Dressed for the heat of the early July day in shorts and a sleeveless top, Jenna started ripping and digging out dandelions, creeping buttercups and nettles that crowded the borders. She worked slowly and systematically along the largest border, making a mental note of the plants and bushes she found among the weeds. Her brain was already in overdrive thinking how best to tame them without losing the natural country garden look that she loved.
A thud from over the other side of the cottage made Jenna stop and look up. She swept her hair from her eyes and stood upright, stretching her aching back. There were more thuds followed by the squeak of wheels. Jenna shaded her eyes. A wheelbarrow appeared around the side of the cottage first, pushed by Finn. He stopped by the side of the lean-to and peeled off his T-shirt, stuffing it into the back pocket of his shorts, leaving half of it hanging out. He was tanned from working outside and toned from all the physical work. His muscles flexed as he lifted the handles of the wheelbarrow and pushed it along the narrow path and up the wooden ramp. Jenna’s eyes followed him, her face feeling hotter and hotter as she took in the tattoos that crept across his broad shoulders and down his arms. He dumped the contents in the skip and manoeuvred the wheelbarrow back down, then turned and caught her eye. Flustered, she smiled, waved and dropped her gaze from his six-pack as she crouched down again. She yanked out the weed in front of her and decided she needed to cool down inside and concentrate on something else for a while. In fact, sod that, she needed to go and do some shopping. She was too hot and bothered, plus getting out of here and away from Finn and his muscles would be a good idea.
~
It was a few miles to the nearest town, and although she had a car, Jenna reminded herself that she need to be organised here and make sure she always had the basics in like bread, milk and fruit. At least she’d be fed well on set. It was usually late and she’d be past eating by the time she got home after a day filming and she was certain it would be the same here. Also, the location for filming next week was a good twelve miles away, and it was unlikely that the shoot would stay there for the whole eight weeks. She was prepared for early starts, lots of travelling, and getting back to the cottage late. Life as an actress had made her flexible. It also made her anxious. She gripped the steering wheel, her palms sweaty despite the cool air rushing in through the open window. She always had the same fear when starting a new job, all the unknown elements of getting to know a new cast, crew and location. With one- or two-day shoots, she often wouldn’t know her call time or the exact location until the last minute, then she’d have a mad rush to work out her journey, prepare for the next day, plus get enough sleep while worrying about sleeping through her alarm. And yet despite all of that, she enjoyed the excitement and variety of her life, and the interesting people she got to meet. There were extra perks too like meeting famous people, having the opportunity to film in unusual places, or getting a bonus payment because her role was changed to a speaking one on the day, even if she only uttered a simple ‘excuse me’ or ‘hello’ and it was removed and left on the cutting room floor.
~
Jenna had the cottage to herself on the Sunday and she spent the morning pottering, before heading out in the car to explore the surrounding area. It was another blistering hot day with an endless blue sky and only wisps of clouds that looked like they’d been painted on with the gentlest brush stroke. Jenna wondered how long the good weather would last. Schools hadn’t broken up yet, but it was still busy particularly on the coast with holidaymakers, mostly couples and a few families with younger children.
Having grown up in Guildford and lived in London ever since, she relished being far away from motorways, from the traffic choking the road in front of her flat, and the constant noise of the city. After the events of the past few months, getting away from it all was exactly what she needed, even if work started tomorrow. A change of scene and pace though, that was priceless. And what an opportunity to be able to stay in a place like this for the whole summer. She was going to make the most of it, knowing that the eight weeks would probably whizz by.
Two-hundred and fifty miles away from home and the landscape couldn’t be more different: coastal villages with pastel-painted cottages, harbours packed with white boats bobbing together, and sparkling turquoise sea. It almost felt like she should be abroad. She didn’t like the thought of tucking into a roast dinner in a pub on her own, so she bought fish and chips, and ate them sitting on a bench by the harbour,
