Page 76 of A Forever Home at Honey Bee Croft

‘Special place,’ he said. ‘Where dreams come true.’

My heart melted as he tenderly kissed me.

‘Look what Fizz gave me today.’ I reached for her wedding invite and waved it at Joel. ‘Looks like you’re stuck with me until at least the end of May.’

Joel frowned and counted on his fingers. ‘Oh, I dunno,’ he said, his voice teasing. ‘That’s a whole ten weeks away. It’s a lot to ask.’

‘Cheeky!’ I cried, playfully whacking him with a cushion.

He cupped my face between his hands and gently kissed me. ‘There’s another four weddings after that and I’d like you to be with me at all of them. And for any weddings, anniversaries and births that come along after that.’

‘Sounds perfect,’ I whispered.

‘Oh, my God! Joel! This is delicious!’ I forked in another mouthful, releasing a moan of pleasure. ‘If this is indicative of your skills in the kitchen, I’mneverletting you go.’

‘It’s a deal,’ he said with a grin. ‘With my cooking and your first aid and stain removal abilities, we might achieve domestic perfection.’

Every mouthful was a delight with the flavours working so perfectly together. It was criminal that he’d never been able to showcase his abilities. I dropped my fork with a clatter as an idea struck me.

‘Everything okay?’ Joel asked looking concerned.

‘I’ve just had a thought. When Amber gave me a tour of the farm, she showed me the barn for the farm shop and there was another empty barn. I asked her what it was going to be and she said they didn’t know. What if you opened your own bistro there?’

‘On Barney’s farm?’

‘Yes! There’s a farm shop near where I live and it has a bistro next door where the chef makes meals using the local produce the shop sells. Most of the business is day trade withjust two or three nights a week and it does brilliantly. You could do something like that. You’d need to work weekends at the start, but you could take on a weekend chef once it was up and running.’

Joel’s eyes lit up. ‘I know the barn you mean. It would be a good size for it.’

‘What do you think? Would something like that interest you?’

‘I’d love it.’

I could tell from his wide smile that he was already imagining what it might look like.

‘Do you think Amber and Barney would be interested?’

‘I think they’d love it too. We’d need to get planning permission, but it’s a working farm and it’s an existing building…’

We moved back into the lounge and spent the rest of the evening talking about how a bistro at Bumblebee Barn might work. I shared my little fantasy about opening an apiary on Barney’s farm, and supplying honey to the shop alongside my Honey Bee Hugs skincare range. The future sounded so idyllic. But a dose of reality suddenly hit me.

‘A shadow just crossed your face,’ Joel said. ‘What is it?’

‘What if Tilly does move to Scotland? I’m assuming you’d go too.’

He sighed heavily. ‘I can’t imagine moving away from this area and all my friends but, if that’s the only way I can see Imogen regularly, I won’t have a choice.’

‘When are you seeing your solicitor?’

‘Thursday morning.’

‘Let’s hope it’s good news and she can’t move Imogen without your agreement. If she can and you have to relocate, we’ll find a way to make it work. Not sure what, but…’

I tried to imagine me living here without him and it felt so wrong. I wanted this farmhouse but I wanted it to beoursratherthanmine. I imagined dropping off honey at the Bumblebee Barn farm shop and seeing an empty barn instead of Joel waving at me from his bistro and it was so clear to me that, while I wanted my future to be here in this place with these people, I didn’t want it without Joel. I could find another house if Mary had already sold Whisperwood Farmhouse before I was ready to move, I could find somewhere else for my hives if Amber and Barney had already found a beekeeper, but being here without Joel was a dealbreaker. If he announced that he was moving to Australia, I’d be booking my ticket.

I took his hand in mine. This didn’t even feel brave – it felt right. ‘They have honey bees in the Highlands, right?’

‘Aren’t there bees everywhere?’ he asked, looking momentarily confused. And then a smile spread across his face as he evidently registered what I meant. ‘You’d come with me?’

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