Spring on the Little Cornish Isles: Flower Farm

by Phillipa Ashley

  Around two dozen rowers were gathered around her, tucking into hot pasties. As it was Easter Saturday, there were also trays of Easter brownies studded with mini eggs. After all that rowing, the crews attacked the food like a pack of seagulls let loose in a chip shop.

  Luca came over a second after Gaby had taken a large bite of a pasty.

  ‘Gaby, you were incredible.’

  She nodded and tried to smile while chewing furiously, spraying him with pastry crumbs. She pointed at her mouth and tried, ‘Sobby.’

  ‘It’s fine. Please, finish your dinner.’

  Gaby gulped down the chunk of pasty, wincing as the hot meat lodged in her throat. She started coughing.

  ‘Drink this.’ Luca shoved a pint of lager at her and she managed to dislodge the pasty and cool her throat at the same time. He patted her on the back. ‘Sorry. I’ve almost caused you to choke. I came over to see how you were. Great effort today by the way.’

  ‘It was nothing, really.’

  ‘Not at all. You performed extremely well.’

  Gaby’s cheeks heated up and the volcanic pasty had nothing to do with it. Her fellow crew members – including Will – must have been able to hear. In fact, she could see Will out of the corner of her eye, holding a half-eaten pasty and scowling in her and Luca’s direction. Jess’s attention had been caught too, but her eyes were mostly on Luca.

  ‘I was rubbish,’ she said, embarrassed by Luca’s effusive praise. ‘And no, please don’t say otherwise. It’s only thanks to the others that we even made it over the line before dark.’

  Luca smiled indulgently. He really was incredibly handsome, with gleaming black hair straight from a shampoo ad. She half-expected him to have arrived in a vaporetto with a supermodel or Hollywood actress on his arm. When he lifted his pint, the muscles flexed in his biceps very distractingly. Having a thing for the male bicep, Gaby couldn’t help comparing Luca’s with Will’s. Actually, she thought, sliding a very sneaky glace at Will, who was lifting a tankard of ale, her boss came out rather well, considering he wasn’t an athlete and must be five years older than Luca.

  ‘What part of Italy are you from?’ she asked, before Luca could praise her rowing skills again and annoy Will even further. She could still see him, casting glances at her and Luca. To be fair, Will had been less frosty of late, possibly because she’d agreed to be in the crew and stuck at it.

  ‘The Amalfi coast. My grandparents are Sardinian, but Mum and Dad moved to the mainland near Salerno when they got married. That’s where I was born. They started a small vineyard when I was a baby but it’s grown since then.’

  ‘You don’t have an Italian accent at all,’ said Gaby.

  He smiled. ‘No. I went to boarding school over here because my parents wanted me to have an English education. My mother had some romantic notion about England gleaned from Jane Austen novels, but I picked up a taste for rowing and soccer rather than fencing and horse-riding and I ended up staying here for university.’

  ‘Don’t you miss home?’

  ‘That depends on the weather.’ He smiled. ‘I find excuses to visit my parents and grandparents as often as I can, especially in the English winter. Those opportunities have become fewer, sadly, since I set up on my own as a marketing consultant. I’m based in London normally, but I’m working freelance for the Petroc Resort for a few months. Enough about me. What about you? You said you were at Cambridge. What did you study?’

  ‘I went to St Aldhelm’s and I have a PhD in Flower Poetry.’

  ‘Wow. How romantic … and what a coincidence that you were at Aldhelm’s. You might know my sister, Sophia? She’s a few years younger than me and she was reading English there?’

  Cogs turned in Gaby’s brain as she pictured a dark-haired girl who was much quieter and more serious than her brother seemed to be. ‘Oh, yes. Sophia Parisi. I do remember her. She was in the year below me. How is she?’

  ‘She’s doing very well, thanks. In fact she went to RADA after Cambridge. She’s an actress now. She was in that new Italian crime series on the BBC, but she uses another name.’

  ‘Wow. How exciting,’ said Gaby, amazed that the shy Sophia was now a performer.

  After telling her a bit more about his sister’s work, Luca moved on to ask Gaby more about her job at the flower farm and somehow another G&T miraculously appeared in her hand. The evening grew cool so Gaby put her hoodie on over her T-shirt.

