Different Worlds
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Different Worlds Ch. 03 free porn video
And its another chapter! I meant to get this up a bit sooner but I’m soooo tired, I hope you all enjoy reading it. With warmest thanks again to North200 for his editing prowess.
Ivy and Kevin soon fell into a routine. They seemed to understand each other without too many words and Ivy’s days were filled with comfortable silences.
Kevin’s approach to growing was a revelation to Ivy. He seemed to know things about companion planting that she had never seen in any book.
He had taught her that an excess of nettles in the garden meant fertile soil, that the leaves made into tea had a restorative effect on your liver, and that she could make soup with them at certain times of year. She learned that she could add the bitter leaf of the dandelion to her salads and that during the war they made a coffee like drink out of its roots.
Kevin said he didn’t know how he had managed before Ivy had come along. For her part, she was grateful to have the opportunity to gain some of his knowledge.
One day Kevin took her to the small woodman’s cottage tucked away at the back of the grounds where he lived, and there she met his dad Seph. When Seph smiled his face was like a wizened old apple. He had a laugh like a sailor and a shock of thick white hair that looked like it had been left on his head by accident. His bright, intelligent eyes were always smiling. Where Kevin was taciturn and reserved Seph was nosy and warm, he wore his heart on his sleeve. The two men seemed so different from each other that Ivy wondered how they could be related.
Unless the weather was terrible, they always found Seph sitting on an old wooden bench in the shade of an ancient apple tree. He would be watching the birds, holding his gnarled wooden walking stick across his lap and looking like the master of all he surveyed and after that first meeting, Ivy spent many a happy morning drinking tea with Kevin and Seph.
~
Everything was going swimmingly, until one day Terence came to see them. He’d taken to popping by most days when he was walking the dogs. She had been working on the asparagus bed again, but when he arrived as usual with Sasha and Rosco in tow he seemed different, more focused. She stood up and put her spade down, and wiped the sweat off her brow.
‘You seem about ready for a break Ivy, come and have a chat with me They sat down for a cuppa, and Terence began to talk about the project.
‘Kevin told me about some of your ideas, they sound like just what we want. Richard is coming down next week for a meeting with the project manager, could you talk to him about them? We were going to hire in a garden designer, but we would rather Kevin was more involved in the project and if we get someone from outside in he is unlikely to want to be. He can be funny with outsiders but you and him seem to have hit it off.’
Ivy swallowed her nerves about seeing Richard again and quickly agreed. She had picked up on Kevin’s reluctance when he was showing her the site. She hadn’t understood it but she had grown fond of him, and was keen to help do anything to make it easier for him to get involved.
Terence was looking over her shoulder. ‘Kevin, I was just saying to Ivy that we’re going to be meeting about the Project next weekend, Richard’s coming up with one of his colleagues to see the place and Tim is going to be there too. We can talk about some of the ideas you and Ivy have had.’
‘I know he’d rather get one of them clever landscape designers in from outside, why don’t you just let him Mr Cartwright sir, if he wants to so much, I don’t mind do I, Ivy?’
But Ivy didn’t get the chance to reply because Terence was speaking again.
‘Yes, but I mind Kevin, why do I need to pay some hoity toity young pipsqueak when you’d be perfectly up to the job?’
Ivy looked back and forth between them. Kevin was so quiet but she had begun to learn what he said when he wasn’t speaking. If she hadn’t been watching closely she might’ve missed it but despite his staunch denials she could see Kevin bristle at the idea of a garden designer coming in and Terence could, too.
As the meeting grew closer she got more and more nervous. Then, on the day itself, Terence called to say something had come up and he couldn’t be there after all. Ivy has been worried to start with, now her anxiety was all encompassing.
She cringed as she remembered the last time she’d seen Richard. Why had she hugged him? She’d behaved as though they were old friends, and if his response had been anything to go by, that definitely was not what he thought.
Digging over a new bed, she finally managed to pull the dock root out she’d been loosening. It was good to have a strenuous job to lose herself in so she didn’t have the time to build this thing up into unimaginable heights. Terence and Kevin where both so enthusiastic about her ideas and had so much faith in her. It was gratifying but sometimes she felt like they’d mistaken her for someone who knew what she was doing. She didn’t have any formal qualifications in horticulture, she’d learnt what she knew on the job with Luke and her knowledge paled into insignificance next to Kevin’s. His decade of experience made him an encyclopaedia of botany.
