‘Are you sure?’
‘One hundred per cent,’ I confirmed. ‘And our little showdown happened in the packed pub, so I don’t think he’ll be showing his face around town again for a while. Jim got the gist of it all, so Anthony’s reputation is going to be more than tarnished, even without getting the police involved. But at least I got the watch off him before Jim threw him out.’
It was only then I remembered that wasn’t the only thing The Mermaid landlord had overheard. Should I perhaps mention that Anthony had been bad-mouthing Eliot before he heard talk of it in town?
‘Hang on,’ Eliot then said. ‘Are you telling me that it was Anthony who was wearing the watch?’
‘Oh yes,’ I said, ‘that’s the best part. He spotted it in the jewellers in town and paid a fortune for it.’
‘So, now he’s out of pocket for getting ahead of himself over the barn sale and he hasn’t got the watch he paid thousands for?’
‘Yep,’ I grinned.
Given the mischief he’d caused, I didn’t think he deserved anything less.
‘Crikey,’ said Eliot, ‘he’s not having a very good day, is he?’
‘No,’ I said, reaching across the bed and handing Grandad the watch. ‘But we are and you’ve got a nice little nest egg out of his deception, Grandad.’
‘I can’t believe,’ he sighed, wrapping the watch around his wrist, ‘that out of all the men around here, you went out with him, Fliss.’
‘Me neither,’ tutted Eliot.
‘Well,’ I said, throwing caution to the wind, ‘had we not been trying to hide our feelings for one another, Eliot, then I might not have done.’
‘What’s this?’ Grandad asked.
Eliot looked at me and grinned.
‘I’ve been trying to hide it, Bill,’ he laughed. ‘But the truth is, I’m in love with your granddaughter.’
‘I see,’ chuckled Grandad. ‘And by the look on her face, I reckon she might be in love with you too, my boy!’
Chapter 28
Six weeks later
The weeks that followed were filled with halcyon days. There were no more storms – meteorological or otherwise – and the harvest was, according to Grandad’s farm records, set to be one of the best ever. There was a constant supply of strawberries, red and blackcurrants, gooseberries, raspberries and, most longed for of all, cherries.
The fabulous Fenview Farm crops kept the café, market stall and Jake well supplied, as well as the farm kitchen and, with life finally settled, we had gone all out planning a wonderful summer party to celebrate everything Mum’s final words had gifted us.
With my laptop set up on the kitchen worktop, I’d finally baked my first cherry and almond tart, using Fenview cherries of course, and with Nonna watching in the background and offering occasional words of advice and encouragement. We’d said ciao after it was safely in the oven and as the room filled with the delicious scent, I knew I’d carried out her instructions with aplomb.
My mouth watered for that first exquisite mouthful as I took it out of the oven, but I was going to resist tasting it until the timing was just right.
‘Everything all set?’ Eliot asked, as he wandered into the kitchen the day of the party and slid his hands around my waist.
‘I think so,’ I said, twisting around to face him. ‘I’ve pretty much made double of everything, just to be on the safe side.’
He kissed me deeply and for the longest time, making my temperature soar even higher than the stuffy kitchen had managed, and my pulse raced to match it.
I had eventually told him what Anthony had said about him and just as I knew he would, he shrugged it off. Had I been in his shoes, I would have wanted to bop Anthony on the nose, but that wasn’t Eliot’s style. Also, as I had predicted, no one had seen Anthony since our showdown in the pub and that was also fine by me. Life at Fenview Farm was all the sweeter without him popping up in it.
‘I’m not sure the man from the council would approve of these shenanigans in a food preparation area,’ I sighed, when we finally broke apart.
‘Just as well this is an invitation-only party then, isn’t it?’ Eliot beamed, pulling me back in for another lingering kiss.
‘Yes,’ I smiled back. ‘And he’s definitely not invited.’
Practically everyone else was though and that was why I’d spent so long in the kitchen throughout what had been the hottest week of the year.
‘Sorry to interrupt all your hard work in here,’ Grandad laughed, as he caught us mid kiss, ‘but I don’t suppose there’s any chance of a cup of tea?’
‘Of course, there is,’ I told him. ‘I’ll cover this last batch of muffins and then I’ll get the kettle on.’
I swatted Eliot away and sent him off to deliver the day’s harvest. He was using his belated summer holiday to help me and Bec – who was spending hours on FaceTime to Marco – on the farm, which was wonderful because it meant we got to spend every day together. Neither Bec nor Louise had been at all surprised when Eliot and I made our feelings official. Bec reckoned she’d long since worked out that Anthony was just a distraction, but she hadn’t deciphered what he’d been up to.
Eliot arrived back from delivering the fruit at the same time his sister arrived with Louise bringing yet more decorations for the barn. Rather than set up just a small corner of it again, Grandad had insisted that we filled the whole space.
It had been another cost-effective makeover but every bit as pretty as the last one and I was very much looking forward to welcoming more people to the farm to see it. Combined with the dishes I had spent so long preparing, the superb setting was hopefully going to guarantee yet another truly memorable evening.
‘I’m not sure you should be driving in that state, Bec,’ Eliot
