Lily inwardly grimaced as Jack came around the corner of the main house.
The problem wasn’t Jack. The problem was the promise that she had made to him.
‘You’re early,’ he said, coming over to stand in front of her.
She glanced at the motorbike briefly. It looked shiny, handsome and dangerous, and everything that she had been running from for many years. Just like Jack, she told herself.
‘About what I said,’ she began. ‘I’ve got so much to do today. You know, the band are staying on. There’s all this apple stuff to discuss, let alone the whole album launch party now that we’ve fixed on the country and western theme.’
But Jack had already turned away to unlock the pannier on the side of the motorbike and bring out a helmet from the box.
‘Then we’d better get going,’ he told her, holding it out.
Lily was frantically shaking her head. ‘I don’t know, Jack.’
This was way out of her comfort zone. This was the old Lily. Not her. Not now. It wasn’t as if she had to change all at once, was it?
‘Come on,’ he said, in a softer tone. ‘Trust me. You used to like the bike.’
His words resonated through her and she hesitantly took the helmet from him. She watched him swing his leg over the bike and turn the key. The engine started up with a throaty roar, which made her ribs hum in vibration. He revved it a couple of times before putting on his own helmet.
Then he turned to look at her. She could see his cheeky smile through the visor.
Slowly, she brought the helmet down onto her head. ‘Oh, God,’ she muttered to herself, before swinging her leg over the bike and sitting down behind him.
‘Hold on to me,’ came the muffled command.
She moved her hands around his torso, feeling his warm skin under the T-shirt he was wearing. She didn’t want to grip him too tightly, but as soon as the bike moved away and began to speed up, she wrapped her arms around him and held on for dear life.
She’d thought she would hate it. She’d been certain that she would have grown out of the thrill from so many years previously. She’d thought that it would be scary now that she was older and wiser. And it was, but only for a short while.
Instead, Lily actually found she liked the feeling of hurtling along in the fresh air, and soon opened her eyes to watch the world whizz past. She relished the soft early autumn colours of the leaves and the feeling of being outside.
All too quickly, however, they were pulling up outside a very familiar house. Her house.
Jack stopped the motorbike and switched off the engine, before pulling off his helmet.
She lifted her visor. ‘What are we doing here?’
‘I need an expert’s opinion,’ he told her. ‘Do you think your dad would mind me picking his brains about something?’
Lily was stunned. ‘Dad? Erm, I’m sure it would be OK,’ she said slowly.
‘Great.’
Jack clambered off the bike and Lily followed suit, taking off her helmet.
She tried to fluff up her no doubt flattened hair as surreptitiously as she could before she went up to the front door.
Not quite knowing what was about to happen, she hesitated before putting her key in the lock and going inside.
‘Hello!’ she called out.
‘Hi!’ came the reply from the front room. ‘What are you doing here, love?’
Lily headed into the room and found her dad stationed in front of the television, as usual.
‘Hey, Dad,’ she said, heading over to give him a kiss on the cheek. ‘You remember Jack Carter, don’t you?’
Her dad gave a start as he realised that they weren’t alone. ‘Yes, of course,’ he said, looking flustered. He glanced down at his amputated leg where, as Lily had suspected, his prosthetic leg wasn’t attached.
‘Hi, Richard,’ said Jack, coming into the room to reach out his hand. ‘How are you?’
‘Nice to see you,’ said her dad, shuffling in his armchair.
‘Sorry to just turn up like this,’ said Jack, sitting down on the sofa.
‘Not at all,’ her dad told them quickly. ‘Can I get either of you a drink?’
‘No, thanks,’ said Jack.
He was all smiles and at ease, Lily realised. Perhaps he had guessed that her dad might be a bit on edge with a surprise visit.
‘Let me just turn this off,’ said her dad, grabbing the remote and switching off the television. ‘So,’ he said, into the sudden silence. ‘How’s it going up at the big house?’
‘It’s going well, isn’t it?’ said Lily, looking across at Jack for reassurance. She had no idea what this was about.
‘You’ve heard about the orchard?’ asked Jack, looking straight at Lily’s dad.
Richard nodded. ‘Lily’s grandad told me all about the plans. It all sounds very exciting.’
‘The trouble is that Bert showed me the apple press this morning,’ carried on Jack. ‘It’s pretty ancient, but I think we can get it up and working. Unfortunately, there’s a plate missing for the press. I was wondering whether you could take a look at it for us?’
‘Me?’ Lily’s dad was startled. ‘I don’t know anything about apple presses.’
