I’m sorry.
I love you.
You know the farm needs me right now, but I will be with you as soon as I can.
Yours, in eternal love,
G
That was it. No more envelopes, but still many more questions. Was this incident the deciding factor in their marriage ending? Did something worse, more significant happen, or was it simply a trickle of disappointments and distance that eventually washed away any last trace of hope or commitment to work things out?
One way or another, I had to find out.
25
The morning of Iris and Hugh’s wedding, my innate Parsley’s alarm clock woke me at four-thirty.
My first thought was a ripple of joy that I’d be seeing Pip that day. I immediately pushed away the dismay that followed, knowing it would probably be the last time I ever saw him. I wasn’t going to allow that to spoil the remainder of my island adventure.
My next thought was to check my phone. I wasn’t surprised to find Gregory had already replied, the email sent at one that morning. It was a long one. He covered all bases in trying to persuade me to change my mind, including warning that I’d never find another offer as good as at the airport, and would be bankrupt before I’d had the chance to build up a profitable business anywhere else. He also begged me to stay, offering to discuss a rent discount that I knew would make the other vendors riot, and threw in two paragraphs of melodramatic flattery, describing in great detail how the airport food and beverage offering had suffered without me. After a vague threat about the fine for failing to open on Sunday, the final day of the current contract, questioning whether it was even legal for me toback out of renewing my lease at this late stage, he then finished off by stating I could shove my pasties up my own cockpit. I had no idea what that meant, other than writing an email in the middle of the night probably wasn’t the wisest idea.
I decided to allow him a couple of days to apologise before I replied. I was aware of the fine I’d have to pay for Sunday, and had enough to cover it in my savings. Instead of opening up on Sunday, I’d spend the day clearing out the kiosk instead.
Now wide awake, I showered, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt – not ideal catering wear by any means, but it was already pushing twenty degrees outside, and I wouldn’t survive a day in the kitchen in jeans – and savoured a mug of tea in the garden, with the bliss of knowing that, for the foreseeable future, I could enjoy as many mornings like this as I chose.
I phoned Blessing at five-fifteen. The news about Parsley’s would be all over the airport, so I needed to catch her before she set off for the early shift.
‘I hope you’re calling at this time because you’ve not been to bed yet,’ she croaked.
‘I’m catering the wedding today, remember? I think my body automatically clicked back into the Parsley’s schedule. I woke up an hour before my alarm.’
‘Ugh. I suppose I’ll allow it given that you’ll be spending most of the day with Hot Farmer. But it doesn’t explain why you’re calling me.’
‘I have some big news.’
‘Oh. My. Goodness. You boffed him, didn’t you? Did he confess that he loves you? Ask you to be Mrs Hot Farmer?’
‘No! None of those things. I told you none of those things are going to happen. It’s about Parsley’s…’
I hastily explained to Blessing that I was still coming home on Friday, but I wouldn’t be coming back to work. She shocked me by crying.
‘I’m changing things up, though. I know it’s not the same as seeing each other every day, but if we hung out more outside the airport, we can get to know each other properly, have some real fun.’
‘What, more fun than discussing the inspiration behind Barb’s latest eyeshadow and blusher combo?’ She sniffed. ‘What if you don’t want to be friends with me now you’re a carefree, wild spirit about to embark on unknown adventures, and I’m back to being a saddo sharing an underwear drawer with her teenage sister?’ She paused to blow her nose. ‘You’ll be far too busy to hang out with me. Oh, which reminds me, we’ve got a family thing on Friday evening so I might struggle to get all moved out after work. When do you need me gone by?’
‘Um… how about never?’
There was a long pause.
‘Do you mean I can stay? Forever?’
‘Well, I hope it won’t be forever. Didn’t you say you were desperate to get married at some point?’
Blessing squealed so loudly, I dropped my phone.
‘You aren’t serious?’ I could still hear her as I bent to pick it up. ‘Are you serious? Emmie, don’t joke with me about this. You have no idea. Honestly, if you were joking then now you have to let me stay anyway and never admit you didn’t mean it, because if you make me go back now, I’ll never recover.’
‘I can’t believe I didn’t ask you to move in with me ages ago.’
