Chapter 38
38
‘Pack an overnight bag,’ Blessing barked, bursting in my bedroom at 5a.m., which by the middle of December was two hours earlier than I usually woke up on non-event days.
‘What?’ I mumbled, bracing my eyes against the sudden glare from the light flicking on while noting that she’d at least had the decency to bring a mug of tea.
‘Last-minute booking, but it’s a bit of a trek so we’ll need to stay overnight.’
‘What?’ I asked again, dragging myself to a sitting position. ‘How is that going to work?’
‘The client is providing accommodation. I’ve checked it out; it’s all good.’
I accepted the mug. ‘Can I point out the small matter of what food we’re going to sell?’
‘I’d be alarmed if you didn’t.’ She plopped down on the empty side of the bed. ‘The Christmas market at Hatherstone have cancelled because a snowstorm’s been forecast for Wednesday. Which is even better reason for us to not be here. That leaves enough ingredients for today, if we top up on a few fresh items on the way.’
‘We’ve still got to make everything.’
‘Nope. After you crashed out last night, when I took the call, Ben came over. We have a truckload of pastry, fillings, and pot sausage all prepped and ready to go.’
I took a long sip of tea, hoping the caffeine burst would help me to come up with any other holes in Blessing’s ridiculously last-minute plan.
‘Come on, the short notice means a premium rate. Besides, it’ll be an adventure. Who knows what might come of it?’
‘I don’t know…’
‘Too late for that, they’ve paid a deposit. I’ll see you downstairs in twenty minutes. Oh, and pack enough for a few nights. We might decide to make the most of the cancellation and hang around for a bit.’
Due to having spent the vast majority of my life within the same county, I accepted Blessing’s explanation that we were heading to a small village near the Welsh coast, given that any more details would do nothing to enlighten me. Although this sudden booking wasn’t standard, and an overnight was new, we’d worked together long enough for me to trust her on this. After all, she reminded me, what was the worst that could happen?
I trusted her so much that I still didn’t click when we drove past the sign for the ferry port.
It was only when we turned off into the queue of waiting vehicles that I realised.
‘Where are we going?’ I demanded. Although I knew she’d never be so thoughtless as to book an event on Siskin, my jangling nerves needed it confirmed.
‘Isle of Man,’ Blessing said, with such an air of nonchalance, it should have aroused suspicion. ‘I didn’t tell you because I thought you might be weird about going to an island. But this one is completely different. It’s got tens of thousands of people, a proper town, and half-decent Wi-Fi for a start. Look, the ferry’s a good three hours and we have to stay in the truck, so you might as well catch up on some sleep.’
More fool me, I accepted the eye-mask and blanket she offered and made myself comfortable.
I woke up as we bumped down off the tiny vessel and into a port that, with a jolt, I immediately knew all too well – even if it had been transformed with Christmas lights twinkling through the fog.
‘What the hell?’ I whipped around to face Blessing, anger igniting inside me with a ferocity only matched by the irrepressible burst of joy at seeing Port Cathan again.
‘Yeah. I lied a bit.’
‘Why would you do this?’ I said, voice shrill. ‘You know that going to hang out on my not-even-ex’s island is not a “new adventure”. It’s the complete opposite. How could you possibly think this was okay?’
I chuntered on for a few more frantic minutes while we inched along the queue of vehicles exiting the port gates before finally pausing long enough for Blessing to answer.
‘We aren’t going to hang around for a few days. I lied a bit about that, too.’
‘What are you talking about?’ I asked, debating whether I had time to jump out of the truck and run back onto the ferry before it set off back to Wales.
‘I reckoned three months would probably be long enough. To decide whether we wanted to stay permanently, that is.’
‘Can you see that this is really not the time to be cryptic?’ I had to grip my head to stop it from spinning.
‘Okay. Fair enough. We’re relocating Sherwood Street Food to the Isle of Siskin. On a semi-temporary basis. I’ve rented us a totally cute cottage on the seafront and secured enough bookings to see us through the next couple of months.’
‘What about all our bookings in Sherwood Forest ?’
‘I sorted them. All apart from the weddings. We’ll have to drive back for those.’
‘My house?’
‘Ben is looking for somewhere. His experience with us got him the manager’s job at Scarlett’s restaurant, and his mate, Jay, wants to move in, too. Jay’s a teacher, so his income is steady and they’ll pay proper rent. I mean, if you don’t mind. They might even want to buy it, if we decide to stay.’
‘You’ve never even been here before!’
‘Yeah. When I visited home for a couple of nights, the week after the grad party, it was here. My new home.’
‘You can’t do this. You can’t decide to simply move me and our business to a whole new place. It’s ludicrous. And way beyond controlling.’ I was aghast. Appalled. Secretly… a little excited?
‘Or…’ Blessing’s voice was soft ‘…what’s ludicrous is you still spending all those hours looking at websites and accounts you supposedly blocked months ago. Still in love with a man who loves you back. An exceptional man. Who lives in a place you not that long ago decided to try living in for a while, because you loved it so much, and then changed your mind because of some overblown loyalty to your best friend, despite her being perfectly capable of making her own decisions.’
‘You should have talked to me about this first,’ I managed to whisper through my strangled throat.
‘Yeah, well. I couldn’t be bothered with the weeks of arguing back and forth until you eventually gave in. This was way more fun.’
‘I’ve only packed four pairs of knickers.’
‘Pip says he’ll drive us back next week in his big truck to fetch what else we need.’
