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“Wow. Just wow. And it’s all organic?”
“Where it’s been possible it is,” Jamie confirmed.
Standing with her sturdiest boots laced up, jacket pulled tight and a scarf wrapped around her neck Sarah couldn’t believe her eyes. Eight long polytunnels stood proudly before her and, according to Jamie four of which were filled with produce in varying stages of growth. The other four tunnels were empty, with three ready for planting and the fourth being used as storage until it was needed.
She was yet to step foot inside any of the tunnels but just based on what Jamie had told her as they had driven to the property together it was already everything she had hoped for and more.
Sarah shivered and pulled her jacket tighter around her. Much to her surprise that morning when she had opened the front door she’d discovered the weatherman had actually got their prediction correct. The temperature had changed dramatically overnight and moved towards the lower end of the scale. Regardless of the weather Sarah couldn’t help but be impressed with what she saw before her.
“Are you cold?” Jamie asked noticing her actions.
“Yeah, a bit,” Sarah admitted.
Jamie immediately began to peel off his sheepskin lined jacket. “Here, take my jacket.”
“Oh no, don’t,” Sarah begged. “I’ll be fine. Besides, I live here now, so I better learn to toughen up before winter gets here.”
Jamie chuckled. “This is nothing yet. Just wait til winter hits proper, then you’ll know cold. You sure you don’t want the jacket?”
“I’ll be fine.” Sarah stared ahead at the polytunnels. “How does something like this even exist in Kiernon and people not talk about it? It’s incredible. More to the point, how did you ever find out about it?”
“The owner has been pretty quiet about the place. I only know because I’m pretty close to the guy who owns it. Come on, come and take a look around.”
“Shouldn’t we wait for the owner?” Sarah asked.
“He’ll show up when he’s ready.” Holding open the split in the plastic that formed the entrance to the closest polytunnel Sarah stepped inside.
The difference in the temperature was noticeable immediately. Made from plastic the semi-circular shaped polytunnel was designed with a twofold effect in mind. The strong plastic coating kept out the worst of the wind, rain, hail and anything else Mother Nature might throw at it during the winter months while still taking advantage of any sunshine. The enclosed structure meant that any sun that shone down on it warmed the trapped air inside which in turn encouraged the plants to grow. This meant that plants which might have been considered to be out of season could be grown at different times of the year, such as tomatoes being grown in winter. Essentially it was a large hothouse on a commercial scale, but made out of plastic rather than glass.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t wait for the owner?” Sarah asked checking again. “I can see a cottage over there. Shouldn’t we at least knock on their door and check?”
“Trust me, it’s fine. They asked me to show you around until they arrived,” Jamie assured her.
“Fine. But you’ll be the one I’ll blame then when the police show up and we get in trouble for trespassing on private property.”
Jamie threw his head back and laughed. “I promise that won’t happen. Now come on,” he urged her.
Heading inside the first tunnel Sarah and Jamie walked up and down the rows. Sarah was ecstatic with what she saw and with every new plant she became more excited. Encouraging her to try some of the vegetables that were growing there Sarah was at first hesitant. But Jamie assured her that the owner would tell her to do the same thing if he were there in order to prove the taste and quality of the crops.
The first tunnel was filled with leafy greens. The lettuces planted came in a number of varieties and colours: green leaf, purple leaf, curly leaf, fancy lettuce, traditional iceberg lettuce, cos lettuce that were perfect for Caesar salads plus others that she couldn’t identify by name. Each and every one of them crisp and bug free. The baby spinach was robust and perfectly formed, the dark green leaf the perfect colour contrast to the lighter green of the lettuces. Fresh herbs that she hadn’t yet been able to source with the other suppliers were being grown and, as she pressed her fingers to the leaves they released their pungent odours. When she spotted some microherbs at one stage Sarah declared she had died and gone to heaven.
“Kind of surprised with all these herbs that there’s no basil,” she pointed out, slightly disappointed
“It’s growing in another tunnel, I’ll show you when you’re ready.”
