Willow called Blake and Dylan over to join us at the start of the crop fields behind the farmhouse. The sun was hidden by fluffy clouds now, casting a hazy brightness over the farm. Maple ran ahead of us, wagging her tail as we followed. Willow led us all to the first field that visitors would be able to pick things from: the sunflower field. They had grown tall already, reaching up to the sky with their smile-like faces almost ready to be taken home and put into vases on windowsills that would bring summer joy.
‘They always look so happy,’ I said, reaching out to touch the petals of one near me.
‘How can a flower look happy?’ Blake asked as Willow nodded in agreement with me.
‘They just look like they are smiling,’ I told him. ‘My mum named me Daisy after her favourite flowers; she said they always looked friendly. And sunflowers have happy faces.’ I always felt a pang when I talked about her but she had loved flowers, and this had always been her favourite part of Birch Tree Farm. That was nice to remember.
‘That’s why I planted them in the first field,’ Willow said. ‘It’s like they’re greeting visitors.’ She walked on with Dylan; Blake and I followed behind them.
‘Where is your mum?’ Blake asked me.
I glanced across at him. ‘She passed away when I was at university. And my dad,’ I said, hating having to tell people this. ‘They died in a car accident. It was raining and late at night, and a lorry swerved into them on a bridge…’ I trailed off, wishing I could forever erase the knock at my door, the police arriving on campus to tell me I was now an orphan.
‘God, Daisy, that’s so awful. I’m really sorry.’ He reached out and gave my arm a gentle, quick touch.
‘Thanks.’
‘I never would have asked if I had known,’ he added, clearly feeling terrible.
‘Don’t worry. I guess it must have seemed strange that my parents weren’t around for my wedding and why I came here.’ I sighed. ‘I am so grateful for Willow. It’s nice to think about how my mum loved the sunflowers here, actually. She was a florist,’ I explained to him.
‘Now calling you Daisy makes perfect sense,’ Blake replied with a smile that showed his dimples and made me feel that weird sense of connection with him again.
Willow stopped and started talking, oblivious to our conversation. ‘So, my best friend Sabrina made cool wooden signs for our pumpkin patch. I was thinking when she gets back from her holiday, I can ask her to make sign for the start of the sunflower fields. That could mark the beginning of the summer trail you suggested, Daisy, then we can end it in the strawberry fields – that’ll be our big finale. We can create a path that leads everyone here…’ She gestured to the section of the farm where she was growing vegetables – cucumbers, lettuce, carrots, courgettes, onions – and then onto the vast amount of tomatoes and potatoes they had. After that, we walked to where she was growing raspberries and then the last two fields were the strawberry ones. Beyond that, she said would be the pumpkins as we moved into autumn but they wouldn’t be part of the summer trail.
‘If everyone is going to end up in the strawberry fields, I thought we could offer pony rides over there. People can park to the side of the farmhouse as usual and then follow the trail to finish right here,’ Willow said as we looked out at the strawberries. ‘I’m also going to see if Birchbrook Café wants to set up their food van like they did in autumn. I’ll try to persuade Paul to sell ice creams.’ Willow turned to me. ‘But only if you can help me come up with ideas for the finale here,’ she added.
I looked out at the strawberry fields, my mind whirring. ‘I looked at your pumpkin-patch photos and we can definitely set up some cute places for people to have pictures, and stay for a picnic too.’
Willow looked at Blake. ‘How would you suggest we organise the pony rides?’
‘Well…’ He turned to the side of the strawberry fields where there was a patch of grass that Willow had said the food van could use. ‘We could build a small enclosure over there and have the two ponies inside. Then get kids to line up and someone could take one on each pony for a couple of laps around. You could offer them just in the afternoon so the ponies won’t get too tired maybe?’
‘That would work, great. I know you’re here for a break but do you think you could help us get it set up?’ she asked pleadingly.
He grinned. ‘Sure, I said I would help. I love the ponies. And honestly, I hate not doing anything. I’d rather keep busy.’ Blake glanced at me and I smiled because I felt exactly the same way.
‘I wish you’d still be here to run them. Dylan, that might fall to you, babe.’ She gave him a wink as he threw Blake a panicked look.
‘Maybe we could find a white bench,’ I mused as I tried to picture a set-up in my mind. Thinking about my mum made me want to use lots of pretty flowers. ‘Like something out ofBridgerton. Maybe I could set up a flower arch around it; that would be so lovely.’
‘Could you really do that?’ Willow asked me.
I thought about how many times I had watched my mum work with flowers in her shop. I loved helping her when I was younger. ‘I think it would be fun.’ It felt like the perfect thing to focus on right now.
‘And I’ll get started on all the publicity we need to bring people out here,’ Dylan said. ‘And sort out the budget you can have to make this trail happen,’ he added, giving Willow a stern look.
She sighed. ‘Yeah, yeah, I know, I can’t overspend. Hopefully, together, we can pull this off. We only have a couple of weeks and I don’t want Dad doing too much; I think he might be hiding how rough he’s feeling at the moment.’
‘We can do it,’ I assured her, desperate to make up for not being there for them by making sure this worked. And the thought of anything happening to my uncle was too much to bear.
‘I can mark out the trail but I might have to focus on the pumpkins for a while so knowing that you two are in charge of the strawberry fields is such a weight off my mind!’ she said, smiling at me and Blake.
‘Um…’ I started to say but Willow was already walking towards one of the barns.
‘We need wood for the pony enclosure and stones to mark out the trail…’ Her voice faded as she walked and Dylan hurried to catch up with her as they started to talk passionately about their budget, something I could tell Dylan was a stickler for making Willow stay within.
Blake and I looked at each other.
