Page 42 of Sunny Skies and Summer Kisses

‘Now then, sleepy head.’ Ollie ambled in the kitchen and tousled her hair. ‘Good kip?’

‘Mmm. Not bad thanks, Dad.’ The pressure of the last few weeks, getting her dance studio ready, helping with the auction and not forgetting the stress of Damon, had finally caught up with her, resulting in her sleeping soundly ’til gone eleven.

‘You must’ve needed it, flower,’ said Kitty, quickly flicking her eyes over to Anoushka as she lifted the huge joint of roast beef from the Aga. She proceeded to tip a pan of potatoes in, basting them in meat juices. The kitchen was suddenly filled with the delicious aroma of Sunday dinner.

‘I did; I haven’t slept that late for yonks. But I’m all refreshed now. I’ll just have a quick shower then I’ll be free to give you a hand. That smells gorgeous, by the way.’

‘Thanks, chick. Lucas has offered to do the Yorkshire puds; Bea’s been teaching him how to make them and he’s keen to put his newly acquired skills to good use.’ Kitty smiled affectionately. Lucas had a job waiting on the tables at the Sunne but had recently been taking a close interest in what went on in the kitchen; particularly Bea’s cooking. He’d been coming home with all sorts of tips after his shifts, and had been particularly thrilled when Bea had told him he showed lots of promise and had the potential to be an excellent chef.

‘Sounds good.’ Anoushka drained her tea and sauntered over to the sink, rinsing her mug. ‘What time’s everyone due?’ Molly, Camm and Lottie were joining them for Sunday dinner, together with Jimby, Vi and Pippin. Kristy and Ben, together with Molly’s other twin son, Tom, and his partner, Adam, wouldn’t be joining them. Instead, they were heading over to Ellerby Farm in Arkleby where they’d arranged a meeting with Titch Ventress to pick his brains about goat farming. They’d planned to travel over to Middleton-le-Moors and have lunch in one of the pubs there.

‘Half-twelve,’ said her dad, looking at the clock on the wall. ‘Which doesn’t give me too much time to get things set out in the garden.’

‘I don’t know where this morning’s gone,’ said Kitty, her face flushed from the warmth of the stove. She slid the roasting tray back in the Aga and glanced over at Anoushka. ‘When your dad’s got the gazebo up, you could fix the bunting to it, if you wouldn’t mind, lovey? You being nice and tall will make a better job of it than me.’

‘No probs; I’m happy to help.’

‘Right then, I’d best get cracking.’ With a smile, Ollie headed in the direction of the back garden.

* * *

Anoushka stood back,admiring her work on transforming the gazebo, the grass tickling her bare feet, the blazing sun hot on her shoulders. She was glad she’d opted for her cotton maxi dress, it being cool and crisp, but its thin straps meant she’d have to slap on some more sunblock before she did anything else; her fair skin burnt easily. Her wavy blonde hair shone like spun gold as it hung loose down her back, fastened off her face by thin plaits at either side which were tied loosely at the back of her head. Beneath the gazebo – she’d trimmed with bunting in shades of pinks and greens and cream – Ollie had placed two trestle tables end-to-end which Anoushka had set with pretty floral tablecloths, rustic water hyacinth placemats, crisp white napkins – tied round the middle with green ribbon – and chunky wine glasses. The finishing touch was courtesy of squat vases filled with country cottage flowers that had been freshly picked from the garden and placed at intervals along the table.

Birds were twittering happily from the trees accompanied by the background chirping of grasshoppers. The mouth-watering aroma of Sunday dinner floated through the open kitchen window, mingling with the smell of a barbecue from a garden further down the village. Anoushka felt a wave of contentment wash over her. She relished days like these, sunny and balmy; just perfect for lazy afternoons with her family. She released a gentle sigh and an image of Gabe unexpectedly popped into her mind. Her pulse quickened in response. What was going on with her? How many times had she told herself in no uncertain terms, she wanted to be nothing more than friends with him? Yet something inside her would have her believe otherwise. It obviously hadn’t got the memo he was head-over-heels in love with someone else.Ughh!It was all so confusing, not to mention unsettling.

‘That looks lovely.’

More than happy to be pulled from her thoughts, Anoushka turned to see Vi smiling at her, her glossy aubergine hair shining in the sunshine. As usual, her mum’s friend looked glamorous in her designer cat-eye sunglasses and full-skirted dress covered in blousy lilac flowers. She couldn’t help but smile back. ‘Oh, Vi. Thanks; I’ve just finished. You been here long?’

‘Only five minutes.’ Just then the sound of Jimby’s laughter spilled out into the garden and Vi smiled again, rolling her eyes. ‘Honestly, he’s like a foghorn.’

‘Which was perfect in his capacity as auctioneer last night.’ Anoushka laughed. ‘It was an absolutely brilliant event.’

‘It so was. I’m super-chuffed mine was the winning bid for the voucher from the new shoe shop in York; I can’t wait to get that little beauty spent.’ Vi’s green eyes sparkled happily.

‘Oh, I bet you can’t,’ Anoushka said with a chuckle. ‘Mum was over the moon with the voucher I bought, you know, for a pamper session at the new beauty salon up at the old Danskelfe Estate offices.’

Before Vi could answer, Molly joined them, glass of wine in hand. ‘Now then, lasses, so this is where you’re hiding, is it? By, that looks gorgeous, Noushka.’ She nodded in the direction of the newly decorated gazebo.

‘Thanks.’ Anoushka beamed back at her.

She was toying with the idea of asking if either of the two women knew if Gabe had contributed anything to the auction – the more she thought about it, the more she realised it wasn’t like him not to – but didn’t quite know how to put it into words without sounding nosy, when Kitty called out that dinner was five minutes off being ready. And why does it matter so much to you? she asked herself. You need to forget about it.

Everyone busied themselves, helping carry things to the table, Ethel and Mabel weaving in and out of them, in raptures at the smell of food in the air. Soon everyone was at their seat, serving themselves and passing around dishes piled high with jewel-coloured vegetables and mashed potato.

‘Wow! Look at those Yorkshires; they look amazing,’ said Camm, helping himself to one.

‘Aye, I gather our Lukes is to thank for them. They don’t look half bad for the efforts of a little squirt.’ Jimby aimed a playful wink at his nephew.

‘Oy, Uncle Jimby, I’m not such a little squirt anymore; I’ll soon be as tall as you. And I should warn you, you’ll pay dearly for that comment. I’ll get you back when you’re not expecting it.’ Lucas flashed him a mischievous grin.

‘Aye, well, you’d be very wise to think twice about taking on the infamous assassin here.’ Jimby couldn’t hold onto his serious expression for long and his face broke out into a wide smile. ‘But if you choose to ignore my warning, I’ll look forward to seeing what you come up with.’

Vi shook her head. ‘Honestly, Jimby, I swear the teenage version of you is still trapped inside that man’s body of yours.’

‘Aye, but what a body it is.’ He waggled his eyebrows, triggering a mix of groans and giggles.

‘Do you have to, Jimby? We’re just about to get stuck into our food.’ Molly shot him a look of distaste before giving in to her chuckles.

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