“I’m ready,” Sarah declared, her face lighting up the thought of seeing more.
The second tunnel was where the tomatoes and cucumbers could be found growing plentifully. The grower had clearly thought ahead and planted a small amount of seedlings every few weeks. This meant that there were tomatoes that were ripe and ready for picking, some were green and ready to ripen, and other plants that had just hints of tiny tomatoes beneath their tender yellow flowers.
Sarah had noticed that the grower had also done the same for the lettuces in the first tunnel as well and she could barely contain her excitement over their forethought. It would mean that there would be a steady supply of each of the crops for months on end as the plants reached maturity at different times.
“I still don’t see the basil.”
“Then you’re not looking very hard,” Jamie replied wryly. “It’s in between the tomatoes. The owner likes to do companion planting with a few things.”
“What’s companion planting?”
“It’s putting plants together with their friends basically.” Sarah looked at him blankly as he attempted to explain. “Different plants put together can attract or dissuade bugs that you might want in the garden. Others naturally release certain nutrients into the soil that some plants need more of in order to grow well. Plus there’s also a few schools of thought that suggest that certain plants put with others can help fruits to taste sweeter.”
“The yin and yang of the plant world,” Sarah stated looking to Jamie for confirmation
He smiled at her. “Exactly.”
As they walked through the next polytunnel Sarah had been equally as impressed. Arrays of peas, beans, corn, carrots and peppers were all in various stages of growth. This time instead of exiting out where they had come in Jamie took Sarah out through the far end.
A large area of soil in front of her had been recently worked and lying on the ground were potatoes and onions that looked as though they had been freshly dug up.
“The root crops get grown out here in summer. Most of the harvest is up now, but there’s still a bit to go,” Jamie said pointing at some withering plants. “Those potatoes will be up in a few weeks, the plants just need to die back a bit further before they do.”
Sarah nodded. “Once the skins on those onions there dry off they’ll last for months as well.”
“You know your stuff,” Jamie responded, impressed.
“I know some stuff, not lots. For instance I have no idea what those are,” Sarah said pointing at some canes that had been trellised in a tepee formation. The plants had lost their leaves and were now looking bare making it impossible for Sarah to identify the thorny plants.
“Blackberry, raspberries and loganberries, all out of season now though,” Jamie informed her.
“That’s a shame, it would have been perfect to have those. But I guess I can’t have everything.”
Jamie smiled and took her hand in his and led her to the final polytunnel that she’d been told was filled with growing plants. Walking inside Sarah had gasped as before her were canes filled with berries growing plentifully.
“Holy moly,” she whispered as he dropped her hand. “I can’t believe this. I just can’t. It’s perfect. Every single bit of this place is perfect.”
“A lot of work has been put into the plot, that’s for sure,” Jamie agreed, his hands buried deep in his pockets as he stood next to her. “That’s it for the ones with things growing in them, but come and have a look at the last few tunnels,” Jamie encouraged her.
Walking quickly through the next three it was clear that the soil had been worked and was ready for planting. The final long plastic tunnel seemed to be used as a storage area. Here Sarah spied onions that had already been harvested and left as their outer skins were drying as well as potatoes and pumpkins.
“You really think the grower will sell to me?”
“He will,” Jamie confirmed.
“How can you be so sure?” Sarah asked puzzled. “I want this produce Jamie but I’m guessing it’s probably out of my price range. Do you have any idea on how negotiable the owner will be on price?”
“Don’t worry about that yet,” Jamie assured her dismissing the concern. “There’s one more thing you need to see, and it’s in the back of my truck.”
Stretching her stride to try to keep up with Jamie’s longer legs they walked back towards the entrance of the tunnel. As Jamie held the plastic doorway open for Sarah, her phone started chirping from the pocket of her jeans. Pulling it out her face darkened and she frowned at the display as they walked outside.
“I’m sorry, I have to take this,” she apologised as she started striding off in the opposite direction from Jamie.
