Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 21 – Just What the Doctor Ordered

After closing the front door he suddenly remembered it was Burns Night and more significantly Carole’s blind date with Craig Frost.
The Burns Night Supper is normally held on or near the poet, Robert Burn's, birthday, the 25th January, which that year fell on a Friday.
It was significant in other ways as it was not only Carole’s first blind date ever but it was also her first date of any kind for almost 20 years.
So she was understandably nervous about dating again and unsure she wanted a strange man going to her house so she had taken Jack’s advice and was driving to his house where she would leave her car on his drive and then she could meet Craig and the others in his house for a convivial drink before they set off for the Burns Night Supper at the Worsted Viper Hotel in Purplemere.

So he had a quick tidy round and made himself something to eat then
After dinner Jack decided to open a bottle of wine and put his feet up and watch a DVD while he waited for his guests.
There were only a few DVD’s left in the lounge and the few remaining books he hadn’t packed away that he deemed fit for a Vicars eyes.
He went to the shelf and selected one of his all-time favourites “Where Eagles Dare”.
While he was watching TV and struggling to keep his eyes open he looked at the clock and saw that she would be with him in about ten minutes, and Carole was always punctual, so he thought he ought to be ready.

Right on time Carole arrived and reversed her Cherokee up the drive.
He watched through the window as she came to a stop, switched off the lights and got out.
Jack went to the front door and opened it just at the precise moment she reached it.
Carole was immaculately dressed as usual, but on this time she was in a full length green halter necked designer evening dress and a lavish faux fur shrug.
“Wow” he said, “you look stunning”
“Bless you Jack” she responded “but I’m scared to death”
She handed him the car keys, in case he needed to move it
“You shouldn’t be Carole” he reassured her “Craig will trip over his tongue when he sees you”

“But what if he doesn’t like me?” she asked with panic in her voice
and immediately looked down at the ground, Jack paused and placed his hand under her chin and tilted her head upward until he could look into her eyes.
“He’s going to love you the moment he sees you” he said to her softly
“I hope so” she replied forlornly and flopped down in an arm chair
“I’ll get you a drink” he said and went out to the kitchen where he picked up his phone and selected a number and it was answered in moments.
“Hello” Gemma said cheerfully
“Hi it’s Jack”
“Hello Jack we’ll be over shortly” she said brightly
“Can you come sooner?” he asked
“Why?”
“It’s Carole” he replied and added in a whisper
“Crisis of confidence”
“Oh I see,” she said sagely “I’ll be right over”

Gemma slipped on her shoes and shouted up the stairs to her brother
“I’m going over to Jacks, I’ll see you there in ten minutes”
“Ok” he called back and Gemma crossed the road and walked up the new path and knocked on the door.

“She’s in the lounge” he said “What are you going to do?”
“Massage her ego and ply her with drink until she cheers up”
She assured him and they both laughed and then she went to find her friend
“My God you look gorgeous” Gemma said

After ten minutes of ego massage Carole was in a better frame of mind altogether so when the boys arrived she was feeling very confident but her legs almost buckled when she saw Craig and Gemma gave Jack a smug look.

Well after a drink or two it was time to go and they left the house so Carole took Craig’s arm as they walked down the path to Tony’s car and never looked back.
“Have a great time all of you” he called after them

After closing the door he resumed his seat and refilled his glass and after taking a mouthful of wine he leant back into the cushions and promptly fell asleep.
He woke up just after ten o’clock, and the only reason he woke up then was because he needed a pee.
So he got up and attended to the matter in hand and when he finished attending to his call of nature, he was decidedly peckish so he went to the kitchen and made himself a snack, then he returned to his sofa, restarted the movie he began watching several hours earlier and sat eating cheese and biscuits’ as he watched Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood taking on the Nazis.
But alas before the end of the film he was asleep again, and this time when he woke up it was almost one o’clock and when he opened his eyes he was surprised to find Kayleigh sitting next to him on the Sofa.
“Hello” he said “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight”
“So I can see” she retorted with a smile and a glance at the empty wine bottles and dirty glasses on the table.

Jack had just finished explaining about the pre Burns Night drinks and Carole’ crisis of confidence to Kayleigh when there was a knock on the front door.
Jack looked at Kayleigh and then checked the clock before he got up and walked out into the hall, then he opened the door and a rather tipsy Carole almost fell through it.
“Hello Jack” she said with a flourish.
“You had a nice time then” he said as he helped her into the house.
“I had a wonderful time” she exclaimed extravagantly.
She tottered a few steps then kicked off her shoes, which made her a little more stable on her feet, and she quickly progressed into the lounge.
All the while talking nine to the dozen about how marvellous the evening was.
So much for the crisis of confidence, little miss insecure was now nowhere to be seen.
“So Craig did like you then” he asked as she plopped down on the sofa.
“He did,” she said smiling
“And you like him?” Kayleigh asked
“Yes” she replied coyly
“Good” they said as they sat down either side of her
“So what are you doing here then?” Kay asked with a furrowed brow
“Well I saw Jacks lights were still on from the taxi so I thought I’d come and tell you all about my evening” she explained.
“Why were you in a taxi?” Jack asked, “Why didn’t you come home with the others?”
“Tony booked a room for him and Gemma at the Hotel as a surprise” Carole said and added wistfully “very romantic”
“You could have got a room with Craig” Kayleigh suggested
“No I couldn’t,” she said indignantly
“What kind of a woman do you think I am? I couldn’t do that on a first date, and I don’t think he could either, I’ll have you know that Craig Frost is a gentleman”
“So why didn’t Craig bring you home then?” Jack asked
“Well he was over the limit so he couldn’t drive and although he offered I thought it might be a bit awkward, to have him ride all the way over in the cab and then go all the way back” she explained at length
“And it would have been cruel to tantalize him with my gorgeousness for the whole journey only to dash his hopes”
This lengthy explanation bought about a burst of laughter and when she eventually composed herself she was almost laying with her head and shoulders on Jacks lap.
“That still doesn’t explain why you came here” Kayleigh pointed out
“Duh” she exclaimed “to pick up my car”
“And you can’t think why that might not be appropriate?” Jack said and Carole adopted a demeanour of intense concentration as she wrestled with the question and then her features relaxed and she said
“I’m pissed”

After a cup of coffee it was decided that for appearances sake Carole would spend the night at Kayleigh’s as it was too far to drive her over to Clarence at that time of night.
But before they departed Carole needed to spend a penny and while she was using the facilities Kayleigh said
“I was hoping for a rather different end to the day”
“I’ll make it up to you” he said and kissed her
“You better had” she retorted as they heard the lock turn and a moment later Carole emerged.

