She stared at her fingers entwined with his and wondered why she wasn’t more bothered by this wonderful turn of events. While she was scared by it, she was also enjoying this connection and she kind of wanted to see what would happen between them more than she wanted to hide from it. She was choosing the fun path. For once she was going to take a risk.

They’d finished their dinner a long time before and chatted well into the night, neither keen to break this connection between them. She tried to remember if she had ever held hands over dinner with Luc and she didn’t think she had. She wasn’t particularly tactile, and he hadn’t been either, but she loved the way Aidan was gently stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. It was sweet and wonderfully intimate too. He made her laugh and they seemed to have endless things to say to each other, as if they were old friends catching up on all the years they had missed out on seeing each other.

He stood up and her hand fell from his. It felt cold without him. He took their plates to the side and served up what looked like Eton mess with a mixture of berries.

‘Do I get to try the coveted heartberry then?’ Tori indicated the mixed fruit he was spooning into the bowls.

‘Nope, not until tomorrow night. We aren’t allowed to start picking the fruit until the night of the May full moon.’

‘What, really?’

‘That’s the optimum time, apparently.’

He placed the two bowls on the table in front of him, and she looked at the strawberries and raspberries that were soaking into the meringue.

‘Is that one of the village traditions?’ Tori asked as he sat down opposite and took her hand again. Her breath caught in her throat at this simple gesture.

‘Yes, and it’s a right ball-ache, let me tell you. It will take us about two to three weeks to clear the field, but we have to be done before the next full moon, because around then the heartberry fields always flood.’

‘Is that to do with the weather? I’ve heard there’s a hurricane in America they think will head out over the Atlantic towards us.’

‘No, that shouldn’t really affect us. We don’t normally get floods from the weather at this time of year. The heartberry field sometimes floods in the winter, with all the bad weather we get, but all the fruit is gone then. No, the June flood is a tidal flood, you can predict it down to the day. It only lasts a day or two, but any fruit left in the heartberry fields is ruined if it isn’t harvested before the flood.’

‘Why not start picking the fruit earlier then? Surely the villagers wouldn’t want to see the crop wasted.’

‘Traditionally it was always picked after the May full moon. They believe that it’s the moonlight that gives the berry its special love powers and picking the fruit before would mean it’s less effective in its love- and happiness-spreading capabilities.’

Tori laughed. ‘That’s ridiculous.’

‘I know. But one year I did sneak out to pick a few baskets of berries a few weeks ahead of the full moon. We’d had a good crop that year and I’d wanted to get ahead because we had more fruit than usual. Every single berry I picked was a lot tarter than usual and I ended up throwing most of the early berries away. They simply weren’t ready for picking. And, despite me doing it under the cover of darkness, the villagers knew, and I didn’t hear the end of it for weeks afterwards.’

‘OK, so if you can’t do it before the full moon, why not move the heartberries, grow them in a different place so they don’t get flooded?’

‘The salt water moistens the ground for the next year’s crop. The heartberries thrive in these conditions, which is why they don’t grow in many places around the world. It’s not really a major problem – with some help from whoever stays in Blossom Cottage, we can normally get all the fruit picked. It’s just a bit frustrating that the villagers’ traditions are so restrictive, especially as we are only allowed to pick the fruit at night.’

‘Another of their traditions?’

‘Yes, but I have to agree with this one. For some reason the berries picked at night do taste better.’

‘And you don’t have any restrictions on how you pick the strawberries and raspberries?’

‘No, I can do whatever I want with them. It’s only the heartberries they care about. The strawberries and raspberries are also open to the public to pick their own. The public are not allowed to touch the heartberries. They have to be picked in a special way.’

Tori smiled and shook her head. What kind of place was she staying at with all these weird traditions?

‘If the berries require handling by a virgin, you might be a bit out of luck.’

Aidan laughed loudly. ‘Thankfully not.’

‘Any sacrificing of goats? Because I’m not sure I can get on board with that either.’

‘No animal sacrifices, we’re not barbarians.’

‘OK.’

‘We just sacrifice whoever stays in Blossom Cottage at the end of their stay. But it’s for the good of the berries, so you’ll be OK with that, won’t you?’

‘Of course. Just make it quick.’

‘Well we burn them at the stake, so it’s over fairly quickly.’

