Page 68 (2/2)

“So lovely,” she echoed “Sood, too”

I paused after putting one tomato plant in the trailer She was besotted with it, that much was clear

“What if I can’t ive it a bloody good go”

Grandpa’s words flitted through my brain as I looked at her

“Do you want it?”

She jerked upright “What do you mean?”

“For your garden It’s not too late to buy h the end of October, so it’ll give you long-lasting blooms If you really like it, you can have it, and I’ll see if I can order more for you”

“Really?” She took a step forward but stopped herself “I can have it for my project?”

I picked up a to her eyes “Would it make you happy?”

Gabriella nodded, and her hair fell out from behind her ear “Very much so”

“Then it’s yours” I held her gaze for a , then looked away

Maybe I could make her happy

I could just give her a plant, evidently

“What are you doing?” She walked over toher hands to herself

I looked down at her “Plucking suckers”

“That’s either entirely innocent or not at all, and if it’s the former, I’ve watched far too much television lately”

I fought a laugh “Tomato suckers”

“Oh”

“They’re all ready to go to their final places in the polytunnel now they’re big enough” I put the one I’d done down and grabbed another This one was riddled with suckers, so it was easy enough to find one to show her “I only grow indeterminate tomatoes, so I have to take off the suckers or you end up with a er and thu her “You see this bit?”

“The little bit growing out from the middle?”

“That’s it That’s a sucker I just pinch it out and it won’t grow again” I did just that, showed it to her, then dropped it in the bucket “That one will just produce leaves now, not fruit”

“Don’t you want it to do fruit?”

“I do But you see these two stele stem broke off into two “These are the main ones I want these two to bear the fruit, not all the other ones that pop up The plant will be stronger and better if it’s somewhat controlled”

“Oh, that makes sense You can plant the suckers, can’t you?”

I nodded and pulled off the re ones “I don’t at this size because they’re too set away from us I put those in water, let them root, and plant them up”