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 20 – Cupid Strikes Again

Early on Tuesday morning Emily Bills phoned Jack to say that she and Davina would start work on the new path on Thursday but that the materials would be delivered sometime Wednesday afternoon and would he be at home to receive them, so Jack confirmed that he would.
In fact he was going to be home all week and planned to catch up with some email traffic.
After lunch however he did have a call from Dr Carole Anderson, asking if he and Kayleigh could meet her at the village hall at 2 o’clock.
As a result they had an early lunch and walked into the village for the appointed time.
When they approached the village hall they saw Dr Anderson and her receptionist Sarah Peters walking through the gate.
Once inside they found the new Vicar, Paul Massey and his girlfriend Martina Wingrove along with several members from the church committee.
Pleasantries were exchanged and Mrs Baxter, one of the older more unyielding members, even smiled at Jack, it was the type of smile that a baby makes, which you think is cute but it turns out to be wind.
When everyone was seated the business of the day could commence and given those assembled the only item on the agenda was Katie Watson.
First of all he informed them that a new front path was being laid that week, it was suggested that it might be widened to accommodate a wheelchair, but he had already thought of that and it was all in hand.
The front door was already wide enough as was the hallway.
The second item discussed were the arrangements for when the medical equipment could be delivered.
Carole and Kayleigh had provisionally agreed the first Monday in February and between them they had already done all the preliminary work and so it was just the final details to be sorted out.
Although he protested, it was decided a couple of volunteers would come and help him clear the lounge in readiness to receive a hospital bed and all its associated paraphernalia.
One area that took up quite some time to sort out was the nursing care.
The dioceses was to provide 24 hour nursing care for the last weeks but not for the whole period required, so a rota of volunteers would be required and someone to co-ordinate it, the obvious choice for this was Dr Anderson but clearly someone had assist who also needed to be medical so Jack suggested Gemma Frost who was matron up at Plaxton Park.
Equally important as Katie was such a popular person was a visitor’s rota and someone quite strict to administer it, this was a no brainer, so Sarah took this on.
The final item on the agenda was a date for when Katie would leave the Vicarage and take up residence in Jacks house, however short that stay might be.
Katie was keen to do it sooner rather than later and get out of Pauls way.
Paul on the other hand was not eager to hurry her out the door any sooner than was necessary, so they could only narrow it down to the second week of February.
Paul and Martina both volunteered to help her pack or redistribute her things as per her wishes.
Jack was keen that she should be able to surround herself with her personal things so he suggested they should make provision for that when preparing the room.
After that they adjourned the meeting and agreed to meet the same time the following week for a progress report.

Afterwards when almost everyone had left Jack got a chance to speak with Martina alone for the first time since before Christmas.
“I have a confession to make,” She said sheepishly.
“What’s that?” he asked
“I haven’t finished the installation yet” she said and covered her face with her hands.
“Is that all?” he asked
“What? You’re not cross with me?” she said through her fingers
“Of course not” he replied
“But I have no excuse” she admitted “no convoluted set of circumstances that would constitute a noble reason for not doing what I promised”
“You fell in love,” Jack said simply
“Yes I did” She responded blushing
“Well what better reason is there than that?” he continued
“Not very professional though” Martina said hanging her head
“Sometimes life just has a habit of getting in the way,” he said philosophically
“I’m so sorry” she said
“Don’t be silly, it’s not important,” he said “just finish it when you can”
But she didn’t look convinced
“Look, you’re so lucky, you’ve found love, just be happy”
“I am happy,” she said “and…”
“And what?” he asked
“We’re getting engaged” Martina told him.
“That’s fantastic,” he said genuinely
“We’re not telling anyone yet” she explained, “we don’t want to upset Katie”
“Why would she be upset?” he asked
“Well I feel guilty enough that she has to give up her home” she said “To tell her about getting engaged feels like rubbing salt in the wound”
“Katie knows that life goes on” he explained, “Tell her, she will be so happy”

After a kiss and a hug they said goodbye and he and Kayleigh left the church hall and went and tracked Gemma down and told her what he had volunteered her for.
As he suspected she was only too happy to help and promised to make the meeting the next week.

On Wednesday Jack continued in his fruitful correspondence management with gusto, interrupted only by the occasional pangs of hunger, and the promised delivery of building supplies Emily had forewarned him about being deposited on his drive.

Bright and early Thursday morning Davina knocked on the door.
“Hi Jack” she said brightly “Emily’s on her way”
“Davina!! You’re early” he replied
“Yes I know” she said “is the kettle on?”
“It’s not, but come in anyway” he said

Davina was a skinny waif like creature in her early twenties, with short straw blonde hair, in a kind of pixie cut, although it was probably achieved more by accident than design, and she was wearing a baggy tee shirt, leggings and work boots.
As he showed her into the kitchen he thought how confident she was now, with not a hint remaining of that timid creature he first met barely a year before.
After making a drink they sat at the kitchen table and chatted, mainly about her love life, or lack of it.
The mention of love life made him think immediately of Kayleigh and that made him sad because he was not seeing her for a couple of days plus he had to listen to Davina’s woes.
Ian Carr, her ex-boyfriend, was the main topic of conversation, because he wouldn’t accept it was over and kept pestering her.
“The only way to put him off is to find a replacement” Jack said
“That’s easier said than done” she retorted
She would have continued to bend his ear on the subject had Emily not knocked at the back door.

Emily Bills was a pretty woman with weathered elfin features, and short brunette hair, and a wiry muscular physique, but she managed to look feminine, she was not however a girly girl and had always tended to be a tomboy.
She stood five foot eight inches tall, and was slender and lean and she was a townie girl from Purplemere, and was twenty nine years old.

After Emily consumed her tea the girls set about laying the new front path and Jack went into his study and phoned Jacey and James at the club in order to be brought up to speed.
And his study was where he stayed for the best part of the day, only stopping to feed and water the girls.
The weather couldn’t have been better for the job in hand and by the end of the day Emily and Davina had done really well and had got all the foundation work done.
Because the old stepped path was being replaced by one all on the same level, much of the first day was spent building up the level confined within retaining walls, they worked on until 7.30pm to make sure they completed stage one.
As they had stayed so late Jack ordered an Indian takeaway and they sat in the lounge eating off trays on their laps and Kayleigh arrived just in time to join them.

