Read Online Cherry Blossoms by Patricia Keyson - Free Book Online

fend for himself. But I could bring him. That would solve the problem. Would that be okay?”
    “ Will he be safe in a boat?” Oliver asked.
    Cherry laughed. “That’s a joke, right?” But Oliver wasn’t laughing. “You don’t want him to come, do you? We’ve just spent the last few years living on a boat. If Jay doesn’t know about the danger of water I don’t know who does.”
    “ All right then,” Oliver huffed, “as long as we don’t have to eat fast food for lunch.”
    “ He only eats burgers when we’re out,” Cherry teased.
    Oliver groaned. “I’m not very good with children. I’m never quite sure what to say to them. Do you speak to them in simple language or treat them like you would an adult?”
    “ Just be yourself. I’m sure you’ll get on with Jay. He gets on with everyone.”
    “ Thanks very much,” Oliver said, sounding annoyed. “You know Darius is the sociable one. He gets on with everyone, too, all ages: from babies to ninety-year-olds. Couldn’t Pat . . .”
    “ No, she couldn’t. I’m not taking advantage of her.” Cherry was quick to dismiss that idea.
    But after Oliver had left the room she longed to rush off and find Pat to ask if she’d care for Jay. The thought of spending a day alone with Oliver was thrilling, but then she remembered what she’d just said to Oliver about being his employee. There would be no more holding hands with him. Although she’d thought she’d never fall in love again after Alan had left, she was beginning to understand what falling in love was really like. She’d never felt quite like this before.
    * * *
    Oliver waited in the hotel reception. He’d decided to dress casually in jeans and a shirt. His mother, despite her general indifference to his welfare, would have insisted he take a change of clothes as he invariably fell in when he went boating. He remembered, as a teenager, punting in Cambridge with friends and getting the pole stuck in the mud and holding on a little too long until he fell in. And it was just his luck that it had been where the river was thick with tourists. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of Cherry or Jay. He wanted Jay to like him.
    “ Hi!” Cherry took him by surprise. He jumped up from his chair.
    “ Hello,” he said, taking her hands and admiring her slim figure and pretty blouse. He peered behind her. “Where’s Jay?”
    “ Maurice wanted to take him fishing and reluctantly I agreed.” Cherry pulled her hands out of his grasp and crossed her fingers behind her back. She’d called to see Pat and Maurice the previous evening and asked if Jay could spend the day with Maurice. Pat in particular had been very enthusiastic about the plan. Maurice and Jay were now down on the river with their fishing rods and would happily spend the whole day there. Cherry had made thick sandwiches along with two large thermos flasks of tea. She’d promised to pick up fish and chips on the way home, although Maurice had joked that she needn’t bother as they’d be catching their own supper.
    * * *
    Oliver lay back on the cushions clutching a glass of wine as Cherry rowed the boat. “This is the life,” he said.
    “ I think we’ll pull into the bank, in the shade of those trees, and then we’ll be able to enjoy the lunch you brought.” When Cherry had secured the boat to a tree on the bank, she hopped back on the boat and settled on the cushion Oliver had thrown her. He then passed her some pitta bread filled with minted falafel and salad and arranged Moroccan chicken wraps and fruit on a plate, before handing her a glass of wine.
    “ To boating!” Oliver raised his glass. “Are you having a good time?”
    Cherry raised hers too . “I am, but I feel sad at the thought of our old home being bought and repaired by some stranger. I suppose things change,” she murmured aloud.
    “ They certainly do,” Oliver agreed. It wasn’t so long ago that he’d been besotted by Rebecca and now he barely