  ‘Have you been to Italy?’ Luca asked.

  ‘No. I’ve always wanted to go. I went to France and Portugal while I was a student, but never made it there. Terrible, isn’t it?’

  He tutted and sighed. ‘I’m afraid it is. Never been to Italy?’

  ‘No. Bella Pasta is the closest I’ve come. I’m clearly a very bad person.’

  Luca laughed and Gaby laughed too, while sneaking a look at Will and finding him engrossed in a conversation with Javid. She returned her attention to Luca’s question. Although she made light of not having been to Italy, Luca wasn’t to know he’d opened up a wound. She’d actually had a rail trip around Italy planned out with a friend, but Stevie’s accident had meant she’d had to cancel. She hadn’t cared at all; nothing had mattered to her but hoping he might recover and come out of his coma. She’d have given up every material thing in her life to see him wake up and have some quality of life, but it wasn’t to be.

  To all of this, Luca was, of course, oblivious. He carried on smiling. ‘We’ll have to put that right. When you get some time off, message me and I’ll make sure our holiday place in Amalfi is free. My parents don’t use it much these days with the vineyard being so busy and Sophia’s always working. You’d be welcome to stay there any time. With your friends, of course,’ he added.

  Gaby didn’t know what to say. She’d only known him an hour and he was offering to let her stay in his parents’ villa? Then again, she did know his sister – sort of.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said, not sure if she’d ever take him up on it and starting to question his motives for paying her so much attention.

  ‘Hold on. Keep absolutely still,’ Luca suddenly said.

  ‘What?’ Gaby squeaked.

  Luca brushed her shoulder. ‘There. It’s gone.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘A rather large flying beetle of some kind.’

  ‘How large? I’m used to creepy-crawlies in my job but I do prefer them of manageable size. Thank you.’ She smiled, wondering if Will had noticed Luca remove the insect from her top.

  Luca looked down at her. ‘No problem.’

  ‘Sorry to interrupt, but I think Hugo wants to row back to Petroc.’ Will’s gruff voice made them both turn suddenly. He’d detached himself from Patrick, Maisie and Jess and now loomed a few feet away.

  Luca glanced at his watch. ‘Thanks for telling me. I totally lost track of the time.’

  ‘Luca’s invited me to his villa in Amalfi,’ said Gaby. ‘After I’ve finished working here of course.’

  Will’s eyes darkened. Gaby hadn’t been able to resist it, but then wondered why she’d provoked him at all.

  ‘It’s my parents’ villa, actually, but Gaby’s welcome any time.’

  ‘Sounds great. Look, I hate to spoil anyone’s fun, but if you don’t leave shortly, mate, the tides will be against you and you’ll be stuck on St Saviour’s for the night.’ Will sounded neutral enough but Gaby knew him too well to miss the edge of sarcasm in his voice.

  Luca shot Gaby an amused look. ‘You know, that might not be too bad, but Hugo’s in charge, so I’d better do as he says. Hopefully our paths will cross again soon,’ he said to Gaby. ‘Will you be doing the Mixed race in the champs?’

  ‘I doubt it, but Will’s our skipper so it’s his call.’ She turned to him, feeling slightly bad about mentioning Luca’s villa and hoping to smooth things over a little. ‘What do you say, boss?’

  His expression was cool. ‘It’s up to you,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to force you to do anything.’

  ‘
Oh, you should definitely do it, Gaby. Tell you what, if Will can’t find a place for you in his crew, you can join the Petroc II gig. We’d be delighted to have you and, in fact, there’s a training evening on Wednesday night. I could come and collect you in the island jet boat.’ He smiled indulgently, probably to show he was only joking.

  ‘Hmm. That’s a very kind offer, Luca, but if I do row again, I ought to stay loyal to St Saviour’s.’ Luca was engaging and easy on the eye, but she didn’t want to give him any ideas.

  ‘You don’t owe me anything,’ Will interrupted. ‘However, I’d hate to sound like a boor, but technically Gaby is part of our team now, so it wouldn’t be the best idea if she switched sides …’

  ‘I’m not going to switch sides, and I’m sure Luca’s only being polite,’ Gaby cut in, annoyed with Will. ‘I’m committed to the St Saviour’s boat and it’s my decision. Goodbye, Luca. Nice to meet you. I’m off inside to join the others. It’s getting cold out here.’

