‘We could, but on second thoughts it might also be nice to go back to the minibus and sit quietly.’ He took her arm and they set off back in blissful silence.
Gilly and William sat in the minibus and said nothing until the ladies returned. It was indeed peaceful. As she and William assisted the aunts back into the minibus the thought flicked through her mind that being with Leo was always exciting. He liked to talk and talked well. Perhaps that was why she found him so attractive. Being with William was quite a different experience. She found herself enjoying the contrast.
As she predicted (only to herself) the ladies loved the garden centre and came back to the minibus laden with carrier bags.
‘We’ve all bought these super-comfy shoes,’ declared Daphne. ‘Mine are bright pink.’
‘It’s one of the joys of growing old,’ said Mary, having displayed her blue pair, ‘that you don’t care what you look like.’ She paused. ‘I don’t mean that exactly, but if it’s a choice between comfort and glamour I choose comfort every time.’
Gilly thought about this. Before she’d met Leo she’d have put herself in the comfort camp without hesitation. But would she let him see her in shoes like that? She doubted it. He was a man who appreciated elegant footwear – something resembling a gym shoe in dayglo colours would not meet his approval. Gilly appreciated lovely shoes too, but only if they were comfortable and, sadly, either she’d been unlucky or it wasn’t possible to have elegance and comfort at the same time.
‘Obviously you’re far too young to have to make those choices,’ said Daphne, mind-reading again. ‘But I don’t think anyone can look appealing if they’re in uncomfortable shoes.’
‘But can they look appealing if they’re wearing shoes like miniature bumper cars?’ said Gilly, without really thinking.
William laughed. ‘Of course!’
‘So what did you buy?’ asked Miriam, possibly sensing that Gilly needed a change of subject. ‘From the garden centre?’
‘Oh! Plants!’ said Gilly. ‘A silver thyme, a lemon thyme and another plain culinary one.’
‘You can never have enough thyme,’ said William.
Gilly made a face at him. ‘I get through a lot of it and they all do taste different. And talking of time, we should move on. Our lunchtime appointment is in …’ She looked at her watch. ‘Fifteen minutes and it’s about twenty-five minutes away.’
‘Drive, William!’ said Daphne. ‘Drive like the wind!’
William exhaled and shook his head. ‘Let’s go.’
Lunch was very jolly. Gilly and William were not permitted to pay for theirs in spite of their protests. ‘It’s as if we’re children and you’re taking us out for a treat,’ said Gilly.
‘And we are!’ Miriam said. ‘So you must let us buy you lemonade and ice cream.’
‘In my day we sat in the car outside pubs for hours, sharing packets of crisps,’ said Mary. ‘It wouldn’t be allowed nowadays.’
‘A bottle of warm Coke if we were lucky,’ said Daphne. ‘I hated Coke. I suppose because I only ever had it warm.’
‘This sparkling water is lovely and cold,’ said Gilly.
Daphne laughed. ‘You can have wine later. Now let’s have a look at the menu.’
Gilly had planned a short walk to a monument for after lunch but when she turned round to declare they had arrived she saw that everyone was asleep, mouths open, faintly snoring.
‘Oh,’ she said to William. ‘We might as well have a nap too, then, I suppose.’
‘Are you feeling drowsy? If not we could go and see the monument? Have a bit of a walk?’
‘Actually some fresh air would be good.’
He got out of the minibus quickly and was there to take her arm as she got out. She was confused. Had he just got into the habit of helping people, given he’d been doing it all morning? Or was he quite old-fashioned?
He kept hold of her arm as the path was muddy. ‘I’m quite glad our party didn’t get out here now,’ she said. ‘They might have slipped and hurt themselves.’
‘And they would have brought a lot of mud into the bus, too,’ said William. ‘So now I don’t have to clean up after them. Come on.’
He continued to hold her arm as they walked and Gilly found it surprisingly pleasant. He let her go when he reached the viewpoint.
‘Wow, look at that,’ said Gilly. ‘This view is why I thought the ladies would like the monument.’
‘It is spectacular,’ William agreed. ‘Fantastic to glide over.’
‘I’m not sure I’d ever be brave enough to go gliding. I’m not great at small planes.’
‘I took Daphne up once. She loved it, although she didn’t expect to. It was a few years ago though, when she was more mobile.’ He chuckled. ‘Getting her into the glider was interesting but worth it.’
‘She’s jolly brave,’ said Gilly, ‘a proper feisty woman.’
‘Definitely on the eccentric spectrum but that’s a good thing. She, Mary and Miriam have a lot of fun.’
‘Sometimes I wonder if I have enough fun,’ said Gilly, thinking about what Leo had been saying a few days earlier. ‘Maybe I should sell up.’
‘And spend your children’s inheritance on foreign travel and cruises? I can’t quite see you doing that,’ said William, looking down at her.
‘But maybe I ought to! I don’t mean I ought to spend the money on travel and things – I like travel but I don’t have a huge desire to go round the world. I mean maybe I should release the money from my house and give it to them now. Am I being selfish hanging on to it, do you think?’
‘To be honest, speaking as your accountant who has a bit of liberty in these matters, I think your children are being a bit selfish suggesting you should sell up when you’re so young.’
‘I’m not young—’
‘Very young to retire, unless you hate what you do in which case I think everyone should retire at thirty-five.’
She laughed. ‘And then do nothing? Or do something they love?’
‘Do something they love, definitely.’
‘Do you love being an accountant?’ she asked.
‘I do find a lot of satisfaction in it, yes. I like working with people.’
‘But aren’t you mostly working with figures?’
‘Yes, but the figures are attached to people. I get to know people’s lives from how they spend or save, take risks or keep their money safe at all costs. It’s fascinating.’ He paused for a minute, looking at the land. ‘I don’t think you’d do so well at your B & B if you didn’t love it.’
She nodded. ‘Like you, it’s the people I love. They all bring their stories; I see snippets of their lives and I enjoy making them happy. It’s why I like doing evening meals for them. It’s a service they need so I offer it. Value added.’
‘So don’t sell.’
‘But my children need the money!’
‘I never thought I’d say this but there’s a difference between need and want. Your children may want your money but they don’t need it.’