She stopped digging, leaned against her spade and let her eyes fall closed. Surely she wasn’t what Richard wanted. Richard wanted a professional, someone who understood whatever statement he was trying to make with the roundhouse, someone who could produce a sleek and modern planting design to go with it. Richard and the site manager would just see through all her ideas.
She considered just not turning up, sneaking off and hiding out in her van instead, but not for long. She knew couldn’t let eveyone down by not turning up, if they didn’t like the ideas she and Kevin had come up with then so be it, it wasn’t a big deal.
Ivy wondered if she should change out of her work clothes, but she decided that it wouldn’t be necessary. The meeting was on a building site after all.
Steeling herself she set off, walking slowly across the grounds with her hands pushed in her pockets. She wished yet again that Terence could be there to act as a conduit for her ideas. She’d never met the site manager and she didn’t know Richard that well. So far they’d only had a series of odd interactions that she had no idea how to interpret. Their awkward parting hug had turned into a huge thing in her head but she told herself she was reading too much into it. He’d probably forgotten all about it.
Ivy arrived to find everyone else was already there. Kevin was talking to the site manager, Richard was slightly apart from them both chatting to a woman she had never seen before. There was something about the way they were standing and their body language that told Ivy they knew each other well. She couldn’t quite put her finger on how she knew, but they were more than just work colleagues. Her skin prickled. Trying not to be too obvious she looked the woman over, she surely wasn’t local. Dressed in a conservative but elegant navy blue suit, she was wearing make up, but only a tiny bit and perfectly applied, so Ivy could hardly tell. Her platinum blonde hair was tied back at the nape of her neck and she was as slender as a reed. There was an air quiet sophistication that Ivy could never hope to achieve. Everything about her was understated but elegant. Ivy sighed, she must be from London, from his world.
Ivy was regretting not changing out of her work clothes, until she realised that nothing she owned could compete with the level of effortless grace the woman exuded anyway. She was better off looking like she hadn’t even tried, which she hadn’t she reminded herself with a scowl.
They were so engrossed in their conversation they hadn’t noticed her approach. The woman smiled at something Richard said and they both laughed. Ivy felt a tightness in her chest, it crept up her throat and caught there. He seemed so comfort
able, so at ease.
The site manager was talking to her. She turned, dragging her gaze away from the couple, and faced him, welcoming the distraction. She had seen him around but they’d never been introduced, she found him a little intimidating if she was honest. He was a big man, brisk with a loud voice. She wasn’t sure of his name but before she had enough time to worry about that he was shaking her hand with his strong, confident grip.
‘Tim,’ he said, the accompanying smile was warm and friendly and her apprehension dissolved, ‘Ivy, isn’t it?’ She nodded and smiled back. The West Country twang in his voice was strong and it reminded her of Seph, immediately putting her more at ease.
He had reddish blond hair, ruddy skin and warm, hazel eyes and in his checked shirt he reminded her of a teddy bear. She only just managed to stop herself before she giggled at the thought. He asked about the walled garden, and the restoration work they were doing. He seemed very interested and she was surprised at how much he knew about what they’d been up to.
‘I’d love to come and have a proper gander. Every time I pass you seem to have transformed the place yet again.’
It was Kevin who replied, Kevin who was usually so taciturn was chatting and smiling, he must have known Tim for a long time. ‘You’d be most welcome anytime,’ he said, ‘You don’t have to ask, you know that, but why the sudden interest Tim?’
There was a mischievous note in Kevin’s voice, she looked in his direction only to have it confirmed by his sly grin that he was teasing Tim. She blushed as it dawned on her that she was the reason for Tim’s ‘sudden interest’. Mortified, Ivy cast a disapproving glance at Kevin and he had the decency to look sheepish at least. Richard had just joined them, she wondered how much of the conversation he’d heard.
She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination but he seemed ill at ease. When their gazes met it was him that looked away first. She was cross with herself for staring, for failing to keep a handle on how responsive she was to him even in front of all these other people.
