Page 95 of My Kind of Happy

‘And on that note,’ I said, getting up from the table swiftly. ‘I think we should get going to the Claybourne Hotel before my dinner makes a repeat appearance.’

Half an hour later Laura and I were well on our way to the hotel. Hamish was staying at my house to clear the furniture out of Freddie’s old room. All three of us had stood in there earlier trying to decide what I should use the room for. Last winter, I’d contemplated selling up and moving somewhere else because it hadn’t felt like home without Freddie. But over the last few months I’d fallen in love with it again; maybe it was because I had Scamp for company, or maybe it was simply because I was starting to make new happy memories, but either way, I’d changed my mind about leaving. So Freddie’s room was going to be redecorated and after my stint at the florist, I might investigate taking in a lodger. It felt good making plans for the future again.

‘So apart from breaking up marriages,’ Laura said, retuning the van’s radio to our favourite nineties station, ‘it’s working out all right being in the shop by yourself?’

I gave her a stink eye. ‘Not funny.’

She grinned. ‘Sorry, but you need to stop beating yourself up about your role in Sam’s break-up. I think you were really restrained given the circumstances.’

‘Hmm, I’ll stop beating myself up when Sam rings and I know he and I are OK.’

She was quiet for the moment. ‘You really like him, don’t you?’

I sighed. ‘I do, but the next few months are going to be tough for him and his family. The last thing he needs is another woman complicating matters. I’ll be a friend if he needs one and nothing more. To answer your question, I’m loving running the shop. It’s busy and I feel like it’s a constant juggle between making up orders and serving in the shop and making deliveries. I followed your advice about not doing weddings so I’m saying no to those but I do enjoy workshops, so I’m going to try and grow that side of the business.’

‘Look after yourself,’ she warned. ‘It wasn’t so long ago that you were wiped out with grief. Don’t overdo it.’

I was working long hours and yes, it was tiring, but Nina was only away for a few more weeks so there was no point looking for extra help.

‘Thanks for caring.’ I smiled at my friend. ‘But sleep is overrated and the shop is worth it. You should come for a visit and see for yourself.’

‘Ooh yes!’ Her eyes sparkled. ‘And if you can arrange for Sam to be there at the same time, even better.’

‘That’s funny, I’ve got Ethel coming to visit tomorrow afternoon; she said the same thing.’

‘Ah, darling Ethel,’ Laura sighed wistfully. ‘I miss seeing her cheery face at the window next door.’

‘Ditto.’

After I got home from visiting Freddie’s grave yesterday I’d phoned Ethel to ask if she was up to having a visit from Scamp and me that afternoon. I hadn’t seen her much since Nina had gone away because I’d been so manic and I’d been feeling guilty about it. Her move from The Beeches care home where she’d been since spring had been delayed by one thing and another: a room had had needed to be decorated for her, there’d been a family holiday and then a couple of routine hospital appointments which Ethel hadn’t wanted to miss, but when she’d answered my call I’d found her buzzing with excitement and far too busy for visitors.

‘I’m moving to Carole’s!’ she’d cried. ‘This Tuesday! I’m up to my ears in packing.’

‘That’s great news!’ I’d responded with gusto, brushing away my own sadness at the thought that I’d no longer be able to call in for a dose of Ethel’s sage advice when I needed it. It would be comforting for her to be so close to her family in Yorkshire. I’d suggested she drop in to the florist’s on her way up north to see us. She’d jumped at the chance.

‘I’ll check with Carole, but I’d love to.’ She paused for a second. ‘And it will be nice to say goodbye properly to you. It’ll be nice to be able to think of you in the shop when I’m miles away. Do you see much of that chappie? What’s his name …?’

I made a mental note to make sure there were plenty of tissues in the shop and then one of our favourites came on. Laura turned up the radio and we both launched into an enthusiastic rendition of ‘Nine to Five’ and all my worries were put on hold for the rest of the journey.

This time when we arrived at the Claybourne Hotel, I drove past the pretty entrance with its canopy of wisteria blooms and headed straight round the back. Marcia had given me instructions to use the service entrance which gave us easy access to the set of function rooms Edelweiss had booked.

Laura and I set about unloading the van. We had all the usual floristry equipment as well as containers, fairy lights, wooden trellis panels, heaps of flowers and the metal moongate I’d managed to borrow from a friend of Nina’s. To create the natural summer meadow feel that Edelweiss wanted, I’d have to do a lot of the work early tomorrow morning. But the large pedestal displays would contain plenty of water, so that meant I could get them out of the way tonight.

‘What is this anyway?’ Laura was attempting to bolt together the pieces of the moongate. ‘I’m trying to work out if it looks like an instrument of torture, or one of those hoops you see at a circus with an acrobat dangling from it by her teeth.’

‘Hopefully it’s better than both of those.’ I took out my phone and showed her the picture of the one we’d done on our floristry course back in March when spring flowers had been in season. ‘It’s usually the centrepiece for a wedding but I thought it would fit in here quite well.’

‘Wow. That’s gorgeous.’ She took the phone out of my hand and zoomed in on it, her eyes sparkling. ‘Let’s do it tonight, I want to see it covered in flowers.’

I suppressed a smile; she’d kill me for pointing it out, but since she’d been with Hamish her romance-ometer had gone off the scales and it warmed my heart to see it.

‘No can do, I’m afraid,’ I said, sliding my phone back in my pocket. ‘It’s not something you can water so I’ll have to do it first thing in the morning. I’ll take lots of photos, I promise.’

‘We could keep Scamp overnight, if it helps? It would give Hamish a taste of responsibility.’

I grinned at her. ‘Care to expand on that statement?’

‘Nope.’