  She walked off, leaving Will and Luca to battle it out on the terrace if that’s what their game was. Luca hadn’t actually done anything wrong, whereas Will had acted like an overgrown schoolboy. Gaby didn’t want to flatter herself that Luca had been trying to chat her up; he struck her as the kind of charming marketing whizz-kid who’d talk the hind leg off a donkey to use one of her granny’s favourite phrases.

  As for Will, Gaby despaired. Since their kiss all those weeks ago, his moods had been as unpredictable as the weather. Anyone would think he was suffering from teenage hormones, but that was no help to her. Maybe Luca had the right idea about not hanging around. Why bother staying on for the summer, let alone longer? Perhaps she should take Luca up on his offer and head to Italy.

  Later, as she followed the rest of the St Saviour’s crew to wave off the Petroc and Gull Island boats, Gaby thought she wouldn’t leave quite that evening, but she was having serious doubts about remaining much longer. She hadn’t given Will an answer to his question about staying on for the summer and he hadn’t renewed the offer. Perhaps he, like her, was having second thoughts about her staying.

  Chapter 20

  After a barbecue at the Driftwood on Easter Sunday and a lazy family lunch on Monday, it was back to work for Jess on Tuesday. The farm was still busy, but there was a lull in the frenzy of activity so she caught up on some admin while some of the workers took a well-earned break. Anna had gone to the mainland on the Islander, which was now making its daily journey full of tourists to and from Scilly.

  You could tell it was still holiday time for some of the schools by the amount of families enjoying the mild spring weather on the beaches of St Saviour’s. Jess loved to see the kids chasing around the beaches and dipping their nets in the rockpools at low tide, although the sight had taken on a bittersweet edge lately. She’d started to imagine how it would be to start a family with Adam, before their relationship had broken down. But as quickly as such rogue thoughts intruded, she shook them off again, throwing herself into her work and the comforting rhythm of life at the farm.

  The cycle of the seasons and its never-ending stream of tasks had always been her solace when times were tough, especially over the past few months. There were still a few late narcissi to harvest: Silver Chimes, Golden Dawn and Winston Churchill – each with its own distinctive hue ranging from white through orange-flecked cream to paint box yellow. Even though she’d lived at the farm for thirty-six years, Jess still found it hard to believe that in a few days, they would all be gone and the whole cycle would start again in preparation for the next season’s crop. The team would shortly be digging up and replanting bulbs to give them space to grow and flourish over the summer so they could produce the best flowers when autumn came again.

  She meant to do so much, but as was always the way, once she took her foot off the gas pedal at this time of year, she felt listless and lacking motivation. Her mind kept wandering to almost anything else but the business.

  Maisie’s latest scan had shown Little Sprog developing well and Maisie was starting to think about letting Patrick clear out at least the spare room in their cottage. Will was reasonably cheerful and had organised another rowing practice and formally entered the Mixed team for the championships after a slightly more promising session the previous week. He planned to row with the St Saviour’s Men’s crew which was held on the Saturday of the bank holiday weekend and then take part in the Mixed on the Sunday, which was the final event of the schedule. This was now less than a month away, which meant they could realistically only get in three more weeks’ practice.

  And, of course, there was Adam’s letter. Jess had read it so often now that it had become crumpled, grubby and in danger of tearing along one of the creases. She stood by the window of the office now, looking out over the fields. ‘Why did you write it?’ she murmured.

  ‘Write what?’

  Jess turned around to find Luca in the doorway. She thought again how striking he was. No one on the islands – not even Patrick or even Adam himself – came close to that level of male beauty. He was wearing a shirt and suit today but no tie. Italian, of course, she guessed, judging by how perfectly it fit him.

  ‘Hi there. Hope I’m not interrupting,’ he added, saving her from having to answer.

  She blushed at her appraisal of him, hoping he couldn’t detect her admiration in her pink cheeks. ‘As a matter of fact, you are,’ she said.

  ‘Oh. OK.’

  It was fun to see his confident smile fade, but Jess couldn’t keep up the pretence for long. ‘But that doesn’t mean the interruption isn’t welcome.’ Any excuse to avoid the latest directive from the health and safety executive she should have been reading. ‘Are you looking for Gaby?’ she asked.

