Springtime at the Cider Kitchen by Fay Keenan (2)

‘They look really happy,’ Caroline said as Jonathan led her to a trestle table topped with several different varieties of Carter’s Cider. Among them was the most recent creation, a sparkling apple wine. Known wryly by the locals as Somerset Prosecco it had proved surprisingly popular. Nodding to the bartender, Jonathan procured two glasses, and, when the man turned back to dispose of a couple of empties, he swiped another bottle from under the table with a mischievous look in Caroline’s direction.

‘Family privilege,’ he murmured. ‘And I’m certainly feeling in need of more than one glass, even if you aren’t!’

Caroline gave him a still slightly shaky smile. ‘Well, if you’re going to twist my arm…’ She allowed herself to be led to one of the more out of the way picnic tables that had been scattered around the orchard.

‘And happy as my brother and his delectable new wife undoubtedly are, I thought you might like the company, seeing as I can take an educated guess that you don’t know too many of the other guests at this gig,’ Jonathan said as he took a seat at the table.

‘Shouldn’t you be doing the rounds as the best man?’ Caroline asked.

‘Weddings aren’t exactly my thing and even my dear brother and gorgeous new sister-in-law can’t do much to change that. I think I’d rather just sit here and talk to you.’

His tone was light, although there was a gentleness in his eyes that immediately endeared him to Caroline. She knew his history, of course; when Anna had come to Surrey to tell her that she was getting married again, conversation had naturally turned to the family she was marrying into. After a fair few glasses of wine and a few more tears on both sides, Anna had recounted the brothers’ tangled history, which involved younger brother Jonathan running off with his older brother Matthew’s first wife, Tara. Anna had also made it clear that Jonathan had played a huge part in making sure she and Matthew were going to walk down the aisle, and that Jonathan had redeemed himself in later years, but Caroline wasn’t surprised by Jonathan’s lack of fondness for weddings. She took a sip of the glass of sparkling apple wine. ‘Not bad,’ she said. ‘It’s not quite Prosecco, but it’ll do.’

‘It’s a new idea and since we’re sitting in a cider orchard, it seemed, to Matthew at least, to be the obvious choice.’

‘And probably completely tax deductible,’ Caroline replied archly. She’d had the chance to have a brief look around when she arrived and she knew the cider farm’s site extended to a fair few acres and a fair few buildings. This kind of wealth didn’t come about from just picking apples.

‘My brother’s a shrewd operator, but don’t worry, he does have a heart as well as a head. Anna’s seen to it that he’s remembered that over the past year.’

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her so happy,’ Caroline replied, feeling conflicted again. She took a larger gulp from her glass and nearly finished it. ‘Do you fancy opening that other bottle?’

Jonathan smiled and twisted the cork, which he managed to contain in his palm. Caroline found her gaze drawn to his hands. As he was refilling their glasses, Caroline, now she was away from the main thrust of the party, started to relax. Of course, that could just have been the sparkling cider. She had no idea how potent it was but it was certainly doing the trick. Being away from home and the pressures of work was definitely soothing.

‘So, tell me about yourself,’ Jonathan said, once he’d topped up their glasses. ‘I know what, or rather who, has brought you here, but tell me something else.’

Caroline smiled and sipped her drink. She’d met men like Jonathan before; they had the ability to make you feel as though you were the only person in the universe when they singled you out, but, in her experience, they could dim the searchlight just as quickly once they lost interest. However, he was good company and she was happy to talk. After all, apart from Anna’s immediate family and Charlotte, she didn’t know anyone else at the wedding. ‘Well,’ she said, ‘you know how I’m linked to Anna, and that I live in Surrey.’

‘So, what do you do over on that side of the country?’ Jonathan suddenly put on a very exaggerated Somerset accent and Caroline couldn’t help but laugh.

Caroline smiled, and for the first time that day, it didn’t feel forced. ‘When I’m not traipsing across the country to be a wedding guest, which seems to be happening more and more these days, I’ve been working as an events manager for a hospitality company.’

‘Sounds interesting,’ Jonathan said, leaning forward in his chair. ‘Have you been in that field for long?’

‘As opposed to sitting in this one!’ Caroline quipped, her high heels having sunk into the grass of the orchard. ‘Since I finished university, well, give or take a year or so after uni because I managed a small restaurant in Sicily for a while. I’ve organised events for big venues like Goodwood and Brands Hatch motor circuit, but I’ve also done smaller gigs, too. More boutique events.’ She took a sip of her wine. ‘I really like the payoff of seeing something take shape that we’ve designed with a client in mind; tailoring something to their brand. But then I’m probably preaching to the converted, aren’t I?’

