A Taste of Home Read online

  ‘What do you think?’ he asked.

  ‘I think I’m in love,’ I told him, as I jumped out. ‘Isn’t she a beauty and she drives like a dream.’

  ‘I had a feeling she’d be your sort of vehicle. Jake’s been very kind to keep her running and looked after.’

  ‘It seems to me the whole Somerville clan are kind,’ I said. ‘Wait until you see what he’s sent me back with.’

  ‘They’re good friends,’ he agreed. ‘But I’ve realised recently that as grateful to them, and everyone else who has rallied around me, as I am, there’s nothing quite like your own family to look after you, is there?’

  Thanks to Mum’s letter, I was in a position to begin to appreciate that myself now.

  ‘No,’ I said, giving him a warm hug. ‘There really isn’t.’

  Chapter 14

  The next day I started strawing long before the sun was up. Grandad and I had let the hens out into their run together, much to the fascination of the cat who sat on the sidelines and watched, her tail swishing. None of the girls paid the slightest attention to her, so after checking I had everything I needed, and that he approved of my straw spreading technique, Grandad ambled back to the house to see to the laundry.

  I tackled the task slowly and methodically, knowing there was nothing to be gained from trying to rush. I would only tire all the sooner and with dry days at my disposal there was no need to throw my back out on the first day.

  That said, when faced with the field packed full of long rows of plants, it did still feel like a daunting task. I broke the straw bales into around two-kilogram biscuits and then pulled it all into place, ensuring it was deep and wide enough to do the job it was intended for.

  Even though I was pacing myself, it was a back-breaking chore and some would argue unnecessary, but with the occasional skylark shooting up out of the leaves and singing overhead to distract me from their nests, I was content enough. I let my mind wander as I worked my way up and down the long, straight rows and the sun appeared over the Fenland horizon. It then rose quickly, taking the temperature with it.

  I mulled over the conversation I’d had with Jake and the extremely ambitious idea which had taken hold as a result. I had been considering asking at the pub about bar work to supplement the farm income as I had some experience, or even waitressing at the Cherry Tree with Bec, but if I could get this idea to hatch then I wouldn’t need to.

  Grandad and I weren’t too tight for money (assuming he’d let me spend some of mine) and, if I could convince him to give this project a go before we were, then we might end up far better off. I couldn’t help thinking that it felt almost like an answer to a prayer. I’d been wishing for a big idea to land and now it most definitely had.

  ‘Fliss!’

  I stood and shielded my eyes from the sun to see Grandad pointing at his wrist. It was time for a break. I hopped over to the next row, which was still straw free and went to join him.

  ‘Doesn’t that look grand,’ he said, smiling broadly.

  I looked at the finished rows and found my smile matching his. I could see the odd bright red berry shining in the sun and knew I would have to start picking properly soon.

  ‘Picture perfect,’ I said. ‘In fact, I think I’ll take a picture on my phone. I want to record every aspect of my first season here on the farm.’ I hoped he noted the emphasis I put on first. ‘I’ll take some of the hens too.’

  Along with the arrival of the grand plan, I’d been thinking about setting up an Instagram account to show off the farm’s seasonal highlights. If my ambitious idea did come to fruition (pun intended), then it would be good to have an already established social media presence.

  ‘I hope you’ve got something delicious for elevenses,’ I said, as I snapped away and my empty tummy rumbled. ‘I’m starving.’

  By three o’clock, I’d had enough of work and was ready for a muscle unclenching soak. Over half the field was finished, which was really good going, but I wasn’t sure I’d get it all done the next day. Progress would definitely be slower after the initial effort I’d put in, and my back would be groaning when it realised it would have to go through the same exertion again.

  ‘Put a few drops of this in your bath,’ said Grandad, handing me a small brown bottle before I went up to the bathroom. ‘And some Epsom salts too. They’re in the bathroom cupboard. They’ll see you right.’

  ‘What is this?’ I asked, unscrewing the bottle lid and taking a tentative sniff.

  It was surprisingly pleasant. There were hints of lavender and peppermint and possibly some subtle chamomile too.