Friday began dull and overcast but the sun soon burst through and was perfect for Emily and Davina to lay the pavers.
Jack didn’t feel particularly sunny though as Kayleigh was going to be spending the day with Carl as it was his birthday.
She always spent the important dates, Birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, New Year’s Eve, Halloween and Valentines with Carl up at Plaxton Park even if she didn’t know if he knew she was there or not because Carl was involved in a devastating car accident that left him severely, physically and mentally disabled and in need of perpetual care and had not responded to any external stimuli.
So she spent the majority of the day playing him her recordings or reading to him.
While the girls toiled outside Jack pottered about inside the house and made a start packing away a few bits and pieces into boxes and moving a quantity of DVD’s and books into the study so as to be out of sight of more sensitive souls, unfortunately that action reminded him that he needed to tidy in there as he was going to be using it a lot more in the coming weeks.
Apart from providing a regular supply of hot drinks and giving them a hot lunch he worked on tidying the study all day and the girls pressed on outside.
When he stopped what he was doing at four o’clock all the pavers were down and Davina was just hosing off the drive.
So after another successful day all that was needed was for Emily to return on Saturday morning to apply the finishing touches.
When they were getting ready to leave for the day he carried a couple of boxes he had filled out to the garage and then he was just on his way upstairs for a long relaxing bath when there was a knock at the door.
He thought one of the girls must have forgotten something but he opened it to reveal two muscular well tones young men with red hair and heavily freckled faces, the older of the two was in his late twenty and the other one was five years younger.
“Mr. Morehouse?” The older of the two men asked
“Yes” he replied
“We’re the Rooney brothers” the younger one said “I’m James and this is my brother David”
“Oh yes?” he said.
“Yes, we volunteered to help get the house ready for the Vicar” the older brother David said
“Oh ok but I’m not ready just yet” Jack said as he looked beyond them to see that the girls had stopped what they were doing and were giving the boys their undivided attention.
“That’s ok when you’re ready just give either of us a ring” James said and handed him a card
“Ok thanks lads” he said “it will be in the next week or two”
As the boys walked down the new path Emily and Davina watched them all the way and the flicking of hair did not go unnoticed by the Rooney boys.
Jack stood and smiled as the girls and the Rooney’s silently flirted with each other and when the boys finally left, Emily and Davina almost sprinted up to Jack and Emily asked urgently.
“Who were they?”
“Who were who?” he teased
“Don’t mess with me Jack” she said wielding a bass broom
“Oh the Rooney’s you mean” he said
“Tell us more” Davina demanded poking him in the chest
“Ok, ok, they are farmers from Lower Hawthorne” he said
“And…” Emily added
“The older one is David” he replied addressing Emily and then he turned to Davina and added “and the younger one is James”
“And what were they doing here?” she asked
“They are going to be helping to get the house ready for the vicar”
“Really? When?” Emily asked
“That information is on a strict “need to know” basis”
“Don’t make us hurt you” Davina said with a prod
“I’m seeing a different side of you Miss Carley”
“Never mind all that, just spill the beans” she said threateningly
“It’s still to be arranged” Jack said “So you two had better start being nice to me if you want to know when I know”

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 19 – Playing Cupid

On Monday morning Emily arrived at White Rose Cottage to quote Jack on the new path and step.
After which she said she would phone him with a price but said that she was quite busy and wasn’t sure when she would be able to fit it in but then he explained why he needed it doing sooner and she said not to worry because she would rearrange the diary.

Afterwards he drove into Purplemere to do a bit of shopping which was when he bumped into Gemma Frost coming out of a very expensive lingerie shop.
“Hello Jack” she said and air kissed him and then she spotted him looking at the designer carrier bag she was carrying.
“No you can’t look at them” she replied to what she deduced was an unasked question
“The thought never crossed my mind” he protested
“But if you’re offering to model them for me I wouldn’t say no”
“You’re incorrigible,” she said
“I’m merely trying to be accommodating” he said and she shook her head disappointedly and then asked
“Have you got time for a coffee?”
“I do” he replied and they went into a coffee house, a nice one, not one of the chains and Jack ordered the drinks as Gemma sat in the corner.
When he joined her she said
“Tongues have been wagging about the length of time Kayleigh has been spending at your house this week”
After a brief pause she continued.
“Until it immerged that you had been discussing the Vicars palliative care arrangements”
“People have nasty minds” he responded
“People don’t know the half of it” Gemma corrected him and gave him a knowing look before adding
“Look I understand, she’s a good looking woman, but…”
“But she’s a married woman” he said
“Yes and she’s lonely and vulnerable” Gemma said “And…”
“And I love her” Jack said
“It’s that serious?” she said shocked
“Yes” he replied “Very”
“Just don’t hurt her” Gemma said and drank her coffee before adding
“That’s an amazing thing you’re doing by the way”
“Not really” he replied and quickly changed the subject
“So who is the lingerie for? Who’s the lucky man?”
“It’s a secret” she replied and blushed
“Really? So it’s Tony Vassell then” he said and laughed
“How did you know?” she asked and laughed too
“It’s all round the village” he replied
“So where are you going?”
“The Burns Night Supper at the Worsted Viper Hotel in Purplemere” she replied at the precise moment Doctor Carole Anderson walked into the coffee shop.
He recognized her immediately, even though he had never seen her out of place before, he had only ever seen her in and around the village.
She looked around briefly and then to Jacks surprise she walked towards them, she was a tall slim woman, wearing a trouser suit,
50 years old, and remarkably attractive, with a warm smile and sympathetic hazel eyes, shoulder length brunette hair.
“Hi Gemma do you mind if I join you?”
“Of course” she replied “have you met Jack?”
“Ah the Good Samaritan” she said and shook his hand “yes many times, pleased to see you again”
“Likewise” Jack said “Can I get you a coffee?”
“A large Americano please”

When he returned to the table Gemma and Carole were talking about the Burns Supper.
“Aren’t you going?” Gemma asked
“No” Carole replied
“Why not?” she asked, “That’s your kind of thing isn’t it?”
“It is yes” she replied “but I don’t want to go on my own”
Gemma looked at her with puzzlement and then said
“Why not? You’re not exactly shy”
This made her blush and avert her gaze but after a few moments she looked back at her.
“I know my ex was a useless husband who abandoned me for his cronies the moment we’d get through the door of any social event but at least he was an arm to hold on to when we arrive” she confessed “So no escort, no supper”
“Well I would offer myself, but even as a Good Samaritan, I draw the line at haggis” Jack said “and bagpipes would be too much to endure even for an evening in your delightful company”
They all laughed and then Carole said
“I thought you already had someone to occupy your arm anyway”
“Yes” he agreed proudly and then added
“There is a solution you know”
“What’s that?” she asked vaguely
“Craig”
“Who?” Carole asked
“Gemma’s brother Craig” he said “I’ve met him and he’s very nice”
“Yes” Gemma replied, “You’d like Craig”
“That’s as maybe but...” she left the sentence unfinished
“But what?” Gemma asked
“I’m a bit old for blind dates” she replied “And I haven’t been on a date of any kind for so many years”
“Is that all that’s holding you back?” he asked
“And I’m not sure I want a stranger knowing where I live” she admitted.
“He’s not a stranger” Gemma said
“Well not to you obviously” Carole said and they sat quietly for a few moments drinking their coffee when a thought occurred to him and he said
“Well if you don’t want him to pick you up at your house you could always meet at my house for pre drinks”
Carole didn’t speak but was considering the merits of his suggestion in silence so he pressed on
“Then you can all head off to Purplemere together”
“Do you think I should?” she asked earnestly
“Yes we do” they replied

Finally when they left the coffee house they air kissed and all went their separate ways and Jacks way took him deeper into town to complete his shopping expedition which took him just over an hour and then he returned to the car park with his purchases.

