Different Worlds

I usually wait until the previous chapter has gone from the new stories list before I submit the next one but this chapter is short, and also I wasn't sure whether the build up wasn't starting to drag a bit, so I thought I'd best get it out the way asap. Thanks again to my lovely, witty editor North200

~

A second meeting was scheduled on Sunday afternoon a fortnight later so Ivy and Kevin could talk Terence and Richard through the final plans for the planting scheme. This time she'd been given lots of notice, and of course since this was their second meeting, it was less of an unknown entity and the first one had gone well. If she was honest with herself Ivy felt a bit apprehensive about seeing Richard again but they'd exchanged a few emails so they had a working relationship now. She just needed to keep reminding herself that

they

hadn't seen her on that fateful afternoon outside the farm shop.

Because the meeting fell on a weekend Terence had tried to insist on paying Kevin and Ivy extra for their time, though they'd both felt this wasn't necessary.

Then they must have lunch, he'd insisted. It seemed like a good compromise.

*

As he pulled into the drive, Richard's phone rang. He stopped in the lay by near the farm shop to take the call, the line was terrible, it was only after he'd said 'hello can you hear me' half a dozen times that he remembered that signal out by the farm shop was nonexistent.

He thought of Ivy, her van was parked just out of sight, he remembered the time he had visited her there to check up on her, it had come as such a shock when she emerged from underneath the van covered in dead leaves and smears of engine oil.

He spotted her through the trees. At first he couldn't believe it was her, it was too strange to see her in the flesh when she was already at the forefront of his mind, but it

was

her, of course it was her, she lived here after all. He watched as she lifted two large plastic butts from a wheelbarrow and wedged one under an outdoor tap behind the shop. After a few moments she used both hands to lift the now full butt back into the barrow. He could tell by her expression and her movements that it was heavy. He opened the door and started to climb out of his car. He wanted to go to her and offer to help, but something gave him pause. He worried that his offer might rub her up the wrong way, so instead he just watched. He could see the muscles in her arms flex as she lifted the water butt and the peculiar mixture of vulnerability and strength that he found so enticing struck him again.

He shook his head and pulling the door closed, he hit the ignition.

~

They met in the garden of the local pub. The only other time Ivy had been here was when she went with Ruth and Sally to celebrate fixing the Dodge. That had been a crisp clear day but on this occasion the sky was covered in a think blanket of cloud, the kind that rarely leads to rain.

They greeted each other, hands were shaken, cheeks were kissed and as Ivy caught the familiar scent of Richard she felt a surge of relief that her body didn't react as she had feared it would. He was wearing a blue shirt with beige trousers. It was the sort of look she associated with Fulham or even further into the leafy, suburban reaches of West London, and its sloany tennis playing residents. Anyone else would look like a right nob but Richard was totally carrying it off.

It was then that he smiled at her and his entire face was transformed. Ivy wasn't sure what she'd done to earn the full beam, but in case her knees might give way she discreetly gripped the back of a chair. He had caught the sun since she last saw him, giving his face a ruddiness, making him seem less austere, and accentuating the blue in his eyes.

She tore herself away from his face and noticed that the others had sat down and were discussing the menu. She slid into the seat between Terence and Kevin, hoping her desire to avoid being close to Richard wasn't obvious. She ordered a traditional Sunday lunch, with roast beef. It was a meal that was impossible to recreate in her own tiny kitchen and she tucked in with vigour.

*

Richard found the experience of watching Ivy eat mildly arousing. She was clearly enjoying the food, not just picking at it but eating with gusto. It was refreshing to see a woman who wasn't self-conscious about her appetite. She chatted with his father and Kevin as she ate.

She wasn't being rude exactly but she hardly looked at him during the meal. She avoided his gaze unless he addressed her directly and even then she looked away again quickly. It frustrated him but at least it meant he was free to watch at her without her noticing, or rather without her acknowledging his stare. Kevin and Terence were talking enthusiastically about something or another, but he wasn't really listening, he was too wrapped up in Ivy.

"We'll go back to the Orangery to look at the plans," Terence announced when they'd all finished, throwing an arm around Ivy's shoulders as she stood up.

Richard bristled and took a step towards them both. His father could be insensitive at times and he didn't want Ivy to feel uncomfortable with this uninvited contact. She didn't seem to mind, so he held his tongue. It was clear there was already a well-established friendship between the two of them.

"The table is nice and big and the light is fantastic," Terence continued, oblivious to Richards concerns.

*

The journey back to Cartwright Hall passed quickly and soon they were sitting around the table in the Orangery and the newly finished planting plans were spread across the large oak table in front of them. As the others found seats Ivy leaned back in her chair and gazed up, it was the first time she had been in there. An ancient grape vine twisted up a wall and crept along the ceiling. It was already bearing an impressive crop of tiny grapes. There were few cracked panes and some peeling paint in the corners.

It'd be a job to redecorate this place

she thought to herself, but it was refreshing. It made a pleasant change from the rest of the estate, which was maintained to within an inch of its life.