‘Well, needs must when a business is the size of Carter’s,’ Jonathan said. ‘But there’s always more to do.’ He looked at her speculatively. ‘Although I’m sure you don’t want to talk shop too much on this glorious afternoon. Given the number of weddings I’ve been to when it’s poured with rain, I think Anna and Matthew have been very lucky. A lot of my invites have been back in America lately, but I’ve found myself going to more and more in this country. Must be something in the water.’ As if to counterpoint this he took a slug of his apple wine. ‘It’s either weddings or christenings, anyway. Always the godfather, and all that.’

‘I take it you’ve never been tempted then?’

‘Nope, I can’t say I’ve ever been tempted enough by anyone to drag them up the aisle,’ Jonathan replied. ‘And since my brother’s now done it for the second time, I hope that might let me off the hook with the rest of the family.’ He glanced over to where his father was standing a little distance away. Jack Carter was chatting animatedly to one of Anna’s aunts, eyes twinkling as she smiled winningly back at him.

‘Can I deduce that charming women runs in the family, then?’ Caroline said wryly, following Jonathan’s sight line.

‘I’m flattered,’ he said. ‘I’m known more around here as a cad and a bounder.’ Anna had explained that Jonathan’s homecoming last year had been met with equal parts of joy and suspicion by the villagers. He’d proven himself an asset, though, in the securing of a lucrative trans-Atlantic distribution deal for the Carter’s Cider family firm, which was now providing more jobs in the local area. This had helped to mend his reputation, which had been more than a little tarnished after he’d had an affair with Matthew’s first wife, Tara.

‘But enough about me,’ Jonathan said, his voice dropping slightly. ‘What makes you happy, when you’re not sourcing the ultimate artisan Prosecco?’

‘There’s a bit more to events management than that,’ Caroline bristled before she saw the look in Jonathan’s eyes, which was amused rather than cynical. ‘I bet I could teach your marketing department a thing or two. I take it drinking anything other than cider is a mortal sin around here?’ The gentle hum of bees drinking lazily from the flowers was audible even over the chatter of the wedding guests and Caroline waved a hand at a nectar drunk bumblebee who ventured too close to her wine glass.

‘You’re in Somerset, darling,’ Jonathan said, still smiling. ‘Everyone knows we practically have it on our cornflakes in these parts.’ The long ‘r’s’ were almost too natural to be an affectation, Caroline thought. Jonathan might have had his West Country accent ironed out of him by a decade on the other side of the Atlantic but it was gradually creeping back the longer he spent at home, it seemed.

‘It’s a wonder you’re all still alive,’ Caroline quipped. The apple fizz was starting to calm her down and she felt as mellow as the lazily bubbling liquid in her glass. The afternoon sun, too, was on the wane, casting a golden glow across the orchard and gently gilding the leaves on the trees. Off to her left she could see Anna and Matthew, arms around each other, still chatting to some of their guests, and as the band started up it felt more like a festival than a wedding feast. Even the music had a West Country edge as an up and coming local singer, drafted in by Meredith to play as a favour, broke into his signature hit ‘Southwest Signpost’. Bristol’s answer to Ed Sheeran, his voice was perfectly suited to the warmth and the atmosphere, Caroline thought.

Jonathan leaned back in his chair. ‘I’m so glad the formal part of the day is over,’ he said. ‘Now I can get slowly drunk and enjoy watching my dear brother’s terrible efforts on the dance floor.’

‘Bit of a dad dancer is he?’ Caroline said. ‘James always prided himself on his moves. Anna couldn’t bear to disabuse him of the notion even though he was truly terrible.’ At the thought of her brother, Caroline swallowed hard. It was a fine line between pain and happiness at times.

Jonathan seemed to sense this and as his warm, tanned hand closed over hers on the table where it rested, she looked up and saw warmth and compassion in his eyes. ‘It’s OK,’ he said softly. ‘It’s completely natural that you don’t know what to feel.’ He glanced over to where Ellie, Anna’s daughter, was bopping on the dance floor with Meredith.

‘Ellie’s so like her dad,’ Caroline said. She gave a shaky smile. ‘He used to take the piss out of me so badly for being short and ginger; I didn’t have the heart to tell him it was probably going to be there in some of his kids.’ She wiped her eyes. ‘Now I’ll never know if I was right.’

‘I’d have said stunningly auburn, rather than ginger,’ Jonathan said. He reached out a hand and touched the back of Caroline’s briefly. ‘Life has a habit of kicking us in the gut when we least expect it. But I promise you, my brother has made Anna so, so happy. And she’s given him his heart back.’ Jonathan shook his head. ‘I never thought I’d see him like this. Believe me, they’re perfect together, and Ellie and Meredith adore each other, too.’

For a long time, conversation flowed as easily as the cider between them and before they knew it the sky was darkening on the beautiful May evening. Caroline knew she was a little bit drunk, but not so far gone as to be out of control. She also knew she found Jonathan decidedly attractive, so, after some rather energetic dancing which made her heart beat considerably faster, and when the party was beginning to wind down, she didn’t complain when he fell into step at her side after she bade Anna and Matthew goodnight.