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 18 – An Angelic Solution

So on Saturday morning it was with a feeling of relief and not trepidation that Jack took a phone call from his Solicitor Christine Prunot from Curtis, Mitchel and Lovegood.
After the usual seasonal preamble regarding who did what over Christmas and New Year she proceeded to say that she had received a firm offer for one of his property’s.
His Uncle Daniel had invested heavily in bricks and mortar and he had an extensive portfolio, but when Jack had inherited his estate and found out exactly how large it was he resolved to redistribute a large chunk of his wealth to worthy causes, however a lot of that wealth was tied up in property so he instructed Christine to begin realizing some of his real estate assets and Barraclough Ventures were interested in a large plot of old industrial units in Northchapel.
Under normal circumstances he would have jumped at the chance but after Kayleigh’s revelation and her clingy character in the aftermath of it he didn’t feel able to disappear for a couple of days so he was hesitant to agree to go and meet with the potential buyers.
“I’ll give it some thought and call you back later” he said
“Who was that?” Kayleigh asked
“Christine Prunot” he replied “She wants me to go to Northchapel for a business meeting”
“You’re not going are you?” she asked with alarm
“Well it is important” he said “But…”
“But…?”
“I just had a an idea” he said “we could both go”
“Oh yes” she agreed with relief

Barraclough Ventures head offices were in Abbottsford but they had satellite offices all over the county and beyond, so they were meeting Samantha Barraclough and Isabelle Decoene in the Northchapel office.

They decided to stay overnight in a very luxurious Hotel, called the Doll’s House and agreeing to go proved to be the right decision for them, firstly the meeting with Barraclough Ventures, who were planning the regeneration of the former Industrial Power House of Downshire, went exceedingly well and the property sale was settled and secondly on a personal level it was a perfect getaway.

When they got back to the village Kayleigh was much more relaxed and they quickly settled down to the pre New Year routine of splitting her time between Jack and her disabled husband Carl while Jack divided his time between her and the Club.
That was until one afternoon when he was making his way down the stairs and the doorbell rang.
“Ok I’m coming” he called and got to the front door as quickly as possible and on opening it he discovered Kayleigh standing on the other side in tears.
“What’s happened?” he asked as he pulled her into the house and quickly closed the door and she threw herself into his arms.
It was some minutes before she had composed herself sufficiently to be able to speak.
“I’ve just come from the Vicarage,” she sobbed
It was apparently now widely known that Katie was stepping down as Vicar of St Lucy’s and that Paul Massey would be taking over from her but it wasn’t as yet generally known that she was dying.
But this would all too soon become apparent as her condition had begun to deteriorate in the two weeks since he had last seen her.
Katie was determined to vacate the Vicarage and make room for Paul who was trying to establish himself in the village.
He was at that time lodging at the Hen and Chickens, which was not the most suitable accommodation for a man of the cloth or for a layman, not that he would have minded staying there if it meant not putting Katie out of her home.
But Katie was of a mind to go, but she didn’t want to end her days in a hospice, although she had been offered a place at Plaxton Park, she’d spent too many hours at the hospice bedside of sick parishioners ministering to them as they slipped into the next world to want to breathe her last in one herself, and Kayleigh new that feeling herself as she had done it for half a lifetime with Carl.
Paul would willingly let her slip her mortal bonds in her own home but Katie was a practical woman though, and she knew the vicarage was too small to accommodate a hospital bed and all the other paraphernalia required for a terminally ill patient.
So it looked like she would face the end in the one place she most dreaded which is what brought Kayleigh to Jacks door in tears.
And they began to flow once more at the retelling of it.
They sat on the sofa and he consoled her as best he could and then it occurred to him, a light bulb moment, the perfect solution had presented itself.
“What about here?” he suggested,
“It’s a big house and there’s only me”
Kayleigh stopped crying and was staring intently at him
“We could easily get a bed in here with enough chairs for the visitors and the downstairs bathroom is across the hall”
Kayleigh looked around the room and then in the direction of the bathroom when he mentioned it and then back at him
“You would do that?” she asked
“Yes” he replied “of course”
“There will have to be twenty four hour care before the end,” she said
“There is a spare room” he replied
“Katie won’t agree,” Kayleigh, stated, “she won’t want to be a burden”
“What is it about sick people not wishing to be a burden?” he said crossly
“When my time comes I plan on being a burden to all and sundry”
“She’s not you” Kayleigh rebutted
“That’s true enough, I’ll go and talk to her,” he suggested
“We’ll go together,” Kayleigh said
“Ok” he agreed
“She’s resting now but we can go later” Kayleigh said with a nod and there were a few minutes of uncomfortable silence before he put his arms around her and said
“We will convince her because it’s the right thing to do and she is so deserving”

After spending a cold winter afternoon on the sofa with Kayleigh, regrettably they couldn’t dwell there too long as they had a difficult yet pressing task to undertake.
So they left the house and walked the short distance to the vicarage as the snow lightly fell again.
Once inside they had a long, emotional and at times tearful visit with Katie but by the end of it they had managed to persuade her to accept his offer and move into White Rose Cottage as soon as all the arrangements could be made.
After which they left the vicarage emotionally drained and physically exhausted but nonetheless elated at having achieved their objective.

“Well I need to go and see Carl” Kayleigh said when they reached her house
“I’ll leave you here then” he said “I need some essentials from Stephenson’s”
“Ok” she replied “Will I see you later?”
“Of course hon” he almost responded but substituted “Kay” in place of “hon” just in time, Kayleigh blushed because she knew what he was going to say and got in the car, then she said
“I’ll call you”
Jack then walked across to Stephenson’s, he didn’t need much just bread and milk mainly but by the time he had wandered around the shop he had a basket full.

As he was approaching his house a car pulled up outside Gemma’s house and a distinguished looking gentleman got out of the driver’s side and hurried round to open the passenger door.
He then proffered his hand to the passenger who took it without a second thought and he helped the lady out of the car.
The lady in question turned out to Gemma herself who gave him a wave and a smile.
“Hi Gemma” he called
“Jack how are you?” she asked amiably
“I’m fine thanks” he answered and glanced in the direction of her escort
“Oh how rude” she said “Jack this is Craig”
“Craig this is my friend and neighbour Jack Morehouse”
“Nice to meet you Craig” he said and shook his hand
“You too Jack, I’ve heard a lot about you”
“Oh dear” he exclaimed, “Have you known Gemma long?”
“Yes quite a while” Craig said as she opened the front door and stepped in, “She’s my baby sister”
“Really?” Jack said “Well she is much loved in the village because she’s one of the angels”
“Yes she’s always been like that” he said proudly
“Are you visiting for long?” Jack asked
“Just for a few days”
“Well it was nice meeting you,” Jack said
“Likewise” he concurred and they shook hands again

When he got to his front door he noticed the damage on his front step, it had needed attention when he first moved in and he had been meaning to get it sorted but there had been no urgency so he let it slip.
But the frost and ice of winter had made its presence felt and there was a corner broken off one slab and another one was badly cracked, so he would have to get someone to replace them.
It had to be up to snuff with all the comings and goings of the next few months with Katie taking up residence.