"We considered using arid or warm temperate plants for the rain shadow on the northwest wall, and they might not survive the winter. Native drought tolerant varieties will require more maintenance in the short term but they will be better for encouraging biodiversity."

As she talked them through the planting plan she was finding it hard not to be distracted by Richard. She'd managed to avoid being too close to him in the pub but she'd forgotten to consider that in the Orangery and sat down as soon as they'd arrived. He'd swooped into the seat next to hers immediately and asked.

"If we lose the plants every winter would that not require lots of maintenance?"

"Well yes, there is that. We might not lose them, but it would be a risk. We could take cuttings and overwinter them in one of the greenhouses, but it would be a lot of work to keep re-establishing them. But, if we want to encourage a large variety of invertebrates then native species would be the way to go."

Terence interrupted with enthusiasm "We want biodiversity."

Kevin nodded. "We thought you'd like this plan better, but we wanted to check, it may need a small irrigation system."

"Yeah," added Ivy, "the dry shady combo is a tricky one, it hardly ever occurs in nature."

If she kept talking and she didn't look in his direction, being so close to Richard didn't affect her too much. Instead she noticed his hands. He had beautiful hands, long tapering fingers that were somehow still manly. She groaned inwardly at her wandering mind and its ridiculous preoccupations.

Focus, Ivy

she thought, and taking a breath she continued.

"We could use Periwinkle, it's native, it has pretty purple or white flowers and it makes an adaptable ground cover, Comfrey's not native but it was naturalised during roman times, so as good as, and it's great for bees, it's good in shade and once it's established it's drought tolerant too."

Terence's phone beeped, he pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen.

"Ah, its later than I thought. I need to be in Shepton for 4 o'clock." As he stood, his chair scraped across the tiles. "Kevin, can you show me this damaged guttering you were telling me about in the pub? I won't have time afterwards." he turned to Ivy, "We'll be back shortly, you two will be okay without us for a while won't you?" He gave Ivy one of his twinkly smiles. And before she had a chance to reply they were gone and she was alone with Richard.

*

Ivy was wearing her hair in two plaits, they changed her face, accentuating her already prominent cheekbones and revealing a small row of silver hoops in one ear. She still wouldn't look at him, instead she was studying the plans with renewed focus. Richard admired her profile, her strong straight nose, her dark well-defined eyebrows that were taut with concentration. When she spoke, the words streamed out in a rush and her voice was shaky.

"For inside the building we've gone for plants that purify the air. The Boston fern -Nephrolepis exaltata has a lovely, soft, bright green foliage, and I think it would really suit the space, but it likes a more humid environment than normal, so we would need to do something to improve humidity levels. We could install a small water feature here," she learned towards Richard slighty as she used her pen to point at the plan, "we've sourced an indoor fountain that is energy efficient. The pump could be powered by the solar panels on the roof but we were worried that the building wouldn't tolerate the increased moisture levels?" she finally looked up at him. "You talked about using a lime render, I was worried."

Richard nodded, "Yes, I think that would be fine, but let me check."

"The specs are here," she grabbed the papers from where Kevin had been sitting and handed them to him. She had it all figured out. But she still wouldn't look at him.

"If there is a problem with having a water feature we have some alternative ideas but I like this better. I think a water feature would add to the calming, relaxing theme and I remember you originally liked the idea of aquaponics, so we thought water might appeal."

He was impressed again both by her knowledge and by how thorough she had been. He released a breath.

"Ivy."

"Over here in the sunnier part of the building we thought about..."

"Ivy!"

As he said her name that second time she turned and faced him and their eyes locked. The atmosphere thickened as the mutual attraction that remained unvoiced silently filled the room and they were both trapped in each other's gazes.

Without seeming to be aware of what she was doing, Ivy lifted her hand to her mouth and began to nibble at her thumb nail.

"You do that a lot."

He hadn't meant to say those words, they'd slipped out before he had a chance to stop them and if he was honest with himself he'd wanted to provoke her. She'd hardly looked at him all day, and despite his best efforts to remain unaffected he was finding it increasingly frustrating.

She searched his face. "What?"

She had lowered the abused thumb from her mouth, it hovered uncertainly in the space between them.

"Take it out on your nails, when you're feeling anxious."

He took her hand in his own and rested it back on the table. Even if taking her hand in his could in any way have been interpreted as socially acceptable behaviour the length of time he left it over hers wasn't.

*

Richards hand rested on Ivy's for long enough for the warmth to seep out of him and travel through her, settling somewhere in her chest. It was long enough for tingling sensation she'd learned to associate with his touch to engulf her again, fogging her mind, until she was incapable of thinking clearly.

She hardly noticed when he finally released her, she was lost, a prisoner to this all-consuming attraction that existed between them. The intimacy his touch left behind seemed to fill the room until there was no space to do anything other than continue watch him. She felt laid bare, she was afraid that when he looked into her eyes he would see into her soul and she was frightened by the yearning he might find there.

That was when the cogs in her brain began to turn again and she remembered herself and the wider implications of what had just happened.