Tori laughed. ‘So, tell me what I’ll be expected to do tomorrow night. Are we talking naked dances?’

Aidan hesitated and then his smile grew. ‘Yes, definitely naked dances. It’s tradition.’

Tori smiled, she loved his wonderful mischievous streak. ‘And will you be dancing naked too?’

‘Oh no, it’s just the women that dance naked. Nobody wants to see me dangling free, it’d be enough to turn the fruit sour if I was to dance for them.’

Tori doubted that.

‘So, I’ll be dancing naked and you’ll be picking the fruit.’

‘Yes,’ Aidan said, slowly. ‘That’s exactly what I’ll be doing, picking the fruit and not paying any attention to you whatsoever.’

Tori laughed.

‘No, there are no weird traditions with picking the fruit, you just have to do it gently. Coax the fruit off the stalk. It’s very easy to squash the fruit because it’s so small and you don’t want to lose half the crop being heavy handed.’

‘OK, so you can show me that tomorrow. Do all these traditions bother you?’

Aidan shook his head. ‘The heartberry farm is as much the villagers’ as it is mine. It’s been in my family for hundreds of years; who am I to start breaking the traditions now?’

‘And is this what you wanted to do, be a fruit farmer?’

Aidan straightened in his chair. ‘I know it might not seem like much of a job to you—’

‘Wait, that wasn’t what I meant. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a fruit farmer. I imagine it’s wonderfully peaceful and if it makes you happy then that’s great. It’s just you mentioned before that you always fancied being a chef and I wondered if that was your dream but, because you inherited the farm, looking after it was something that you were expected to do rather than what you wanted to do.’

His face softened. ‘You remembered that from my ramblings yesterday?’

‘You said you wanted to make desserts and puddings.’

He smiled. ‘I did. I do. I loved cooking growing up. I always fancied being a chef. But I always knew that the farm would be passed down to me or my siblings and, as the oldest, I knew it was likely to come to me. My dad died when I was quite young and my mum, me and my siblings managed it for a while and then I took it over as soon as I was old enough. Leo and Emily never wanted to do it, and though I think Jamie would have been happy to, he was always so talented in art and sculpture that it was important he was free to do that. I didn’t mind so I was happy to take it on. I’ve taught myself to do various desserts over the years, but I’ve never done anything more than that. I could hardly set up my own pudding or cake shop when I’ve got the farm to run too. It’s fine – as you said, the job is very peaceful and rarely stressful. I do enjoy it, even if I don’t love it, and I couldn’t sell the farm on. The future of the heartberries could never be assured if I was to sell it. The heartberries bring a lot of tourism and money to the village and I don’t want to do anything to risk that.’

Tori thought about this for a moment, the way he emphasised the money being brought to the village. She thought about Blossom Cottage and how there were certain things that needed to be repaired or replaced. Aidan didn’t look as if he was the lazy sort. What if he simply didn’t have the money to do these things?

‘Does it bring a lot of money to you?’

Aidan paused, and she realised that was way too personal.

‘Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that, it’s just that—’

‘No, it’s fine. No, it doesn’t, not really. I probably make more money annually from renting out Blossom Cottage as a holiday home than I do from the heartberries, and I don’t make a lot from that. In fact, I would make much more money if I was to dig up the field and plant strawberries or grapes or any other kind of fruit instead. Most of the heartberries are sold locally, not just within our village but the surrounding towns and villages. Every café, pub and restaurant in Sandcastle Bay will buy them from me to make cakes, cookies and various desserts. About twenty percent of my crop will be frozen and sold across the UK and probably another ten percent sold abroad. But it’s expensive to ship it abroad so I don’t make a lot of money from that either. Beyond the local villages, it’s mainly bought by hotels and posh restaurants across the UK as some kind of extravagant garnish or for weddings where people have heard of the legend of the berries and want to bring extra luck and romance to a marriage. But it’s such an unknown fruit. Many people don’t know it exists so there isn’t much demand for it.’

‘Do you advertise? Tori asked and was surprised when he shook his head. ‘Really, not at all?’

‘The locals take almost everything I have.’

‘Could you grow more?’

He nodded. ‘Yes, if there was a need. There is no need.’