When he got inside he phoned a local girl, Emily Bills, who lived on the outskirts of Purplemere and kept his garden in order and she also did hard landscaping.
But he only got her voice mail so he left her a message asking her to come and quote for some hard landscaping work.

Jack replaced the phone on the cradle and went to the kitchen and started preparing dinner so that when Kayleigh returned from seeing Carl he would make them both a delicious Spanish omelette.

On Saturday Kayleigh spent the day with Katie and Jack had such a lazy day that he didn’t even bother to get dressed and the most strenuous thing he did was put a frozen dinner in the microwave.
He did however take a phone call or two, one of which was from Emily Bills in response to the voice mail he left her the day before.
“Hi Emily” he said, “thanks for ringing back”
“Hello Jack” she responded, “I got your message, I trust “Hard Landscaping” isn’t a euphemism for one of your perversions”
“No its not” Jack said laughing “I need you to give me a quote for a new front path and doorstep”
“I can come on Monday morning” she said
“Why do you want a new path anyway?”
Jack explained that the path was in need of repair and that future events required that it be in optimum condition but he was evasive as to the nature of the afore mentioned events.

The other phone call was from Kayleigh, which was much longer in duration than the previous one due to the subject matter, namely the arrangements for Katie Watson’s palliative care.
They had had a prolonged conversation with Katie’s primary physician Carole Anderson who was very receptive and thought it was an excellent solution although she didn’t know Jack as well as Katie and Kayleigh but she had heard good things about him.
Part of the discussion was making the arrangements for when the medical equipment could be delivered and they provisionally settled on the first Monday in February, Dr Anderson would take care of all the details and all Jack had to do was ensure the lounge was sufficiently de-cluttered to receive a hospital bed and all its associated paraphernalia.

He awoke on Sunday morning to find the thaw had set in and the snow was beginning to clear away and as it was Sunday it was time to reacquaint himself with the lord, unfortunately Kayleigh wasn’t going to be with him as she was with Katie.
So he left home early on a bright winter morning and walked alone to the Church, it was a milder morning than it hand been of late but the atmosphere was rather frosty, there were lots of hushed whispers and sideways looks, people talking behind their hands and the like, so by the time he was seated in the church he was not feeling the love after the very unchristian behaviour of the other congregants.
It was apparent that he and Kayleigh were the talk of the village as they had been observed embracing when she arrived at his house in tears, which was ironic really as they were normally very discreet, and on that occasion he did nothing other than comfort her.
It was only when Gemma and Elise arrived that someone actually spoke to him.
“Morning Jack” they chorused
“Hi girls” he said “so you’re talking to me then?”
“Oh don’t mind the small minded” Gemma said giving the Rubber Necker’s one of her looks.

After the service Reverend Paul Massey approached Jack and spoke to him at the back of the church, and they were quickly joined by his girlfriend Martina Wingrove, it was the first time Jack had seen her for a few weeks and she looked wonderful and it really warmed his heart to see the two of them together.
As the minutes passed by more and more of the congregation came and shook his hand or gave him a smile because it was now common knowledge that he had extended his hospitality to the Vicar, so by the end there was just the hard core of village witches who stood their ground and looked daggers at him.

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 17 – Sad Birdsong

Jack travelled to Sharping-St-Mary by car and misjudged the travel time and reached the Hotel more than an hour early so he parked the car and went for a walk around the Village to kill some time finally arriving at the Coachman’s Arms just before 3.00pm.
He bought a drink and sat down at a table with a view of the door and looked around the bar at the other customers.
Jack looked away when he heard someone enter from reception but it wasn’t Kayleigh so he resumed his perusal of the other guests.
When he first arrived he wasn’t sure if he should go to the bar and order himself a drink or report to reception, he decided on the former but having sat in the bar nursing a drink for 20 minutes he guessed he had made the wrong choice.
So he finished his drink and was on his way to reception when he met Kayleigh coming the other way.
“Oh hello” She said avoiding eye contact
“Hi” he said, “are you ok?”
“Yes” she replied blandly as she looked randomly around anywhere than at him.
“Let’s go upstairs”
Kayleigh turned around and Jack followed her but was beginning to wish he’d stayed at home, she didn’t speak a word for the whole way and they reached the door to the room and still not a word and she opened the door and they entered, still in silence, and Jack closed the door and dropped his bag on the floor.
“What the hell is going on Kayleigh?” he snapped and she turned around and looked him in the eye for the first time and tears started to well up in her eyes and then ran down her cheeks as she sobbed before throwing herself into his arms.
“I’m sorry” she said and buried her tearstained face in his neck and he made encouraging noises and stroked her back but being a shoulder to cry on was the full extent of his expertise and they held that position for some time until Kayleigh’s sobs began to get shallower and shallower and eventually abated altogether, but still she held on to him.

The room was cool as they sat on the sofa and sat there in each other’s arms and he asked
“So what’s going on Kayleigh?”
She didn’t reply she just sat with her face turned away from him.
“Why have you been avoiding me? Why have you been ignoring my phone calls and texts?” he asked
“I’m sorry Jack” she replied
“Earlier you couldn’t even look at me” he said, “What have I done?”
She quickly turned to look at him
“You haven’t done anything” she said and kissed his cheek
“So why did you make me promise not to be angry?” he asked her
“Because I have to tell you something” Kayleigh replied
“That you probably won’t want to hear”
“I don’t understand,” he said
“What won’t I want to hear?” he asked
“It’s about Katie” she said
“The Vicar? What about her?”
“She’s dying” Kayleigh said flatly
“What?” he said
“She’s dying,” she repeated
Jack was stunned into silence and he suddenly felt rather small.
“How?” he asked though it didn’t really matter, he didn’t know what else to say.
“Cancer” Kayleigh said “very aggressive”
“Where?” He asked again for want of something worthwhile.
“Her brain” she replied “to begin with, but its metastasized”
“What’s the prognosis?” he asked hopefully
Kayleigh shook her head in response.
“Is there no treatment?” Jack asked
“Yes but it will only delay its progress and she doesn’t want to prolong it any longer than necessary”
“Doesn’t she want to fight it?” he said angrily
“She has no fear of death” Kayleigh replied, “She knows where she is bound”
There was a prolonged silence as he took in the news and tried to process it and after about 10 minutes he said
“How long have you known?”
“About the cancer, since November, and about her dying she told me when I spent the day with her before New Year’s Eve” she replied
“Who else knows?” he asked
“Just Doctor Anderson, me and the Bishop” she answered and sobbed.
“It must have been hell” Jack said and kissed her forehead and as tears ran down her cheeks and he began to cry.
Obviously Jack had lost people dear to him during his life and had had to cope with the resulting grief, but this was something else, something for which he had no frame of reference.
She was a dear friend and a minister of God, a good and Godly person, an ally against the dark, one of the angels and a force for good.
There was no point asking why the God she loved so much was taking her, and she didn’t question it; she was prepared for it and content with it.
All they could do was be there for her and support her and it would have been the only thing that she wished for, and she could have demanded any number of things and they would have been forth coming because she was so beloved.
But their love and friendship was the only thing she craved, she was content to go then.
All they had to do was agree and they did unreservedly, how could they refuse the dying wish from the most unselfish person either of them had ever met.
Once Kayleigh and Jack had composed themselves it was well into the evening and they were very hungry so they freshened up and went in search of food.

