A Taste of Home by Heidi Swain (the beginning after the end read novel TXT) 📕

‘Exactly,’ he smiled.

After lunch, he offered to drop me back at the farm so I wouldn’t have to ring for a taxi or wait until Bec finished.

She gave me a knowing look as she handed me back my bags of shopping.

‘I don’t blame you swapping the Banana-mobile for Mr Helpful,’ she grinned.

‘It’s not like that,’ I tutted. ‘He said he’s heading that way anyway.’

‘Yeah, right,’ she snorted.

‘And his name’s Anthony.’

‘Ooh,’ she said. ‘Progress.’

‘Well I could hardly have lunch with him and not ask his name, could I?’ I said, returning her reaction with an eye-roll.

‘I suppose not,’ she agreed.

‘Thank you for the lift earlier and would you thank Jemma for me when you get a chance?’

‘Oh yes,’ said Bec. ‘What were you two talking about earlier? I hope I didn’t put my foot in it saying who you were.’

If supplying fruit for the café came off, then she would have definitely done the farm a favour, but I wasn’t going to tell her what her boss had in mind. I needed to talk to Grandad first. It wouldn’t be professional to go talking about the deal even before it was done.

‘I meant, would you thank her for the pastries, that was all.’

‘Yeah right,’ Bec said again, though that time without the accompanying snort.

It was mid-afternoon when I arrived back at the farm and I was worried I’d left Grandad for too long. If only I had my own transport, I would be able to make much shorter trips to town.

‘Looks like you’ve got company,’ said Anthony as he swung into the drive.

Eliot’s Ducati was parked up and my heart skipped at the sight of it. Then I began to panic. Had he popped in to pay a random social visit, or had Grandad called him because he’d had a fall? My heart thrummed all the harder as I fumbled to get out of the car.

‘Are you all right?’ Anthony asked.

‘Yes,’ I nodded. ‘Of course. Let’s get the bags.’

I swiftly shifted them from the boot to the back door, said a speedy thank you and goodbye and rushed inside. Anthony looked rather taken aback by my hasty dismissal but didn’t appear inclined to hang about either. In fact, he’d driven off almost before I’d crossed the kitchen.

The sound of laughter met my ears and I let out the breath I hadn’t realised I’d been holding.

‘Felicity,’ smiled Grandad, when he looked up and saw me in the doorway. ‘We’ve got company.’

‘So I see,’ I beamed, looking from him to Eliot.

My heart carried on thumping just as fast, but I tried to kid myself that was because I was relieved that Grandad was all right and not because Eliot looked and smelt even more delicious than I remembered.

‘I’ve just given him a demo of how we’ve been negotiating the stairs,’ said Grandad.

‘Hello Fliss,’ said Eliot, returning my smile with one of his own. ‘I hear you’ve been doing brilliantly.’

‘We’ve been managing,’ I shyly said.

Crikey, at this rate I’d be swaying from side to side and batting my lashes. I had thought I’d begun to get the measure of my attraction for him, but that was obviously only because I hadn’t seen him. Now faced with the handsome, and sensually scented reality, I had to acknowledge I had it every bit as bad as before. I’d just had lunch with a devastatingly good-looking, well turned out and intriguing man and yet my reaction to him hadn’t been anything like the one induced by the sight of Eliot.

‘More than managing,’ he quickly said. ‘Just as I knew you would.’

‘I better get these bags unpacked,’ I swallowed, not wanting to give my overwhelming feelings away. ‘There’s stuff that needs to go in the fridge.’

‘How did you get on at Andersons?’ Grandad called after me.

‘Really well. Everything’s coming on Monday. It’s quite a place, isn’t it?’

‘It is. Did they let you put it all on the account?’

‘Oh,’ I fibbed. ‘I didn’t think to ask if you had one. I paid for it all there and then.’

‘In that case, we’ll settle up later.’

I went to mention Jemma’s business proposition, but stopped myself. I really wanted to give it a bit more thought before I presented it. I should have picked up a notebook in town. Writing things down always helped me get a bit of perspective, as well as sparking off other ideas.

The rain clouds had gathered again and I was getting the washing in, when Eliot left.

‘I hope you haven’t stayed out of the way on my account,’ he said, zipping himself into his suit.

‘I thought it would be good for you and Grandad to have a bit of time,’ I said, rather than admitting the truth, which was that I didn’t trust my hormones whenever I was around him. ‘He’s really missed you.’

‘I’ve missed him too,’ he told me. ‘And you, but I really have been busy with work.’

‘So much for your holiday,’ I said, trying not to get carried away with the thought of him missing me.

‘I know,’ he tutted, ‘and my timing could have been better today because Bill said it was the first time he’d been alone in ages. I’m sure he had been enjoying the peace.’

‘None the more for that, I bet he was thrilled to see you.’ I said, picking up the washing basket. ‘I know I am.’

‘Are you now?’ he grinned.

‘Yes,’ I swallowed.

‘In that case,’ he said, running a hand through his hair before pulling on his gloves, ‘I’ll try not to leave it so long before I come back again. Bill talked a bit about your mum earlier. He seems to be getting his head around it all. How are you doing?’

I loved that, like Bec, he didn’t skirt around the issue as some people might.

‘Not brilliant, but better than I was,’ I told him, returning his frankness with my own. ‘I appreciate you asking.’

‘That’s what friends are for.’

Friends, I reminded myself as I watched him pull on his helmet and start the bike. Eliot