‘I’ll go and ask her for some. We’ll save time if we place them in colour-coded groups in here, then we can set the tables quicker once we’re ready for them.’
‘Good idea,’ Izzy agreed. ‘Even one will do for starters.’
She never minded packing and unpacking their stock, it was all so beautiful. Jess’s gran must have spent decades collecting her prized crockery, Izzy mused yet again. She wondered if it was to help make up for the loss of her darling husband, Pierre. It always gave Izzy a lump in her throat whenever Jess’s gran spoke about him and how his dying so suddenly of a heart attack, a month before Jess’s birth, had nearly finished her off.
Izzy recalled afternoons sitting in front of Mrs Moon’s living room fire, drinking mugs of hot chocolate and listening to her tales. Mrs Moon had spent the Occupation in Jersey with her mother and father, meeting Pierre several years later when he’d come over from France looking for work at a neighbouring farm.
Izzy heard Jess coming back into the room and cleared her throat to push away the constriction her tears were causing. She turned away from the door and hurriedly rubbed her eyes. ‘Did she give you one?’
‘Excuse me?’
Ed’s shocked reply surprised her and she spun round, the saucer she was holding slipping from her hand and crashing onto the cream-tiled floor. ‘Shit.’
Izzy bent down to collect the shattered pieces, nicking the palm of her hand in the process. ‘Ouch.’
Ed hurried over, looking anxious. ‘Here, let me.’ He placed the shards on the table, lifting her hand to check the damage. ‘That’s quite deep. You’re going to have to put a dressing on it, otherwise you’re going to spoil your linen.’
‘That’s all I need.’
‘Sorry.’ He took a clean cotton hankie from his trouser pocket, shook it out, and placed it over her bleeding hand, tying it hurriedly. ‘I shouldn’t have burst in here like that.’
Izzy shook her head. It was so unusual to see someone carrying a linen handkerchief these days. She couldn’t help being charmed to discover this about him. ‘It’s not your fault,’ she said, forcing a smile onto her face. He lowered her hand and blood dripped onto the tiled floor.
‘You’re going to have to hold that up for a bit until it stops bleeding so much. I’ll call Marie; I’m sure she’s got some paper stitches somewhere.’
Izzy raised her eyebrows. ‘Blimey, she’s organized.’
He smiled looking slightly less stricken. ‘She trained to be a veterinary nurse, but ended up not working as one for very long when she discovered she was better suited to cooking for people rather than looking after sick animals.’ He left her in the pantry and went out to the kitchen. ‘I’ll give her a call and get something to mop that up with.’
Izzy wondered if there was anything Marie couldn’t do. If she hadn’t been quite so friendly and helpful to her and Jess, Iz was sure she’d have a hard time not being jealous of the woman. It was an odd feeling. She rarely felt envy, believing that everyone had their own problems to cope with and that somehow balanced out peoples’ lives. She couldn’t imagine what Marie’s downside must be. She’d even chosen to dump Ed.
Izzy looked up noticing him standing at the doorway studying her.
‘You OK?’ He looked so concerned.
She nodded, wondering how anyone could choose not to be with someone as gorgeous as him. She mentally slapped herself. She had to focus on the wedding, and this was a heck of a setback.
‘Keep that hand up,’ Ed said, taking hold of her wrist and raising it.
‘You’re very bossy.’
Ed smiled.
‘You can talk,’ Jess said, walking in and stopping dead when she took in the scene. ‘What the hell have you been doing? I’ve only been gone five minutes.’
Ed roared with laughter. ‘I’ve missed you two, you know. You’re both a little crazy and it really wasn’t the same when you left the boat.’
‘Is that why you raced back after us?’ Jess asked, winking slyly at Izzy. ‘We wondered why you appeared back in Jersey so soon.’
He turned to face Jess. ‘Maybe.’
She walked over to Izzy and took hold of her hand, carefully lifting the handkerchief to inspect the damage. ‘Is it very deep?’
‘Deep enough,’ Ed said.
Izzy watched them, wondering if they were aware she could answer for herself, but enjoying their chatter. She hoped Marie would hurry up so she could get back to unpacking the stock.