When they had returned to the hotel they were ready for bed and when he had finished in the bathroom Kayleigh was in bed lying on her side and he slipped under the duvet and snuggled up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.
“I’m sorry” Kayleigh said “For avoiding you”
“There’s nothing to apologize for” he responded and they lay quietly under the covers until he asked
“Why did you want to tell me here and not in the Village?”
“Because I knew I would breakdown and I would need you to hold me in your loving arms and then I would reveal to the whole village that I love you” she said “and that would be a terrible betrayal of Carl”
“I understand” he replied and for the first time ever they went to sleep without making love.

When morning came they awoke to find they were still in each other’s arms in much the same position as they were when they went to sleep.
It was a unique experience for them to occupy the same bed and not to have made love but it happened nonetheless and furthermore they didn’t make love that Sunday morning either, but only because it was late and he and Kayleigh wanted to get back to the village for the morning service as they were in desperate need of spiritual refreshment.

In the week that followed Kayleigh clung to him like a limpet and only left his side to go and visit Carl and even then they were short visits.
He was grateful for her company however because when he was left alone with his own thoughts he found them uncomfortable companions.

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 16 – Music Lovers

Jack had been in work every day since he got the text from Kayleigh and apart from the first day his mood had improved and he stopped taking it out on other people and when James told him that he had Elise laid up ill in his flat he insisted that he went home and looked after her and to take all day Friday off as well and he would cover for him.

It was about an hour after James had finally agreed to go home when he was interrupted by the telephone.
“Hello” he said
“Hello Jack” a quiet voice said
“Kayleigh?” he asked
“Yes it’s me,” she sobbed
“Are you ok?” he queried
“No” she snapped “No I’m not”
He hadn’t spoken to Kayleigh since before the New Year.
Since then he had only had the one communication which was on New Year’s Day he had convinced himself up until then that she had fallen in love with him but he thought that her going away for a few days was due to the fact that she felt guilty for betraying her husband, her severely disabled husband.
“What’s wrong?” he asked
“I so need to see you,” she said
“Ok” he replied suspiciously
“There is something I have to talk to you about, something that has been eating away at me”
“What is it?” he asked not sure if he wanted to know because he was sure it was guilt.
“I should have told you before, but…” she tailed off “now time is running out”
“So tell me already” he said impatiently
“I can’t on the phone” Kayleigh stated, “I need to do it face to face, it’s important”
“Ok” he agreed “when?”
“Can we meet Saturday?” she said
“Yes Saturday is fine” he replied
“Ok then I’ll meet you at the Coachman’s Arms Hotel in Sharping-St-Mary Saturday afternoon at 3.00pm” she said coldly
“I’ll book a room”
“Ok” he said “I’ll see you then”
“Promise me you won’t be angry” Kayleigh added randomly
“What?” he asked with surprise
“Promise me” she insisted
“Ok” he relented “I promise”
And she hung up leaving him completely confused and he was worried that his worst fears had been realised and she wanted to call a halt to their relationship.
But what was all that about promising to not get angry.

On Friday morning Elise was feeling much better and they actually got to spend the day downstairs together like a proper couple.
Elise was very lovey dovey all day, she thought he was some great prize because he had looked after her while his beloved was sweating out a fever in his bed and by 9 o’clock she could barely keep her eyes open so he walked her up to bed.

When Jack turned in that night he spent a very fitful night tossing and turning as he mulled over the conversation with Kayleigh and the usual tingle of anticipation he felt when they were planning to meet had been replaced by feelings of great trepidation.

When Jack got up on Saturday morning he was completely shattered and it took a long hot shower and several coffees to shift his lethargy but he still harboured feelings of dread regarding his rendezvous with Kayleigh.

James was up early on Saturday morning and left for work about nine o’clock and within half an hour of his arrival at the Waterside Club he had a surprise visit from Elise
“Hello hon” he said, “what are you doing here?”
“I just came to say I love you” she replied
“Really?” he asked
“Yes, and I also came to say thank you for looking after me” she replied as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.
It was only a brief visit she only stayed long enough for a prolonged kiss before she headed back to Turnoak to change before she went out again.

Ian Riley was thin and pale with sandy hair, he was sharp featured and keen eyed, not entirely unlike a bird in appearance, and was 45 year old.
He lived in Turnoak, in the same house he was born in, which he shared with his Niece Elise, although he didn’t see much of her since she met and fell in love with James Lynch, in fact he hadn’t seen her at all that year.
He was glad for her though and thought she deserved to find love she was far too nice not to have a significant other.
And since New Year’s Eve he had hopes in that department himself after he met Anne Wingrove at St Lucy of Syracuse church, where he was practicing a particularly troublesome piece by Wesley after Reverend Massey made a last minute change to the New Year program.
She was the sister of Martina Wingrove who was the love interest of the new Vicar and when Ian for saw Anne he thought she was unmistakable Martina’s sister, just a different build she was also tall, but was slight to Martina’s curvy and her eyes were a darker blue and her straw coloured hair was straight rather than curly and was less unruly and was a few years older which made her two years Ian’s junior.
There was an instant attraction which was not hampered by the fact that they both had a musical background she was the Deputy Head at Purplemere Park Music Academy while he worked in a much more humble capacity in the Music department at St Hilda’s Theological College in Grangemount.
But the clincher was that they were both Church organists, he at St Lucy’s and she at Mary of Bethany in Clarence.
So before they parted company on New Year’s Eve he said
“There is an organ recital at Abbottsford Cathedral next weekend, would you like to go?”
“Yes that would be lovely” she said “And perhaps we could have dinner while we’re there”
“That’s a great idea” Ian agreed

Following the New Year’s Day service’s at Mary of Bethany which kept her busy all day, Anne found the days passed very slowly and she had never known a week pass at such a sedate pace.
She knew the reason very well, it was because she was looking forward to the Organ recital in Abbottsford on Saturday or more precisely she was looking forward to attending it with Ian Riley and having dinner with him.
In fact she was so eager to see him again that she didn’t want to wait until Saturday evening so she racked her brain to think of a reason for them to meet earlier and the answer came to her when she picked up the Abbottsford Clarion of the door mat because the front page headline was “Wurlitzer Returns”.

