Spring on the Little Cornish Isles: Flower Farm

by Phillipa Ashley

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Will can’t stand Luca. He calls him “the tool”.’

  Maisie winced. ‘Oh dear. Patrick may be partly to blame for that, but actually, Luca seems OK to me.’

  ‘Will thinks he spends far too much time looking in the mirror.’

  Maisie let out a squeal. ‘Yeah, well he is pretty hot, if you like that sort of thing. And you do like that sort of thing, don’t you, Jess?’

  ‘I must admit, he’s gorgeous and charming. I get the impression some people think he likes himself a bit too much but he seems pretty normal when you talk to him. Besides, Will’s prejudiced.’

  ‘He probably worries that Luca’s going to do a runner like Adam.’

  ‘Or a runner with Gaby,’ said Jess.

  ‘But he’s asked you, not Gaby, and you, madam, are going out with him if I have to carry you there myself. Now, come on, let’s dive into this chocolate cake that Patrick made and talk about it.’ Maisie stood up but suddenly let out an ‘oh’.

  ‘What?’ said Jess, her heart beating fast at the grimace on Maisie’s face. It soon turned into a smile.

  ‘Little Sprog’s obviously going to play Aussie Rules like her father. I’ll get the cake tin and we can hatch a plan of action.’

  Maisie had always put on a brave face and cheered Jess up, no matter what had been going wrong in her own life over the years. She was a true friend who Jess could always rely on.

  Maisie pointed to Jess’s nails. ‘I think I can help with one thing. I’ve got some varnish that colour in a Christmas giftpack and, more important, what are you planning to wear for this night out with the tool?’

  Chapter 22

  On Thursday evening, Gaby checked her face in the new mirror she’d bought for her room. It was on the small side, but it worked well enough. She twisted round, trying to catch a glimpse of her bum in the new dress she’d ordered from an online store. Stuff took longer to arrive but she hadn’t been able to resist. It was a fit and flare with a subtle flower print, appropriately enough, and considering she hadn’t been able to try it on, she was quite pleased with the fit which skimmed her bottom and ended a couple of inches above the knee. It wasn’t too tight, was it? Or too short?

  She was wearing thick opaque tights and suede ankle boots with it which kind of made it OK, and the cropped military jacket over the top, which she hoped to cut through the girliness of the dress. That had been a vintage buy from a craft market when she’d gone home to see her parents at Christmas.

  ‘Hello.’

  She nearly jumped out of her skin. Will stood in the doorway. Her cheeks heated up. How long had he been watching her twirling this way and that? She planted her hands on her hips. ‘Do you have a problem, Will? Only you’re staring at me in a most peculiar way? Do I have spinach between my teeth?’

  ‘You look fine to me,’ he muttered, then added, ‘Exciting plans?’

  ‘Yes, we’re going to the St Saviour’s Hotel.’

  He did one of his ‘humphs’; as if she’d supplied precisely the answer he’d been expecting, then shuffled awkwardly.

  ‘Was there anything you wanted in particular?’ she asked, with a smile.

  ‘I was wondering if you’d given any more thought to my offer of a summer job.’

  He just came straight out with the request without hesitation or jokiness. Wow, he must be serious. She caught her breath. She’d thought of it most of the time since he’d initially asked her. In one way, she wanted to stay longer, mainly because the thought of leaving Will was very depressing, even if nothing had really happened between them or was likely to.

  He folded his arms and she wasn’t sure if he was impatient for an answer or bracing himself for disappointment. At times he was very easy to read and at other times, impossible.

  August wasn’t that far away and there was work to do here. He wouldn’t have asked her if he didn’t want her here …

  ‘If you really need more help with the summer chalets and you can’t get anyone else, I suppose I could hang on a bit longer.’

  ‘I’m not forcing you,’ he said sharply.

  ‘I know that.’ Gaby softened her tone. ‘Honestly, I didn’t mean to sound ungrateful.’

  ‘You don’t have to be grateful. We need staff and you’re already on the books and you know the way we operate. It makes good business sense to take on someone we can rely on, that’s all …’ He hesitated, then spoke firmly. ‘But of course, if you want to leave, then I’d appreciate it if you’d let us know so I can make other arrangements.’