‘I’ve finally found them,’ Marie said, holding up a small red tin. ‘You OK, Izzy?’
‘I’m fine, thanks. She untied Ed’s tight knot with her free hand.
Marie waved Ed out of the way. ‘This room is too small for all of us and I’m sure you must have jobs to be getting on with,’ she said in a jovial way. ‘Anyway, it’s a while since I’ve done this and I don’t need an audience.’
Ed walked over to the door. ‘No problem.’ He smiled at Izzy. ‘I’m sure Marie will do a sterling job sticking your hand back together.’
‘I’m sure she will. Thanks for patching me up, Ed. I’ll wash your handkerchief and get it back to you in the next day or so.’
He shrugged. ‘No rush.’
Marie placed her tin onto the worktop and pulled up a stool. ‘This must sting,’ she said, inspecting Izzy’s hand. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’
Jess grimaced. ‘I’ll get on with the unpacking and leave you two to it.’
‘So, you wanted to become a vet, Ed tells me?’ Izzy asked, wondering why Marie didn’t pursue her dream.
‘Yes, but it wasn’t to be, unfortunately.’
In a couple of minutes she’d stuck the paper stitches in a neat little row along the cut.
‘I thought I should stick too many than too few,’ Marie said, wrapping a bandage around Izzy’s hand. ‘The skin should start to knit together very soon, but I would wear a latex glove over the bandage for the time being, just to help keep it clean and dry. I’ll find some for you.’
Izzy looked at Marie’s handiwork and nodded. ‘Thank you, that’s brilliant.’
‘So tell me,’ Marie said as she packed her first aid tin. ‘Has Catherine been bugging you at all since earlier?’
‘No, thankfully,’ Jess said, re-entering the room. ‘Maybe she’s found someone else to annoy.’
‘Let’s hope so,’ Marie said, and left.
It didn’t take long to finish the unpacking. They joined Marie for another drink in the kitchen while the marquee was erected and Ed called on the other two gardeners to come and help put up the trestle tables where Jess and Izzy wanted to place them.
‘I’ll just take a picture for Lacey,’ Izzy said, holding up her camera. ‘We don’t want her changing her mind about the room layout after we’ve done the tables.’
They didn’t have to wait long for Lacey’s reply. She phoned back almost immediately. ‘It’s perfect,’ she squealed into Izzy’s ear, making her wince. ‘I can’t wait to see what you’ve done when everything is laid out in all its finery.’
Neither could they. ‘She’s happy,’ Izzy said to Jess, relieved. ‘We can start putting out the tablecloths now.’
Izzy’s phone rang and seeing Alex’s name on her screen she answered it. ‘Hi, how was your new student?’
‘Fine thanks, although I was a few minutes late thanks to you and Romeo taking so long to get back to the van from looking down cliff faces.’
‘Yes, sorry about that.’
‘Is Jess with you?’
‘Yes.’
‘Could I speak to her?’
‘Sure.’ Izzy held her mobile out towards her friend. ‘Jess, it’s Alex, he’d like a word.’
Jess frowned. ‘With me? Why?’
‘No idea.’
She watched Ed and the other gardeners straighten out the tables. She liked that he looked like a perfectionist too. ‘Well, that was odd,’ Jess said a few moments later, handing Izzy back her phone. ‘He’s asked me if I’ll go surfing
with him.’
Forgetting about Ed for a moment, Izzy stared at Jess. ‘But you can’t surf, not really.’
‘I know, that’s what I told him,’ she said, her cheeks reddening. ‘But I’ve pestered him a bit about giving me surfing lessons and he’s had a student dropping out this afternoon and wanted to know if I can take his place.’
‘What, now?’
‘Yes. You don’t mind, do you?’
Izzy shook her head. ‘Of course not, we’ve done as much as we can here today.’
Jess pulled a face. ‘I meant about me going surfing with your brother. I need to go right away, so you’ll need to find another way home.’
‘Hang on a sec …’ Before she had a chance to finish Jess had run to the van and jumped in. Izzy sighed as she watched her friend racing off down the gravel driveway. ‘Bloody hell.’
‘What’s the matter?’ Ed asked, walking up to the marquee entrance. ‘Everything OK with Jess?’
