Summer at Lavender Bay

by Sarah Bennett

  ‘I know. I’m sorry, but I’m on my way right now. Hold on, buddy, I’m coming.’ Guilt and anguish tearing him to shreds, Jack shoved his phone into his pocket and increased his pace until he was running flat-out through the quiet streets.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Eliza and her mum were setting up the bar ready for opening when a knock came at the front door. Casting a quick glance at the clock on the back wall, she frowned. Half-nine was too early for even the thirstiest of holiday-makers. Stretching on tiptoe, she released the top bolt and swung the door open to be greeted by a glorious mass of yellow, pink and purple flowers. ‘Oh, my goodness, how beautiful!’ The trio of golden sunflowers were surrounded by cerise roses, sugar-pink carnations and cascades of pink and purple stocks.

  Emma, the owner of the local florist’s beamed at her around the side of the bouquet. ‘Morning, Eliza! Delivery for you.’

  ‘For me?’ With shaking fingers, she reached for the flowers then balanced them in the crook of her arm in order to retrieve the little white envelope tucked into the top. Something to brighten your day and hopefully tip the scales in my favour. Jack xx

  ‘Wow, let me see!’

  Turning sideways, Eliza showed off the flowers to her mum. ‘Jack sent them. Aren’t they lovely?’ She ducked her head over them. ‘And they smell incredible.’

  Her mum reached out to trace the velvet texture of one of the roses. ‘He’s pulling out the stops, that’s for sure.’

  Feeling shy, Eliza glanced away and back to Emma. ‘Thank you for these.’ She spotted another, smaller bouquet of yellow, pink and orange gerberas standing in a box at Emma’s feet. ‘Oh, he didn’t?’

  Emma grinned. ‘I’ve already dropped one of these off next door with Beth. Someone’s definitely out to impress.’ Bending over, she picked up the box. ‘I’m sure Libby will be as thrilled as Beth was, and I’m a big fan of any man who woos a woman’s friends as well. It’s very good for business! See you later, ladies.’

  Moving free of the door to allow her mum to close it, Eliza couldn’t help but hug the flowers closer. ‘I’d better go and put these in some water.’ She caught her mum’s eye and couldn’t help a little giggle. ‘I can’t believe he bought me flowers.’

  Her mum laughed with her. ‘When you call him to say thank you, tell him your mum’s partial to peonies.’

  ‘Mum!’

  After fussing around arranging the bouquet in a large vase she’d retrieved from the kitchen, Eliza set them carefully on her dressing table. She’d just stepped back to admire them when her phone started to ring. Checking the caller ID, she was already laughing when Libby’s shriek of joy bellowed through the speaker. ‘I can’t believe he bought me flowers! Oh my God, Eliza if you don’t grab him with both hands then I’m going to steal him out from under your nose.’

  ‘Beth got some too, same as yours. I’ll send you a picture of mine, hang on.’ She took a quick snap of her bouquet and messaged it over to Libby. ‘What do you think?’

  ‘Gorgeous.’ The word came out on a breathy sigh. ‘And the flowers aren’t half bad either.’

  They giggled together like a pair of silly schoolgirls. ‘Oh, Libby, what am I going to do? I’m trying so hard not to rush into anything, but he’s making it very difficult.’

  Laughter fading, Libby’s voice turned soft and serious. ‘Just follow your heart, that’s all you can do.’

  ‘I’m scared, Libs. Things with Martin developed over such a long period of time, I never really noticed the shift in gears from that first innocent love into something serious. This is like being on a roller coaster. I’m careening out of control and not sure if I like it or not.’

  ‘At least you’ve got a certain sexy farmer to hang on to!’ Libby’s humour was back in full flow. ‘You never know, it might end up being the best ride of your life.’

  Or the worst. Squishing down the negative thought, Eliza promised to catch up with Libby later, then flopped down onto her bed. Tilting her head to one side so she could keep the flowers in view, she called Jack.

  It rang a few times, and when he answered his voice carried a strange echo. ‘Hello?’

  ‘Jack? Oh, they’re gorgeous, but you shouldn’t have!’

  ‘Just trying to tip the scales in the right direction, that’s all.’

  ‘That’s all? Buying flowers for us all is going to do a bit more than tip the scales in your favour. I’ve already had Libby on the phone and she’s ready to fight me for you.’

