‘I was never out to sabotage your B&B, you know,’ said Flynn seriously. ‘With the tourist industry in Heartcross rocketing, people want choices, and they will continue to book the B&B. Everyone likes different things, everyone has a different budget.’ He paused. Now it was Julia’s turn to listen. ‘And thank you, Julia.’
‘What are you thanking me for?’
‘For working with me and not throwing me back out to the lions. Those villagers can be pretty lethal if you get on the wrong side of them.’ A smile touched Flynn’s lips.
‘You better believe it. Heartcross is a passionate community and one I’m proud to be a part of. We look after each other.’ Julia spun her legs out of the water and stood up. ‘I better be going, I need to get up to the B&B.’
‘Before you go…’ Flynn took the parcel he’d placed on the sunbed next to him. ‘This is for you.’
Julia was surprised. ‘For me?’
‘Yes, for you. Here,’ Flynn handed it over.
It was average size, not particularly heavy and wrapped up in old-fashioned brown paper, with a label on the front which read ‘To Julia’ scrawled in old-fashioned ink. Completely taken by surprise, she stared at the package in her hands.
‘Go on open it,’ he encouraged, giving Julia a warm smile.
She carefully unwrapped it. The insides were hidden beneath delicate lilac tissue paper. Her heart skipped a beat; there was another label inside which read Just for you x.
With her hands slightly shaking, she trembled with anticipation – she had no clue what she was about to discover. Then, amazed, she stared at the contents, and tried to slow her breathing. ‘Surely not,’ she whispered to herself. Staring back at her was a newly-framed photo of her and her grandad fishing, the exact same photo that had been ruined by the flood. Flynn must have contacted the newspaper to track down this photograph, and then gone out of his way to have it framed. Julia’s eyes brimmed with happy tears. Flynn’s kindness was overwhelming, and without thinking she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
‘This is just… just… I’m actually lost for words. Thank you.’ This was the best present she’d received in a long, long time, and she had Flynn Carter to thank for it.
Chapter Fifteen
‘Pinch, punch, first of the month.’
Julia was walking down the grand staircase towards the reception of the hotel and was chuckling at Eleni’s text. She usually included a long list of everyone she wanted to pinch or punch, but today she seemed to have made peace with the world.
The phone pinged again, a second text from Eleni, ‘I’ll meet you at the B&B in an hour. There’s some last-minute birthday plans I need to take care of.’
Julia’s birthday was this weekend. It had soon crept up on her, and with the flood at the B&B she’d totally put it out of her mind. Later that evening she had a FaceTime call with Callie and couldn’t wait to see her – she knew as soon as they started chatting about the birthday plans excitement would begin to kick in.
Standing on the grand stone steps at the entrance of Starcross Manor, Julia paused for a moment and inhaled the fresh morning air as she took in the view. Beyond the lake she noticed the deer roaming free, grazing on the lush grass at the edge of the woods, and it was a real picture-perfect moment. She glanced at her watch. She still had time to kill, so decided to take the scenic route back to the B&B. Julia headed around the lake towards the woods, a place she would often walk Woody.
Clambering over the rickety old stile, Julia took the bridle path that ran from the woods to the edge of Primrose Park. Again, the view was spectacular. A cow mooed from a nearby field, making her jump. There were sheep dotted up on the mountain top, and goats at the bottom of the valley. She ducked under a low-hanging branch then stopped to admire a deer that loped back into the woodland. It was such a beautiful place, and she felt lucky to live somewhere as magical as Heartcross. This was home, and she could never envisage living anywhere else – and thankfully now, with the deal she’d struck up with Flynn, for the community and herself, everyone would be a winner.
Up ahead, she heard the clomping of hooves and a familiar woof. She was amazed to see Woody running towards her, his ears flapping and his tongue hanging out. By the time they’d finished drinking their cocktails last night it had been late, and so Woody had stayed at Foxglove Farm for the night.
‘Well, hello there!’ Woody padded excitedly from one paw to the other, wagging his tail madly. Julia bent down and hugged him tightly. ‘It’s only been a night, but I’ve missed you!’ she exclaimed as he licked her face.
Isla pulled on the reins, and Honk the pony halted. ‘Good morning!’ sang Isla. ‘Fancy seeing you here.’
Julia stood up and rubbed the pony’s nose, and Honk nudged her back. ‘I thought I’d blow away the cobwebs on the way to the B&B. How’s this one been?’ She looked down at Woody, who was still jumping up to her knees as Julia ruffled the top of his head once more.
‘He’s been as good as gold, better behaved than Drew,’ she chuckled. Isla looked down fondly at Woody. ‘We’ve been down the valley and thought we’d make our way back through Primrose Park, it’s stunning this time of year.’
‘It sure is,’ replied Julia.
‘And the cockerel had us up at the early hours, so I thought whilst the kids were sleeping, we’d get out for a walk and a ride. Not to mention Drew has been driving me insane.’
‘Why, what’s he been up to?’
‘Boys and their toys. I think he loves his new sausage machine more than me,’ Isla rolled her eyes then laughed. ‘Honestly, he’s like a kid in a sweet shop. He thinks he’s going to take over the world with all his new sausage recipes, not to mention bacon and black pudding. He’s even designing his own packaging for his brand of Foxglove Farm delights.’
‘To be fair, he does make the best sausages around,’ admitted Julia, her mouth watering at the very thought of a sausage sandwich smothered in brown sauce. The B&B had only ever sourced their meat and dairy products from the farm, and they were always a hit with guests.
‘He did say when your electricity is back on, call up at the farm and take whatever you need to stock your fridge and freezer.’
‘That will be amazing, thank you.’ Julia had a feeling Drew’s farm products might become world-famous sooner than he thought, if Flynn was going to strike a deal to supply Starcross Manor. Who knew where that might lead to?
‘And what have you there?’ asked Isla, looking at the parcel in Julia’s hand.
‘A present from Flynn. The photograph of my grandfather that was ruined in the flood…’ Julia turned the photograph towards Isla.
‘Now, that is a thoughtful present.’
‘Isn’t it just,’ replied Julia, feeling a flutter of warmth. ‘And we’ve had a long chat about business. Everything is going to be okay. I’m going to give Jack the go-ahead to begin my extension as soon as possible.’
‘Julia, that’s brilliant news.’
‘Isn’t it just.’