AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘And have a baby. And get married. I’m not sure it’s the right time to take stock, do you, Robin?’ Kate turned to her husband.
‘Mum, it’s exactly the right time. For me, I mean. Please, just trust me… us,’ Flora looked at Johnny, ‘to work it out.’
‘Of course we will.’ Her father looked at her mother. Kate’s mouth was open like a goldfish’s. He turned back and smiled at them. ‘Now, shall we open something to celebrate?’
‘That would be great, thank you, Robin.’ Johnny looked back at Kate. ‘We’ll make it work, I promise.’
Kate sighed. ‘Well, I certainly hope so.’
‘Flora, come and help me choose something from the garage. I’m sure I’ve got a decent bottle stuffed away in there somewhere.’ Her father gestured for her to join him. Grateful for the chance to escape before she said anything she shouldn’t to her mother, Flora followed.
Robin put his arm around his daughter as they made their way outside. ‘Don’t worry about Mum. She’ll come round eventually. It’s just a bit of a shock, that’s all. Two big bits of news at once and we’ve only just met Johnny. Not that that matters – he’s wonderful, Flora. You seem very happy together.’
‘Dad, we really are. And I’m sorry it’s not quite how you imagined things to happen, but I am really happy. Apart from the job, but I guess you can’t have everything.’
‘So what else do you think you might want to do?’
‘Honestly, I haven’t a clue. What about this one?’ Flora pulled a bottle from wine rack and held it up. ‘Ooh… Crémant. This’ll do nicely.’
‘Darling, I don’t even know what that is. Or where it came from. Let me have a look.’ He took the bottle from her.
‘It’s not cold but stick it in the freezer for ten minutes and it’ll be fine to toast with. Not that I can go anywhere near it. The smell of wine makes me want to throw up at the moment.’
‘That’s it! Wine!’ His face lit up.
‘What do you mean?’ Flora was confused.
‘Why don’t you do a proper wine course? An evening course, perhaps. You’ve always been interested in what’s on the table. I never really know, to be honest. I just like drinking it.’ He chuckled, passing her back the bottle. ‘Come on, tell me more about this one.’
‘Well,’ she looked at the label, ‘it’s from Burgundy, look here… Crémant de Bourgogne.’ She pointed at the words. ‘So, basically, it’s made in the same way as champagne but from a different area. I’ve no idea how old it is because it’s non-vintage, but there’s only one way to find out if it’s any good…’
‘You see? You’re a natural!’
‘Oh, come on, I went to a wine tasting, like, once. And that was with work. Everyone just got pissed, including me.’
‘Yes, but you’re interested in it. Always have been, really. Didn’t you join the Wine Society at university?’
‘Yes, but that’s because it was the cheapest way to get four half-glasses of wine on a Thursday night.’
‘Well, it’s just a thought.’ He looked at her, an eyebrow raised.
Later that evening, when they got back to Johnny’s flat, Flora curled up on the bed in her pyjamas and opened her laptop. Indeed, it was just a thought but it was a good one. She typed wine courses near me into the search bar.
‘Hey, Johnny, there’s one not far from here I could do, one evening a week, and then there’s a test at the end.’
‘So you’d get like a proper certificate?’ He came in from the bathroom, toothbrush in hand.
‘Yes, it’s just the most basic certificate, but it’s a start and it says it’s a great introduction for anyone thinking of making a career out of wine.’
‘Sign up before you change your mind. I think it’s a brilliant idea. I’ll never have to worry about looking like an idiot with the wine list again.’
Flora was so used to the cold blanket of dread covering her on a Sunday night ahead of going back to work, but now she realised that for the first time for years it just wasn’t there. In fact, for a moment she was excited at the prospect of what might just lie ahead. Then she caught herself.
‘Hang on, Johnny. Am I being completely stupid? I don’t mean getting married, obviously. Or having a baby. But throwing in a career change at the same time? Really?’
‘Look, if you don’t do it now you might never do it. There’s nothing stopping you. Now go on, put your name down before you change your mind.’
Flora looked back at the screen, the cursor blinking on the page, and typed in her name.
