‘Don’t say that, Aunt Dolores!’
Dolores smiled and pointed her finely manicured nail towards the poster stuck on the lamppost. ‘I want to help you with Flowers in Bloom.’
‘Oh, Dolores, that’s very kind but you don’t need to help out on the day. We’ll have everything covered, but do come along for a cup of tea.’
‘A cup of tea? I’ll be drinking champagne because it will be a day to celebrate!’ She leaned into Florrie. ‘It’s happening on my birthday and I would love nothing more than to hold a special gig in the gardens of Rose Cottage in memory of my dear friend. All my lifelong friends and neighbours will be there, and when the press discovers where it’s being held, can you imagine the publicity? Those beautiful gardens will be splashed across every TV screen in the world. Rose Cottage will be a name on everyone’s lips. The public will get to enjoy the gardens and see me perform my last ever gig.’
‘It’s always your last ever gig,’ joked Florrie. Dolores had tried to retire many times but it just never happened.
‘We need to keep this secret for the time being, until the Flowers in Bloom tickets have been sold, but I’ll be dropping hints I will be performing a gig on my birthday, and the press will go wild. During my birthday speech, I will tell everyone about my friend Ada and what Flowers in Bloom means to the village, how many times the Rose Cottage Gardens have won the competition, and the fact that those gardens were transformed by Ada and now there’s a planning proposal to demolish the lot.’
Florrie’s eyes were wide. ‘You’d do that for me?’
‘I’d do anything for you and Ada … and for William. He would never be demolishing those gardens.’ Dolores looked up towards the sky. ‘I’m hoping there is life after death because we will have one hell of a party when we’re all back together.’ She nudged Florrie’s arm. ‘But in the meantime, let’s create havoc.’
‘There’s something else I need to tell you,’ Florrie confided. ‘W. Houston Property Developers are coming out to do an inspection on the cottage to make sure everything is in order. The date on the letter is the same day as Flowers in Bloom and your birthday.’
Dolores’s smile widened. ‘Then they’re going to be in for a big shock. This publicity is going to be on a different scale.’
‘I really don’t know what to say.’
‘Say yes, dear. But I must warn you. There will be a frenzy in the media. Can you handle it? The paparazzi will be swarming around Rose Cottage when they discover where the gig is being held.’
‘Most definitely,’ replied Florrie, without hesitation. ‘Her pulse was racing and she held out her hand. ‘Look, I’m actually trembling. I’m not sure whether that’s nerves or excitement.’ Feeling her eyes well up with tears, Florrie held out her arms and hugged Dolores. ‘I can’t thank you enough.’
‘You don’t need to thank me; your great-aunt was a wonderful woman and I know she would do the same for me. That’s what we do in Heartcross, we always have each other’s backs.’
‘I still can’t quite believe this. Dolores Henderson performing in the garden of Rose Cottage on her one hundredth birthday.’
‘As long as you’re sure?’
‘It’s a definitive yes from me. The tickets go on sale on Thursday, and everyone who purchases a ticket will be in for the biggest surprise of their lives.’
‘Just like W. Houston Property Developers.’
Florrie did have one slight reservation, and couldn’t help but voice it. ‘As much as all this will be amazing, this is your one hundredth birthday. Shouldn’t you be taking it easy and just relaxing? This is going to be a full-on day with all the media spotlight on you.’
‘Should I be taking it easy? Never,’ Dolores said, with a twinkle in her eye. ‘Absolutely not. I’m a lucky girl and whilst I have all my faculties, and my looks are hanging on in there –’ she chuckled ‘– and my voice is still going strong, I’m going to use what I’ve got. You have to live every day as though it’s your last, especially at my time of life.’
Florrie knew that only too well after the passing of Aunt Ada. ‘And what’s your secret for a long, happy and healthy life?’
‘Always remember your own self-care, learn to say no, and look after yourself because the only person you can ever rely on is yourself. Well … there is one exception to that … you’ll always have someone you can rely on while you live in Heartcross. What else? Friends are the most important people in your life and you should treat them as you want to be treated; if you do, those friends will be there for you no matter what. Looking after each other is a must. And my final bit of advice is something your great-aunt Ada swore by – have a glass of port every night before you go to bed. I’ve also found that a glass of champagne every day has done me no harm.’
Dolores was a true superstar, a national treasure, and here she was, at the age of ninety-nine, still at the top of her game and still grounded and helping out the people she loved the most, the community of Heartcross. Florrie had always admired Dolores’s zest for life.
She gave Dolores’s hand another little squeeze. ‘Growing up at Rose Cottage was so magical. My friends and I running wild in the garden, climbing the apple trees and paddling in the shallow parts of the river…’
‘I agree, it is a magical place. Ada held some good times in that courtyard. We did get up to some mischief over the years.’
‘Tell me the story about her and Martha carting you around in a holdall to escape the paparazzi.’
‘That was Ada’s idea. The press followed me every single minute of the day. It was like a military operation trying to give them the slip. There were no social media back in those days. The only way anyone found out about anything was through newspapers and magazines so they would hunt you relentlessly. One summer evening we’d all been at a party on a house boat that was moored outside The Little Blue Boathouse when Ada and Martha invited me back for drinks. We could see the paparazzi waiting on the edge of the jetty and there was no way we were ever going to get past them without them taking a photo. There were two options: we could wait until late and swim for it – but I wasn’t going to do that, I was wearing Mary Quant and it would never be the same again after that river water – or we could try Ada’s marvellous idea to outsmart them.’ Dolores gave a chuckle. ‘She’d noticed a holdall in the boat and because of my tiny frame she suggested they squeeze me into it and wheel me off the boat and along the river path until the paparazzi were out of sight. It was the bumpiest ride I’ve ever experienced!’
Florrie threw her head back and laughed. ‘You three are hilarious.’
‘Of course, we were all also very intoxicated. We laughed the type of laughter that made your sides ache as I tried to squeeze into the thing, and then they wheeled me along the stones, staggering on their heels and trying to hold their laughter in until they were clear of the press hounds. I can’t quite believe we got away with it. We found out later that the photographers had camped out at the houseboat for a couple of days, convinced I was still onboard, and then weren’t sure how I’d managed to escape.
‘Later that same night Martha decided to contact the spirits … and I don’t mean just the alcoholic kind. We were sitting in the courtyard and out came the Tarot cards. Martha was on top form and had us all reeled in. It came to my turn…’ Martha put her hand on her chest and smiled widely. ‘She told me that someone new would be walking into my life and just at that moment we heard footsteps, heels echoing on the wooden floor. They were getting louder and we all froze. Petrified, I was. I can remember thinking my heart was going to pound out of my chest at any moment. We all held each other’s hands, our eyes fixed on the back door. There was a shadow approaching . . . and all of a sudden Bonnie walked through the door. She’d spotted me being wheeled in the holdall and thought we might like some late-night snacks so she brought a pile of pastries from the teashop that had been left over. Those were good days. I’ve met my fair share of people over the years, but I’ve always known thattheywere my true friends, the friends I could rely on if I ever needed anything.’
