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‘I thought it went well, too,’ Holly said.
‘The business model is great, I’m really impressed. And even with the not-for-profit strategy, you can still pay yourself a decent wage.’
‘Oh, I do hope people will want to come – to join in and explore art.’
‘They will, trust me. I’ve heard many people talking about it, and about you. You always were popular.’ Nina opened her bag and put her pen and pad inside. ‘I was jealous of you at college, with your perfect looks and lovely personality.’
‘You’re joking. Nina, you’re beautiful.’
‘Yes, beauty that takes me two hours to get right every morning. You could get out of bed after no sleep and still look great.’
Holly laughed. ‘I doubt that very much.’ She licked her lips and frowned. ‘Nina, honestly, you’re gorgeous. You always were, with or without make-up.’
‘And here today, with these artists. You’re the trendy crowd and I’m the outsider. They respect you so much.’
‘You have people eating out of your hand at every meeting I attend,’ Holly said.
‘Nonsense.’
‘No, really. People admire you.’ Holly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Nina. She felt stiff but soon physically relaxed and hugged Holly back.
‘I do try.’
‘You’re a perfectionist, Nina. Don’t be so hard on yourself.’
Holly arrived at the nursery.They had begun remodelling the car park to make full use of the space. This involved pulling back the brambles that had encroached on it over the years and laying pressed gravel to harden the surface, so it didn’t kick up stones every time it was driven on. Holly skimmed the edge along the grass, taking her van close to the caravan. It was quiet. With the car park being resurfaced, they had decided to close for two days.
After dropping her folio at the caravan, Holly walked over to the now modern nursery building. It still had the original stone but had the addition of alpine-style wood and large glass windows. She waved at George who stood outside the arts hub building, chatting to a colleague as they drank coffee. The only boards up now were those surrounding her cottage.
Anne now ran the café, since Val was still in recovery. It was housed in the new extension linking the nursery with the old barn. She was singing away to the radio when Holly arrived. The café was open to serve the workers. Tea and coffee were free to them and they were sold food at a discount but Holly still made a profit as they bought food throughout the day.
Anne looked up and turned the radio down. ‘Hi. love. How did it go?’
Trixy bounded from around the counter, jumping up at Holly.
Holly scooped the dog up, ruffling her fur. ‘It went amazingly well. Fingers crossed, it’ll be a success.’
‘Hard work’s done this, not luck.’
Holly nodded. ‘True, we’ve all pulled together.’ She placed Trixy on the ground and the little dog returned to her basket.
Holly looked at the cakes on display.
‘Help yourself, love,’ Anne said, pointing to the treats and snacks.
There were different cakes each day. Today’s choice was,Val’s Victoria SpongeorVal’s’ Ginger Loaf.
‘I think a slice of ginger will hit the spot. I hope Val will be able to get over for the reopening.’
‘She’s making great progress,’ Anne said as she passed Holly a mug of coffee.
‘Yes, she gets a little better each time I see her.’ Holly turned and scanned the room with her eyes. The rear café walls were covered with art work for sale, including a few pieces of her own. A small smile covered her face. ‘It’s all coming together.’She bit her lip, everything was perfect. All but one thing. As much as she fought it, her mind constantly flashed up images of Mitch.