  His brow creased. ‘No. Why would I be looking for Gaby?’

  ‘I don’t know. I thought you two were friends.’ More than friends, judging by the way they’d been flirting at the pub after the rowing ‘race’.

  ‘No. Actually I was hoping to find you.’

  ‘Oh?’ Jess was so surprised, she couldn’t think of a witty reply.

  Luca perched on the edge of her desk. ‘I’ve been to the St Saviour’s Hotel.’

  ‘For lunch?’ she asked, noting the firmness of his thigh encased in Italian wool. It was hard not to, when he was only a foot away from her.

  ‘I did eat there but my primary purpose was to check out the competition. Spying, I suppose you could call it.’

  She smiled at his honesty. ‘And?’

  He brushed a stray thread off his trousers before replying. ‘Great food. Incredible view. Decor needs bringing into the twenty-first century, but the service was top-notch.’

  ‘Glad to hear they looked after you. Some of my friends work there.’ But what had any of this got to do with her?

  ‘I also passed the Gannet Inn on the way home. There’s a notice outside saying there’s a band playing there on Thursday evening.’ He glanced up at her. ‘I wondered if you wanted to have a bite to eat there and then give them a try.’

  She couldn’t tear her eyes from him. He was beautiful in the way of statues she’d once seen on a school visit to Rome. Sculpted and chiselled. That fanciful thought made her want to laugh. He was only human, but what the hell was he doing asking her out? Her heart rate picked up. This had been the last thing she’d expected to happen …

  ‘Are you sure?’ was all she could manage.

  He laughed softly. ‘Would I ask if I wasn’t? Of course I’m sure.’

  ‘OK … but I’ll admit you’ve taken me by surprise. I wondered if you and Gaby were interested in each other …’

  ‘No. There’s nothing going on.’ He smiled again, showing a perfect set of white teeth. ‘It turns out that she knew my sister, Sophia, at Cambridge, though. It’s a small world, isn’t it? And anyway, I also kind of assumed that Gaby and Will were an item, despite what you told me after the rowing.’

  ‘What made you think that?’ she asked, grateful to have a few moments to try and
work out how she felt about Luca asking her out.

  ‘Will’s always looking at her as if he wants to jump on her; she’s always looking at him as if she wants him to leap on her …’

  Jess laughed.

  ‘… And then there’s the verbal sparring between them of course. Even if I had been interested in Gaby in that way, I’d have picked up the signals that she’s crazy on Will within about five minutes.’

  Jess nodded. ‘Hmm. I’ve suspected this for a long time and I thought they’d get together months ago, to be honest, but Will thinks it’s a bad idea to get involved with a member of staff. As for Gaby; she’s very independent underneath the charm. She knows her own mind and she’s probably decided to steer clear of him.’ She shut her mouth suddenly, regretting her words. ‘Hold on, why am I telling you all this? I hardly know you.’

  Luca tapped the side of his nose. ‘Ah. That’s the thing. People always tell me things they don’t share with anyone else. It’s my secret superpower.’ He climbed off the desk. ‘So is seven o’clock OK? I assume you never really finish work with a business like this?’

  ‘You’re right …’ Jess realised she hadn’t even said yes and he was offering a time. Classic salesperson’s tactic: leave no room for a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. She shook her head in amusement and decided to fall for it. She needed a boost. ‘Seven should be fine.’

  Luca blew her a kiss and left.

  Jess hung around in the doorway and watched him saunter across the yard and out of the gate towards the quay before taking a deep breath. Wow. That was unexpected: Luca asking her out and her agreeing. What would Will say? She could picture his face when she told him she was going out with ‘the tool’. She smiled to herself. It could be quite funny, but her mother’s reaction wouldn’t be as amusing: her mum would be breaking out the champagne and planning the flowers for the wedding. Erlicheer if it was spring: Gran’s Delight if it was a summer ceremony.

  Maybe she should keep the date quiet until she rocked up at the Gannet with Luca, after which word would no doubt spread … after all it was no one’s business but their own. She took another calming breath: going out with Luca was exactly what she needed after the gloom of the past six months: he was witty and handsome and, most of all, he wasn’t Adam.