He watched as she walked away and could hear her muffled voice answer the call. Grinning, he walked to his truck offering her a semblance of privacy while he searched out the remaining thing he wanted to show her. Reaching in for the one item that was located on the flatbed he began to lift out a large metal sheet with sign writing on it. As he did he was startled to hear Sarah’s voice become suddenly raised.
“Out? What the hell do you mean he’s out?” she hollered.
Jamie frowned and turned his gaze towards Sarah. From her body language he could see that she had become agitated. Though she wasn’t looking directly at him he could see that she was frowning and gesticulating wildly as she spoke. Jamie tried not to listen figuring it impolite to do so, but the volume of Sarah’s voice made it almost impossible.
“How long has he been out?”
A pause.
“How the fuck does no one know?”
Jamie started as he heard her cuss. As long as he had known her he had never heard that particular curse word come from her lips. He continued to watch her as Sarah lifted the free hand that wasn’t holding the phone to move to cover her eyes as if to block out what she was hearing. She stood quietly for a few moments as she listened to the person on the other end of the phone. Nodding, she lowered her arm from her eyes. As she did her eyes moved towards Jamie who was standing and watching her intently, no longer hiding his concern at her reaction to whoever she was talking to. Turning her back to him Sarah strode away and began talking into the phone once more, her voice lowered.
Unable to hear her side of the conversation any longer Jamie watched as she walked around the corner of the nearest polytunnel. Through the plastic he could see her blurred figure remain rooted to the spot. Turning his attention back to the sign, he left Sarah to herself.
Time passed as he waited for her. After ten minutes he saw movement from the corner of his eye as she began her approach to where he waited for her by the truck. He smiled at her as she walked towards him, but it fell immediately when he noticed her eyes were red rimmed from crying.
“God, what happened?” Leaving the sign on the ground he walked the few short strides needed to be by her side and drew her in tightly against his body, wrapping his arms securely around her.
“I’m okay,” she said automatically as she snuggled up against him. Fisting his jacket she clung to it tightly as he held her close.
“No you’re not. You’ve been crying.” He dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head against his chest. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You sure?” he asked gently.
This time Sarah was unable to respond, her body shaking too hard with the tears she could no longer hold back.
“Sarah, what’s going on? Who is out?” Jamie persisted with concern in his voice. Sarah stiffened immediately at his words before taking a step back to create a space between them.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said swiping at her eyes to brush away the tears.
“Bullshit. I heard you on the phone,” he stated emphatically, his voice firm.
She glared at him. “You were listening in on my call? What makes you think you have a right to know what I was talking to someone about? It was a private call Jamie. It’s none of your business. You are not my knight in shining armour and you can’t just come along and magically make everything better,” she snarled.
Jamie was shocked. This was not the Sarah he knew. The Sarah he knew was kind, gentle and playful. Even though he knew she was reacting from whatever had upset her on the phone the woman he was speaking to at the moment seemed almost a stranger to him.
“You know me well enough by now to know I wouldn’t listen in on your phone call. I overheard some of what you said when you were standing just outside here,” he said choosing his words carefully and talking in a calm, low voice. “You’re my friend. I care about you, and you’re upset.”
Jamie’s words seemed to get through to her and Sarah’s stance softened. Pulling a tissue out of the pocket of her jeans Sarah blew her nose and wiped the last of her tears away. Looking at the ground, she nodded. “I’m sorry,” she apologised.
“Besides, I could never be your knight in shining armour when Tristram’s your knight in shining fur. The role’s already taken.”
Sarah gave a short bark of a laugh and offered him a weak smile at his attempted humour. “I’m sorry, Jamie. You really didn’t deserve that, you’ve been nothing but great to me.”
Waiting a few moments before he spoke, Jamie took a breath before trying again.
“I’ve never seen you like this, Sarah. What’s going on?” he asked softly.
She shook her head. “No. I meant it Jamie, it’s not something that I can talk about.”
“Can’t or won’t?” he challenged with a smile.
She shrugged. “Both probably.”