  ‘It’s from Annie,’ said Grandad. ‘I swear by it.’

  ‘Have you tried the salve that she sent yesterday?’ I asked, only just remembering.

  ‘Oh yes,’ he said. ‘I’d been using it for a while, but I’d run out. It’s very good. All of her tinctures and tonics are.’

  With such a lofty endorsement, I willingly lowered my aching body into the warm, salt and remedy enhanced bath and let the water gently lap over me. Had it not been for the sound of voices a while later, I might have ended up staying there all night. The water was quite cool as I came to and I realised, I must have drifted off.

  ‘Hello Felicity,’ said Louise, when I went back down barefooted, in my bathrobe and pyjamas and with my hair piled up on top of my head.

  I was feeling more than a bit blissed out.

  ‘Hello,’ I yawned, before quickly covering my mouth. ‘Oh, sorry. I’ve been strawing up the field today and I’m ready for my bed.’

  ‘I know,’ she said. ‘Bill’s been telling us. He said you’ve done a fantastic job.’

  ‘It’s going well so far, but there’s still about half left to do. Fingers crossed I’ll break the back of it tomorrow.’

  ‘If it doesn’t break yours first,’ Louise sagely said.

  ‘Mm,’ I agreed. ‘Did you say us? Have you got Bec with you?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said, ‘and Eliot. Bill’s taken the pair of them to meet the hens and admire your handiwork too, I shouldn’t wonder.’

  I sniffed the air.

  ‘Can I smell fish and chips? Or am I hungry enough again to be hallucinating?’

  It didn’t seem to matter if I was in Puglia or Wynbridge, the fresh country air in both places gave me a consistently healthy appetite.

  ‘It’s fish and chips,’ Louise confirmed. ‘Bec came back with them when she finished at the café and as she’d got enough to feed an army, we thought it would be nice to all eat together.’

  I didn’t bother getting dressed again, but pushed my feet into my sandals and gave her a hand to set up outside, adding a few bottles of Skylark cider to the tray of cutlery, vinegar, salt and ketchup. Once we’d finished, I pulled the band out of my hair and ran my fingers through it, leaving it loose in the warm evening air.

  ‘And here’s my hard-working granddaughter,’ Grandad proudly said.

  ‘Crikey Fliss,’ said Bec. ‘You must be all in. You’ve gone great guns today.’

  ‘Well,’ I said, taking one of the plates Louise was handing around. ‘It needed doing and as the weather’s so good and there’s already a bit of colour showing, I thought I’d best get on with it.’

  ‘She was born to this life,’ Grandad said, to my mind standing that little bit taller. ‘Even if she was late getting here.’

  ‘Through no fault of her own,’ Louise mildly added.

  ‘Oh, I know that,’ Grandad responded, but with no rancour as he sat down.

  ‘And thanks to her years in Italy,’ Bec grinned, ‘she’s got some awesome culinary skills and I for one am very grateful for that. Have you heard anything from your Italian family since you’ve been here, Fliss?’

  ‘Not as far as I know,’ I told her. ‘I sent them an email from the library a few days ago, but because my phone doesn’t pick up a consistent signal here, I don’t know if they’ve emailed back.’

  It had been playing on my mind a bit and I hoped the Rossi t
rio weren’t feeling abandoned. I had no intention of disappearing out of their lives for good, but it had been a busy few days. They’d understand that, wouldn’t they? The internet in Puglia could be temperamental at times too, so I hoped they were factoring that into their thoughts about my prolonged radio silence.

  ‘I’ll try and check again next time I’m in town,’ I added.

  Eliot opened his mouth to say something, but Bec got in first. I was trying my best not to look at him. He needed a shave I noticed, and wore a day’s worth of stubble a little too well.

  ‘And I hear you can get there yourself now,’ she nudged, taking a swig of cider. ‘The services of the Banana-mobile are no longer required. By the way,’ she added, addressing her brother and holding up the bottle for him to see, ‘you’re driving back tonight.’

  ‘Fine by me,’ he muttered.