  ‘There’s no need for that,’ said Gaby, her spirits sinking at his eagerness to let her know he wasn’t bothered if she stayed or not. Was it all an act and he was only trying to clumsily cover up that he wanted her to stay? Every sensible instinct told her to take him at his word and say she had to go. Hell, she ought to leave. That had been her plan: come to Scilly, live here and then go and see the rest of the world, landscapes, wildlife, gardens … That had been her pledge to Stevie and herself … She looked at Will and saw something flicker in his eyes: hope? Need? He did want her to hang around, she was almost sure of it.

  ‘I’ll stay,’ she said.

  His jaw dropped and his eyes lit up with surprise.

  ‘Until August,’ she added. ‘But then I really ought to go. I have things I want to do, need to do …’

  ‘Of course you do …’ He sighed and looked her up and down. ‘You look nice … you’d better get your skates on. He’s on his way.’

  It was Gaby’s turn to be taken aback. ‘Who’s on his way?’

  He frowned. ‘Luca, of course. I was in the top field and I saw the Petroc boat pull into the jetty ten minutes ago. Bloke got off it looked an awful lot like him. I expect he’ll reach the farm any moment.’

  ‘Oh,’ said Gaby. ‘You mean Luca as in “Luca The Tool”?’

  Will folded his arms defensively. ‘That was a joke. I never started it. Patrick did and, yeah, there is only one Luca it could be, isn’t there?’

  A light bulb went on in Gaby’s head. Aha. So that was it. Will had seen Luca, seen her getting ready and put two and two together. He obviously thought she was going on a date with Luca, when she was actually going to a hen party for a girl from the St Piran’s rowing club. Will was so frustrating, blowing hot and cold, so she decided not to put him right just yet.

  ‘Hmm. I suppose it would be way too much of a coincidence that there were two hot Italians called Luca on Scilly …’

  He grunted. ‘Well. I’d better leave you to it. Don’t want to cramp your style.’

  Before she could have second thoughts about enlightening him, he stalked off, leaving Gaby staring after him in puzzlement.

  That left another mystery. Why was Luca on his way to the farm? Maybe Will was mistaken and he was headed somewhere completely different like the hotel or the pub. Whatever Will had assumed, Luca most definitely wasn’t coming for her.

  Or was he?

  Grabbing her bag, she went out to the front of the staff house where Natalia and a couple of the other girls from the farm were waiting. She hoped Luca wasn’t going to ask her out and would be very surprised if he was. Although he was fun to talk to and some people thought he was the hottest guy on Scilly, she didn’t want to get involved with him. He was witty and charming, but he was too aware of his own appeal for her tastes. She liked her men a little ragged round the edges, and a pair of muddy Hunters would always trump Burberry boots every time.

  Chapter 23

  Whereas Jess would have been happy to throw on a clean pair of jeans and tug a brush through her hair for a night at the local with Adam, her date with Luca had turned into a mini makeover. On Thursday after work, she’d had to do repairs to her nails with Maisie’s varnish and blow fresh life into her new haircut. That was even before she spent half an hour deciding what to wear. In the end, she’d unearthed an as-yet-unworn pair of heeled boots from their box, squeezed into her slightly too small skinny jeans and plumped for a l
eather bomber jacket that she’d bought in a sale and hardly used.

  Normally, her only make-up indulgence was moisturiser and sunscreen: she ordered that by the bucketload from the internet and never stinted. As for the rest of her bag of tricks, it wasn’t too hard to stick with a natural look since her highlighter wand and mascara had dried out long ago. She resorted to sneaking her mother’s best YSL from her room and adding a slick of natural lip gloss from a rather nice gift pack Maisie had given her for Christmas.

  She gazed at herself in the mirror on the back of the wardrobe door. Another activity she wasn’t in the habit of doing. She was quite tall at five feet six and as she spent her days on the go, even if some of it was in the office, she didn’t need to diet. She had to admit the jeans, boots and new jacket went well with the silky vest top underneath.