Meanwhile the woman hovered, standing slightly apart from the group.
‘Who’s your lady friend Richard?’ Tim asked.
Richard seemed to remember himself. He shot another fleeting look at Ivy and then introduced her. ‘This is Sara, we work together.’
Sara smiled warmly as she stepped forward and joined the group, proffering a hand, which each of them shook.
In a soft voice she said, ‘The walled garden we passed on the way in looks beautiful. I’d love to see more of it.’ She seemed to be directing her request at Ivy.
Tim suggested that they all have a look after the meeting. He looked at Richard. ‘If you have time? Are you planning on going back tonight?’
‘I’d be fascinated to see it.’
They walked around the building site and Richard started to talk about the design and his vision. He was confident and inspired, Ivy found this side of him she’d never seen before attractive, frustratingly so. Kevin was unusually talkative, remembering their ideas and telling Tim and Richard about them without taking any of the credit himself. Soon they were firing off each other’s enthusiasm and Ivy had forgotten to be nervous, she was too busy clarifying and expanding.
*
He swept his hand through his hair, he needed to focus. The level of attraction he felt for Ivy was unexpected. He’d been so sure that his memory was exaggerating the effect she had on him the last time he’d seen her, but no, her allure had hit him again like a pile of bricks from the moment she’d arrived.
How could he be objective about her skills? About her suitability for this role when every time she looked at him he was thrown into such turmoil. This was a job, they could be working together, his attraction needed to stop here. Working with her was going to be awkward, to say the least, and this reinforced his initial thoughts on the matter. The best thing would be to get a professional landscaper who specialised in wildlife gardening. He needed to broach the subject with his father again, and not allow himself to be railroaded next time.
Terence had invited Kevin and Ivy to the meeting without consulting him, then he hadn’t turned up to the meeting himself. He’d probably invited them because he felt in some way responsible for what had happened to Ivy at the ball. Richard wished his father had discussed it with him beforehand, the project was too important to pass the landscaping on to someone because you owed them. The planting scheme was integral to the overall design. It was vital they had the right person for the job, but here she was, and there was know avoiding it now.
They started with a tour of the building, at first Ivy seemed nervous, but she was asking intelligent questions and she seemed genuinely interested in his answers. His feeling of trepidation began to ease off. He was running through his spiel, the one he usually gave to people who’d never seen the round house before. He stopped talking when he noticed she was she was studying something with an expression of intense concentration. She looked up and visibly paled as she realised everyone had stopped talking and was waiting for her to speak.
‘Oh, I… I was just wondering, why did you make the entrance curved?’ she said slowly, ‘It seems like a lot of trouble to go to.’
He was becoming used to these direct questions, that were typical of Ivy. He smiled to himself: she’d noticed the shape of the entrance when no one else had. He’d been particularly proud of this part of the design and he was pleased to have the opportunity to explain it.
As they followed the curve, moving into the building and he explained that it was more organic and better for light distribution but mainly the building needed to be wheelchair accessible and this way a sloping entrance could be included without taking up too much space.
Slowly Ivy lost her inhibitions, she was talking enthusiastically about her ideas, and asking questions. Tim was nodding and agreeing with everything she said
‘And those slats?’ she said. She was looking up at the sky light with her hands on her hips. ‘What are they for?’
‘That’s called solar shading. The slats are angled so they provide shade in the middle of the day between June and October but not in the cooler months.’
‘Because the sun is lower?’ she replied.
He nodded.
‘That’s clever,’ she was looking around ‘I like it.
‘It’s inspired by the Celtic round houses that were built in this region.’ He said, and as she nodded her approval he felt like he’d grown about a foot.
Tim spoke then. ‘Was it against this wall you were thinking of Aquaponics, Richard?’
Ivy’s nose wrinkled and she shook her head.
‘I think that would be a terrible idea, I don’t like aquaponics. This room is such a lovely shape, and the aquaponics systems I have seen are all so clunky. Ferns would be much more suited to this space,’ she said, waving her arms expressively as she moved around, ‘and you could have peace lilies and spider plants, they remove toxins from the…’
Ivy stopped speaking mid-sentence. Her hand went to her mouth and for a moment she chewed self-consciously on her thumb until her hands shot back to her sides again.