On Friday Anne sat down with a mug of coffee and picked up her phone and keyed in Ian’s number.
“Ian, its Anne”
“Hi Anne” he replied hoping that she wasn’t calling to cancel “All set for tomorrow?”
“Well that’s what I’m calling about” she said and his heart sank
“Oh”
“Yes I read in the Abbottsford Clarion this morning that there’s a Clarke Gable retrospective at the Tivoli this weekend”
“That’s interesting” he retorted as enthusiastically as he could considering he wasn’t a Gable fan
“No that’s not the interesting part” she continued “They are unveiling the Wurlitzer”
“Oh yes I forgot about that” Ian said brightly
“Well do you fancy it?” she asked
“Definitely” he replied “But I’m going to be in Abbottsford tomorrow morning so I won’t have time to get back to pick you up so would it be alright if I meet you there?”
“Yes that’s fine I’m staying at my mums tonight anyway” she explained
“So I’ll meet you in the café opposite the theatre at 12.30”
“Perfect” he concurred “See you tomorrow”
“Ok bye Ian” She said and hung up
As she sat and finished her coffee she complimented herself on her deft handling of the situation whilst chastising herself for telling him a little white lie regarding her movements Friday night as she was not in fact staying with her mum that night but her hastily arranged plans would now necessitate her speaking to her mum and inviting herself to stay the night.
She didn’t think that lying was a really appropriate way a starting a relationship but she said out loud
“Needs must when the devil drives”
After all she was rather attracted to him and she hadn’t felt that way about anyone for a few years so it was worth the tiniest of white lies to ensure she didn’t let him slip through her fingers.

The Tivoli theatre was an old cinema originally built in the nineteen twenties.
At that time it was the only cinema for twenty miles in any direction so Abbottsford was the envy of the district, by the late seventies however films had gone out of fashion and the theatre was closed.
It was in disuse for more than ten years, it was however spared the indignity of becoming a bingo hall as many a fine picture house had. When the cinema revival happened, Chris Bourne, a local man made good, who like many, had fond memories of the Tivoli, mainly associated with courting, restored the theatre to its former glory with the help and support of the Mornington Estate.
Ironically it was the advent of satellite television and video rental, supposed to give us all so much choice of home viewing, which seemed to spark the revival.
It was feared for a while that the renovations would be in vain as a new multiplex cinema was opened in the new Phoenix shopping center development.
But Chris Bourne was unperturbed and decided that the Tivoli should specialize in classic movies and retrospectives.
As a result people traveled from miles around, from all over Downshire and beyond, as they did in the twenties and thirties.
The theatre was located in the older part of town in what used to be the high street.
There were no longer any shops of note in the high street, they had long since moved into the Phoenix center and when the Abbottsford ring road was opened the High street was pedestrianized and this action inadvertently created a sort of leisure haven.
Where once the road had run were now benches, planters, ornamental lights and even a fountain.
The vacant shops had for some time been occupied by a collection of restaurants, fast food outlet's, bars, café’s and wine bars.
The only premises not connected to food or drink were charity shops, craft shops, second hand book shops, two art galleries and of course the Tivoli Theatre.

Anne was early, which wasn’t unlike her, but it was worse that day as she was twenty minutes early but as she walked past the fountain she spotted Ian, who was also early.
“He’s keen” she thought to herself and smiled
But after discovering her date was also early she was in a dilemma, should she take advantage of the fact that they were both early or hide behind the fountain for twenty minutes.
It was difficult because she liked the fact that he was keen to see her but she didn’t want to give him the impression that she was equally so, even if she was.
In the end she compromised and hid for five minutes and from the safety of her hiding place she watched him sit at one of the tables in the window of Luigi’s Café just opposite the Tivoli.

Ian sat down at the table and ordered a drink and took out a newspaper but after a couple of minutes a young woman walked up to him, an attractive curvy blonde and they hugged, and it was a long hug then Ian gestured to an empty chair and the woman sat and then they chatted for a few minutes which was when Anne decided she didn’t care what kind of impression she gave him she was going over now to rescue him from the blonde trollop.
So she walked across to the café and in through the door and approached him on his blind side and stopped in his peripheral vision almost immediately he turned around and seemed surprised to see her.
“Hi” She said smiling broadly and he stood up “You’re early.”
“Anne” Ian said and smiled “This is Elise, my nice”

Ian ordered drinks for Anne and Elise and they laughed and joked for the next ten minutes until Ian suggested that he went to buy the tickets while they finished their drinks
“That’s a good idea” She said and while he was gone she quizzed Elise about her uncle

When Ian returned Elise said her goodbyes and as they watched her walk away Anne slipped her arm through his and they turned their gaze upon each other, smiled and made their way across to the theatre.

Angels, Lovers and Songbirds Chapter 15 – Lovers and Beginners

Jack Morehouse woke up annoyingly early on New Year’s Day and was facing a long day of wishing he was with Kayleigh.
But his long day got longer as he sat in the kitchen during the afternoon drinking coffee and thinking about when he would see her again when he received a text.
In fact it was a long rambling narrative in a series of texts, but the gist of which was that she needed to get away for a few days, and she would be in touch at the end of the week.
He instantly replied and asked her if something had happened but he got no response so he tried ringing her but his calls went straight to voice mail, he then resorted to banging on her front door but she had clearly left already to wherever she had gone and he was distraught because he was very much in love with her, more even than he had previously imagined.
So he did the only thing he could do under the circumstances and that was to kill time at the Waterside Club.

In contrast to Jack’s black mood, for Ian Riley everything in the garden was lovely because he had met and fallen for Anne Wingrove and she had fallen likewise and they were meeting again on Saturday as he was taking her to the organ recital at Abbottsford Cathedral.
But as they emailed back and forth during the week the plans grew more elaborate.

Ian was on his own for the New Year celebrations because his niece Elise was staying with her new boyfriend James Lynch for a few days.
James had risen early as was his habit irrespective of the lateness of the hour they went to bed, he still woke up at the same time he did everyday so he sat in the kitchen, drank coffee and read the paper.
The couple were due to eat New Year’s Day lunch at his sisters in Shallowfield so at nine o’clock he stopped what he was doing and made Elise a cup of tea.
Tea mug in hand he was on his way upstairs to wake her when the phone rang so he stopped and did a U-turn and picked up the phone.
“Hello”
“James?” the voice said “it’s Molly”
“Hi Mol, Happy New Year” he said
“Yes Happy New Year” she responded vaguely
“Is everything ok?” he asked
“No” she replied, “it’s the twins, they’ve been throwing up all night so we thought it best to cancel lunch as a precaution” she continued “I’m sorry to let you down at such short notice”
“Nonsense” James said, “These things happen”
“I suspect it’s been brought on by two much chocolate but just in case it is a bug” she elaborated “Perhaps we could do it another time”
“Of course” he said “No problem”

After he had put down the phone he decided not to continue his journey up the stairs to wake Elise.
As they were now not going out he decided to let her sleep in, mainly so he could finish reading the paper in peace.
But as he sat down at the table he was hit by the sudden realization that as they were no longer dining out he needed to prepare something for lunch.
And then after having looked out the window at the thick freezing fog he settled on a warming hot pot so he started to prepare it.

