Page 38 of Sparring Partners
Adrian swung his head around so fast he winced at the crack. He’d been so focused on Luca, so focused on a conversation that had been taking place in a silent bubble of their own that he’d not noticed Jonathan come their way.
Grabbing a spare chair, Jonathan set it next to Luca, so close that when he sat down their knees rested together. Adrian clenched his teeth hard, threatening to break them.
“Perhaps as soon as we’ve given Oliver our best wishes you’d like to come back for a light supper? I promise not to keep you too long. I’ve a mushroom and truffle paté that’s to die for, and a rather wonderful Tokay that will match it perfectly.”
“Really, Jonathan, I can’t. Not this evening. Even finding time for the meeting was tricky.”
“I see.” Jonathan did his best not to look crestfallen, and Adrian couldn’t help the pang — the very small, weedy pang — of sympathy. It crumbled away as Jonathan threw him an icy glance, accompanied by an icier smile, before his attention switched back to Luca. He leant forward, all but blocking Adrian out. “I’ll call you tomorrow and perhaps we can make arrangements?—”
Whatever arrangements Jonathan wanted to make were cut short as Joss clapped his hands, bringing them all to attention.
“Thanks for coming over to wish my wonderful fiancé Oliver a happy birthday, even if he is one year nearer his pension and closer to losing his hair. And teeth.”
Everybody laughed, full of good humour, as Oliver smiled and shook his head. His eyes, like his smile, were soft and brimming with love and adoration, as they locked on the man who shared his life, everybody and everything else seemly forgotten as he placed a small, soft kiss on Joss’ lips which was met with a sigh, and a good natured round of applause.
The cake was distributed, and a plate was thrust into Adrian’s hands. He looked down at the cake he didn’t want. In a crowd, yet he and Luca were alone. Jonathan thank god, had found Eva.
“I don’t give a damn whether it’s wise or not. I want to see you again.”
Luca nodded, just a tiny movement. “Yes,” he said, so quiet it was little more than a breath.
“Then I’ll call you.” He got up, and glanced over at Jonathan, battling hard but losing the war with Eva, and grinned. “If you’re lucky, I might be able to rustle up a paté to die for and a nice little Tokay.”
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
Luca’s car bumped up the track towards the farm. The day was bright and warm, and although late in the season, summer was showing no signs of fading. It’d taken a lot of diary wrangling to clear the afternoon, but as the sun flowed through the open window, it’d been worth it.
As the farmhouse came into sight, Luca chewed down on his lower lip as nerves crawled up his spine. It was lunch, that was all. Adrian was going to drive them to an out of the way place, high up on the moor, with views that went for miles and to the sea beyond. Not Love’s Harbour, they’d agreed. Not for their first… date. Something that felt suspiciously like butterflies fluttered in his stomach, just as they’d been doing since they’d made the arrangement a small handful of days before. Sure, it was nerves. It was anticipation. But it was also excitement.
He let out a groan, loud in the car. He hadn’t been excited about a man for a long time… which had led to guilty, uncomfortable thoughts about Jonathan. Jonathan who was just a friend. Jonathan, whom he’d put off meeting for dinner or supper. Jonathan, with whom he would need to make clear, again, where their boundaries lay. Luca exhaled, long and slow. He wouldn’t think about Jonathan. Not today.
Pulling up outside the farmhouse, a stocky dark-haired woman made her way towards him, her smile bright and friendly.
“I see you coming down track,” she said, in heavily accented and slightly broken English. “I am Elena, I work for Adrian on…” She clicked her fingers as she searched for the word. “Half time, and extra when more busy. He’s in upper field, with kids. Follow path,” she said, pointing past the house to a rough track.
“Kids? What?” Did Adrian have children?
But Elena was already trotting towards the house. “I bring them a drink, so I get you something too,” she called as she retreated.
Children… That was a complication he wasn’t looking for. He cast a guilty glance towards the car. Perhaps he should leave and make his apologies later. It was a mean thought, and it made him cringe. Instead, he made his way along the path, which led through a small patch of wood, emerging into an open field. Luca stopped and stared.
A small flock of sheep was herded into a pen, being fed by a group of children who were filling up a long trough and laughing as the sheep jostled and bumped against them, all of it supervised by Adrian, who dragged away one of the sheep when it got too boisterous. The children, who looked pre-teen, had smiles on their faces bright enough to rival the sun. But they weren’t the only ones. Adrian was smiling too, his face relaxed and open. Next to him, one child kept close, less confident about the lively flock.
Adrian bent down to speak to the nervous looking boy, who glanced from Adrian to the sheep, and back again before he nodded. Adrian grabbed one of the sheep and pulled it away from the trough, its place instantly taken by another. Bleating hard, it struggled, and the boy jumped back, alarm on his face, but it cleared when Adrian said something, offering a smile as he dumped the animal on its back. It instantly stopped wriggling.
The boy stepped closer, hesitant and unsure, looking from the sheep to Adrian, before he reached out and stroked the compliant animal. The boy’s face broke into a smile of wonder, bringing one to Luca’s own face as the boy grew in confidence. The sheep began to wriggle again and Adrian let it go when the boy stepped back. With an indignant bleat, it scampered to the trough to fill its belly.
Luca walked over to the pen. “Elena told me I’d find you with the kids. Why didn’t you tell me you had a secret brood?”
Adrian laughed. “I didn’t realise the time. They’d have normally been on their way by now, but they were late getting here.”
“Who’re ‘they’?”
“Kids from towns who never get out into the countryside. Most come from challenging backgrounds,” he said, lowering his voice. “This crew come from a home, once a month. Should have seen them when they first arrived, they were scared stiff. But contact with animals has been proven to be beneficial for emotional and mental health. A few farms in the area have got involved, but not enough.” He gave an awkward shrug. “They’ll be going soon, after a quick drink.”
As though summoned, Elena arrived swinging a large bottle by its handle and a stack of plastic beakers. The promise of what looked like orange squash on a warm day was enough to snag the kids’ attention away from the animals. Shepherded into a semi-orderly line, each was given a generous squirt of hand sanitiser before they were allowed their cold drink.
“Mr. Hardy?” A girl sidled up to Adrian, blushing hard when Adrian smiled down at her. Luca battled to keep the smile from his own lips.
