‘How do you and Blake have so much faith in me?’ I burst out, wondering why they both thought I could do this when I was so unsure.
Willow put her arm over my shoulders and gave me a squeeze. ‘I remember after my mum’s funeral, we both came out of the farmhouse, leaving the wake for a bit. We walked over there,’ she said, pointing to where the strawberries started. ‘We sat down and I asked you how I would ever be able to manage life without my mum. And I asked how you’d been managing without your parents.’
I thought back, remembering that night. The pain in her eyes. The way her voice had caught in sadness. The way we looked at one another, grief washing over us both. The loss we both felt for ourselves, and for each other.
‘You told me that my mum would want me to live. That all she wanted was for me to be happy. And we could both be sad that we didn’t have the people we loved the most in our lives any more but we couldn’t let that sadness stop us from living. It was the last thing they would ever want. You were so inspiring. You believed in what you told me. And even though you’ve struggled to do that… we both have… you were right that night. My mum, your parents, they would want us tolive.’
‘But then I walked away and left you.’
‘We had to deal with it all in our own ways. It took me a long time to start living again fully. It was when my dad handed me a letter from Dylan’s brother’s business offering to buy this farm. That shook me out of not living. And it took standing in front of a mirror in your wedding dress to shake you out of it. But it worked. You came back. This summer, you start living.’
‘I kissed Blake,’ I confessed then. ‘I have no idea what it means. It made me feel alive, though.’
She smiled. ‘Keep doing things that make you feel alive. That’s what both our parents would want. Deal, cousin?’
I nodded through my watering eyes. ‘Deal.’
* * *
The following morning, I nervously got ready to see Henry. It was one thing to tell Willow what I wanted, another to tell Henry what was in my heart.
Henry had messaged me to wear something smart so I assumed we were going somewhere fancy. I put on one of my new floral dresses with a cardigan over my shoulders, sandals and my new daisy hair clip pulling back one side of my bob, then I went outside to wait for Henry to drive onto the farm.
Blake came over wearing city shorts and a polo shirt, his hair tousled and still damp from his morning shower. ‘I saw the flower arch after I bought the ponies out of the barn,’ he said. ‘It’s perfect, Daisy.’ Then he smiled, giving me the full dimple treatment. ‘Also, you look lovely. Is that okay to say?’
‘Thank you,’ I said, a faint blush appearing on my cheeks. Then my smile faded. ‘I’m really nervous.’
‘Yeah?’
I longed to tell him that I didn’t want Henry. But what if I chickened out again? ‘Are you going to see Sarah?’ I asked, wishing we could spend another day together instead.
‘I said I’d go and see her at the pub. I guess we both need to make some decisions, huh?’
Then a car pulled into the farm but it wasn’t Henry. Willow came out of the farmhouse so Blake said he’d see me later and went back to his cottage. Willow and I watched as her best friend Sabrina parked in the driveway and jumped out.
‘I have the signs for the trail!’ she cried excitedly as she climbed out.
‘Already? Amazing!’ Willow called back.
We went over to her car. ‘It’s so great to see you again!’ Sabrina gave me a warm smile and pulled me into her. Her blonde hair looked like it was dancing on the light breeze. She was still petite and pretty as she had been when we were kids. She was a teacher at the local school, married, with a little girl, and she looked completely happy with her life.
‘You too. Wow, these are so good,’ I said as I looked at the signs Willow began lifting out of Sabrina’s car boot. She’d made wooden signs withStrawberry Fields Trailwritten on it in white with red strawberries painted around the border. She’d also made one in the shape of an arrow to show the way people should walk down the trail.
‘Are they okay?’ Sabrina asked as she lifted another one out.
‘They are so cute!’ Willow cried. ‘Thank you. They might even top your pumpkin signs. We can put one by the front gate and the arrow at the start of the trail then this one at the strawberry fields’ finale.’
‘I can’t wait to see what you’ve been doing while I was away for a few days,’ Sabrina said. ‘I’ve heard all about your flower arch, Daisy.’
‘Come and see it,’ Willow said. ‘Daisy is off out but I’ve got time for a coffee?’
‘Sounds good,’ Sabrina said. She eyed the signs. ‘You know, one day I’d love to make a Christmas one…’ Her eyes twinkled.
‘Don’t give Willow any more ideas,’ Dylan said from behind us.
We all jumped.
‘We have so many things going on as it is!’ His eyes were wide as he shook his head.