  She checked her watch and realised Luca should have been here by now, but a quick glance out of the window showed no sign of him. Jess took her chance for a final check in the mirror. Having spent the past few months in overalls, wellies and waterproofs, it was weird to see this alternative version of herself. The outfit was probably still too smart for the Gannet, but she guessed that coming from London, where everyone seemed to dress up all the time, Luca probably wouldn’t even notice she’d made an effort.

  When he’d first suggested they meet at her local pub, Jess had almost suggested changing the venue. She was sure he would have done if she’d asked, and she’d wrestled with the dilemma. What if Adam saw them together?

  So what if he did? She owed him nothing. She owed him even less now he’d returned with another woman and a little girl and not given her any explanation or warning. She had every right to be here with Luca. It would probably be the best thing that could happen.

  Through the open window she heard the gate open and shut, and saw Luca strolling up the drive … and Will marching to head him off at the pass. Oh no, by the way Will was hurrying, Jess half expected him to whip out a shotgun and threaten to throw him off his land. That was partly a joke but she didn’t want him to scare Luca off. She snatched up her bag and flew down the stairs, bolted out of the door and trotted over to them.

  Was that relief or pleasure on Luca’s face when Jess reached them, breathing heavily.

  ‘Hi there. Sorry, I’m running slightly late …’ Luca said. The comment was aimed at Jess but Will cut in.

  ‘Don’t worry. She hasn’t gone without you. She’s still up at the staff house,’ he muttered.

  ‘Oh?’ Luca glanced from Will to Jess, as if Will had made the most random statement and Luca was hoping someone would enlighten him. In an instant Jess realised what had happened: Will had thought that Luca had come to pick up Gaby.

  ‘Luca’s taking me for a meal at the pub and we’re going to see the band at the Gannet,’ she said, moving closer to him.

  Luca gave a beaming smile. ‘Ciao!’ he said, holding her shoulders and kissing her on both cheeks. ‘You look fantastic.’

  Will gawped like someone had slapped him in the face with a wet haddock. Jess braced herself, determined not to put up with any hostility.

  ‘You and Jess are going out?’ Will sounded incredulous.

  ‘Yes. Me and Jess,’ said Luca, slipping his arm around Jess’s back.

  ‘We’re off to the pub.’ Jess could have kicked herself for not warning Will but also rather enjoying his amazement. ‘Sorry I forgot to mention it. See you later.’

  ‘Bye,’ said Luca.

  Jess took his arm and practically dragged him away. ‘Come on, it can get quite busy in the Gannet on a band night,’ she said, lying through her teeth.

  While Luca walked ahead of her to open the gate, Jess risked a glance over her shoulder. Will had stopped halfway up the yard and was watching them with a dour expression. She held up her hands and mouthed ‘Sorry.’ Then, to her surprise, his scowl turned into a smile and he lifted his hand in a little finger wave.

  ‘Coming?’ Luca asked.

  ‘Yes.’ Jess smiled to herself and not only because she was excited about the evening ahead. Will had a face like thunder until he’d realised that Luca had come for her. He must be very jealous of Gaby if he was that relieved that she wasn’t seeing Luca, which actually made Jess’s life a whole lot easier. Now all she had to do was try to relax and enjoy the night.

  Five minutes later, Jess and Luca made their entrance into the pub.

  Jess had expected heads to turn when they walked into the bar together and a few glances – and greetings – were directed their way but most were more interested in their pints. The Thursday folk evening had attracted a few new faces, who were probably guests from the hotel, but the other half a dozen customers were islanders, all of whom she knew and nodded to. More people would surely arrive later when the band started up. Their speakers were already waiting on the makeshift stage in the far end of the bar.

  Luca rested his hand on her back as they waited to be served. There was nothing wrong with that and she guessed that several of the women in the bar were probably longing to be in her place, but it was strange. It had been eight months since she’d been in there as part of a couple: Adam had been gone a long time and no one would have blamed her for starting afresh with someone else. No one seeing them this evening could have mistaken them for ‘just good friends’.

