Florrie smiled. ‘And fun! I’ll collect the flowers from the bucket and make up a bouquet whilst sitting at the bistro table.’
Thirty minutes later they finished filming and sat on the bistro chairs with a glass of lemonade each. Florrie set up the social media accounts on her iPad, whilst Isla edited the reel with a soft filter and twinkly music. ‘Just adding the captions. We need to let everyone know where they can find this vintage van of happiness. And how about the first fifty followers receive a discount code for money off their first purchase? Everyone loves a discount.’
‘Perfect.’ Florrie sat back and as soon as Isla finished editing the reel, she passed her the phone. ‘Team effort, what do you think?’
The reel played out and Florrie gave a tiny gasp. It was captivating, romantic and enchanting,
‘I want to go and buy flowers immediately from here,’ Florrie said, smiling. ‘It’s a job well done.’
Isla had caught the ambience perfectly, the captions and the background music adding to the magic of the reel. ‘Everything looks so dreamy! The Vintage Flower Van will undoubtedly capture hearts and Rose Cottage looks like something straight out of a fairy tale.’ Florrie was impressed and smiled at Isla. ‘Dream team indeed.’
Florrie typed in a punchy bio on the new Vintage Flower Van social media accounts then uploaded the reel. The social media campaign to save The Vintage Flower Van had officially been launched!
‘All I need to do now is arrange the community meeting and then it’s Heartcross against the world.’
Taking a sip of her drink, Florrie tilted her face up to the sun and closed her eyes for a moment. ‘The sunshine makes the day more pleasant and helps the flowers grow, but I’ll have a mammoth job of watering the garden tonight,’ she mused, hearing her phone beep. Glancing at her screen, she sat up abruptly. It had been eight years since that name had flashed on the front of her phone.
Her pulse began to race as she hovered over the message icon for only a second before pressing on it to see what Tom had written.
Hi, it’s Tom. Please could you send me your insurance details x
The message was brief and the first thing that Florrie noticed was the kiss. She’d only ever received one text message from Tom before, and there it was on the screen as she scrolled up. She’d never deleted it.
What an amazing two weeks, I never wanted it to end! I’ll be listening to songs from our playlist every day and remembering our special time. There’s something about you Florrie Appleton. I don’t want to wish the summer away but I can’t wait to see you again xxx
Florrie had never replied. The text had landed just after she saw the photos of Tom and Sophia.
‘Everything okay?’ asked Isla, noticing Florrie had gone quiet.
‘It’s Tom Houston asking for my insurance details. Do you know what I discovered today?’ Florrie looked up. ‘That Dolores led the tributes to Tom Houston’s grandfather when he passed away. She was friends with William Houston and donated money from her concert to a charity that he’d set up. I found articles about it online; his funeral was held at Heartcross Church.’
‘Wow, small world. Have you had a chat with her about what’s happening at Rose Cottage?’
‘Not yet, but I’m intrigued about their friendship and can’t help wondering if that has any connection with Tom Houston being at Ada’s funeral.’
‘If William’s funeral was held at Heartcross Church, he must be buried there.’
‘That never even crossed my mind.’ Thinking back to the time she’d spent at the private beach house with Tom, she was sure she had told him she lived in Heartcross … so why hadn’t he mentioned his own family connections to the village?
‘Gran would know,’ added Isla.
‘I just think it’s a strange coincidence that everywhere I turn the name Houston is popping up.’
‘Dolores would have crossed paths with many celebrities and high-flying businessmen. She has always been discreet about her private life so it’s entirely possible she knew William much better than we think. We don’t have a clue who she was friends with when she was our age, other than Ada and Martha.’
‘So true.’
‘And what’s going on now? Is he sending more messages? Your phone is beeping off the scale.’
Florrie’s eyes widened. ‘The account has new followers! Our mission to save The Vintage Flower Van and Rose Cottage and gardens has begun!’
‘Keep up the momentum. If anyone posts comments make sure you interact.’
‘I will.’
‘Judging by that pinging, you’re going to be in for a very busy night.’
‘Let’s hope so… There are already one hundred followers in less than ten minutes!’