  His laugh sounded almost metallic. ‘Tell her I’m off the market. Or at least, I hope I am.’ The last came in a husky murmur.

  Her stomach gave a little flutter at the implication in his words. ‘I’ll tell her. Where are you, Jack? Your voice sounds funny.’

  ‘I’m in the barn scrubbing out one of the distilling vats, trying to get everything ready before harvest.’ A metallic clang was followed by a few scuffs. ‘Is that better?’

  His voice came through without interference. ‘Much. So when do you think you’ll start the harvest?’

  ‘Probably another couple of weeks, yet. So, what’s on the cards for you today?’

  Eliza let her eyes stray from the flowers to the stack of bags and boxes in the corner of her room. ‘I was going to set up a trestle table in the yard and make my first test batch of soap.’ Now she had the essential oil from the farm, she was eager to get started. Even if the soap turned out okay it would take several weeks to cure properly before she could start giving out samples.

  ‘Will you have enough room out there? You’d be more than welcome to bring your stuff up here and work at one of the benches. It’s going to be another scorcher, so you might be more comfortable in the shade.’

  He had a point. It would be quite a delicate process, and the more room she had to work in the better. ‘If you wouldn’t mind…?’

  ‘I can’t think of anything I’d like more. I’m fascinated to see how it all works, and I’d get to spend some of the day with you.’ The warmth in his voice thrilled her all the way down to the tips of her toes.

  ‘I have to finish off helping Mum and then get everything loaded in the car, so it’ll probably be another hour before I can get there.’ She did another quick calculation. ‘Shall I put something together for lunch?’

  ‘Perfect. There’s an old copse near the north boundary, we can have a bit of picnic. There’s plenty of shade and a great view out over the bay.’

  Eliza bit her lip, then gathered a little courage. ‘Sounds very romantic. I’ll see you soon.’

  Ah, the best laid plans, Eliza thought ruefully as she stared through her windscreen at the lashing rain after parking as close to the door of the barn as possible. A storm had come out of nowhere, rolling in from the sea in the few minutes it had taken her to drive from the pub up the hill to the farm.

  ‘Come in before you get soaked.’ Jack held open the door as Eliza made a mad dash with her first load of bags.

  ‘Where on earth did that come from?’ Eliza shivered, brushing away her wet fringe. ‘It was fine when I left the bay.’ The thin, long-sleeved T-shirt she’d paired with an old pair of jeans clung unpleasantly to her arms and she tugged at the damp material with a grimace. She dropped her bag on one of the benches then turned back towards the door. ‘There’s another load yet.’

  ‘I’ll give you a hand.’ And before she could protest, he plunged out into the pouring rain with her.

  Dripping wet and laughing, they dumped their loads on the bench next to her other bags. ‘Hold on, let me get some towels.’ Jack headed to a small room she hadn’t noticed on her previous visit. He returned moments later with a dark-green hand towel and handed it to her. ‘So much for our picnic.’

  ‘It might blow over if we’re lucky, there wasn’t anything in the forecast,’ Eliza said as she used the towel to squeeze the worst of the moisture out of her hair, hoping it wouldn’t go too frizzy after the drenching. She hadn’t banked on looking like a drowned rat thanks to a rogue thunders
torm.

  Closing the distance between them, Jack took the towel from her hands and rubbed it gently over her damp curls. Eliza melted a little under his touch, welcoming the warmth he massaged into her scalp. He tossed the towel on the bench next to the one he’d used to dry off then folded his arms around her. ‘It’s good to see you, though this isn’t exactly romantic.’ He raised his eyes to the ceiling as the drumming of the rain on the corrugated roof echoed through the mostly empty space.

  Eliza pressed her cheek into the broad muscles of his chest and sighed with happiness at the feel of his solid warmth against her. ‘I don’t care, I just needed this. Even for five minutes.’

  ‘Me too.’ His lips brushed the top of her head, her temple, then her cheekbone as she responded to the caress and raised her face. Jack claimed her mouth in a long slow kiss which curled her toes against the damp soles of her sandals. Lifting his head, he smiled down at her. ‘I’ll have to send you flowers regularly if this is my reward.’

  Any lingering discomfort from her dash through the rain was soon forgotten as their mouths met and melded, parted to whisper soft kisses across each other’s skin, then met once more.