‘There could be if you advertise. Even if you can’t sell the fruit, you could sell the end product. So, you don’t make any of the jam or cakes here?’

‘No, Emily makes all that and a few other local people do.’

‘But that would tick that box for you. You could make cakes, pies and desserts from the fruit you grow here and sell it under the Heartberry Farm label. You could make very simple things, but also more elaborate fruit desserts too. I mean, I know it’s not as simple as that. You’d have to get a proper kitchen if you were to make the stuff here and I presume someone from a professional body would need to check it over, I’m not sure how it works, and I imagine you’d have to get a certificate in food hygiene or something, but that’s relatively easy to do. You say you’ve taught yourself to make various desserts over the years, you could start by offering them. Selling cakes, cookies and pies across the UK would be much more attractive than just selling the berries. I’m sure Emily would help you.’

He smiled, and she could see he was thinking about that idea. ‘I’m sure she would.’

‘We just need to launch you as a new brand. Advertising would help with that.’

‘I couldn’t afford proper advertising, certainly nothing on the TV.’

‘It doesn’t have to be, you can make a thirty-second video commercial and put it on social media, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. You could even put it on YouTube. If you make it something unique or funny, people would be more willing to share it.’

‘I wouldn’t know the first thing about doing something like that.’

‘This is what I do,’ Tori said, excitedly. ‘When I’m not making animated films, I do freelance stuff like this. Clients come to us, sometimes with no ideas for what they want their adverts to be, they just want an advert. We come up with an idea and once it’s approved then we go away and make it. I could make you something.’

He stared at her in surprise and then frowned. ‘I couldn’t afford to pay you much. I’m not sure how much these things cost, but I imagine it might be quite a bit beyond my budget.’

‘I’d do it for free. I love this kind of thing. I’ve spent the last eighteen months working on an animated film and, as much as I love it, it’s so constraining. I’ve been wanting to do more freelance stuff ever since I finished shooting on the film, I find it so creative and liberating. I have my plasticine with me. We can have a chat about what you want and then I can come up with a few ideas. The design and modelling of the character might take a while, because getting the right character can be tricky, but I imagine I’d be ready to shoot in the next week or so. I have my green screen too, so I can add in a background later in post-production. Or we don’t have to have a background at all, it can just be white – sometimes something simple works best.’

Tori pulled her notebook from her bag and started scribbling down some ideas, the thrill of creating something from start to finish buzzing through her. It had been too long since she’d done something like this.

‘I could make a talking heartberry, then you could use him as your logo or mascot. Ooh, merchandising would be another good angle to make money. If the advert proves successful, you could make mugs, t-shirts or even cuddly heartberry characters and sell them. Kids love that sort of thing. The possibilities are endless when it comes to merchandising – phone cases, sofa cushions, mouse mats, notebooks, bags – and it all helps to get your image and your company out there. I’ll come up with some rough ideas over the next few days and then we can discuss it together, but I definitely think we need some kind of logo like a smiling heartberry going forward, something that will help all your potential customers associate the fruit with you. It needs to be something memorable and cute. I’ll come up with a few designs and you can choose which one you like the most.’

She looked down at her notebook and started roughly sketching out a heartberry figure with oversized shoes and big cute eyes. It looked like a walking heart – she needed to actually see the berries and then she could make the character look more berry-like. She had already Googled a heartberry but she needed to see the real thing. Colouring would be key; the end model would need to look shiny and juicy. She sat back and studied it for a while, suddenly desperate to get her colouring pencils. Thankfully she’d brought them with her, but they were back in Blossom Cottage at the moment. She started drawing a different berry character before she remembered where she was.

She looked up and saw Aidan was smiling at her.

‘I’m so sorry, I got carried away there. When you stare at plasticine models all day, you sometimes forget how to be social. Coming to dinner with someone and then spending the night drawing in my notebook is hardly good etiquette.’

She reluctantly shoved her notebook back into her bag.

‘I’ve never seen anyone so passionate about their work before. It’s a wonderful thing to see,’ Aidan said.

‘Do you not enjoy your job?’

‘I enjoy it. Growing fruit is a peaceful and often easy way of life. I can’t say I love it to the same degree that you clearly love your job. Tell me more about it.’

