Page 112 of My Kind of Happy

Part Four

Chapter Thirty-one

It felt like somebody had turned Britain’s thermostat up to max and Barnaby was in full-on heatwave mode. Shorts, sundresses and sunglasses were de rigeur and the smell of suncream and barbecues filled the air. On the village green, freckled children caught silvery fish in the stream with their nets while parents flopped on blankets.

I was a big fan of summer; give me some good music and a cold drink and I could happily lie on a sun lounger for the entire day. Although possibly not right now; I had too much on my mind to enjoy the warm weather this week. I had a last-minute wedding to organise and before I could get properly stuck into that I needed to speak to Nina about the news Sam had delivered two days ago.

Unfortunately, she was proving very tricky to get hold of. She’d warned me this might happen, that on some days she’d be on a farm in the middle of nowhere with no access to the outside world. It was one of the things she’d been most looking forward to. But as I was left holding the baby, it was giving me sleepless nights.

I left her another text message letting her know that I’d agreed to do Laura’s unexpected wedding and that I couldn’t wait to hear from her, which was the most urgent I could be without worrying her, and crouched down by Scamp to check he wasn’t overheating in the shop window.

‘You daft thing,’ I laughed softly. ‘There’s a big cool patch of floor back there and you’re lying in the hottest place in the shop.’

Scamp panted in reply, his tongue twice as long as usual. I stood up and refilled his bowl with cold water, glancing at the calendar on the wall on my way to the tap.

Two months. That’s all we had. Two short months from the first of July to relocate Nina’s Flowers. It didn’t seem right to me that Hogg Property Services could give us such little notice, but Sam had confirmed that they could and would. By September, Nina and I would no longer be looking out over buckets of hydrangeas and roses and lilies onto this idyllic little corner of England; we’d be goodness knows where.

Still, there was no use moping about it, I had a country-garden-inspired wreath to prepare for a funeral which I instinctively knew Granny would have adored and Wendy would be sending her driver to collect it in half an hour. I buried myself in work and the morning flew by.

By twelve o’clock there’d still been no word from Nina. I was just considering closing the shop and popping over to Ken’s Mini Mart for an ice cream when Stanley came in.

‘Good grief,’ he said, dabbing a crisp white handkerchief to his brow. ‘I’ve only walked for ten minutes and I’m at melting point.’

I poured him a glass of water and directed him to a chair. I had a soft spot for Stanley; he was such a gentleman with his old-fashioned manners and I loved the way his quietly spoken ways complemented those of his feisty fiancé, Maria.

‘Not enjoying the sunshine, then?’

‘This isn’t sunshine; this is an inferno. I can’t sleep a wink at night,’ said Stanley. ‘And Maria’s no better, huffing and puffing all night, wrestling with her rucked-up nightie.’

‘You’ll have to tell her to sleep in the buff, Stanley,’ I suggested. ‘That might help.’

He chuckled. ‘I did propose that and I got a clip around the ear. What she really wants is a room with air-conditioning.’

‘Then whisk her away for a night. The Claybourne Hotel has some good offers on.’

Stanley polished his glasses thoughtfully. ‘Now that’s not a bad idea. I believe the Claybourne is licensed for weddings, so maybe I can tempt her to set a date while we’re there. I’ll take her some flowers to get into her good books first and then bring up the subject. Thank you, Fearne.’

I helped him choose a bunch of exotic orange calla lilies and was waving him on his way when Nina called.

‘Hello, stranger!’ I said, relieved to hear from her.

‘Sorry you couldn’t get hold of me,’ she gushed. ‘I’ve just had the most amazing couple of days of my entire life! Guess what I’ve been doing. No don’t bother, you’ll never get it. I helped deliver a foal! In the snow! It was just breathtaking and bloody freezing. The mother was so strong and brave and then her baby appeared and … oh God, it was the most gorgeous sight. I cried. I’m crying now! I love it here. Absolutely love it. Being filmed all the time was weird at first but now I’m quite enjoying it. I know I’ve said it a million times, but I owe you so much for holding the fort so I can have this adventure. And no, before you ask, I haven’t fallen in love yet.’

She paused to laugh and her joy warmed my heart; all the stresses and strains of running a struggling business blown away under a giant antipodean winter sky.

My chest was getting tighter and tighter as she rambled; I hated that I was just about to burst her bubble. But it had to be done.

‘Anyway, how are things in little old Barnaby?’ She paused for breath. ‘Any more matches, hatches or despatches I should know about? And I’ve heard how hot it is! Bloody typical. First decent summer we’ve had in years and I’m eleven thousand miles away freezing my tits off.’

I swallowed. ‘Funny you should mention it; things have been getting a little hot under the collar this week.’

‘Oh, yes, you’ve had that Edelweiss thing! I knew that would be a tough one, how did it go?’

‘Cancelled.’

Nina gasped. ‘Balls! All those flowers! Nightmare!’

‘Don’t worry, we managed to sell most of them. So we ended up even by the end of the day.’