Page 137 of My Kind of Happy

Chapter Thirty-eight

A week later, that promise had remained unbroken.

It hadn’t even been hard to keep because apart from confirming via text that he was happy for me to contact Annabel directly about the wedding and sending me her number, I hadn’t heard a dicky bird from him. I couldn’t deny I was hurt, but I’d learned my lesson, and fortunately, I was too busy to dwell on affairs of the heart; well, my own, at least.

I’d spoken to Laura every evening, either on the phone or in person in an attempt to keep her calm and reassure her that everything was under control. Her employer had been brilliant and had let her take a month off to be with her dad and she was doing her utmost to care for him in his own home with the help of a community nurse. Her wedding dress had arrived and looked gorgeous and we’d managed to find a quirky boutique which opened on a Sunday and I’d chosen a beautiful bridesmaid’s dress.

During the day, I was running the florist’s single-handedly, project managing what was turning into a much bigger wedding than Laura had initially wanted (Hamish had accidently invited a cousin and once you’d invited one, you had to invite them all), and fielding enquiries for workshops (someone had even requested a Christmas wreath session) so I had plenty to keep me from mooning about over Sam.

There was so much going on and so many people who’d stepped forward and offered help that this evening I was hosting a wedding meeting at The Evergreens to check that everything was running to plan.

That was in an hour from now, but I still had something I wanted to do before leaving the florist. Sitting in the cold store was the most perfect bouquet of pink stargazer lilies, pale pink roses and white lisianthus. It had been on my list of jobs since the morning but every time I’d picked up the phone I got an attack of nerves and chickened out.

I stared at the phone on the counter and nibbled my lip, daring myself to do it. Would this be an unwelcome interference, was he ready to be thinking about another woman? It was so hard to judge. The last bit of meddling I’d done had panned out really well. It had started with an idea from Annabel and now it looked as if it might actually be happening. It had given me an enormous boost: I was making two people happy and in so doing, I also was making myself happy. Just like the perfume analogy. I smiled contentedly and was about to pluck up the courage and call him when there was a knock at the open shop door.

‘Cooee, Dolly Dream Boat!’ Lucas gave me a twinkly wave from the doorway. He was wearing a buttoned-up short-sleeved shirt and tailored shorts and with his mirrored sunglasses looked like he belonged in Barcelona and not Barnaby. ‘You look miles away.’

I blinked at him. ‘I’m about to meddle in someone’s love life. It could change lives. Literally.’

He was at my side in a flash, his eyes sparkling at the prospect of romance. ‘Who? Darling! I must know. Oh, this is so exciting. I only popped in to see if you wanted an ice cream from Ken’s.’

‘I do want an ice cream,’ I groaned longingly.

Scamp woofed and pawed Lucas’s leg.

‘Ouch,’ Lucas rubbed his bare skin. ‘Someone needs another pedi at Biddy’s.’

‘If this goes well, we can go round and book him in. With some flowers.’

Lucas gasped. ‘Are you talking about Biddy’s love life?’

‘It’s her birthday today.’ I gave him a secret smile. ‘Buy me a mint chocolate cone and I’ll tell all.’

He virtually sprinted out of the shop and over the road to Ken’s and while he was gone I quickly got to work. I didn’t mind telling Lucas when he got back but I’d feel better about having this conversation without him eavesdropping.

I called the number I had on file.

‘Hello?’ said a voice I recognised. Phew, so far so good.

‘Nigel, this is Fearne, the florist.’

‘Oh, yes, hello?’

‘It’s almost the end of the day and I have a perfect bouquet in my shop which might go to waste if it doesn’t find a home today.’ I crossed my fingers.

He chuckled. ‘Goodness me, how sweet of you to think of me! But I’m sure you can find someone more deserving?’

‘I was thinking more of someone who has a birthday today, perhaps?’ I held my breath. I was certain he’d know it was Biddy’s birthday; the question was would he want to acknowledge it with flowers?

‘Well, I don’t think I … at least I’m not sure if …’ His voice faded.

He’d remembered. I kept quiet, tense with nerves. On the other end of the phone I heard him rifle through papers. Perhaps he was checking his diary.

He cleared his throat. ‘Um. What colour are the flowers.’

I crossed my fingers. ‘Pink.’

‘It was her favourite colour,’ he murmured.