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

sec,’ I said to Eliot, before rushing off to rescue the meringues.

When I walked back into the barn, I realised just how much I, along with Bec and Eliot, had achieved since that very first day when I pulled open the doors and found Grandad’s collection of Fenland paraphernalia all piled up, along with the cat’s preferred sleeping spot.

‘What do you think?’ Eliot asked, looking around.

‘I love it,’ I swallowed, feeling a little wobbly again. ‘It’s nothing short of a miracle.’

Eliot nodded, but didn’t look quite as entranced by the vision as I would have liked. It was only then that I realised he’d been rather quiet since he’d joined me after lunch. What was going on there, I wondered?

‘And with all the lights on,’ I added, ‘it will look even prettier.’

Rather than try and fill the whole barn, we’d concentrated on setting up one area instead. There were only going to be a small group of us on Saturday, and I wanted to create a cosy pocket, rather than spread us about. When the club was properly up and running the entire space could be filled in the same way, but for the first foray into entertaining, the intimate area we’d put together would be perfect.

‘It’s a shame there’s only limited power though,’ I said, casting my eyes over the pasting tables and at the ceiling above, where we’d draped the strings of lights.

The tables were covered with plain white sheets and embellished with hessian runners which I’d made from strips cut from a roll I had spotted in Lizzie’s crafting corner in the café. I’d ended up buying a few other things from her too, including some bunting made out of strawberry patterned fabric. It was those little details which made the biggest difference.

Grandad hadn’t looked impressed when he spotted the hessian or when I told him I was going to glue strips of it around rinsed out jars to make tea light holders. Looking at them lined up though, the hessian further embellished on some with sage green raffia bows and on others with string, I thought they looked perfect. And they’d only cost pennies which was a real bonus.

‘That won’t matter for tomorrow,’ said Eliot. ‘You’ve got so many candles as well as these battery-operated lights, that you’ll get away with it and Mum’s got a dozen or so Mason jar solar lights which she said you can borrow.’

‘They’ll be great.’ I nodded. ‘Fingers crossed the sun will be shining brightly enough to charge them.’

‘And I can supply the music,’ Eliot carried on. ‘Unless you’d got other ideas for that?’

‘Music,’ I said, pulling a face. ‘I hadn’t even thought of it.’

‘Leave that to me then. I’ll set up a playlist. Nothing too rousing,’ he added. ‘Just chilled out background stuff.’

‘Thanks,’ I said, adding music to my list and writing his name next to it. ‘I’ll cut the flowers and greenery fresh for the other jars in the morning and Grandad has already helped me to put together a box of glasses, cutlery and crocks that we can use.’

It was a motley collection, garnered from odd things he’d hung on to for years and I loved it all the more for that. When the club properly launched, I wouldn’t be using it because it was too precious, but using family pieces for the trial run felt perfect. I knew Nonna would approve of that. In fact, she was going to love everything about the club. Bringing people together to enjoy good food was her favourite thing in all the world.

‘Fliss?’

‘Mm?’

‘Are you all right?’

‘Yes,’ I said, clearing my throat and blinking away the tears the thoughts of Nonna evoked. ‘Sorry, what did you say?’

Eliot walked over and tentatively put his arm around my shoulders. I leant against him and put my arm around his waist then rested my head on his chest. We didn’t say anything, but we didn’t need to. I wondered if he was suppressing the same urges as I was. To me, those few seconds felt more intimate than either of the kisses we’d shared.

‘What was it you were saying before?’ I eventually asked, looking up at him.

He cleared his throat. ‘I was asking about what you’ll do for crockery and stuff when more people come.’

‘Your mum mentioned the sales in town,’ I told him. ‘They sound like the ideal place to pick things up.’

‘That’s what I was going to suggest too,’ he said, looking down at me.

I felt my heart start to flutter again so gently extricated myself from his comfortable embrace.

‘There’s just Grandad’s collection to think about now,’ I said, indicating the corner of the barn where everything was stacked. ‘I don’t want to give away too much about it tomorrow night, just enough to strike up a conversation and create some interest.’

‘I’m interested already,’ he said, picking up the pair of skates. ‘What is all this stuff?’

I gave him a quick rundown on what Grandad had been hoarding, even explaining what some of it was because he didn’t know and by the time I’d finished, Eliot was as enthusiastic about incorporating it into the barn as I was.

‘This is the perfect USP,’ he said, sounding entranced as he turned one of the eel traps over in his hands. ‘You could even get Bill to tell a few tales at some of the events and explain to the guests a little about the history of the Fens. He’s got enough anecdotes to keep everyone entertained for hours.’

‘That’s a brilliant idea,’ I agreed. ‘Why hadn’t I thought of that?’

‘Not on your Nellie!’ said Grandad, who had slipped inside without either of us noticing.

‘You don’t fancy it, Bill?’ Eliot laughed.

‘No chance,’ he said. ‘By all means, put my collection on show, but I won’t be talking about it.’

Eliot and I exchanged a conspiratorial smile.

‘And you needn’t look like that, the pair of you,’ Grandad said, shaking his head as he came further in. ‘I won’t change my mind.’

‘Maybe you could tell Fliss and she could