Not that I had much of an appetite. I was still full from Maya’s picnic. I thought about the fun the pair of us had enjoyed throughout the day. It felt imperative that I should keep Maya at the forefront of my mind if I was going to take my heart in hand.

‘No,’ said Ned. ‘Food can wait.’

‘Food can wait,’ I gasped. ‘Crikey, this must be serious.’

He plonked himself on the sofa and I reluctantly joined him at the other end. Bandit quickly, and thankfully, filled the space between us, but Ned clicked his fingers and the dog obediently jumped back down and settled at our feet. I would have much preferred it if he’d let the pooch stay put.

‘So,’ I said, as I leant down to stroke Bandit’s head, ‘what’s more important than your supper, Ned?’

He let out a long breath.

‘I know about Wren,’ he huskily said.

I sat back up again and looked at him.

‘Theo called earlier and told me what happened yesterday.’

I nodded.

‘He told me it was chaotic when they left for the hospital and that they had to switch things around in the huts.’

‘I was going to tell you,’ I said, ‘but the timing wasn’t right. The beach hut team were brilliant. They had everything in hand even before Theo came to find me.’

‘They’re a great bunch.’

‘The best,’ I agreed. ‘I’m pleased you know now and I’m so pleased Wren is okay. Is that what you wanted to talk about?’ I asked, making to stand up.

‘No,’ said Ned, putting a hand up to stop me. ‘It isn’t.’

I sat back again.

‘I’ve had a look through the receipts from yesterday,’ he carried on. ‘It must have been bedlam, netting and selling that number of trees in that amount of time.’

‘It was busy,’ I conceded. ‘But we managed. Just about. Aside from my stupid muddle over the Stott and Scott trees of course.’

Why had I brought that back up?

‘Never mind that now,’ said Ned, fixing me with his beautiful eyes. ‘What I’m trying to say, pretty incoherently I know, is thank you, Liza.’

‘Thank you?’ I frowned. ‘What for?’

All I’d done was make more work for all of us.

‘For this,’ he said reaching down the side of the sofa. ‘Two whole pages dedicated to Wynter’s Trees and all down to you.’

He opened the paper and spread it across his lap.

‘Oh,’ I said. I’d forgotten all about the newspaper article. ‘It was nothing.’ I shrugged. ‘Pot luck, really.’

‘No,’ said Ned, ‘it really was something. You made the effort to get in touch with the paper, Liza and that in turn has already helped to make this year the most profitable the plantation has ever had.’

At least something positive had come out of the day before.