Ava smiled. ‘You already feel like family to me!’
Gino leaned in to kiss Ava’s cheek and Luna tugged on Ava’s ponytail.
‘Ouch! There are some things I won’t miss. These pickles have become cheeky these past weeks.’ Ava extricated her hair from Luna’s mouth and offered her a toy instead. ‘Puppy classes here we come.’ She sat on the edge of the sofa, watching Blossom as she investigated the newly puppy-proofed living room.
‘It will be a family reunion. I think we’re all booked in at the village hall for as soon as their jabs are done and they’re allowed to go out and socialise. A pub dog has to have manners, Luna, ha?’ Gino knelt on the floor and held his puppy out to look into her face. She squirmed, wriggling in his hands as if swimming in the air and he put her down. ‘I have confidence,’ he said with the cheeky smile that Ava never tired of.
‘You’re confident and optimistic about all things, except one.’
‘I think training my Luna will be easier than getting Mary to see how I feel about her.’ Gino moved Luna out from behind the television.
‘You’ve been a bit subtle about the whole thing. I think maybe Mary needs something a little more . . .oomphy.’ Ava thought for a moment. ‘I’m not sure that’s a word, but you know what I mean. Subtle isn’t really her style, is it?’
Gino nodded wistfully. ‘Maybe at the festival when . . .’
‘When?’
‘When the timing is right —l’amore trova un modo. But this is a busy time. There’s plenty of other things to concentrate on with the festival only two weeks away.’ He brushed the subject of Mary aside.
L’amore trova un modo. Love will find a way. Ava had heard Gino say this before and wondered if it were true. And if it was, what might that mean for her and Henry. She pushed the thought aside. She couldn’t think about that now either. Besides, whoever came up with the saying obviously hadn’t fallen for the son of their mum’s lesbian lover! Ava shook her head. She’d had ten weeks to get used to the idea and yet it still seemed surreal. With the puppies leaving and the festival looming, she’d enough to think about without allowing her mind to slip into thoughts of family secrets and what might have been.
She decided to stick to a safer subject. ‘So three gourmets down. Chinese night this Friday, and what are you planning for the festival weekend? You mentioned a barbecue when we last spoke, but I know you better than that, you’re not talking charred sausages in a bun are you?’
‘Ha, no! I’m talking a Texan street barbecue with ribs, corn, brisket, spicy sausages and more. Slow-cooked over a wood-fired barbecue. And there’ll be potato salad, beans and bread. Plenty to make everyone thirsty. We’re going big and bold with this one. I’ve got hay bales coming to sit on, and some flags toput up. Make the most of the festival feel. You’ll dress up won’t you? I’ve ordered chaps and a Stetson. Oh and Ted’s offered to play the fiddle.’
‘He’s what?’
‘Offered to play the fiddle.’
‘I didn’t know he could play.’ Ava thought about the fact Ted had known about her parents’ connection to the Bramlingtons. She hadn’t known that either. Another person she’d thought she knew was turning out to be somebody else entirely.
‘Ava? So, what do you think? You looked miles away there. Don’t you like the idea?’ Gino held onto a rope while Blossom and Luna tugged at each end. Myrtle jumped up onto the sofa next to Ava, seemingly grateful to have someone else entertaining her puppies.
Ava moved to accommodate the dog and smiled while her mind caught up with Gino’s words. ‘A Texan barbecue. I think it’s great. I’ll sort a rail of suitable clothes for the shop this weekend. Lucky for us we always have plenty of checked shirts and denim and that should appeal. That’s if you’re offering the dessert deal.’
‘Of course. Sopapilla cheesecake and a vegan pecan pie.’
‘OK, then I’ll definitely put the rail out.’
‘And I think you should put out some fancy dresses — formal types of long dresses.’ Gino gesticulated with his hands to make his point.
‘Really? Why?’
‘Isn’t it prom season? You should know that. Don’t you want to grab people before they go and buy from the high street?’
Ava looked at Gino, surprised by his sudden interest in what she put out on the shop floor. Of course she knew they were entering prom season, but she was planning to hold off with a formal gown rail until after the festival. The shop was small and she was hoping for greater footfall over the festival period.
‘My sister told me. The weather is good, people are happier to buy when the sun is shining, and it isn’t that far off. I’ll tell Mamma to bring Sofia down to look. You’ll definitely put the dresses out?’
‘Yes, though I don’t see why it can’t wait until after the festival weekend. I’m hoping the shop will be busy and the space would be—’
‘There, I’ve texted my Mamma to tell her. You wouldn’t want to let her down would you?’
Ava shook her head as she looked at the sent text displayed on Gino’s phone as he held it up. She realised he probably wanted to feel like he was helping the shop, especially after the Around the World in Eight Gourmets evenings had been a greater success for him than her. She smiled.
‘Of course. I’ve got the dresses stored here. I’ll take them into the shop and put some out tomorrow.’ She really could have done without the bother but she didn’t want to let Gino’s mum and sister down, or to thwart him when he was trying to help.
The inaugural, Dapplebury festival weekend had been weeks in the planning. She had live music in the village square, and stalls to line the streets — on loan from the farmer’s market. Each restaurant, shop and antique dealership had been encouraged to have a stall outside their premises, thus ensuring they were open and active when it came to the event. Then she’d organised a range of acts, including the local school choir, a demonstration from the Jive to Thrive group, art exhibitions, a street magician, face painting and a learn to knit hub manned by Flo’s Knit and Natter group. She hoped it would be a success for the whole village as well as bringing in extra revenue for the charity, who were not only having a book and cake sale outside the shop but were also responsible for the dog show in her mum’s honour.