  Grandad caught my eye and winked and I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing out loud. I’d completely forgotten our resolve to keep a dry house. It felt good to have an inside joke.

  ‘Oh,’ said Grandad, once he’d recovered, ‘and talking of your phone signal, Fliss.’

  ‘I was just about to mention that, Bill,’ said Eliot, giving Bec a look.

  ‘What about it?’ I asked, popping another delicious chip into my mouth.

  ‘We’re getting broadband,’ Grandad announced. ‘Here at the farm.’

  ‘Oh really?’ I spluttered, swallowing the chip before I’d properly finished chewing it.

  That was music to my ears. It would make keeping in touch with the rest of the world so much easier. I’d be able to video call the Rossis from the comfort of the farm kitchen and introduce Grandad to Nonna like I’d thought about before. I’d also be able to keep the fledgling Instagram account updated without any fuss too.

  ‘Yes,’ Grandad continued. ‘Eliot said it’ll be easy enough because we already have a landline and it won’t cost much either.’

  ‘What made you change your mind?’ I asked, reaching for my cider. ‘I thought you were happy to manage without it as you’d never had it.’

  As thrilled as I was about getting connected for my own more selfish reasons, I couldn’t really see Grandad as an enthusiastic silver surfer type.

  ‘It was my nagging,’ Eliot piped up, this time managing to speak without getting cut off. ‘I thought you might appreciate it Fliss and I’m going to set Bill up with his own laptop, so he can use it to order his prescriptions and make appointments and perhaps even do the farm banking. You could even get your shopping delivered straight to the farm, Bill.’

  Grandad looked mightily impressed, but I wasn’t quite so enamoured. What Eliot was suggesting, would make my role as the helpful granddaughter all but redundant. I hoped he wasn’t still thinking I was going to leg it and was therefore setting up the internet to give Grandad a backup, because he really didn’t need one.

  ‘But I’ve got the Land Rover now,’ I pointed out, trying not to sound peevish. ‘So, I can do all those things. I want to do them. And Grandad will be driving himself about again soon, too.’

  ‘All true,’ said Eliot, ‘but this will keep Bill more independent, even though he is going be driving again, which is no bad thing.’

  I couldn’t argue with that, I supposed. It would be good for Grandad to be able to properly sail his own ship again. He hadn’t said as much, but I knew he’d found it hard relying on the help of others for so long. That said, I didn’t think that included help from me.

  ‘And like you said at Skylark, Fliss,’ Eliot further added, ‘you’ve got big ideas for this place and you’re going to be busy. I reckon Fenview Farm has a bright and exciting future now you’re here to steer it in a new direction, but that’s going to take up a lot of time. Getting Bill online will free you up a bit and give you more hours to focus on the business.’

  Stupid as it was, I felt a bit emotional as I listened to him say that. Not only was he confirming his belief that I was staying put, he was also letting me know that I was up to the job too and that his suggestion to get us online had nothing to do with sidestepping me. Tears pricked my eyes and I tried to blink them away. I don’t think I’d even held him in fonder affection than I did in that moment.

  There was no hint in any of what he said that I had given him hope of taking our relationship further when I spoke so passionately at Skylark Farm and I can’t deny there was a pang of disappointment attached to that realisation. I should have been pleased that he was as committed to keeping us on the straight and narrow as I was, but I wasn’t.

  At least Grandad looked delighted.

  ‘I’m actually looking forward to it now,’ he chuckled. ‘It’s going to be quite an adventure, I think!’

  ‘You’ll have to give Bill a lesson in cyber safety, Eliot,’ Louise laughed. ‘Otherwise goodness knows where he’s going to end up.’

  She had a point.

  ‘The engineer will be coming out next week,’ Eliot said, turning his attention back to Grandad. ‘And when we’ve finished at the hospital tomorrow Bill, we’ll go and see about a laptop. There’s a place in town where you can pick up a perfectly decent reconditioned one for a fraction of the price of something brand new.’

  Grandad looked even more thrilled.

  ‘I thought I was taking you to the hospital,’ I said, quickly recovering. ‘I’ve scheduled the time out into tomorrow’s work.’

  Eliot shook his head.