‘I do love my job. I was fascinated watching Morph when I was a kid and how he could just change shape at will. Later, when I realised that was all done with plasticine and stop-motion animation, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I loved making little short films about animals when I was at college and university, something that would only have a running time of a few minutes but would take several weeks or months to make. No one was allowed in my room in the university dorms because there was always a plasticine character in action – well as much action as it could be when we only move them a few millimetres for each shot. But later, those little shorts were seen by someone who worked for one of the main TV stations and the idea got turned into the show Amazing Animals that was on TV a few years ago. It was so fantastic to get a break like that and to see my work on screen. After that, I got commissioned for lots of different adverts for big and small companies. I travelled to California, actually worked in Hollywood for a few weeks at a film studio there almost straight out of university. I’ve had jobs in Paris, Germany, and I’ve got one in New York in a few months’ time. I’ve just finished an eighteen-month stint on a stop-motion animated film which will be out in cinemas probably later this year and I loved that. But I love seeing a project through from beginning to end, coming up with an idea, turning that idea into sketches and then plasticine models and then shooting and editing the final piece. So working on your advert is a dream come true for me.’

He smiled as she spoke, not taking his eyes from her face as he really listened to what she said. He was so easy to talk to.

He leaned back in his chair when she had finished. ‘Well, this advert and merchandising sounds like a great plan, but I will pay you. I couldn’t possibly let you do all that work for free.’

‘I promise, this is like a fun hobby for me, it doesn’t feel like a job. You can pay me in heartberry cake or free strawberries.’

‘We can discuss terms later, but this sounds like something fun and I’d love to work with you on it. Honestly, I could do with a bit of help at the moment. I make some good money from the sale of the fruit but it’s not really enough. I’m not struggling, not really, but… there are always unexpected outgoings. A new roof on Blossom Cottage set me back over twenty thousand last year and I just don’t have the money for those kinds of things.’

‘I’ll help you. Adverts on social media can’t really do any harm. We’ll work something out.’

He smiled at her. ‘Thank you.’

She focussed her attention on the Eton mess for a few minutes, tasting the sweet fruit and the crunchy meringue as her mind bubbled over with ideas.

She realised that Aidan was watching her with a smile.

‘You’re still thinking about the advert, aren’t you?’

‘I’m sorry. Was it that obvious?’

‘That you weren’t in the room with me, yes a little. Your eyes were filled with so much excitement and happiness. I doubt that I was the one giving you that reaction.’

‘Oh, I don’t know. You already know I have a thing for your knees and elbows.’

He laughed. ‘I knew it, I knew you fancied my elbows. All that stuff about them being only six and a half out of ten was rubbish.’

‘You got me. They’re the sexiest elbows I’ve ever seen.’

His laugh got louder. ‘You’re different, Tori Graham.’

She swallowed the lump of meringue. Was that a bad thing? All this talk of elbows, was it too weird for him?

‘Hey, different is definitely a good thing,’ Aidan said, softly. ‘I’ve talked to you tonight, really talked, and you’re a great listener. I feel I have nothing of interest to say to a lot of the women round here. Quite honestly, some of them have nothing of interest to say to me either. There’s a group of women, they meet every week and discuss all the celebrity magazines, who is dating who, the clothes they wear. I know nothing really happens in Sandcastle Bay, but why the lives of celebrities hold so much interest, I’ll never know. You’re different from all of them. And I really, really like that about you.’

She smiled, feeling inordinately pleased by his words.

The clock above the fireplace started to chime and Tori looked up, realising it was one o’clock in the morning.

‘Oh, god, I didn’t realise it was so late. I’m so sorry. I bet you have a ton of work to do tomorrow and now you’ll be tired. You should have thrown me out, not let me keep talking all night.’

‘I think tonight has been one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time,’ Aidan said. ‘I had no intention of throwing you out.’

‘I’ve enjoyed tonight too. It’s a shame it’s over.’

There was a pause as they both stared at each other, the atmosphere in the air suddenly changing between them. She had never slept with anyone on a first date before, that kind of level of trust took a long time to build, but there was suddenly a large part of her that wanted Aidan to ask her to spend the night with him.

They continued to stare at each other and she felt like he was thinking the same thing. But he didn’t say anything, and she realised he wasn’t going to.

‘I should probably go.’

He stood up. ‘I’ll walk you home.’

