He rolled his eyes. ‘I was thinking it might be nice to give Rae a break from the kitchen.’
She softened in understanding. ‘All right. Let’s find Audrey. Between the three of us, I reckon we can figure something out.’
39
When she first saw the plumes of smoke fogging the closest field, Rae’s heart dropped. She dashed over from where she’d been putting things back into storage, wafting her sunhat through the smog as she searched for the source of the fire. She paused when she found not a blaze, but the old barbecue from the backyard – manned by Struan, who was currently using a spatula to place burgers on the grill. One of them slipped through the griddle, sizzling against the charcoal, and he winced. ‘Whoops.’
Martha and Gran tutted at either side of him.
‘This is the one you choose?’ Gran asked Rae. ‘Really?’
She ignored that comment. ‘What are you doing? I’m about to start cooking!’
The volunteers were finishing up, taking seats on the picnic benches with cocktails served by Graeme.
‘No need. We’re having a relaxed barbecue instead,’ he said.
Her hands rose to her hips. ‘I promised these people a delicious feast in exchange for their help. It was the least I could offer!’
‘These people will starve if they have to wait for your stunning, elaborate starter,’ Martha interjected, rounding the barbecue to link her arm through Rae’s.‘And you deserve a break, too. You’ve worked hard. Enjoy it.’
‘But—’
Struan wafted his spatula at her, cheeks turning ruddy above the heat of the grill. ‘Sit down. A sex on the beach awaits you.’
Gran’s eyes widened beneath fogged glasses. ‘That’s my granddaughter you’re talking to. Now, I know we all like to get a bit down and dirty, but I don’t want to know where you plan to—’
‘The cocktail!’ Struan jumped to explain, lifting a hand in a show of surrender. ‘I meant the cocktail, Audrey.’
Martha’s shoulders shook with barely contained laughter while Rae backed slowly away. The best she could do was offer a look of apology to Struan, whose spatula still remained suspended as, for once, he was rendered speechless.
‘Now look. You’re burning the burgers!’ Audrey snatched the spatula from him, shoving him out of the way so she could tend to the barbecue herself.
‘I’ll… er, go and get the sausages.’
She sniffed. ‘I’m sure you will.’
‘Help me,’ he mouthed on his way past Rae.
Rae wished she could, but Martha was already tugging her to a bench where a cocktail was in fact waiting for her along with Vik, Eiley, and Cam.
‘I love your gran,’ said Martha. ‘If I gift her an oak sapling, do you think she’ll forgive me?’
‘Don’t hold your breath.’ Rae eagerly sipped the refreshing, fruity drink as she sat. It was just the right ratio of peach to citrus,setting her tongue tingling. As much as she wanted to enjoy it, it felt wrong to sit here when she’d promised these people a decent meal. Funny how she kept saying she needed a break from kitchens, and yet she was lost whenever she wasn’t in one. Maybe it was just a change in pace she yearned for – and of course, Struan had recognised that long before she had.
For him, she stayed right where she was, sipping her drink while the table dissolved into conversation and Struan and Gran battled over the grill. With the breeze cooling her hot face, the sun tucked between the trees, and the knowledge settling over her that, come tomorrow, she had nowhere to be, nothing to worry about, the tension that had once seemed sealed into her muscles finally peeled away.
She was where she needed to be. She had people around her who loved her. She had the farm.
She was happy.
Eventually, she couldn’t resist getting up to help dish out the salad and finger foods Gran had already prepared. She buttered the burger buns while Struan served them, thanking each and every one of the volunteers as she fed them.
She was saving her biggest thanks for him, though, and only got to give it when they could finally fill their own plates. She drizzled her homemade relish over his hotdog, unable to keep her smile at bay when their eyes met.
‘I never thanked you for all this. The volunteers, the food—’
‘Theslightly burntfood,’ he admitted.
