Page 38 of Sunrise over Strawberry Hill Farm

‘We can start to shift this if you’re taking charge of the electrics,’ said Ryan.

Ethan nodded. ‘Rather leave you to all the heavy lifting anyway,’ he said with a grin. ‘I’ll start working out how much wiring we’re going to need.’

Ethan was a qualified electrician who had also offered to help them out.

‘Are you sure about this?’ asked Nico, who had been overwhelmed when Ethan had announced that he would complete all the electrical work required for the campsite for free.

‘I’ll do anything to help save the farm,’ said Ethan, with a firm nod.

Nico was touched by the villagers volunteering their time to help. Ryan and Ethan were helping him with the decking and electrics. Joe and Katy were working together on building a website and marketing the campsite. Harriet had offered them lavender soaps and hand cream and even prickly Libby had suggested that she make each guest a small box of truffles as a welcome present. It felt as if it were a tight-knit community, much like the vineyard had been in a smaller capacity. It made him feel that perhaps not everyone was like his father – selfish and not interested in anyone else’s feelings or problems. Here in Cranfield, at least, the wider community cared about their own.

By the end of the week, Nico was pleased with the progress that he had made with the platforms, thanks to Ryan’s help. Nearly all ten decks were now up. Thankfully, the weather had remained warm and dry, which had helped not only the work on the platforms, but also Ethan laying the hundreds of metres of electrical cable. Each tent now had its very own decking for customers to sit on, as well as electrical hook-up.

In addition, Joe had come up trumps with the website, which was looking very snazzy and would hopefully bring in their very first booking once they’d put some pictures up on it.

Nico was so grateful that he offered to buy the men a drink in return. So, on Friday night, they all headed across to the long path that led towards Cranbridge. Nico was once more charmed by the pretty village.

The group led him over a narrow pedestrian bridge to where an old pub was situated next to the river. Once inside, they all ordered drinks and fries and found a couple of tables to gather around.

The inn was certainly a pleasurable place to be, Nico thought. It had roaring fires, large oak beams and a cosy atmosphere. The restaurant was full, even though it was a drizzly night, so Nico, Ryan, Ethan and Joe sat at a table near to the large-screen television, which was showing the football.

‘Salute!’ said Nico. ‘And thank you for your help. We really appreciate it.’

‘Cheers,’ said Ryan, before taking a sip from his pint of beer.

‘You’re welcome,’ said Joe, who was sitting on the other side of the table.

‘Anything for Grams and Flora,’ added Ethan.

‘Well, I’ve found muscles I never knew I had,’ said Ryan, leaning back in his chair. ‘And work is crazy busy this weekend. The restaurant is fully booked again tomorrow night.’

‘You’ve done really well,’ Joe told him.

‘I think you’ll find it’s Katy who’s done all the work,’ drawled Ethan, whom Nico was beginning to realise was never serious about anything. ‘You just mess around with your pizza dough a couple of nights a week.’

Ryan grinned at him. ‘Katy seems to like my dough,’ he replied, with a wink.

Ethan groaned. ‘Ooof! Enough with the love talk, bro! I love Katy, but living with you two is like being shacked up with Romeo and Juliet.’

‘Isn’t that a tragedy?’ asked Joe, with a frown.

‘I sincerely hope not,’ said Ryan before looking at his brother. ‘There’s always a solution if you don’t want to stay with us,’ he added in a pointed tone.

Ethan shot his brother a look. ‘Yeah, but everywhere else doesn’t have free bed and board,’ he said.

Ryan rolled his eyes. ‘Looking forward to you leaving for your next contract, to be honest. You’re costing me a fortune in food and drink.’

Ethan raised his glass. ‘I like to think of myself as free taster for your next seasonal menu,’ he replied.

‘Contract?’ asked Nico.

Ethan nodded. ‘Electrical lighting specialist for large-scale events such as concerts and theatre productions.’

‘Impressive,’ replied Nico.

‘I hear anyone can do it,’ said Ryan, shooting a grin at his younger brother. ‘Now, making your own pasta? That’s a real art form.’

‘No, that’s art,’ said Ethan, nodding at the big screen as one of the football players scored an incredible goal.