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

few minutes later. ‘We missed it didn’t we? Your opening speech. Oh wow!’ she then added, stopping in her tracks and looking around. ‘This is amazing.’

I was delighted that she thought so.

‘That seems to be the general consensus,’ I agreed, happily looking around as my guests acquainted themselves with the space, admired the decorations and listened to Grandad waxing lyrical about his collection. ‘And don’t worry, I didn’t really give a speech.’

‘So much for Bill not wanting to make an announcement of his own,’ said Eliot, who smelt incredible and looked gorgeous in an open necked dark shirt and jeans.

‘I know, right?’ I laughed, glancing over to where he had Jake, Ben and Lizzie hanging on his every word as they passed around an eel trap.

‘Oh god,’ Eliot then muttered. ‘Is that Anthony Judd?’

Bec followed his gaze and I looked too. Anthony and Jemma’s husband Tom, were deep in conversation at the back of the barn next to the table which was laden down with the drinks everyone had brought along.

‘What’s he doing here?’ Eliot frowned. ‘He was a total prick at school and rumour has it, he’s not changed much.’

More rumours, although I had to admit this one had the potential to carry more merit than the alleged one about Eliot ever had.

‘That’s who Fliss went out to dinner with,’ Bec informed him. ‘He’s Mr Helpful. I didn’t realise you knew him and I certainly don’t remember him from your year at school.’

‘What?’ Eliot gasped. ‘He’s the boyfriend Bill told me about?’

Grandad obviously hadn’t provided a name.

‘He’s not my boyfriend,’ I said again. ‘And we only went out once.’

‘Have I put my foot in it?’ asked Bec.

‘No,’ Eliot and I said together.

‘I’ll go and get the music sorted,’ he then added, striding off.

Bec tried to stop him, but he was out of reach before she’d realised he was going.

I left Eliot to it and while Bec and Louise lit the many tea lights, I played the hostess and gratefully soaked up the abundant praise and enthusiasm. I did my best to shrug off Eliot’s reaction to finding Anthony ensconced and tried not to hone in on Jake and Amber. Undue pressure wouldn’t help the supper club’s cause and besides, left to their own devices, they looked happy enough.

‘Have you got a sec?’ Eliot asked, once he’d set the music playing and had apparently recovered his temper. Outwardly, at least. ‘Bec has something for you.’

His words reminded me that I had something for her too. I would have to tell her about Marco as soon as I got the chance.

‘This is why we were late,’ she said, presenting me with a bottle of pink coloured liquid. It was quite small and it didn’t have a label. ‘It’s from the owner of Brambles,’ she added, eyeing it greedily. ‘One of a very limited trial run. Eliot told him about your plans for this place and he wanted to give you this.’

‘We had to go and pick it up.’

‘So, it’s more a gift from both of you,’ I began to say, but Eliot cut me off.

Now he knew I’d been out with Anthony, he didn’t seem to want to give me anything.

‘It’s strawberry gin,’ he said. ‘Their first ever batch. Jack wanted to call in himself, but he’s running a private tasting session tonight. He asked us to tell you that he’d like to talk to you about a potential collaboration event, combining Fenview fruit with his drinks.’

‘Oh wow,’ I gasped. ‘That’s amazing. Thank you both so much.’

Bec was smiling, clearly delighted to have found me more business, but Eliot looked down in the dumps. I didn’t know what to say to make him feel better. With the evening in full swing it was hardly the time or the place to come clean and explain properly about what I’d been up to. I had thought I was going to get away without revealing any of it, but apparently not. It would just have to wait for now and in the meantime, I’d try and keep him and Anthony apart.

‘I’ll go and put this on the drinks table,’ I told the pair. ‘But right at the back, so no one opens it.’

‘I wouldn’t if I were you,’ said Anthony, who had silently sidled up. ‘What sort of table have you set up for the drinks, Fliss? It looks to me like it’s beginning to sag in the middle.’

‘Oh bugger,’ I said. ‘I thought it would be okay, but there’s a lot of weight on that one. I hope the rest are going to be all right.’

I looked around and found everyone had taken their seats. The rest of the tables looked fine but then they didn’t have the same number of filled bottles on them.

‘I need to rejig it,’ I flapped, feeling increasingly hot, ‘but it’s time to start serving the food. I don’t want to keep everyone waiting.’

‘We can deal with the drinks table, can’t we?’ Eliot briskly said to Anthony. ‘And Bec and Mum can bring the food from the house while you talk everyone through the menu, Fliss. Sorted. Yes?’

‘Yes,’ I agreed. ‘All right.’

So much for keeping the pair of them on opposite sides of the barn.

‘Right,’ said Bec, ‘let’s get this show on the road.’

Talking through the dessert dishes and watching everyone tuck in, while Eliot helpfully topped up their glasses was the easiest part of the whole event. Everything tasted delicious and the cool evening temperature meant there was no melted chocolate or warm drinks.

‘That semifreddo,’ said Jemma, closing her eyes, ‘was the best I’ve ever had. Where did you get the recipe and more to the point, do you want a job in the café? I could do with an extra member of staff who can whip up dishes like that.’

I felt myself flush under her praise.

‘My nonna in Italy taught me how to make it,’ I explained to her and Amber who was also listening. ‘I’ve got a whole head full of her recipes, so if