  ‘That step into the Land Rover is too high,’ he said, ‘and then you’ve got to negotiate getting out at the other end.’

  ‘There are plenty of apple crates kicking around here that we could use as an intermediary step,’ I pointed out. ‘It will be a darn sight easier than Grandad swinging his leg over the back of your Ducati.’

  Everyone was quiet for a moment and then as one we all burst out laughing, our heads filled with an image of Grandad in bike leathers, riding pillion.

  ‘You wouldn’t get me on that thing,’ he said, taking out his handkerchief to wipe his eyes, ‘even without the trick hip.’

  Eliot caught my eye and I started laughing again.

  ‘So, what is happening then?’ I asked.

  ‘I’m going to lend Eliot my car,’ said Bec, ‘and I’ll come here and help you with the strawing up. If you think I’ll be able to get the hang of it, that is. I thought you might fancy a bit of company.’

  She had no idea what she was letting herself in for, but she was right. A bit of company, hers especially, would be wonderful and we’d hopefully get through the work all the faster.

  ‘All right,’ I agreed. ‘Just be prepared for stiff legs and an aching back at the end of the day.’

  I could have quite easily taken umbrage that they’d organised things without asking me, but I was well aware that they all had Grandad’s best interests at heart and I needed to remember that they had been helping him long before I came on the scene. They weren’t meddling, or taking over, they were simply and kindly pulling together, just like the Rossis did in times of need and of course, many hands really did make light work.

  * * *

  I was awake bright and early again the next morning and, having wished Grandad luck for his post-op follow-up appointment at the hospital, I headed to the strawberry field for round two. So immersed in the task in hand, I didn’t hear the Banana-mobile arrive but that was probably no bad thing.

  Eliot’s little speech the evening before, combined with the rugged stubble and dazzling smile he’d bestowed upon me at Skylark Farm, had cranked my feelings for him up another notch and I was really beginning to doubt my ability to keep a lid on them. All the while I’d been thinking that he was the one who needed to get a grip, but actually it turned out, I was having just as much difficulty, if not more, than him.

  What I needed was a distraction, something other than the farm. Something that wasn’t in any way connected to Eliot. Perhaps a dalliance with someone else would stop my traitorous heart constantly undoing all the good work
my head was struggling to do and convince Eliot that I was sticking to our self-imposed rules? It was certainly food for thought.

  ‘How’s that?’ puffed Bec, stepping back to admire her first attempt after I’d shown her the most efficient way to get the straw from the bale and into the rows. ‘I know I’m much slower than you, but that’s not too bad, is it?’ she asked, pushing her sweaty curls away from her face.

  It was already a sweltering day; I’d applied plenty of sunblock and stripped down to my bikini top and shorts and Bec, with her pale skin, was turning rather pink in spite of the factor fifty. I hoped she wasn’t regretting her offer to help.

  ‘Perfect,’ I told her, even though some of the straw needed thinning out a bit. ‘I think you deserve a strawberry for that, possibly even two.’

  She immediately plucked a succulent beauty from the row and popped it in her mouth.

  ‘Oh wow,’ she said, practically swooning in the row. ‘That’s so good. Fenview fruit really is the best.’

  ‘I know,’ I winked, picking a berry for myself. ‘That’s why we’re the exclusive suppliers to the best café in Wynbridge and we’ve got you to thank for that.’

  She gave a little curtsy and we both laughed.

  ‘I didn’t realise,’ she said, looking about her, ‘until Bill showed me and Eliot this field last night, just how big the strawberry plot is. How on earth are you going to manage to keep on top of it when you have everything else to do?’

  ‘Well,’ I told her, ‘I’m a pretty fast picker and I’ll only need to go over the rows every other day, so as long as I’m out here every day and working my way through at least half, it should be fine.’

  ‘That’s a big commitment.’

  ‘It’s life on a fruit farm,’ I simply said. ‘The season is relatively short, but it’s intense when everything starts to come in.’

  ‘You know, if you want an extra pair of hands, you only have to ask. I’ve only got three shifts a week at the café, so I can always help out here around them.’