Disappointment hit her in a great wave, but then she’d said all along that it was only going to be dinner. She hadn’t said anything to give him any clue that she might want to take it further. He was being the perfect gentleman. If something was going to happen that night, then she had to be the one to instigate it and there was no way she could do that. What if he turned her down? He liked her, seemed to be attracted to her, but it didn’t mean he wanted to jump into bed with her. God, why was she even thinking like this? She was never like this with men. Even with Luc, sex had been something that he always instigated. It had been nice but never passionate, not the kind she and Melody used to watch in the movies where the couples were tearing each other’s clothes off in a desperation for each other. Luc had never been desperate for her. She had never wanted his hands on her with the same urgency that she wanted Aidan to touch her now.

She stood up too and Aidan picked up her bag and handed it to her, standing so close she could smell his wonderful scent. He towered over her and for some reason his height and strength were such a turn-on.

He stared down at her, his eyes casting to her lips for a fleeting second before he stepped back.

‘Oh, I got you something,’ Aidan said.

He moved to the side and came back with a bunch of flowers. But as he got closer she realised they were all made from paper. They were all different styles, shapes and sizes and looked more beautiful than any real bunch of flowers.

‘Oh, origami flowers, how lovely.’

It was such a sweet gesture and knowing how long it must have taken him to make and fold made all the difference.

‘I know it wasn’t a date but, I just wanted…’

‘These are wonderful, thank you.’

‘What are your plans for tomorrow?’ He moved to the door and held it open for her. The night really was coming to an end.

‘I’m going with your aunt to the tattoo studio. I believe she has decided to get a giraffe.’

She stepped outside, clutching her flowers.

‘You’re kidding? Though why I’m even doubting that, I don’t know. Nothing will surprise me with Agatha. Are you getting one too?’

‘I’m not sure I’m ready for something permanent, Agatha has persuaded me to get a henna tattoo. It’ll wash off in a few weeks.’

‘You’re a bad influence on my aunt,’ Aidan said, closing the door behind them.

‘I think she’s a bad influence on me. Let’s not forget she was the one who handed me a vibrator and sent me off on a date with her nephew.’

Aidan laughed. ‘She really is one of a kind. We still need to think of a way to get her back for that and all her general interfering.’

‘Oh, I’m sure we can think of something.’

Aidan slipped his hand into hers and she looked up at him. ‘I don’t want you to fall, there’s a few potholes as we walk down the drive and it is dark.’

‘Good point and who would help you with all the fruit-picking then?’

‘Yes, and the naked dancing.’

She smiled. ‘That too.’

‘You probably want to take a nap tomorrow afternoon,’ Aidan said.

She looked up at him and laughed. ‘I don’t think I’ve taken a nap since I was a toddler.’

‘Trust me, we’ll probably be working from midnight until four, you’ll definitely need a nap.’

‘Do you nap?’

‘I love a good nap. I rarely get the chance to do it, but this time of year, it’s kind of a must. I can’t really work all day and all night. Naps are great, you should try it.’ He paused. ‘It’s even better when you nap with someone.’

Her cheeks burned red and she was thankful that the blanket of darkness masked that. Was he suggesting that she join him for a nap? Good lord, this flirting malarkey was a minefield. With Luc, she hadn’t had to worry about any of that, he had pursued her. She hadn’t been keen to start anything, and he had seen that as something of a challenge. With Aidan, there was a huge part of her that wanted this, and she wasn’t used to these feelings or the things she should say and do as part of the courtship ritual. Should she offer to join him for a nap tomorrow? Unless he wasn’t suggesting she join him at all and it was just a general comment. Then another horrid thought vied for attention in her head. What if he did this kind of thing with all the fruit-pickers that stayed in Blossom Cottage? Flirted with them, napped with them, slept with them.

‘Do you nap with all your fruit-pickers?’ Tori blurted out before she could stop herself.

Aidan laughed. ‘Last year, I had a sixty-year-old, bearded man called Jim help me with the heartberries. Jim was definitely not my type.’

‘Beard too scratchy for you?’

‘Something like that. And the year before I had a Swiss man called Stefan. I was most definitely not his type. His boyfriend turned up after the first week and… well, their sexual antics were the talk of the whole village. Either they liked a lot of outdoor sex or they liked getting caught. The year before that there was a nice lady called Annie.’