‘Pip knows about this?’
‘Look.’ She nodded towards the windscreen.
I glanced forwards, blinking until I could see past my stupefaction to the gates, now only one van in front of us.
There was a crowd of people waiting, as I’d have expected on the island, where anyone coming home or deliveries made were a big deal.
What I would never have expected as Blessing pulled to a stop right in front of them was that some of those people held a banner with the words, Welcome Emmie and Blessing painted on it, and that the others were waving, cheering and grinning at us.
I sat there for a long, shell-shocked minute. In the end, Blessing got out and started hugging people and saying hello, shrugging and smiling in response to their frequent glances over at where I remained, frozen.
Eventually, Pip broke away from the gaggle of people, came right up to the cab and opened the door.
‘Emmie. I gather you’re a wee bit surprised.’
I couldn’t even turn to look at him. ‘I slept through the ferry.’
‘I hope waking up here was more of a dream than a nightmare. Do you need a hand getting down? Or shall I come up?’
I held out one hand, and as his wrapped around mine, it released something inside me. The rough warmth of the farmer’s palm, riddled with callouses and scars of old nicks, felt as familiar and comforting as my own bed, or the texture of floured dough beneath my fingers.
Comforting, familiar and yet brimming with potential that zapped a thrill up my arm and straight to my heart.
I twisted around to face him, the anticipation plain across his features. He reached up his other hand, and I half jumped, half fell into his arms. Lifting my chin to meet his gaze, I found more than I could have hoped for in those gentle eyes.
‘Thank you,’ I said, because it was all I could come up with.
Then, while I was still too shocked to hold back, I stretched up onto the toes of my boots, and pressed my lips against his.
I perhaps should have been embarrassed that we embraced as long as we did, me clinging onto his jacket as my fingers turned to ice, him wrapping his arms around me in a futile attempt to brace against the freezing gusts blowing in off the sea as we kissed. I didn’t care about the cold, the crick in my neck, his family hooting and hollering behind him. I’d spent six months missing this.
When we finally broke apart, chests heaving like a scene from Bridgerton , mouths grinning, eyes dancing, Pip bent to rest his forehead against mine, and whispered the only thing that mattered.
‘Welcome home.’
Later that day, after we’d unpacked my one small bag, and the giant suitcases Blessing had snuck along without telling me, Pip picked us up and we headed over to the farm for a welcome gathering. It turned out the pasties and pot sausage Blessing and Ben had prepped was for our own party. We ate squeezed into the farmhouse living room, dining room and kitchen. Just about everyone I’d met previously was there, plus plenty of others I hadn’t. We sang Christmas songs, accompanied by Richard’s accordion, and a couple of people found space for a dance, while the enormous fireplace crackled and the children dozed under blankets or curled up in laps.
‘Care for some fresh, island air?’ Pip asked, once the guests began to disperse.
‘It’s a bit late to watch the sunset.’
‘Aye, but the full moon over the water is just as bonny.’
Bundled up in hats, gloves and thick scarves, we strolled along the footpaths, gripping tightly to each other as we slid down the steps to the beach. The sky was like nothing I’d seen before – there wasn’t a great deal of ambient light in Sherwood Forest, but out here was a whole different depth of darkness. That was, apart from the moon, and more stars than I’d thought possible.
Pip stood behind me, arms wrapped around my torso.
‘I’ve missed that sound.’
‘What, silence?’
‘No, the sea!’
The air was still, so the waves were gentle as they broke upon the icy sand.
‘I guess I don’t much notice it any more.’
‘There’s a lot you islanders take for granted.’
‘Oh?’
‘Family, friends and all those shared memories. Knowing who you are, and where you belong. Whichever genius invented pot sausage.’
Pip smiled, and in the moonlight, his face looked cast in silver. ‘You know I love it here. I try not to take it for granted, but without you, it felt a lot harder to appreciate.’
‘Well, I’m here now.’
‘I thought about leaving,’ he said, after a while.
‘What?’ I turned to face him, still pressed up close so we could share some warmth.
‘I’d even lined up an interview for a farm manager job at a place near you.’
‘Pip, you couldn’t! I love the forest, but there’s nothing there for me any more. It would make no sense for you to move.’
‘Well, we can both be very grateful that Blessing turned up, so we can give this a try, first.’
‘No.’ I pulled away so he could see how much I meant this next statement. ‘I’m not an islander, so I don’t take what you have here for granted. I’m thrilled to have some genuine family now – that’s a whole other story – but I can visit them, and they’d love to come here. This place is it for me. I’m planning on a lot more overseas adventures with Blessing. Maybe one day with you, if you can get away from the farm, but this is my home now. My safe harbour. Where I’ll leave a legacy for my children.’
Pip’s smile grew until it filled his whole face. ‘Our children?’
‘The ninth generation of Hawkins. Flora really needs a cousin so she can stop stressing about having to run the farm.’
‘Are you sure? You’ve kind of been swept into this.’
I nodded. ‘I’ve totally been swept into it. But that’s because Blessing knew it’s what I wanted. My whole life has been spent trying to please another person. Doing things her way, following her plans and dreams. Being here, with you. This is what I want. It’s my choice. And I couldn’t be happier.’
‘I love you, Pasty Girl.’
‘I love you too, Hot Farmer.’
As we kissed, and watched the moonlight dance upon the water until we were so cold we had to turn back and head for the farmhouse, I knew that Nell Brown would be pretty happy to see how things were turning out for her daughter, too.