With herculean effort she tore herself away from his gaze and glanced at her nails, they were a mess, she slid her hands under the table. She could feel her face begin to warm and she stood, almost knocking the chair over in her haste to escape the sphere of his influence. He rose too, and reached for her. She took a step back, scared of what might happen if he touched her again, of how she might react.

*

"Sorry," Richard said, "I don't know what I was thinking, I shouldn't have done that. It was unforgivable." he hadn't thought the words through and his apology sounded clumsy as it came out of his mouth.

She didn't respond. She didn't look at him, she didn't say anything, she just walked out, her arms drawn across her chest, her face taut. The door rattled as it closed behind her and the silence it left in its wake was deafening.

She darted into the woods, Richard considered following her but quickly dismissed the idea. He hoped against hope that she would come back so he could apologise again, so he could explain. When she disappeared from view he leaned forward and rested his forehead on the window allowing his eyes to fall closed. The glass felt cool against his skin and he struggled with the urge to bang his head repeatedly against it. Why did he have no control around her. Why did he have no sense of propriety? Thoughts he'd meant to keep to himself seemed to transform into words and fall ill-advised from his mouth without him meaning to ever speak them. He seemed to act without thinking whenever he was near her.

Standing away from the wall and pulling himself upright he pinched the bridge of his nose against the headache that was threatening. What was he going to say his father and Kevin when they came back to find Ivy gone?

A memory of Ivy laughing at the birthday party drifted, unwelcome, into his mind and he groaned. Their worlds were too different, why would Ivy like him? He was too straight-laced and stuffy, too wrapped up in his career. She must know plenty of men who were much funnier and more interesting. Men who didn't get carried away and act without thinking and do silly inappropriate things. What would this beautiful, wild woman want with him?

*

Ivy walked quickly back to her truck, cutting through the woods, she didn't want to bump into Kevin and Terence. It had been raining the day before and the ground was slippy and it slowed her down. By the time she reached the van her boots were caked in mud.

She shot up the small flight of wooden steps into her truck and slammed the door shut, sliding the bolt and leaning back against it. She didn't usually lock the door when she was home, but if she left it open it might be dangerous. He might come bursting in, and her self-control was already only hanging on by the smallest thread. She rested a hand on the edge of the cabinet and tried to control her breathing. She was breathing so hard she was starting to feel lightheaded. She waited for it to slow and only then did the arousal subside to make way for guilt, to be quickly replaced by anger. How dare he? How dare he put her in that position, knowing full well that she had met Sara?

Her mouth was dry. She unhooked a mug from the shelf over the sink and filled it with water from the jug, gulping it back in a few mouthfuls, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

She had allowed herself to form so many misconceptions about him, he'd seemed like such a gentlemen, coming to her rescue when that drunken oaf had launched himself at her, checking up on her afterwards. She cringed at how friendly she'd been; inviting him in, making him coffee. How could she of believed even for a moment that he would be interested in someone like her? What did he want from her? What did he think she was? As she rested the mug on the counter she noticed her hand was shaking.

"Arsehole!" she shouted and immediately regretted the outburst. Someone might hear her and she didn't want to see anyone just then.

She peered out of the porthole window. She could make out Terence and Kevin through the trees, engrossed in conversation, as they walked back towards the Orangery. Terence was gesticulating enthusiastically, Kevin's body language was more taciturn. What were they going to think when they returned to find she wasn't there?

Well he'd have to come up some sort of story, it was his fault.

*

"Where's Ivy?" Terence asked.

"She..." It was only then that Richard realised he hadn't come up with a story. "She's gone, she needed to get back to the truck, she had a visitor, someone rang, and she had to get back for them." It sounded half-baked, he wasn't used to lying. "We agreed we'd finalise the details via email."

Terence nodded, already distracted by something he'd spotted on the plans but Kevin continued to watch him.

"It's not like Ivy to forget a thing like that," he said quietly.

Richard clenched his jaw and waiting for more questions to come but Kevin didn't speak again.

~

It was only later, on the journey home that Richard thought of the meeting last month and Ivy's face when she'd first seen Sara. He was driving through Swindon, heading for the London road when it occurred to him that her rushed departure was probably related to that. Sara. Of course! Ivy thought that he and Sara were an item.

He'd been so wrapped up in the way he had behaved he'd forgotten all about the Sara situation. The lights at the roundabout changed and he pulled to a stop. She must think he was such a rake. Slamming his hands on the steering wheel he cried out.

"Damn it!"

He heard a gasp. There was a woman in the passenger seat in the car next to him also with her window wound down. She was scowling at him.

"Sorry about that," he smiled apologetically and watched as her face softened in response before she turned back to face the road ahead. The lights changed and both cars pulled away.

Would he have dealt with that differently if he'd remembered about the assumptions she had made about him and Sara? He shouldn't have done it at all, what had he been thinking, why didn't he have any self-control around her? What was wrong with him?

What a mess it was.

***spoiler alert***

The sex is finally coming in the next chapter! I know that some of you have very kindly said that the story is more important than the sex but I have never written a story that has taken this many chapters for my characters to 'get down to it' before and I feel like I really am drawing it out a bit! So thanks for sticking with me if you've made it this far and of course thanks for all your votes and comments, keep them coming!