  When Jack broke their kiss, Eliza blinked her eyes open to check why he’d stopped and found herself squinting in the bright glare of the overhead lights. ‘What’s wrong?’

  ‘Nothing.’ He dipped his head to peck a kiss to the tip of her nose. ‘But we’ve got work to do.’

  ‘Spoilsport.’ She pouted at him, earning a cheeky tap on her backside in return. ‘Hey!’

  With an unrepentant grin, Jack strolled towards the open hatch on one of the huge stainless steel vats then ducked inside. A dull clunk was swiftly followed by some very colourful language. ‘Not a word from you!’ His echoey warning had her stifling a giggle as she turned to the array of bags she’d brought with her.

  Absorbed in the task of laying everything out exactly where she wanted it, Eliza didn’t notice the storm still raging outside until a gust of cool air swept over her as Jack swung back the big double-doors. ‘I remembered you mentioning needing lots of ventilation,’ he said as he leaned on the bench next to her. ‘Bloody hell, it looks like a chemistry lab.’

  It did a bit. The key ingredient for converting the oil into soap was caustic soda which could cause some nasty burns if not handled correctly. As well as wearing long sleeves and jeans to protect her skin, Eliza had protective gloves, goggles and a mask to prevent inhaling any fumes. ‘You’d better keep well back,’ she cautioned.

  ‘Okay. Will it be too distracting to talk me through it?’

  ‘I don’t think so.’ Waiting until Jack had moved well away, Eliza drew a set of scales towards her and carefully measured out the correct amount of dry soda crystals then set them to one side. She placed a large glass jug on the scales, reset them to zero, and poured out distilled water from a large plastic bottle in accordance with the recipe she’d researched and written up in clear, bold print. ‘It has to be distilled to avoid the caustic soda reacting with any impurities.’

  Moving the scales out of the way, she tugged the mask up from where she’d hung it around her neck. ‘This is the dodgy bit.’ Taking as much care as possible, she poured the soda crystals into the water. It turned instantly opaque, and a thin steam rose from the surface as the soda reacted and heated the water in moments. ‘Wow, that stinks.’

  ‘You’re not kidding.’ Jack took a sidestep closer to the open door.

  Using a silicone spatula from a cooking set she’d found cheap on the internet, Eliza stirred the contents of the jug. ‘I have to wait until it goes clear again so I know all the soda has dissolved.’ She touched a tentative hand to the side of the jug. ‘It’s really giving off some heat.’

  ‘I don’t remember chemistry being this much fun at school.’ Stripping off the paper face mask with relief, she glanced up to find Jack had moved closer once more now the fumes had dissipated. ‘What’s next?’

  She turned the recipe sheet around towards him. ‘Can you measure out the correct amount of olive oil and add it to the larger jug?’

  ‘Sure.’ He raised his eyebrows at the large generic supermarket bottle of oil. ‘Mum uses this for cooking.’ He twisted off the cap with an easy flick of his wrist. ‘What are you going to do in the meantime?’

  Reaching for a smaller bottle of sweet almond oil, she poured a tiny amount into a glass beaker. ‘I’m going to prepare the colouring and the fragrance. Once we start mixing the soap I won’t have time to fiddle around so I want this ready to pour straight in.’

  ‘Makes sense.’ He passed the recipe sheet back to her, then watched with gaze intent as she spooned a small amount of colouring into the almond oil and picked up a tiny electric whisk. ‘What the heck is that?’

  Eliza grinned at him. ‘I saw someone recommend it in one of the videos I watched. It’s what baristas use to froth up hot milk. It helps to blend everything smoothly…’ She whizzed the mixture into a smooth paste. ‘And now the magic ingredient.’ With a careful hand, she added the lavender essential oil Jack had given her. The heady scent of the oil filled her senses and she leaned closer to draw in a lungful and let the calming property of the fragrance soothe her nervousness. ‘Right, there should be a thermometer around here somewhere?’

  ‘Here.’

  Taking the device from Jack, she checked the soda and water mixture. ‘I think we’re about ready.’ With great concentration, she poured the soda and water over the back of the plastic spatula she’d placed in the olive oil to avoid creating air bubbles. The oil turned cloudy as she stirred the mixture in lazy circles to blend evenly. Once satisfied, she reached for a hand-held blender and began the painstaking process of pulsing, stirring and blending until the contents of the jug thickened enough to leave small traces on the surface.