She heard his intake of breath as he went to speak. Raising her hand to stop him, Sarah offered him another watery smile. “Please don’t ask again.” Her voice was firm, but gentle.
Jamie sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “Okay,” he conceded. He waited a beat before adding, “but you know I’m here if you ever need anything, yeah?”
She sniffed and nodded. “Yeah.”
“Right, come here and give me another hug then.” He held out his arms for her.
Closing the space between them she gratefully became swept up in his embrace once again. Holding her tightly he lifted her so her feet were raised from the ground causing her to laugh gently. “Ow, you great oaf, put me down,” she slapped his arm in protest. Laughing, Jamie gently lowered Sarah back to the ground. Reaching up on her tip toes Sarah stretched out and planted a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He swallowed, looking at a spot beyond her. “You ready to get back to business then?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“We can always put this off if you want, Sarah. Worry about the plot another day.”
Sarah shook her head. “No, I want to do this.” Puffy eyed but with a smile back on her face she glanced down at her watch. “We’ve been here for nearly an hour. Shouldn’t the grower have been here by now?” she questioned.
“He is.” Jamie stated simply.
“What?”
Lifting up the metal sign he had been looking at earlier he turned it around so Sarah could read the writing on it. In green lettering were the words JP’s Organic Produce.
Looking at the sign for a moment it took Sarah a moment to decipher what it really meant. “You?” Sarah looked at him dumbfounded a smile beginning to creep on to her face.
“Yes. Me.”
“No!” Sarah couldn’t hide her genuine shock at his admission that the property they’d just spent an hour looking at was his.
Jamie laughed loudly. “I’d wish you’d believe me. Yes, it’s mine.”
“Really?” she could hardly keep the incredulousness out of her voice.
“Yes, really.”
“Jamie Preston, I can’t believe you never mentioned this before. This is huge!” Throwing her arms around his neck she held him tightly. “Well done you,” she praised him before letting go.
He motioned to her to follow him. “Here, come and sit down.” They walked over to his truck where he lowered the back of the tray. They climbed in and sat down on the edge. “Not many people know about this place,” he began.
“Who does?”
“Mum, Dad, my brother Andrew and Kimberley.”
“Kimberley? Who’s she?” The name rang a bell for Sarah but she couldn’t quite remember why.
“My ex.”
“Is she the one in Burnleigh?” Sarah vaguely recollected a conversation she’d had one night with Becca about how Kimberley had broken Jamie’s heart a few years ago.
“That’d be the one,” Jamie nodded.
“Oh my God!” Sarah gasped her hand flying to her mouth. “Betty mentioned when I stayed at the bed and breakfast when my car broke down that you were going to do an organic produce business at one stage.” She paused before continuing, “But I thought she said that you weren’t going ahead with it.”
“I wasn’t going to,” he agreed.
“So what made you change your mind?”
He grinned widely. “Betty did.”
“Betty? Nooo, seriously? Betty? How?” Sarah laughed.
Jamie laughed along with her. “You know I used to work at the mine?” he asked.
“Yeah. Betty told me.”
“Wealth of information that woman,” he muttered. “Anyway, I gave up all hope of doing this when I lost my job there. Without the job I couldn’t get the bank loan I needed to get the land I wanted. So I gave up on the idea of it all. Then I set up Betty’s veggie patch a couple of years ago and realised how much I missed it. Anyway, long story short, bank said yes when I applied for a loan cos I had the job at the garage, and now this patch of dirt is all mine.”
“And you grow organic produce.”
“Yup, I do.” He grinned at her. “And I bloody love it.”
“Is this why you’ve been so tired lately?” She asked finally putting the pieces together.
“Yeah. I wanted to make sure this place was completely ready before I showed it to you.”
She bumped him with her shoulder. “So, would you like to be a supplier to Dawning?”
Jamie sat quietly and Sarah watched him swallow, his Adam’s apple bouncing up and down. Turning to finally look at her, he smiled.
“Yeah. Yeah, I really do.”