Page 46 of Sunrise over Strawberry Hill Farm

They both looked back up at the tent in front of them. Flora had done an amazing job with the decoration, thought Nico in admiration.

The bell tent had arrived in a crumpled pile, but thanks to Flora’s vision, it was now welcoming, homely and, he even had to admit, a little bit glamorous as well.

The oak decking he and Ryan had built would weather over the years, but it brought a touch of sophistication. The front large V opening had been bordered by pretty bunting in pastel colours, entwined with fairy lights to give it an enchanted glow as darkness fell. On the deck were a couple of deckchairs, which too had been re-covered with leftover material. It gave the whole place a bohemian but comfortable vibe.

Between the deckchairs was a table made from a tree stump and placed on the top was a storm lantern. The rope along each side of the decking was also entwined with fake flowers in pastel colours as well as more fairy lights. Nico had initially thought it was too much, but he had to concede that it looked pretty amazing.

Inside, there was a large double bed, dressed with rich cotton sheets, duvet and squishy pillows and cushions. Either side were two more tree stumps on which lamps had been placed. On the floor were a couple of colourful rugs which made for a comfortable feel and nearby there was a battered leather sofa, decorated with soft cushions and an old cupboard which had been sanded and painted. There was a hat stand for coats, as well as an old wardrobe for guests to place their clothes.

Nico looked around and admitted that he would be quite happy to spend a night in there and was hoping that, by showing off the photographs on the internet, paying customers would be as well.

The outlay had not been as much as he had feared as Flora had repurposed anything and everything that she could lay her hands on. Apparently, she had even sent out a begging post on the local website which had brought in lots of deliveries over the past couple of days. They even now had a couple of sofa beds, which meant that some of the tents would be able to sleep families of four.

She had worked hard on the look and feel of the place, but Nico knew that her artistic skills were what had really brought the place to life.

‘I’ll get this put on the website asap,’ said Joe as they headed back to the courtyard.

Joe and Katy had built the website for the campsite as they had experience and Nico was thankful, not only for their help but Ryan and Ethan too. Everyone had contributed something to the effort of keeping Strawberry Hill Farm going and he knew how grateful Flora and Grams were.

As they reached the courtyard, Nico peered at what appeared to be a pair of feet sticking out from underneath his Ferrari.

‘Hey, Tyson,’ he said, crouching down, having already guessed whose feet they were. ‘What are you doing under there?’

The teenage boy crawled out from underneath the car and stood up quickly. ‘Just proving that I was right. You’ve got a small hole under the radiator too. It’s rust.’

‘I see.’ Nico looked at the car. ‘Well, I’m glad you came over. There’s not many mechanics around here, from what I’ve seen. You were saying something about it needing a service. Don’t suppose you could recommend anyone?’

‘I could do it,’ said Tyson, looking down at the ground. ‘I’ve done my grandad’s car and that works fine. You can ask him, if you like.’

‘No, that’s okay,’ said Nico. ‘How about this weekend?’

‘You mean it?’ The lad’s face lit up. ‘I can really service the car? This car?’

‘Sure. And I’ll pay you the going rate as well.’ Nico held out his hand. ‘Do we have a deal?’

Tyson hesitated for a moment before taking Nico’s hand and shaking it. It wasn’t a firm grip, thought Nico, reminding him of the boy’s age and lack of confidence. ‘Deal,’ said Tyson.

‘Excellent,’ said Nico. ‘Do you want to come in for a drink?’

Tyson shook his head. ‘Only came over after school. Gotta get home.’ Then he grabbed his bicycle which had been abandoned on the ground, before quickly mounting it. ‘Which day at the weekend?’ asked Tyson.

‘Doesn’t matter,’ said Nico.

‘I’ll come after football practice on Sunday,’ said Tyson before he cycled away.

‘I’m not sure I’d be letting my precious supercar in the hands of a teenage tearaway,’ said Joe, laughing before he headed indoors to talk to Grams.

But left alone in the courtyard, Nico merely shrugged his shoulders. He had no love for the car. It had been about making a point. To say to his father that because he had taken away his future and the vineyard, he would take away something precious that belonged to him. And if it gave a young lad whose family was going through a tough time a lift in sprits as well, then he really didn’t care whether it worked or not afterwards.

After all, he thought, looking up as Flora came out of the back door, some things were more important, he was beginning to realise.

‘The first tent looks amazing,’ he said to Flora. ‘Joe’s going to upload the photographs now, so fingers crossed we get some bookings.’

‘That’s the least of our problems,’ Flora told him. ‘We need to furnish and decorate each tent!’

‘That’s your domain,’ said Nico, laughing. ‘I’m not getting involved in any of that!’

‘Regarding the rest of the furniture, how low is our budget?’ she asked.