‘Me neither,’ said Jack, smiling. ‘But it appears that what’s missing is a piece of wood, and I was thinking that perhaps you could measure one up for us?’
‘You can’t manage it by yourself?’ asked Lily’s dad, looking concerned.
‘If it were electrics, I’d be fine,’ Jack told him. ‘But I’m all fingers and thumbs when it comes to woodwork. I understand that’s your area of expertise.’
Richard shook his head. ‘Not for a long time, son.’
Now Lily understood why they had come.
‘But you would remember, Dad,’ she said quickly.
‘Absolutely,’ added Jack. ‘And it would really help the family out. We need all the help we can get.’
Richard frowned as he thought hard. ‘Well, maybe if you bring it here I could…’
Jack laughed. ‘I’m afraid it’s about a ton weight of cast iron! Perhaps you could come to the orchard instead?’
Richard gulped. ‘I don’t know…’
‘I could take you to the main house,’ said Lily, thinking quickly. ‘It’s not a long walk from the house. You know, with your leg attached.’
The silence stretched out as her dad thought it through.
Lily glanced at Jack for reassurance, but he sat patiently waiting, not wanting to push Richard any further.
Eventually, her dad spoke. ‘Well, I suppose it might be nice to get some fresh air.’
Lily found tears pricking her eyes as she reached out to squeeze his hand with hers. ‘That’s great,’ she said, her words a little tremulous from the surge of emotion she felt as she spoke.
‘Excellent,’ said Jack, nodding his approval. ‘We’d be so grateful of the help.’
‘What’s all this?’
They all looked up with a start and Lily found her mum standing in the doorway.
‘Hi, Mum,’ said Lily, getting up to give her mum a kiss on the cheek. ‘Dad’s going to help Jack with the apple press up at Willow Tree Hall.’
Her mum gave a start. ‘He is?’ She looked at Jack for clarification.
‘We really need his carpentry skills,’ Jack told her.
Celia replied enthusiastically, ‘Well, that sounds great. Very good. Eh, Richard?’
Her husband looked up at her. ‘You think I’d be OK?’
Her mum looked at him with piercing green eyes. ‘Absolutely,’ she told him in a strong tone of voice. ‘Jack wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.’
Richard kept nodding whilst he looked back at Jack. ‘OK,’ he said, after a short silence.
‘That’s great,’ said Jack. ‘Are you free tomorrow morning to have a look at the press with me?’
‘I am.’
Lily felt a little teary as she hugged her parents goodbye.
‘You’re going on the motorbike?’ said her mum, looking over her shoulder at the Ducati parked by the side of the road.
‘Yeah, yeah, I know,’ began Lily.
But her mum was smiling mistily. ‘Your dad had one, you know.’
Lily gave a start. ‘He did?’
‘But you both be careful,’ said her mum, looking sternly at Jack.
‘Absolutely,’ said Jack.
Lily gave them a tentative wave goodbye and told her dad she would see him in the morning to take him to the Hall.
Then she slid behind Jack on the motorbike once more.
This time she was more aware of his body as she held on tight. The feel of his stomach muscles beneath her hands. The width of his shoulders as she leaned against him. The smell of his citrus-toned aftershave.
She realised that Jack had taken her the long way back to Willow Tree Hall, using the smaller, windier lanes. But she was enjoying it too much to care.
All too soon, they were heading back up the driveway and Lily felt a pang of disappointment.
She also found that she was breathless and couldn’t put it down to just being on the back of the motorbike.
Jack dismounted first and took off his helmet, running a hand through his hair to fluff it up a bit.
Lily found she was smiling.
‘That wasn’t so bad, was it?’ he asked.
She pulled off her own helmet and shook out her hair. ‘It was OK,’ she said. But she could feel how wide her grin was. ‘Thanks,’ she added. ‘For what you’re doing for my dad, I mean.’
‘I just need a good carpenter,’ said Jack, with a shrug. But the emotions behind his eyes betrayed him.
She reached out and took his hand in hers. ‘I mean it,’ she told him. ‘Thank you.’
Before she could think straight, she stepped forward and kissed him gently on the lips. It wasn’t a passionate kiss, but it was just as full of emotion.
As she stepped back, he smiled at her.
‘Next time, you’re doing the driving,’ he told her, with an evil grin.
‘No way,’ she replied, with a small, nervous giggle.
She was still smiling as she walked away from him.
The gentle kiss was as good as it had always been. She sighed. Nobody had ever had that kind of effect on her but Jack.
She could feel herself falling in love with him all over again and felt helpless to stop it.