Over the next few hours, he lost himself in work, in driving the ATV between the vines and delivering the grapes to the distillery. At least John seemed to appreciate his focus, even if he knew that Lily sent long, lingering glances at his back as he did so.

Why couldn’t she see that she deserved better – more. More than he could ever give her. He wasn’t stupid, had felt the attraction between them, building the more he got to know her, rather than lessening like all of his previous relationships. And he both desperately wanted it and thoroughly resented it. There was no future for them. Not one that didn’t involve him staying in Hawke’s Cove.

But he pushed those thoughts aside, as he slowly joined in the banter between John and the guys working directly with him. Jokes about previous harvests, about lovers and friends, football teams and pecking orders. It reminded him of being with Ben, but … Henry realized that much of his work really was just him and Ben. Yes, they had staff and they had teams of people working for them, but the one-to-one contact was just that. One to one. He could no longer deny the sense of community that rose up around him.

As did the memories. Images of his father hauling his little eight-year-old self beside him onto the ATV, perched like a little prince on a carriage surveying his kingdom. John – no white hair then-raising a salute as they passed, an affectionate smile on his face.

Then, only a few years later, trying and failing to throw the grapes into the trailer, still nowhere near tall enough to reach up over the edge. Instead, he’d retrieved all the full buckets, bringing them to whoever it was who hauled the grapes over the lip and poured them into the trailer.

When his father had pressed £5 into his hands for all his hard work, he’d stared at the money, thinking he was the richest boy in town. He’d clutched that £5 note for at least three days, until they’d gone into town and he’d blown the entire amount in a sweetshop, his mother complaining that it would ruin his teeth, his father remaining silent, but beaming with pride.