  ‘So far, so good.’ She allowed herself a small smile when her eyes met Jack’s. ‘Can you pour that in for me, please?’ Using her elbow, she pointed at the beaker with the dyed and scented almond oil.

  Jack moved around to her side of the bench. ‘Like this?’ He tipped the contents of the beaker slowly into the jug.

  ‘Perfect.’ A few more pulses with the mixer and the thickening liquid turned a delicate shade of purple. ‘Time to add it to the moulds.’ She’d bought a selection of different silicone moulds. Most were individually shaped into hearts and flowers, and there was one plain rectangle which had come with a set of rectangular dividers. Trying not to shake, she poured the soap mixture into each of the small shapes before draining the rest into the large mould.

  Setting the jug aside, she paused to brush her fringe out of her eyes, surprised to find it damp with perspiration. ‘Almost there.’ She pressed the divider into the thickening soap then covered each container with a thick piece of cardboard. ‘I need to keep these insulated for about twenty-four hours.’

  ‘That’s fine. No one else will come in here but us. I’ll make sure the door’s locked against inquisitive small boys and nosy dogs.’ Jack laid out one of the thick towels she’d brought with her. Eliza transferred each container onto it then tucked a second towel over the top and around the sides. ‘And that’s it!’ She stripped off her gloves then knuckled the base of her back with a sigh.

  ‘And it’ll be ready tomorrow?’ Jack sounded sceptical.

  ‘Lord, no.’ It should have set enough to remove it from the moulds, but then I’ll have to put it away to cure for several weeks.

  ‘That long?’

  She nodded. ‘It’s not the kind of thing to take up if you’re into instant gratification.’

  A wicked glint shone in his eyes. ‘The best things in life are worth waiting for.’ Her cheeks heated at the promise in those words. ‘Are you ready to take a break?’

  When she nodded, he took her hand and led her into the small kitchenette where they helped themselves to cold drinks from the fridge. The sparkling water soothed her parched throat and Eliza let herself relax back against the counter. ‘I really enj
oyed that. I kept waiting for something to go horribly wrong, but it went okay. Hopefully, once I get the hang of it, it won’t take quite so long and I’ll be able to increase the size of the batches.’

  ‘It wouldn’t take too much to scale it up.’ His thoughtful tone had her turning towards him and his hazel eyes were so expressive she could almost see the cogs in his brain working.

  ‘Hey now, don’t be getting any ideas about poaching my business from me when I’ve barely even got going.’ She was teasing—mostly.

  Jack held up his hands. ‘I wouldn’t dream of it. It’s clear how important this is to you, Eliza, there’s no way I’d try and steal your thunder.’ Reaching for her, he tugged her closer with one hand, ‘I was thinking more in terms of a long-term collaboration.’

  The flirtatious gleam was back in his eyes. ‘Oh, really?’

  ‘Mmm.’ With his free hand, he placed his phone on the counter and fiddled with the screen. The opening bars of ‘One Day Like This’ by Elbow filled the air. ‘Now, let’s open negotiations, shall we?’

  ‘I love this song.’ Delighted by his choice, Eliza stepped into the circle of Jack’s arms.

  ‘Me too.’ They began to move, the barest of shuffles, a sweet, slow dance to express the feelings it was still too soon to say. Soft light spilling through the open door, the mellow voice of the lead singer and the steady rhythm of the rain on the roof combined to block out everything beyond the walls of the barn until it felt to Eliza like nothing existed beyond the warm cocoon of their swaying embrace.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ‘Not too late, you two, okay?’ Jack could tell by the round of giggles which greeted his call from just outside Noah’s bedroom door that he was on a hiding to nothing, but he had to at least pretend he was in control of the situation. Noah’s class teacher had welcomed the idea of a couple of extra bodies to help out at the beach football, and she’d made discreet enquiries with Michael’s mother, Kelly. It turned out the boy was the eldest of four—including twins who were under a year old—and his father was pulling extra hours as a taxi driver after his hours had been cut at his regular job. During a very pleasant phone call with Kelly, Jack had offered to take Michael for the weekend and been embarrassed by her tearfully grateful acceptance.