jane.
He studied her as he got closer. Her hair was tied up high in a ponytail, strands coming loose all over the place. It looked damp still from the shower or maybe she swam in the river every morning. She was wearing old baggy blue jeans rolled up nearly to the knee and patched in places with bright pink material patterned with gold, on her top half she had on a red shirt, slightly faded from the sun, only two buttons done up down the front and half tucked in, the open cuffs hanging low over her hands, and no shoes.
Will felt suddenly overdressed in his trousers and brogues.
‘Hi,’ he said as he got nearer and she jumped back in surprise.
‘Oh my god,’ she put her hand on her chest. ‘You just made me swallow a cherry stone.’
Will laughed. ‘Sorry.’
But she didn’t laugh. Instead she moved a pace away from the tree and looked him up and down, then narrowing her eyes said, ‘What are you doing here?’
He had actually prepared an answer. All weekend he’d found himself unable to concentrate. All through the lunch he’d invited his brother to yesterday, the dinner with friends, the drinks in the bar that he’d left early, he’d felt like there was something nagging at the back of his mind. He was reluctant to say guilt – more unfinished business.
But now he was here he felt a touch less confident. In his head he was just going to rock up, Jane’s eyes would light up at the sight of him, he’d smooth things over, have a quick look at some of this Enid character’s stuff and get on with his life. But now, as he looked at her, the narrowed eyes, the patched jeans, the hand full of cherries and the bare feet – as he thought about the looks on her friends’ faces, the air of camaraderie in the cafe – he found himself suddenly on the back foot. A feeling he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. He found himself wanting to drop to his knees and apologise, sit
The guy next to Emily leant over and said something to her under her breath. She nodded her head from side to side, clearly unsure whether she agreed. He shrugged and picked up his cup.
The waiter shouted that Will’s coffee was ready.
He turned to go and pick it up and pay just as Emily said, ‘She’s out the back. Probably in the orchard.’
Will paused. ‘Thanks,’ he said.
Emily narrowed her eyes at him as if in warning. He nodded. Then back-stepped a couple of paces before turning to pay for his coffee and try and work out how he got to this orchard.
The moody Spanish guy behind the counter went over and held the door open to the kitchen. ‘You can go through here,’ he said, seemingly observing Will with the same combination of wariness and interest that Emily had.
Jane clearly had quite a few supporters on this island, and somehow they all seemed to know about Will.
Will grabbed his coffee and walked through the back door, following where the guy had pointed through the little kitchen and out another door to a tiny garden with a crumbling stone wall and the remains of a big tree that had obviously crashed through the wall at some point.
He didn’t look back at any point but he could feel the whole place watching him.
There was no one in the garden. Behind the wall were hundreds of cherry trees. The great red fruits were glistening in the sunshine. He put his coffee down on the wall and looked out over the fallen trunk. Through the leaves and the long grass he could just see someone in the distance leaning up against one of the trees, their back to the cafe, a mound of cherries in their hand, seemingly waiting, killing some time probably before the person they were avoiding had gone and they could safely go back.
Will jumped the wall and, brushing the lichen and rubble off his hands, picked up the coffee and strolled through the orchard in the direction of the woman he was pretty certain was Jane.
He studied her as he got closer. Her hair was tied up high in a ponytail, strands coming loose all over the place. It looked damp still from the shower or maybe she swam in the river every morning. She was wearing old baggy blue jeans rolled up nearly to the knee and patched in places with bright pink material patterned with gold, on her top half she had on a red shirt, slightly faded from the sun, only two buttons done up down the front and half tucked in, the open cuffs hanging low over her hands, and no shoes.
Will felt suddenly overdressed in his trousers and brogues.
‘Hi,’ he said as he got nearer and she jumped back in surprise.
‘Oh my god,’ she put her hand on her chest. ‘You just made me swallow a cherry stone.’
Will laughed. ‘Sorry.’
But she didn’t laugh. Instead she moved a pace away from the tree and looked him up and down, then narrowing her eyes said, ‘What are you doing here?’
He had actually prepared an answer. All weekend he’d found himself unable to concentrate. All through the lunch he’d invited his brother to yesterday, the dinner with friends, the drinks in the bar that he’d left early, he’d felt like there was something nagging at the back of his mind. He was reluctant to say guilt – more unfinished business.
But now he was here he felt a touch less confident. In his head he was just going to rock up, Jane’s eyes would light up at the sight of him, he’d smooth things over, have a quick look at some of this Enid character’s stuff and get on with his life. But now, as he looked at her, the narrowed eyes, the patched jeans, the hand full of cherries and the bare feet – as he thought about the looks on her friends’ faces, the air of camaraderie in the cafe – he found himself suddenly on the back foot. A feeling he wasn’t entirely comfortable with. He found himself wanting to drop to his knees and apologise, sit
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