  Even so, Luca’s hand on her back felt weird, however lightly it rested. She couldn’t quite explain why. It was like waking up to find familiar fields carpeted in an exotic new flower you’d never seen before – but a change was what she needed, right?

  They ordered a bottle of local Prosecco and took a couple of menus over to a table in the corner. The conversation was all light-hearted, about the rowing gigs, Luca’s impressions of Petroc and how the flower farm was going. After they’d ordered their meals, their chat turned to Gaby and Will.

  ‘It was so funny when I realised Will thought you’d come to take Gaby out,’ Jess said. Even funnier, she thought, because she’d expected Luca to come looking for Gaby at the farm the day he asked her out.

  ‘Gaby’s a great person, but we’re definitely only friends,’ he said, pouring fizz into their glasses. ‘And besides, I think Will would fight any man who dared to come within six feet of her. I felt like I’d entered the lair of a guard dog who hadn’t been fed for a week when I saw him heading across the yard for me tonight.’

  ‘I’m surprised he wasn’t foaming at the mouth. Sorry,’ said Jess, trying not to laugh. ‘I maybe should have mentioned we were going out this evening, but somehow I never seemed to find the perfect moment. It’s none of his business really, but he is my brother and I thought he should hear it before reports of tonight reached him on the island grapevine.’

  Luca glanced around him and lowered his voice. ‘A baptism of fire for a first date. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea.’

  Jess shrugged. ‘There has to be a first time.’

  Luca raised his eyebrows and his glass. ‘You can say that again. Are you and Will very close? It can’t be easy living and working with a sibling.’

  ‘It’s not always ideal.’ She smiled. ‘There are some positives: I’d trust Will with my life and we both know we’re always acting in the farm’s best interests but it’s hard to live on top of one another and the personal lives can get tangled up with work life. When there’s conflict within either aspect of your life, there’s no escape.’

  Luca gave a little grimace then smiled. ‘He’s not my biggest fan, that’s for sure.’

  Jess laughed and she realised it was becoming a habit with Luca. It had been a long time since she’d laughed so genuinely, so often.

  He topped up her glass with Prosecco. ‘Shall we have another bottle? This really isn’t as bad as I expected.’

  ‘The wine or the company?’ Wow, where had that come from, thought Jess the moment the words were out of her mouth.

  ‘The wine, of course.’ He leaned in closer, over the table, so that no one could overhear, treating her to a subtle hint o
f some expensive cologne. ‘The date is everything I’d hoped for and a whole lot more. You look great if you don’t mind me saying.’

  ‘I think I can allow it.’ He looked pretty good himself, dressed down in jeans, boots and a long-sleeved T-shirt that nonetheless showed off his physique. Jess was pretty sure the jeans were more Armani than Primarni.

  After a glass and a half of fizz on an empty stomach plus a long day at work, she was finally starting to relax. Only now did she fully realise how tense she’d been since finding Adam’s letter and seeing him return with Keri and Emmy. She wondered what they were all doing now, but instantly tried to refocus on Luca who was telling her about the lemon grove at his parents’ villa in Amalfi. It sounded wonderfully exotic.

  The landlady’s son brought over their meals, a plain steak for Jess and less exotic fish and chips for Luca and they fell to it. Easy, relaxed chat continued while they ate, although Jess felt she was talking way more than Luca, who definitely had a gift for drawing people out. Or perhaps for drawing her out.

  After a few mouthfuls of his meal, he nodded in appreciation. ‘You know, this may be only a pub, but the food’s great for what it is. The Rose & Crab attracts all the plaudits, but I haven’t had a bad meal in Scilly since I arrived. Apart from the ones I’ve made myself of course.’

  ‘I thought Italians were meant to be great cooks,’ she teased.

  ‘Not this one. Luckily, I’m almost always being wined and dined while I’m here.’

  ‘Can’t be too much of a hardship.’ Jess liked his easy self-deprecation even if she wasn’t totally convinced by it. She had a feeling he was probably a much better cook than she was, no matter what he claimed.

  ‘Petroc’s definitely a very comfortable place. I can see why the business is doing so well.’

  ‘Are you still staying in one of the holiday cottages?’