Izzy watched the dust cloud rising along the driveway behind her retreating van and shook her head. ‘Yes, it’s fine.’
‘An emergency?’
‘Only if you call Jess racing off to have her first surfing lesson with my brother an emergency.’
Chapter Eighteen
‘Jess has left you stranded then?’ Ed asked.
Izzy nodded. ‘She thought you might be able to give me a lift to the cottage.’ It dawned on her that maybe Jess had left her behind deliberately.
‘I’ve finished here for the day, too,’ he said. ‘I was going to go kayaking this afternoon. Would you like to join me? Or maybe you should keep that cut dry.’
Izzy had always planned to go on one of the kayaking courses she’d heard people talking about on the island, but had never got round to doing anything about it. ‘I’ve never done it before though.’ She glanced at her throbbing hand. ‘I don’t think it really needed the paper stitches, and the seawater will probably do the cut some good.’
‘No problem. I have a double kayak. You won’t need to do anything except sit back and enjoy the view. I’ll do all the paddling.’
‘I think I can manage that,’ she said, smiling.
‘Fine,’ he said after giving her comment some thought. ‘We can always turn back if your hand hurts too much though. I have a lifejacket and helmet you can borrow, if you don’t mind getting your outfit wet.’
Izzy shook her head. ‘I’ll just go and fetch my bag. I’ll be right back.’
She ran inside and snatched up her bag, then headed to the kitchen to find Marie.
‘Looking for me?’ she heard her ask from one of the rooms off the hallway.
‘Yes, I’m about to shoot off now, but Jess and I will be back tomorrow morning,’ she said. ‘I just wanted to thank you for all your help today, and for this.’ Izzy held up her hand. ‘You did a great job.’
‘You off home?’
Izzy shook her head and smiled. ‘No.’ She told Marie about Jess racing off and that Ed had invited her to go kayaking with him.
‘He’s brilliant at that,’ Marie said. ‘You’ll have great fun, though I’d keep the glove on.’
‘I’ll see you tomorrow.’ She ran back outside to Ed’s Land Rover, and climbed in.
Ed waved at Marie, watching from a window, and started the ignition. ‘She’ll be questioning me tomorrow making sure I remembered my manners and wanting to know that I dropped you off safely tonight.’
‘Why?’
Ed shrugged. ‘Not sure, but Marie is a worrier and I think she still feels a bit responsible for me.’ He slowed down as they reached a junction. ‘She acts like an older sister sometimes, bossing me about.’
‘It’s nice having someone looking out for you,’ she said, thinking of Alex and how he was the first one to sort out anybody who had been horrible to her.
They drove along the busy roads until Ed slowed down at some traffic lights along the end of the Esplanade.
‘Look at that,’ he said indicating the silvery reflection of the bright sunrays on the almost still sea of the bay. ‘It’s a perfect day for kayaking. I think you’re going to like it. Who knows, you might even want to come out with me again sometime.’
She hoped so. This really was an experience she was looking forward to putting into practice.
Ed drove through the tunnel to Green Street and through Georgetown to St Clements.
‘Where are we going?’ Izzy asked.
‘Just out of town towards Longueville. To my lock-up, where I keep my boards and kayaks,’ he said. ‘We’re nearly there.’
They turned off the road down a lane and came to a small farmstead. ‘This place is lived in by a friend of mine when he’s in the island. I rent one of the smaller barns for any equipment that doesn’t fit into my cottage at the manor.’
Izzy couldn’t help wondering how pretty this place must have been before the town had reached this far and how lovely it was for the farm to have retained the few fields around it in such an unexpected place.
They picked up the kayak, oars, helmets, and lifejackets and headed for the bay again.
‘I thought we could go out at St Catherine’s,’ he said as they rounded the corner just after Archirondel Bay.
‘Sounds great,’ Izzy agreed.
It didn’t take long for them to get organized and set off. Ed took her through the basics and was relieved she could swim. ‘Well, I wouldn’t expect anything less from an islander,’ he said. ‘Especially from one who has the island’s premier surfer as her older brother.’
They paddled next to the mile-long breakwater and around to the left towards the pretty bay of Flicquet. Izzy listened to Ed talking about the first time he’d come this way.