Once lunch was ready to go in the oven he had a quick peak in on Elise who was still sleeping soundly and then proceeded to read the paper again.

At twelve o’clock he looked in on Elise again and she was beginning to stir so James made her a fresh cup of tea.
He opened the bedroom door and she opened her eyes as he walked in.
“Hi honey,” he said brightly
“I don’t feel well James” she replied
“What’s wrong?” he asked with concern
“I think I have the flu,” Elise croaked so he tested her forehead with the back of his hand and she was burning hot.
So he went into the bathroom and got some max strength cold capsules.
“Take these,” he said as he gave her two with a glass of water and Elise did as instructed
“Now go back to sleep” he said
“What about lunch?” she queried
“It’s been cancelled” he told her and she looked puzzled.
“The twins are hurling,” he said
“Oh” she responded and closed her eyes.
“I’ll go out later and pick up some more tablets” he said
“Ok” she answered and he left the room.

As Elise was laid up in bed and the hot pot lunch had suddenly become dinner he decided he might as well go and kill an hour or two at the Club, that way he could pick up a sandwich for him and the cold relief medicine for Elise on the way.
He rather liked having someone he could look after and he was returning the favour because she looked after him when he was laid up with his knee.

It was such a horrible day and he shivered as he got in the car
“This freezing fog gets right into your bones” he thought
He stopped at a Stephenson’s convenience store on route and got his lunch and the tablets he was after and then carried onto the Club and was surprised to see Jack Morehouse’s car parked by the staff entrance.
There were about a dozen cars parked in all, even though the club wasn’t actually open until Friday night but the clean-up crew was in clearing up after New Year’s Eve.
When he got inside he found Jack in a foul mood so he didn’t stay for long and told Jack he had just popped in on his way to his sisters.

Also out and about on a foggy New Year’s Day was Gary Spiers who was the owner of Sounds In Spiers, who Jack had employed to sort out the Audio Visual system at St Lucy’s, and that was the pretext under which he arrived in Turnoak that day.
But in truth he was there in the hope of running into Hannah Peters, who was the Vergers sister, and the reason for that was that he had fallen for her in a big way.
Unfortunately he was later than he planned and there was no sign of her but he did see her sister the Verger.
“Hello Sarah”
“Hi Gary” she responded “are you here to check on the system or were you looking for my sister”
“The latter” he confessed
“You just missed her” Sarah said “She has her last trial shift up at Plaxton Place today”
“Oh damn”
“Go after her, she won’t have got far, she’s walking to work, it’s a bit of a yomp but she’s a bit nervous so she could use some moral support, and a cuddle I suspect” Sarah said
“Oh ok then” Gary said and gave Sarah a wave as he drove off.

He really liked Hannah but although they made a definite connection after the night Jack put everyone up at White Rose Cottage following the impromptu meeting in Purplemere, they hadn’t followed up on it, not for the want of trying however, but he ran his own business and she was a nurse who worked shifts so things hadn’t gone to plan which was why he took a gamble and drove over to Turnoak.

Just after he passed the sign for Hawthorne he spotted Hannah walking across the road so he sounded the horn and stopped alongside her before lowering the window.
“Do you want a lift gorgeous?”
“Yes please” she said smiling broadly and quickly got in the car.

“Why are you walking?” he asked “on such a horrible day”
“Nervous” she replied, “It’s my final trial shift today”
“I know I saw Sarah at the Church and she told me” Gary said
“I’ll drive you up to the Hospital and keep you company until you need to go in”
“That would be lovely” she said
So Gary drove her up to Hawthorne in silence and once they had come to a halt they undid their seat belts but she just sat there and shivered.
“Would you like a hug?” he asked
“Oh yes please” she replied and launched herself at him an
“Are you really nervous?” he asked
“Yes” she replied “I really want this job”
“When will you know?”
“Today” she replied
“Well how about I pick you up at the end of your shift” he suggested
“Would you?” she asked with delight “That would be wonderful”
“Good, then that is what I’ll do, and I will be here to offer a consoling hug or a celebratory dinner or both” he said
“Thank you” she said and proceeded to kiss him, at first it was just a thank you peck but it quickly changed to passion but then she stopped as quickly as she started
“Not here” she said alarmed “Not in the day time someone will see”
It was unlikely that anyone would see given how foggy the day was and after he pointed that out she was content and they kissed again.

After he dropped Hannah at Plaxton Park he watched her all the way safely to the door then he returned to the Village and was going to go and kill some time at Jacks place but not seeing Jacks car outside the cottage he drove past and went home.

James ate his sandwich in a layby about half a mile from the club because he was so hungry, he would have eaten it at the club but Jack was in such a bad mood it would have given him indigestion, so he ate it in the car and then headed home.
When he arrived he went straight upstairs to check on the patient and as he opened the door he could see her stirring
“Hi Elise” he said “How are you feeling”?
“I feel awful” she replied so he felt her forehead again and it was still very hot.
“Time for more medicine” he instructed as he went to the medicine cabinet and dosed her up again.
“Are you hungry?” he asked
“A bit” she croaked
“How about some soup?”
“Oh yes” she replied “cock-a-leekie”
James went down stairs and opened a tin of chicken and leek soup and warmed the contents in the microwave then he took her lunch up on a tray and while she ate it he ran her a bath.
When she finished all of the soup he helped her into the bathroom.
The bed sheets were quite damp from her sweats so he changed the linen while she bathed.

James helped her out of the bath and dried her thoroughly and helped her into her nightdress, which he took from her overnight bag and just as he was getting her back into bed she crossed the room and rummaged in the bag and fished out her cuddly dog.
“I need this” she said and blushed then she got under the crisp clean bedclothes and snuggled down with her dog and he kissed her forehead.
“I love you James” she said
“I love you too” he replied
“You are so good to me” she continued, “I am so lucky”

He was smiling broadly all the way down the stairs after he left his girlfriend on her sick bed.
“She loves me” he said to himself as he put the hotpot in the oven.
Dinner had now become supper for one.

Gary was at home in the shower when Hannah sent him a text, and he got out to read it and he smiled as it read.
“I need a lovely man to take me to dinner, to celebrate”
“I already booked a table” he replied

Because Elise was ill James slept in the spare bedroom and the next day she still wasn’t very well and slept for most of the day and had all her meals in bed.

On the day after Elise was feeling a lot better, her fever was gone and she looked much more herself but James still made her stay in bed for the day, but she had the TV to watch and he supplied her with a stack of DVD’s as well because he had to go into work.
She thought he was being wonderfully kind but the truth was he just thought that was what you did for someone you loved.