Page 20 of Love and Lattes at Pumpkin Hollow
My phone beeped with a message. It was from Sabrina, asking if I wanted to meet her, her husband and the baby tomorrow afternoon at the café. She added that I should bring Dylan along so they could talk to him. Reading between the lines, I assumed that meant they wanted to grill him. Laughing, I told her I’d see how we were getting on with work but I was sort of intrigued to know what they would think of Dylan, plus I could speak to the two Pats about my food and drink idea, thinking they might be nicer about it than their son had been in the pub.
I picked up the wheelbarrow and threw in the rest of the bramble branches I had been clearing. All the grass had been cut now so we had a flat expanse of soil to work with. I stood and looked around. I’d been thinking of hiring a marquee so the patch would work even if the rain came, and it was autumn so that was pretty damn likely, but it would be a big cost for the month of October.
‘You look deep in thought.’ Dylan came to stand next to me, also surveying the field.
‘Yeah, I had a sudden thought that instead of hiring a costly marquee, I could use a few polytunnels to keep things covered. Like what we use for our crops,’ I added so Dylan would know what I meant. ‘We keep a couple spare in case of damage, but I could ask some of our farmer friends if they have any they might let me use for a month or so without charging me.’
‘They would do that?’
I shrugged. ‘We try to help each other out where we can. It’s a tough industry to be in; we like to look out for our own. I’ll make some calls later. I think they could work well, with hay on the floor plus we could also have a few wooden planters with pumpkins in different colours and sizes. I could build those with some cheap wood and I could get hold of a few crates to give a rustic vibe; they should be cheap as well,’ I mused, picturing it all in my mind. I felt Dylan’s eyes on me. ‘Sorry, did you say something?’
‘No, I’m just, well, impressed,’ he said, almost stumbling on the words. I raised an eyebrow. He clearly found giving me a compliment difficult. I would be the same about him, though. ‘You could really build tables yourself?’
I put my hands on my hips. ‘Just wait and see.’
Dylan turned away so his words were lost on the breeze but I was sure I heard him say, ‘Can’t wait’.
17
We worked from dawn on Friday. Having Dylan around was a big help as Dad focused on our farm chores as much as he was able to, with me pitching in when he struggled, so that the two of us could work on the field and the front of the farm – the areas visitors would see. The field was now clear and I put up the two polytunnels we had spare. I needed probably three more to be able to cover the pumpkins and autumn trail and then we set about tidying up the front of the farm, again clearing things that were overgrown or dying, raking fallen leaves and making sure the gravel looked as good as possible. I also organised the places we would visit over the weekend and Dylan booked us a place to stay despite my protests, saying he could put the cost on the company as he was also going to visit a couple of companies Henderson Homes worked with while we were gone, so I reluctantly let him do that.
Afternoon arrived and it started to absolutely pour with rain. I looked out of the farmhouse window with a sigh. Although I was used to working in all weathers on the farm, there really wasn’t much we could do when faced with the thick sheets that were coming down, drowning the ground and making it impossible to see even a couple of feet in front of us. Thankfully, the two tunnels would cover some of the field but I knew the rest would get really muddy and we didn’t want to tread that all around the areas we had tidied so it felt like it was best to stop work until Monday. I glanced behind me. Dylan was at the kitchen table, working on his laptop and my dad was chopping vegetables for dinner. I was fed up with computer work and really didn’t want to do any more.
Maple was sat next to me looking mournfully at the weather. She’d gone out earlier but I knew she was feeling cabin feverish like I was. I decided both of us should get away from the farm for a bit.
‘Sabrina and her husband have asked me to join them at the café in town,’ I said to Dylan. ‘I might take Maple out with me too. There’s not much more we can do here now; we need supplies to do anything more. I don’t suppose you fancy a coffee too?’
Dylan stretched out at the table, rolling his shoulders, flexing his arms. I tried not to watch. ‘You know what? A coffee sounds good. And I liked the one I had in there before I came here.’
‘Hang on, that might be a compliment about Birchbrook,’ I joked.
Dylan shook his head. ‘Well, that day was a disaster thanks to someone giving me the wrong directions so I’ve had to focus on the one good part.’
‘Hey, surely meeting us was the best part of that day,’ I teased him right back.
We were smiling at one another now. Impressive, when I thought back to that day and how badly I wanted to stop him finding our farm.
‘It’s okay if I come along then?’ Dylan asked me.
‘Well, my friends might grill you,’ I warned, knowing that once Sabrina saw him, there was no way he’d be able to leave the café without her talking to him.
Dylan looked at me. ‘I don’t mind, if you don’t?’
I shrugged, and said, ‘Up to you,’ but I was kind of glad meeting my friends hadn’t put him off. I wanted their opinion on him. ‘Come on, Maple, let’s get my coat.’ I walked up to Dad first. ‘You’re okay if we nip out to meet Sabrina and Bradley, right?’
‘I’m fine,’ he said, carrying on chopping. But he had been more subdued than usual since the conversation we’d had about my mother. ‘I’ll put all this in the slow cooker then we can eat together later. I might do a puzzle: a perfect rainy afternoon activity.’
I knew he could do with the rest after all we’d done this week. I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. ‘Yeah, you relax; we won’t be long.’ I looked over my shoulder. ‘Ready when you are, Dylan.’
I tried to ignore the smile on Dad’s face when Dylan jumped up and followed me and Maple out. I knew that I shouldn’t get used to Dylan being around but it felt more comfortable than it should as we left the farm together. I insisted on driving, knowing the roads wouldn’t be easy in this weather and my four-by-four was far more capable than his fancy car so the three of us piled in and we headed for Birchbrook.
‘I used to walk down here every day with my mum on the way home from school,’ I said as I drove along the High Street and looked for a parking space as close to the café as I could. The weather was giving autumn, that was for sure. The shop lights were all that we could see through the windscreen. ‘The café was my favourite – so many treats that I’d beg her for. She loved getting a hot drink and a cake in autumn, and we’d collect conkers on the walk too.’
‘When I lost my mother, I felt like I needed to get away from our family home and the town I grew up in,’ Dylan said. ‘It had changed so much from when I was growing up that it made me miss her more almost, if that makes sense.’
‘Birchbrook hasn’t changed much,’ I said as I pulled in behind a car outside of the café, parking up and switching off the engine. ‘That’s why a lot of people I went to school with left in a hurry, desperate for somewhere new – bigger and better things, I guess. But it brings me comfort. There’s so much change on the farm each season, and I love to see nature doing its thing, but this town has always been there to counteract that. I have the best of both worlds so never felt the urge to leave.’ I took off my seat belt. ‘Right then, we’re here. Shall we make a run for it, guys?’
I jumped out of my side and let Maple out of the back of the car, rushing towards the café with Dylan hurrying after us.