‘Did you nap with her?’

‘She loved a good nap. The few times I came round to Blossom Cottage, she was sleeping in the armchair. We didn’t nap together though. She was sixty-nine. She made a point of telling me because she celebrated her birthday while she was here, and she didn’t want anyone to think she was seventy. She was a tiny bit too old for me. And I wasn’t suggesting that we took a nap together, just that naps in general are better with someone else.’

‘Oh, right.’

They walked in silence for a while, surrounded by the darkness.

‘Unless you want to of course,’ Aidan said.

She swallowed.

‘Want to what?’ She needed clarification of what she was agreeing to before she made a fool of herself again.

Aidan didn’t answer straight away, but finally he did.

‘Take a nap with me.’

Oh god. She had suddenly never wanted anything as much in her entire life. But did ‘nap’ actually mean they would simply sleep in the same bed as each other or was it code for sex? Should she turn up in her pyjamas or dressed in leather and bring a collection of sex toys? She snorted at that image. Sex had never been anything kinky for her and nor would she want it to be. She’d quite like the sex to be something a bit more than nice. But nothing too weird. But what if Aidan was into all that stuff? He’d recognised what the vibrator was without any problem. She was so woefully underprepared to start any kind of relationship again. The whole thing just scared her, flirting, napping, kissing and having sex again scared her. Letting her heart get carried away with it all scared her, despite her best intentions not to let it happen. She kind of got the feeling that if anything were to happen between her and Aidan, it would turn into… something. And she really didn’t want that.

She realised that she was taking way too long to answer, her stupid brain overthinking everything. She opened her mouth to speak, although she still didn’t know what her answer was going to be, but Aidan got there first.

‘Ignore that offer. That’s hugely inappropriate. Taking a nap is something you do with someone special. Not someone you don’t even have something with.’

‘There are rules for when you can take a nap with someone?’

‘Oh yes, there are different stages of a relationship. It’s like a fruit, there are four main stages of growing a berry. You have the bud stage where the possibilities of fruit are wonderful and exciting – that’s the hand-holding, flirty-conversation, sweet-looks, admiring-elbows stage of a relationship. Then the bud turns into a flower and it’s pretty and smells amazing. That’s the kissing and mad passionate sex stage and some couples will never get past that part. The berry is the same – the flower will sometimes never produce a fruit, it just withers and dies.’

‘So where does napping come in? Stage two?’

‘No, not yet. Stage three is the difficult stage, where the flower turns to a berry. The berry is small and hard for a while and some might never grow bigger than that. This is the stage where the couples try to make it work, to take it further than just sex and kissing, to see if they have anything worth fighting for. Some of them just don’t have what it takes. Sometimes the berry is fully formed but tastes really bitter. That’s those couples that nearly make it, the ones that get as far as the altar but then one of them fails to turn up. And then stage four is the berry that’s ready for picking, the big fat juicy berry that’s perfect in every way. Those are the relationships that are going to last, the happy-ever-after type relationships. Although to be honest, I’m not sure such a thing can really exist.’

‘No, I’m not either. So where does napping fit into all of that?’

‘Stage four, I think. The perfectly, blissfully happy stage.’

Tori thought about this and decided that he was right. Cuddling in bed with someone was far more intimate than sex. It was no wonder the prospect of it had freaked her out. She knew it meant something more.

They arrived back at her cottage and Aidan walked her right up to her door.

‘Go on inside, I’ll wait here until you get the light on,’ he said.

She let herself in and, leaving the door open, so moonlight filled the lounge, she found the light switch and flicked it on, noticing Beast was fast asleep on the sofa again.

She came back to Aidan and wasn’t entirely sure what the right thing to say was. Should she invite him in for coffee?

‘Thank you for tonight, I had a wonderful evening,’ Tori said.

‘I did too.’

He hovered on her doorstep for a moment and then bent his head and pressed his warm lips to her cheek. ‘Goodnight Tori.’

He turned and walked away, disappearing into the darkness, and she reached up and touched her cheek where the feel of his kiss tingled on her skin.

She came inside and shut the door behind her, leaning against it. She found a huge smile spreading on her lips because it seemed that Aidan Jackson had just moved very quickly on to stage two.