‘I have to admit,’ said Drew, ‘I’ve never seen so many people either, but we shouldn’t be so surprised. Ada touched the hearts of many. She was well loved, always had a smile on her face, and went the extra mile for everyone.’
As Drew drove up the lane, and Rose Cottage appeared in front of them, Florrie reflected, ‘It’s strange to think that Aunt Ada won’t be standing at that front gate passing the time of day with the locals. This place was her home for all of her married life and you can see why she would never want to leave. It’s something special and it feels like an end of an era now that she’s gone, never to return.’ Florrie flapped her hand in front of her face, doing her best to hold in her tears as another wave of sadness engulfed her.
‘You’ll be okay,’ Isla said gently. ‘You have us, the cottage, your business and The Vintage Flower Van. In fact, have you thought about what you’re going to do about this place? Are you going to move back in?’
Rose Cottage had been Florrie’s home for many years but soon after she set up her own florist shop, she wanted to stand on her own two feet and rented a house on Love Heart Lane. She’d still spent plenty of time at Rose Cottage, of course, especially in the last twelve months as she’d looked after The Vintage Flower Van while Ada started to enjoy her retirement. Florrie also sourced the majority of the flowers for Buttercup Barn from the gardens at Rose Cottage.
‘Yes, that’s the plan. It’ll be daft to pay rent when this place will be standing empty. The cottage and the garden are a huge part of the business and our life. I could have carried on living here with Aunt Ada when I came back from university, but I wanted to make my own way in life so I struck out on my own. Now I’ll most definitely take over the reins. In fact, after all the legal stuff has been sorted, I’ll let Rona know I’m moving out. I’m sure the house won’t be empty for long. And I’ve been thinking, I’d like The Vintage Flower Van to stay here, rather than moving it to Buttercup Barn, so I may need to advertise for another member of staff to oversee it. I certainly have a few big decisions to make in the coming days and weeks.’
Drew positioned The Vintage Flower Van in its familiar spot on the grass verge. ‘Do you both want a lift back to the pub?’
‘I think I’ll walk back,’ said Florrie. ‘As I said, I want to open up the van and place some flowers in the buckets for passers-by to take, but thank you.’
‘I’ll walk back with Florrie, and see you back at the pub. We won’t be long.’ Isla kissed her husband lightly on the cheek and the two women waved him off.
As soon as the truck disappeared at the top of the lane, Florrie and Isla began to fill aluminium buckets with water then placed them in a line outside The Vintage Flower Van along with a makeshift sign reading:
In Loving Memory of Aunt Ada. Please help yourself to a free bunch.
‘I’ve already made up the bunches of flowers. I was up early as I couldn’t sleep,’ shared Florrie.
She opened the doors of the van and once again was swamped by emotion as she stepped inside. ‘This was her life. For sixty years she was in here every day, selling her beautiful blooms.’ Glancing above the door she took in the photograph of her great-grandfather in his full military uniform and gave a tiny gasp. Putting her hands on her heart, she moaned, ‘I nearly forgot! And I’ve only just been talking about the promises I made to Aunt Ada.’
Isla smiled. ‘I think she’d forgive your mistake. There’s been a lot going on today.’
‘But it’s Friday and I nearly failed at the first hurdle.’
‘But you haven’t. There’s still time to go back to the cemetery and put flowers on your great-grandmother’s grave. I have to say, when Ada first told me that story, it melted my heart. Very romantic.’
‘It is, isn’t it? It’s one of the reasons I wanted to follow in Aunt Ada’s footsteps as a florist. I share the story all the time, especially with regular customers who come into the shop week after week buying flowers for their partners.’
Florrie thought back to one of the first times she had shared her great-grandfather’s story to an audience. It was the last day of the summer term at university, the same day she’d met Tom Houston.
* * *
After he rescued her bottle of water, she watched him walk towards the lecture room. For the past two years they’d sat in the same lectures but on opposite sides of the room. Just like every other girl on their course, Florrie knew the second he walked into any room without even taking a glance in his direction. There was a presence about him; he turned heads. Florrie often daydreamed what it would be like to be on the arm of Tom Houston, but even though they were both studying business she knew that they were worlds apart. She’d often scrolled through his social media channels: as well as boasting a long list of sporting achievements, he came from a family of property developers whose business was worth millions. The most she’d ever won was a handwriting competition in primary school, and her bank account was always in the red, except when her student loan arrived.