He frowned, she was absolutely correct. Aquaponics wouldn’t be right for the space at all but then he was distracted by her lips, so red and moist. He blinked, she’d started speaking again and he hadn’t been listening. He concentrated, tuning back into to what she was saying.
‘…If you like them that’s okay, I… I didn’t mean you shouldn’t use them, I just think it’s tricky to use them in…’
‘…in an aesthetically pleasing way?’ Richard supplied.
‘Yeah,’ she said, and looked down at her feet.
He wanted to say something to make it alright again, but he couldn’t think clearly. He gaze travelled d
ownwards and he noticed she was worrying at her hands again, picking at her thumbnail.
He looked back up at her face, into her eyes. ‘No its fine, I didn’t think you were…’
Tim laughed loudly, both interrupting the moment and drawing attention to it, pulling Richard out of the world he’d been lost in —the one where no one else existed except Ivy.
‘Shall we go and have a look at where to put this guttering then, and the water storage tanks?’ Tim asked.
Richard nodded and the group moved back outside.
He’d had assumed his father was enthusiastic about Ivy because he felt he owed her, and he’d always been a sucker for a pretty girl, but Ivy did seem to have genuine talent. Her ideas had a lot of potential and somehow she seemed to really understand what he was trying to do. And Kevin seemed different around her, more confident, easier to engage. They already had a camaraderie that made it seem like they had been working together for much longer than a few weeks, which was amazing. He was lucky if he could get more than one word responses from Kevin in reply to his questions. He felt a tinge of envy at their comfortable relationship, he wanted that same ease with Ivy, instead of this lurching from one awkward moment to another.
They were all standing near a north-facing bed.
‘This is deep shade, and Kevin says the wind comes predominantly from the east so this wall will create a rain shadow, it’s going to be hard to find plants that will grow easily in this spot.’
‘That’ll be the long and the short of it,’ Kevin said. ‘Dry and dark, it’s never easy to get anything to grow in those kinds of places.’
‘I remember once we had a bed just like this when I was working with Luke, in that old brewery over in Gozzards Ford I told you about’ Ivy said to Kevin.
‘Gozzards ford near Abdington?’ Sara asked.
Yes, Ivy said looking up at her.
‘Were you working with Luke Gladstone?’
‘Do you know him?’ Ivy asked looking at Sara as though seeing her for the first time.
‘I do,’ Sara smiled. ‘He was the landscaper for a project near Didcot I was involved in around the same time.’
Suddenly Ivy laughed, and Richards stomach clenched.
‘That place with the fountain?’ She asked shaking her head. When Sara nodded she continued. ‘That was a right hassle.’
Sara laughed too, ‘I’m sure it was, I never thought it would ever be finished, so typical of Gordon to design something so pretentious and then insist it was implemented even everyone else told him it was completely impractical to build.’
Still laughing, Ivy squatted down to get a closer look at the soil.
‘There’s that new variety of cranesbill you mentioned the other day.’ She looked up at Kevin as she spoke, ‘The one with the dark flowers? That would make good ground cover here.’
Kevin nodded and said something that sounded like Latin.
‘And we could put the rain saving tank back here maybe?’ she added, looking up towards where Richard and Tim were standing.
‘Yep, I can’t see that being a problem,’ said Tim.
We could put a log pile here too,’ said Kevin in his quiet way.
‘Yes,’ Ivy nodded. ‘Yes we could. This would be the perfect spot.’
‘A log pile?’ Richard asked, with raised eyebrows. ‘like a sort of decorative feature?’
*
Kevin’s shoulders sagged ever so slightly, and his lips tightened. If she hadn’t got to know Kevin so well Ivy might have missed it, but when you worked with someone who didn’t speak much you learned to read their body language pretty fast.
Ivy got to her feet stood up again and turned so she was facing Richard. She took a deep breath. But before she had a chance to reply, Sara spoke.
‘If you’re going to make an eco garden you need to create habitats, to encourage diversity. A log pile is a habitat for lots of different invertebrates that play a vital role in creating an eco-system.’.
‘Oh, I see.’
‘We have one at the walled garden if you’d like to see it,’ Ivy said. Richard shot a glance at her.
‘Okay that would be great.’ He replied.
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