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The centre of the yard was dominated by a long row of tables, covered in wipe-clean plastic. Along the centre of the tables were piles of card and paper and groups of paints, crayons and other crafting supplies. Children lined each side, their heads bent over their projects, the smaller ones being helped out by a parent. As she approached, Tasha spotted Rhys towering over a pair of little girls, smiling in admiration as they held up whatever they’d been working on to show him. As she watched him crouch down between the pair and help the smallest one steady her brush as she added something to her picture, Tasha’s stomach did a little flip. He was clearly a natural with children, and it made her wonder how he felt about having a family of his own one day. Zap had made it clear he and Rowena hoped for grandchildren, but it had carried none of the weight of expectation she felt from her own parents. Even so, knowing he was the heir to a title that stretched back generations had to influence Rhys at least to a point.
It was much too soon to raise the subject with him, and besides she needed to get her own feelings on the matter straight first. Ignoring the pressure from her parents also meant ignoring her negative reaction to that pressure. The last thing she wanted to do was end up making the wrong decision simply to prove a point. Under the right circumstances… That was what she’d said to Danni when they’d talked and that was the mindset she needed to hold onto. Juniper Meadows would be an idyllic place for a child to grow up and the Travers family would nurture any new addition and Rhys certainly had potential to be the right man for her, but what would she have to give up in return? She’d worked so hard at SJW and if Simon had meant what he’d said when he’d mentioned a future directorship… But then again, what about the way he’d kept the truth about the Atkinsons deal from her? Loyalty should be a two-way street, shouldn’t it?
‘If you frown much harder, you’ll end up with a permanent crease in your forehead! Whatever my cousin has done to put that look on your face, I’m on your side,’ a warm, laughing voice said next to her.
‘Hope! Hi! Sorry, I was miles away.’ Tasha turned to accept a quick hug from the other woman. ‘And I wasn’t thinking about Rhys, well, I was, but then I wasn’t.’ She laughed and gestured with her hand to wave the nonsensical words away. ‘He’s not in any trouble is what I meant to say.’
Hope tilted her head and studied her with a quizzical look before shrugging her shoulders. ‘Whatever it is, I don’t have time to talk to you about it now anyway, but you and I are going to sit down with a bottle of wine one evening before too long and then you can talk to me about it.’
If only she could. She was sure that Hope would understand how important being a success was to Tasha. There was no mistaking her own drive and ambition to develop and improve things at Juniper Meadows. Tasha was sure she’d have some sage advice about how to handle a difficult character like Simon as well because she had such a good way with people. She tried to imagine how the conversation would go.
‘So, look, I’m only working here because my boss has got some weird obsession with Juniper Meadows, and maybe your family as well, only I can’t figure out what it is and I’m starting to think he’s using me. And, yes, I know I’m working here under false pretences, but I really want to do a good job for you too and I’m starting to think I’d like to stay here forever and play happy families with your cousin. What do you think I should do?’
Maybe not.
‘I appreciate the offer and let’s definitely get together one evening when we’re both less busy, but it’s something I need to work out for myself.’
Hope pursed her lips. ‘Okay, but you know where I am if you do need to talk.’
Tasha smiled. ‘Just not today, right?’
That earned her a huge laugh. ‘Not today! Look, I have to dash as I was on my way to check the car park when I spotted you, but Cam and I and some of the others are going to take a walk along the illuminated trail later – why don’t you and Rhys join us?’
‘Sounds fun,’ Tasha agreed. ‘And the car park was really busy when I tried to park just now.’
‘Then I really have to go!’ Hope pulled her mobile phone out and jogged away.
Tasha watched her go for a moment, wondering if she should’ve offered to help, but then again she was sure Hope would have roped her in if she needed a hand. And besides, she had a date to keep.
‘What do you think?’ Tasha asked Olivia, the girl she was helping as they both surveyed the Easter card they’d been working on. She’d stepped in and offered to help so the girl’s mother could focus on the efforts of her younger daughter.
‘He looks more like a snowman than a rabbit,’ Olivia said somewhat dubiously.
Tasha looked at the two fat, fluffy balls of cotton wool they’d glued to the card and found she had to agree. ‘It might look better once we add some ears?’ She didn’t sound any more certain than Olivia. ‘Why don’t you find one of the stencils Amelia made? I’m sure there’s one around here somewhere.’
While Olivia rummaged around the crafting supplies on the table in front of them, Tasha tried to pick off the bits of cotton wool that had got stuck to her fingers.
‘Having fun?’ Rhys said as he came to stand next to her. Their plans for a date had been somewhat curtailed by the number of children wanting to take part in the card-making and they’d kept getting separated as they helped out wherever it looked as if they were needed.
‘I am,’ she said, leaning over to steal a quick kiss from him. ‘Though I’m not sure poor Olivia here is, given how hopeless I am!’
‘You’re not that bad,’ Olivia said, delivering a more generous assessment of Tasha’s crafting skills than she deserved. ‘Look, I found the stencil!’
‘Shall I help you with that?’ Rhys asked, going down on his haunches to hold the stencil still so Olivia could draw a pair of ears on her card. ‘I’m Rhys, by the way, and I’m a friend of Tasha’s.’
Tasha watched them for a moment, her stomach doing that funny flip-flop thing again as she watched Rhys and Olivia pulling more cotton wool off a large roll ready to decorate the outer part of the ears. ‘I think I saw some pink glitter earlier,’ she suggested, before her thoughts could run away with themselves again. ‘We could use that for the centre of the ears. What do you think?’
‘Oh, yes, please!’ Olivia beamed up at her.
Tasha found the glitter pot about halfway down the table and had just returned with it when a woman with hair as sleek and shiny as a conker all but barged her out of the way and stood far too close to Rhys. ‘There you are!’ the woman exclaimed, resting a very proprietorial hand on his shoulder. ‘I’ve been looking everywhere for you.’
Tasha didn’t miss the way Rhys shrugged off the woman’s hand as he straightened to his full height, nor the slight crease between his brows as he spoke. ‘Hello, Lydia. I didn’t know you’d be coming today.’
‘And miss out on all this fun?’ Lydia flung out an expansive arm and almost hit Tasha in the face.
‘Hey, watch it,’ Tasha exclaimed, ducking out of the way just in time. Though curiosity was eating at her, she decided to focus her attention on Olivia. ‘Here’s the glitter,’ she said, squeezing in between Lydia and Rhys and crouching down at the table. ‘Now, where’s the glue?’
She did her best to concentrate as she held the pot while Olivia pasted the centre of the ears, but it wasn’t easy as a waft of perfume she recognised, but couldn’t immediately identify, filled the air. When she looked over her shoulder it was to find that Lydia was staring up at Rhys with big eyes as she tucked a strand of her impossibly shiny hair behind her ear. ‘I wanted to see for myself what all the fuss was about,’ she said. ‘It certainly seems a hit with everyone.’
