Page 28 of Match Point in Crumbleton
‘Sounds like a plan,’ said Cath.
‘Then you’re on,’ said Caroline. ‘But let’s see if we can get this shindig of yours off the ground first. Like I said, Fergus might well be up for something like this—especially if you tell him I’ll be covering it in the paper.’
‘You will?’ said Cath.
‘Of course!’ said Caroline. ‘Now, first things first… you’d better go and find Andy!’
‘Okay,’ said Cath. ‘Erm… why, exactly?’
‘Because last time I was at the Dolphin and Anchor, the grass was absolutely wild,’ said Caroline. ‘He’s the one in charge of the mowing, and if he can’t get it sorted out in time—or doesn’t think it’s a possibility for whatever reason—then your idea’s sunk.’
‘Right,’ said Cath, taking a deep breath. Who’d have thought that it would be Andy she was going to have to convince to make it all work?! ‘Right. I’ll go find him, then. Erm… any ideas where I should start?’
‘You know, I think he might be down at the hotel now if you want to catch him,’ said Caroline, leaning back in her chair again and popping her feet back on the desk.
‘Really?’ said Cath.
‘Yep,’ yawned Caroline. ‘I’m sure I heard that ancient mower spluttering earlier.’
‘From all the way up here?’ said Cath.
‘You’d better believe it!’
Cath made a dash for the door and then turned back to smile at Caroline. ‘Thank you.’
‘Lemme know how it goes!’ said Caroline, her eyes drifting closed as the fan swept over her.
CHAPTER 12
ANDY
Andy let out a long breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of one hand. He was almost finished, and to say he was chuffed with his hard work was the understatement of the century.
The grass had already had three goings over with the mower, and it was looking wonderful—thick and springy, complete with those quintessential stripes. He was going to give it a chance to recover a bit, then he’d give it one more trim with the lowest setting, just to get it looking tennis-court perfect.
After getting Fergus’s rather exuberant blessing to tidy up the rest of the garden too, Andy had gone to town with a spot of late summer pruning. The job had ended up being even more rewarding than he’d expected.
The greenery had been harbouring far more of the old wooden signs that Andy had realised. He’d spent some time uncovering them, then he’d braved the bushes and dragged them all out from their hidey-holes and stacked them up against a wall. There was something delightful about the old-fashioned sign writing.
No Drinking On The Court
Please Wear Suitable Shoes
The Umpire’s Decision Is Final
Don’t Abandon Your Balls In The Bushes
When he was finished with the garden, Andy wanted to give them a fresh lick of paint and a coat of varnish. He had a feeling they’d look fantastic dotted around the edges, somewhere they could be seen properly.
‘Right, next!’ he said, eyeballing the enormous pile of bush trimmings. He was going to stack them at the back of the compost heap, where they’d make a nice bit of habitat for the town’s burgeoning hedgehog population.
Several trips later, the trimmings were gone… and Andy was practically dripping with sweat. It had been hard work getting the garden this far in such a short amount of time, but he had to admit, he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself. He just wanted to go over the grass one more time… but first things first.
Un-popping the front of his overalls, Andy wriggled his arms free. He was far too hot to carry on wearing this many layers. Tying the sleeves around his waist, he revelled in the feel of fresh air on his bare arms. He could really do with a break and a drink in the shade.
‘Come on Andy, one more job to do!’ he muttered.
It was no good, though. He was still far too hot. Well, there was one easy way he could cool off a bit more while he worked…
