Page 55 of My Kind of Happy

We looked at each other for a moment, grinning like loons until Nina’s eyes slid sideways towards the cold store where she knew I’d stashed the booze.

She chewed her lip. ‘I know that you said we weren’t allowed to celebrate until we’d started making a profit, but …’

‘Yes. Definitely. Let’s get this party started.’

An hour later the shop was buzzing. I hadn’t taken any orders yet, but seeing the shop so busy was a great start.

There was the owner of a hair salon who was deep in discussion with Nina about the pros and cons of having a fringe, a couple of hotel people enjoying the free drinks, two office managers who’d paid scant attention to the flowers but seemed quite interested in each other and a group of beauticians who took a lot of selfies with the flowers as their backdrop. There was a manager of a care home, a dental receptionist and even, to my great delight, someone from Enchanted Spa where I’d taken Laura back in March … all here to see what we could offer them.

We played to our strengths: Nina demonstrating her floristry skills and delighting each guest by making them up an individual complimentary buttonhole, just as she’d done at her London flower stall, and me gathering information, talking to people, finding out their needs, their budget and their current supplier, working out how we could provide them with a little extra to tempt them to give us a try.

I’d assumed guests would pop in, collect some information and go, but half an hour later, the shop was getting busier and busier. And a lot of the newest arrivals were people I’d seen in Barnaby.

‘Did you invite all of these people?’ I said to Nina, nodding to where a group of mums were giggling over glasses of prosecco while their offspring sat on the floor with Scamp and persuaded him to roll over in return for a smoky bacon crisp. He did, of course, repeatedly.

She nodded sheepishly. ‘You did say party. And it was a back-up plan in case none of Sam’s contacts showed up.’

But they had, thank goodness, unlike Sam himself, I thought with a pang of sadness. Still, there was time yet.

‘Let’s hope we don’t run out of bubbly,’ I said, leaning back as someone popped the cork on another bottle.

‘Don’t stress.’ Nina nudged me with her elbow. ‘I can always nip out for more. It’s worth spending a bit of money on your customers now and again.’

‘Providing they are customers,’ I said, reminding her.

‘They’re potential customers,’ she pointed out. ‘All of them. We’re in this for the long haul.’

‘True,’ I said. ‘Although technically I’m only here for another three months.’

We’d discussed this when we’d agreed my investment in the business. I’d continue as her sleeping partner indefinitely, but I hadn’t been prepared to commit to longer than the end of summer as a member of staff.

‘Well anyway,’ said Nina briskly, turning away. ‘I’m glad to have the opportunity to thank everyone for their support over the last five years.’

‘You make it sound as if we’re closing down, not trying to grow,’ I laughed, rebuking her.

We didn’t have a chance to talk any longer; Rosie and her sister, Lia arrived and I resumed my welcoming duties. They didn’t look like sisters, Lia had blonde curls and pink cheeks while Rosie had traditional Italian colouring: dark hair and olive skin which was still tanned from her honeymoon.

‘I feel a bit guilty for accepting the invitation,’ said Lia, sipping a glass of sparkling wine. ‘We haven’t bought flowers for the café for ages.’

‘Since we took on the pizza cabin at the garden centre down the road it’s become pricey to do it at both places,’ Rosie apologised.

‘It’s our margins,’ Lia said, ruffling her hair to cool down her neck. ‘Everything has increased but our prices. So we had to make a choice: go easy on the pizza toppings, or lose the flowers.’

‘And there’d have been uproar if we’d skimped on the food,’ said Rosie. ‘Not least from Nonna.’

Lia inhaled deeply and sighed. ‘But it does smell amazing in here.’

‘Agreed,’ said Rosie. ‘And you did single-handedly save my wedding.’

I held my breath as the pair looked at each other.

‘Maybe we could stretch to a small monthly budget?’ Lia suggested.

My first order of the day.

‘Yay! Thank you! I’ll sort out the perfect thing,’ I said, scribbling a note on my order pad. ‘Something long-lasting, with impact and good value. Leave it with me.’

Business talk complete, Lia topped up her glass and went to watch Nina make a buttonhole while Rosie sat on a chair near the door, fanning herself with a price sheet.