Third Time Lucky: Volume 1 (The Coxwells) by Deborah Cooke & Claire Cross

Author:Deborah Cooke & Claire Cross [Cooke, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Deborah A. Cooke
Published: 2012-07-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

Of course, Joel was already at Mrs. Hathaway’s by the time I rolled in.

Jez was waiting, ever patient, in the truck, her chin propped on the steering wheel as she awaited ‘he who fills the dish’. She thumped her tail and accepted a scratch of her ears, her gaze vigilantly fixed on the garden gate where Joel had last been seen.

Mrs. H. and Joel had hit it off, at least. I arrived to find him firmly settled in her kitchen, drinking Earl Grey tea, recounting anecdotes and making a dint in her fresh blueberry muffins. He’s quite a storyteller, our Joel, and I could see that Mrs. H. was charmed.

Something was going right. My apologies were waved off and we adjourned to the garden when I declined a buttery muffin. Joel glanced at my plans as though checking his memory, then gave me a surreptitious nod of approval. I paced off the measurements and explained the drawings, etching the shape and position of beds with fine chalk dust.

Joel dragged out stone samples and built an impromptu mock wall, butting a few pieces of the interlock for the pathway against it. I suggested leaving out some of the stones in the path, and letting thyme fill the gaps, since greening up the stone would soften the look.

She liked that the hellebores had center stage in the plan. They’d occupy the central bed beneath that hydrangea which would have to be moved after all. I tentatively suggested adding three pink ones to the collection, to zing it up, but could see that she had to think about it. People get fixed on all white floral beds and it takes them a while to agree to color, even when it adds subtlety.

I left Mrs. H. a catalogue, filled with pictures of hellebores and dotted with a few post-it notes from me, as well as a copy of the plans and drawings.

It’s a good idea, in my experience, to give people a few days to ruminate over things like this—if you press for agreement on the first presentation, you’ll probably get it. But then a week or a month later, the client will admit that they wish the path was a little further to the left or something equally difficult to change. It’s a good-sized investment and one worth thinking about.

“Brilliant, Philippa. You can hardly tell the difference in the plans,” Joel said when we were alone in the street. He playfully punched me in the shoulder. “What a star.”

“It was closer than I like. Do you think the paths will be too straight?”

“Nah. It’ll be perfect. She’ll go for it before the weekend, I bet.” I didn’t quite share his confidence but waved gamely as he started his truck. “Say hi to Nick for me. He’s a keeper, Philippa.”

Well, there was nothing to say to that.

The Beast choked on the way back to the office, making a horrible grinding sound that faded into a whimper. I should have known that the comeback couldn’t last.

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