‘I discovered little coves and bays that are usually impossible to see from the roads,’ he said. ‘It really was magical.’
She couldn’t believe how peaceful it was. Summer was always so busy on the island, with holidaymakers and families making the most of the great weather, but out here the only sounds were made by seagulls, water sloshing over shallow rocks and their oars gliding through the water, pushing the kayak ever forward. ‘Everyone should be made to do this,’ she said, unable to believe how pretty everything looked from her current perspective.
Ed laughed. ‘I agree, but I don’t think you’d get away with doing something like that.’
As they rounded the next bay Izzy gasped. ‘Dolphins,’ she whispered excitedly.
Ed nodded. ‘I was hoping we’d spot these guys. I saw them the other day when I was out here for a few hours. They’re gorgeous, aren’t they?’
‘Lovely,’ Izzy sighed. She’d been lucky enough to see a shoal of dolphins once when her mum drove she and Alex down to St Ouen for breakfast a few years ago. This was the closest she’d ever been to them and it was magical.
Ed stopped paddling and they sat silently watching the graceful creatures playing in the warm sea of the bay, undisturbed by anyone else. ‘They’re enchanting, don’t you think?’
‘I do,’ she whispered.
Ed watched for a few more minutes before turning his torso around towards Izzy. ‘They’re not the only enchanting creatures here today,’ he said, his voice deep and melodious.
Izzy almost held her breath as he leaned in and kissed her. She had to bend forward so that their lips could connect fully, but wasn’t going to miss the perfect opportunity to kiss this gorgeous man once again.
Ed eventually moved away. ‘I’m not as agile as I’d like to be, it seems,’ he joked. ‘Maybe you should sit in the front next time.’
‘I’m happy to do that,’ she said truthfully. ‘Oh, look.’ She pointed out to the dolphins, as one leapt high into the air. ‘How can people keep these lovely animals in aquariums?’
‘It should be illegal,’ he said. ‘I hate to think of them restrained.’
They watched the dolphins playing for a while longer.
‘We should have come out here earlier,’ Ed said. ‘The sun is going down and we do
n’t want to be out here when it’s dark.’
Izzy wished they’d come out earlier too; she wasn’t ready to go back, but knew he was right.
Ed turned the kayak around in a large circle and they began their paddle back to the breakwater. ‘I’m glad you’ve enjoyed this afternoon,’ he said. ‘We’ll have to make a date to come out here again.’
‘I’d like that very much. When do you think we should next come out?’
‘You make a suggestion and I’ll fit in around you. My calendar isn’t as restricted as yours. As long as I carry out the work I need to do at the manor.’
She thought quickly. ‘How about Tuesday morning?’ ‘We need the Sunday to pack up after a wedding and the Monday to clean everything up. Tuesdays are best for me.’
‘Tuesday it is then.’
He sounded pleased; she thought. Then his stomach rumbled, making her laugh.
‘Sorry about that. I haven’t eaten much today, so maybe a visit to the café for supper would be good.’
Izzy was pretty hungry too. She’d eaten meals at the café many times and always enjoyed the food.
He paddled to the slipway and Ed stepped out of the kayak, holding it steady and pulling it higher so that the water was shallower for Izzy to then get out. She helped him carry it up to his Land Rover and load the kayak onto the roof rack.
Ed unlocked the vehicle and reached in to grab a towel for Izzy. ‘Here, you can use this to dry off.’
She unclipped her helmet and lifejacket and handed them to him, drying off her legs and arms and retying her ponytail. When they were dry they walked up to the café.
‘Yes, please,’ Izzy said when the waitress told them about the specials they had on offer and came to the lobster, telling them it was the last one and that if they liked they could prepare a basic fruit de mer for them to share. ‘Would that suit you too, Ed?’
‘Bien sur,’ he said, for once forgetting to reply in English.
‘Ahh,’ the waitress said, waving her pencil in the air, ‘Français?’
‘Oui,’ he replied, and chattered away to her in his native language for a while.
Izzy smiled. She liked the sound of him speaking French. He seemed so very English most of the time.
The Jersey Scene series box set Page 82