Page 73 of Sunrise over Strawberry Hill Farm

‘He was all encompassed in his grief for my mum,’ she told him. ‘But I needed him too. I was still here, still alive, but it’s like I died as well as far he was concerned. He was supposed to take all this on,’ she waved her hand at the land around them. ‘But instead the responsibility passed to me. I was only nineteen. It was a lot to handle.’

Nico nodded. ‘I’m sure.’ He had a sudden urge to keep supporting her, to help ease her pain, but he kept his emotions in check.

‘Anyway, it’s been nice to have you here helping,’ she told him.

Nico was surprised and pleased. ‘You weren’t so sure in the early days.’

She laughed. ‘No. I wasn’t. I’m sorry. When you’re used to taking on all the responsibility yourself, it’s hard to admit that you’re struggling.’

Her words hit home and he realised that he’d been alone in his struggle as well.

‘You’re lucky that you have your friends and Grams here,’ he told her.

‘You’ve got friends here as well,’ she said softly.

For a moment, he felt a rush of happiness that she thought of them as friends.

‘And they’re good guys,’ she carried on.

He gave a momentary start. Of course, she was talking about Ryan, Ethan and Joe. Not herself.

‘I think I can trust them,’ he said.

She looked surprised. ‘Of course you can. You don’t have many friends back in Italy?’

‘Dad broke a lot of promises to many people over the years.’ He sighed. ‘A lot of people gave up on us.’

‘What about girlfriends?’

The question hung in the air and he looked at her with raised eyebrows.

‘I was just wondering,’ she muttered, before picking up another slice of pizza and biting into it.

After all that talk of trust, he knew that he had faith that Flora no longer judged him as she had in the early days.

‘That’s a bit more difficult,’ he told her. ‘I got swept away with my father’s glamorous life in my early twenties and thought I could emulate him but I quickly got fed up. People see you as just a name when it’s as famous as mine.’

‘I don’t.’

The words were said so quietly that he almost missed them before he looked up at her pleased.

‘You did,’ he reminded her.

‘But I’ve learnt that now you’re more than that. Better than your name.’

‘Grazie.’ He looked into her soft green eyes and almost lost himself. They were the exact shade of green when the setting sun touched the Tuscan hills. Was that what he was feeling? Homesick?

He knew deep down that wasn’t it. It was about his feelings for Flora and how they were growing stronger by the day. He just wasn’t sure that she felt the same way and so for now he would have to be grateful for her friendship. Even though he wanted so much more.

43

‘I don’t know why we didn’t think about strawberry daiquiris before now,’ said Libby, holding up her bright red drink in a glass.

‘Me neither,’ said Flora, licking her lips at the sweet but definitely alcoholic taste.

‘They’re really delicious,’ said Katy, nodding.

‘And they’ve only travelled about ten metres,’ added Harriet with a giggle.