That evening, exactly as he’d told Caroline, Jonathan’s companion for dinner was someone she knew well. He’d taken to buying her dinner regularly since his return to the village; mostly because he really enjoyed her company and partly because he still felt he owed her. He’d walked out of her life without any warning a long time ago and now that he was back he wanted to make amends. In fact, Meredith, his niece, was the only female Jonathan could say that he’d ever truly loved, apart from his mother. She’d turned seventeen recently, and he was aware that in a year’s time she’d be heading off to university, so he wanted to spend as much time with her as he could.
They’d taken to trying out a few of the restaurants in the surrounding villages after tiring of the menu at The Stationmaster, although they did still occasionally end up there. Jonathan had avoided The Cider Kitchen so far as, with the company’s financial interest and Meredith’s job there, it was a bit close to home.
Tonight, they were going to try out a place in Cleeve, a few miles from Little Somerby. Formerly the village Post Office, the small restaurant had been a startup two years ago and had gained phenomenally successful reviews. It was one of the few places that did open for one sitting on a Sunday evening. Jonathan always had one eye open for an opportunity and he wanted to see what the place had achieved that The Cider Kitchen could emulate. Picking Meredith up just after seven, they were seated and chatting half an hour later.
‘How’s school?’ Jonathan asked.
Meredith rolled her eyes. ‘Fine. Did Dad tell you to ask?’ Since Meredith, Matthew and Anna had been out to dinner, Meredith had been much happier at home, but she knew that her father and stepmother were keeping a closer eye on her.
‘No, darling, but as the future hope of the family firm, I have to make sure you’re doing your duty.’
‘Of course,’ Meredith tossed her hair impatiently. ‘Dad’s so paranoid I’ll go off the rails and cock up my A Levels he’s barely letting me out with anyone except you these days.’
‘He just wants what’s best for you,’ Jonathan replied patiently. ‘You’ll always be his little girl, you know.’
‘I know.’ Meredith scanned the menu. ‘But I don’t want to talk about school. It’s fine. The work’s fine and my teachers are happy.’ She raised an eyebrow over the menu. ‘I want to talk about you. And Caroline.’ After their conversation about Anna’s new baby a few weeks back, Meredith had been growing closer to Caroline and was finding that she liked her. In Meredith’s mind, she’d make the perfect match for her uncle.
‘Unprofessional, darling,’ Jonathan replied. ‘She’s your boss and employed by the family firm to run the restaurant. Can’t discuss her.’
‘Oh, come on. You’ve been hanging around The Cider Kitchen more than is strictly professional, and Anna said Caroline had caught you playing that out of tune baby grand piano the other night. You wouldn’t be doing that if you didn’t at least fancy her.’
‘Haven’t you heard? I’m a cad and a bounder and I fancy anything that moves. You know that.’ Jonathan’s smile was genuine but his eyes were serious. Joking about his relationships was one thing, but he’d made a terrible mistake with Meredith’s mother, his brother’s first wife, and he still felt deeply uneasy about discussing it with her at all, let alone joking about it.
‘It’s OK, Uncle Jonathan,’ Meredith said softly. ‘We’ve talked about all this before, remember. I forgive you for… that.’ She smiled at him. ‘And I want you to be as happy as Anna’s made Dad. Do you think you’ll ever find anyone to do that for you?’
Jonathan’s thoughts flitted back to Caroline. She was so difficult to read, and that intrigued him. There was something about her, he knew; something she was holding back from him. He’d sent her an email this morning, asking if he could come over to discuss an offer he’d had from a potential new supplier, but she’d not answered it. It wasn’t like Caroline to ignore work emails; she was usually an efficient communicator, even at the weekends. He wondered if something had come up to distract her.
‘Uncle Jonno? Are you listening to me?’ Meredith had clearly clocked the look on his face, and he struggled to focus back on his niece.
‘Sorry, darling, I was miles away.’
‘I was just saying that I’m going to see Flynn next weekend in Oxford. I’ll probably check out a few more of the colleges when I’m down there.’ Meredith smirked. ‘But something tells me your mind was a bit closer to home.’
Jonathan smiled apologetically. ‘I’ve got a lot on. Your Dad and I are trying to get our heads around this Buckthorn takeover proposal – I’m sure he’s mentioned it, and Granddad’s not been in the best way, as you know. So you see I really don’t have time to think about my love life as well.’
‘Hmmm,’ Meredith murmured. ‘Now that, coming from you, I don’t believe.’ But she turned her attention back to the menu. ‘I’m starving. What are we going to eat?’ Her appetite was legendary and Jonathan had often wondered where all the food she consumed went. Love and teenage hormones, he thought in amusement. You could get away with a lot more at that age. Growing up, he was beginning to realise, came with a whole lot more to think about. He wondered if perhaps Meredith was realising that faster than he was.