‘Can I walk you to your B&B?’ Jonathan said. It was late; the last guests had reluctantly put down their glasses.

‘Thanks, but I’m sure I’ll be OK,’ Caroline said.

Jonathan laughed. ‘It’s actually on my way home, and while Little Somerby isn’t exactly the Bronx, I wouldn’t want you to run into trouble on your way back.’

‘Then thank you,’ Caroline said. ‘That would be lovely.’

It was a short walk back to the bed and breakfast, which was just off the main road that ran through the village of Little Somerby. Many of the wedding guests had chosen to walk home, which was just as well considering the vast amounts of cider that had been consumed, and a few were meandering back under the street lights and the stars. By night, the village looked at peace, and the scent of the lilac in people’s gardens along the High Street and the other flowers in the tubs outside the shops was strong and seductive. That, combined with the remnants of Jonathan’s aftershave, was an intoxicating combination. In a short time, arm in arm, Caroline and Jonathan had reached the Rose Cottage Bed and Breakfast, a picturesque stone house just off the High Street.

‘Well, here we are,’ Caroline said. ‘Thank you for walking me back.’ She looked up at Jonathan and smiled. He was backlit by the Victorian style streetlight at the top of the path that led to the front door of the B&B, and Caroline felt a sudden rush of desire. Before she could bottle out, she said, ‘Would you like me to smuggle you in for a coffee?’

If Jonathan was surprised by her offer he didn’t show it. ‘I’d like that.’

The air was suddenly heavy with promise. It was late, but the night was warm and as the two of them wandered up the path to the B&B’s front door, Caroline felt Jonathan’s arm snaking around her waist. ‘I wouldn’t want you to trip on these stones,’ he whispered into her ear. His breath on her neck made her skin tingle.

‘That’s very gallant of you,’ Caroline said. She moved a little closer to him as they got to the door. ‘I have the feeling you’re more chivalrous than you’d like people to believe.’

‘Perhaps,’ Jonathan replied. ‘But perhaps I just fancy you rotten and I want to make sure you get to your room in one piece.’

Caroline laughed. ‘You West Country boys don’t beat about the bush, do you?’ Coffee, it seemed, was the last thing on both of their minds. ‘Shall we forget about the coffee and I’ll just take you to bed, instead?’

‘Anna told me you were forthright,’ Jonathan said softly, ‘but I wanted to make sure of you myself before I made up my mind.’ His arm, which was still around her, pulled her in closer to his body and she could feel his heat through the thin layers of their clothing. Caroline suddenly wanted there to be no more layers between them.

‘I hope I meet your expectations,’ Caroline’s own voice was low, throaty. ‘Although, frankly, I’m still making my mind up as to whether or not you meet mine.’

‘Allow me to convince you,’ Jonathan said, his tone sending a shiver through Caroline’s body. Her pulse quickened.

‘I think we’d better get off the doorstep before the landlady comes down and sends you home,’ Caroline said, reaching for her door key.

‘You don’t mess about, do you?’ Jonathan murmured, drawing her to him so that her breasts and belly pressed against him. The contact enhanced the slow roll that was just progressing to a boil, sending a rush of blood straight to her core.

‘When I set my mind on something, I tend to get it.’

‘I’ve no doubt about that,’ Jonathan said. He leaned forwards and Caroline felt a delicious thrill of anticipation. Hovering just a breath from her lips, Jonathan whispered. ‘So, you’d better open that door and smuggle me up to your room before I make a scene.’

‘You wouldn’t dare,’ Caroline said, finding the verbal sparring more and more of a turn on.

‘Try me.’

‘I think we both know where we stand,’ Jonathan’s voice had resumed its husky tone. ‘The question is, why are we still wasting time here talking about it? The night’s not getting any younger.’

‘How true,’ Caroline replied. Without further delay she found the keys, and, trying to be as quiet as possible, they pushed the creaky front door open. Clasping his hand firmly and feeling like a naughty schoolgirl about to get caught by the head prefect, Caroline led Jonathan through the dark hallway and up the stairs to her bedroom.

*

When she woke up the next morning, Caroline wasn’t surprised to see Jonathan had already left. She’d expected as much. She didn’t mind in the slightest. Anna hadn’t been wrong when she’d considered Jonathan to be just Caroline’s type. He’d been just what she needed to move on, and she was pretty sure he’d felt the same. Anna, she knew, had romantic notions about Caroline being as swept off her feet by Jonathan as Anna herself had been by Matthew, but at this point in her life, that wasn’t what Caroline wanted. No, Jonathan had been a night of good fun, and she fully intended to chalk him up as just that. Besides, she had enough on her mind back in Surrey at the moment. She didn’t need any further complications.

Pulling herself out of bed, she was surprised to see a note had been slipped under her bedroom door.

There was a mobile number, too. Smiling wryly, Caroline chucked the note in the waste paper basket.