He glanced back over his shoulder just then and gave Florrie a flirtatious, heart-warming smile. She smiled back, loving the fact he’d created his own nickname for her. Clutching her water bottle, she followed him in and sat down in her usual seat, on the opposite side of the room to him. She didn’t dare glance in his direction.
Within minutes the lecturer appeared and stood next to the podium at the front of the room. He clicked a remote control and the screen behind him switched on. The students hushed as he clipped his microphone onto his shirt.
‘One more year to go and you’ll walk out of here qualified in your field. Business is the future and today you’ – he pointed to the students sitting in front of him – ‘are going to pitch your business ideas. What makes a good business idea? The idea doesn’t need to be unique but itmusthave a USP to capture the attention of its target market. Put it another way, it must offer something different from companies already working in that marketplace, otherwise their credentials and head start will make it practically impossible for you to catch up, let alone compete.’
Florrie knew she wanted to be a florist and follow in Aunt Ada’s footsteps. Ada had built a stellar reputation on word of mouth alone, growing The Vintage Flower Van into a success at a time before social media was available as a means of marketing and promotion. She sold to locals and tourists alike, and she rarely had any blooms left over at the end of the day. Her business was a profitable success and Florrie couldn’t wait to step into her shoes and keep her legacy alive. Daring to take a quick glance over in Tom’s direction, she saw that he was listening carefully to the professor’s every word, his pen poised over his notepad on the fixed writing ledge in front of him.
The lecturer continued.’ Good business ideas fill a gap in the market, offer a new product, service or invention, provide an innovative solution to an everyday problem or monetise an interest or hobby,’ he told them. ‘Remember: products must solve a problem or serve a purpose – the value must be clear and immediately evident to your customers. Now, is there anyone brave enough to share their business idea with us all?’
Florrie sat back and listened carefully for the next thirty minutes as different students shared their visions for the future. The lecturer encouraged other students to challenge different business ventures, giving their own opinions and suggestions about how best to help the business succeed. Florrie suddenly found her arm in the air and the lecturer looking straight at her. He nodded in encouragement as he pointed to her. This will be the last one of the day’ – he checked his watch – ‘and then you’ll be pleased to know you can take the summer off.’
All eyes were suddenly on Florrie. She swallowed. This was the first time she’d ever spoken out during a lecture. Usually, she sat back, observed and made notes.
‘My name is Florrie, which means blooming.’ She looked over in Tom’s direction and saw he was smiling at her. ‘So it’s probably no surprise to hear that I love flowers.’ She took a breath, Tom’s encouraging gaze helping her to get into her stride.
‘What is there not to love? Their fragrance and association with beauty and love make them the ideal gift if you ever need to show your affection for someone or communicate unspoken messages of the heart. Many people have stories about flowers, but my favourite is one I first heard from my great-aunt Ada when I was just a little girl. According to my great-aunt, my great-grandfather brought home a bouquet of flowers for my great-grandmother every Friday without fail. But then the war began and he enlisted. Knowing his military service would keep him away from home, he walked into a florist in the Scottish Highlands at seven o’clock one morning in full military dress. He was leaving town and determined to get his affairs in order before he did, which to him meant ensuring he didn’t let my great-grandmother down while he was away. So, he placed an order for fifty-two Fridays’ worth of bouquets so that he would never miss a week, no matter how long he was kept away from home.’
‘How utterly romantic,’ murmured the student sitting next to Florrie.
‘And that’s the reason I want to be a florist. Flowers are part of the lifeblood of my family and I want to continue our tradition of honouring them. My great-aunt Ada still runs her vintage flower van at the age of seventy-six and grows beautiful flowers in her award-winning garden. I look forward to working with her and I can’t wait to take over The Vintage Flower Van when she finally decides she’s retiring, and expand our family floristry business to new heights.’
