Flynn took out his phone and swiped the screen, read something, and looked back at Florrie. ‘I didn’t make the connection, probably because the person I’ve got listed as presenting at the charity event is Sophia Henley.’
‘Sophia’s here, in Heartcross?’
Flynn nodded. ‘She will be soon. I believe she’s arriving just before the event,’ he said, slipping his phone back into his pocket. ‘I don’t think the charity is linked to what’s happening here, so don’t worry about any potential crossover.’
‘Mmm.’ Isla glanced around at the community members currently gathered in the garden. ‘I’m not sure that the people of Heartcross will see it that way.’
‘We need to make sure that the villagers realise that the charity and property business are separate,’ Flynn continued. ‘The charity is a fantastic charity supporting the NHS and I’m happy to support them alongside the other winners.’
‘Unlike the property business, they are certainly not going about it the right way,’ cut in Florrie.
‘Morally, no, but from a business standpoint…’ Flynn looked around the gardens. ‘There’s no denying that this is an easy source of profit for the company and that whatever they build here will be in high demand, as houses in Heartcross rarely come up for sale. I’m not opposed to development in the area, but not here. This place is just too beautiful to destroy.’ Flynn bade them farewell before walking off to chat with Dolores.
‘How do you feel about Sophia being in the village at some point?’ Isla asked tentatively.
‘I really don’t know. She probably never knew that he spent two weeks with me before he spent the summer with her, or that for years I’ve blamed her just as much as I blamed Tom for my broken heart. It’s probably best not to dwell on it. No, I’ve got to stay focused on saving these gardens and The Vintage Flower Van.’
‘We will.’ Isla linked her arm through Florrie’s as Hamish walked towards them. ‘Here you go, the last two community tickets for Flowers in Bloom.’ He handed one to each of them. ‘And here are the rest of the tickets that can be sold outside the community. You can drop off the takings to me at the end of each day and I can lock the money in the safe. Once they’re all sold, we can transfer the money to Mum’s chosen charity.’
‘Perfect, thanks, Hamish. I can’t believe your mum is going to be one hundred.’
‘I can’t believe all the energy she still has! I’m secretly pleased she’s chosen to have her birthday here, surrounded by all her family and friends. We know how much she loves Heartcross but she also still loves performing, and this allows her to combine the two.’
‘I’ve got a feeling it’s going to be a day to remember,’ said Isla.
‘Without a doubt! We’ll have never seen a frenzy quite like it when the press discovers where the celebrations are being held.’
‘Or the general public who purchase a ticket for Flowers in Bloom; they won’t believe it ether,’ added Florrie.
‘It’ll definitely be a day to remember, that’s for sure,’ Hamish said happily.
ChapterNineteen
Two days after the successful community meeting, Florrie greeted the first customer of the day with a huge smile.
Anticipating a busy day ahead, she’d woken an hour earlier than usual, packed the buckets with flowers and then filmed a new reel, which she’d uploaded immediately. The post was simple, the video showing her standing on the steps of The Vintage Flower Van holding up a handful of tickets for Flowers in Bloom and giving all the details of where and how they could be purchased.
‘Even though the village of Heartcross wishes all of you could come, there are only a very limited number of tickets so you’ll need to be quick. The Vintage Flower Van and I are looking forward to meeting you all!’
The notifications were already pinging and Florrie smiled to herself. People who got their hands on a ticket would have no clue they were going to witness one of the greatest icons of all time performing on her birthday. Receiving a text from Martha, she read it quickly.
Don’t forget it’s Friday! And in other news, Jinny has decided not to enter Bumblebee Cottage in Flowers in Bloom and likewise Grace won’t be entering Heartcross Castle. The community have decided that all focus should be on Rose Cottage and so no other gardens will be entered this year.
Florrie was touched that the other gardeners in the village were willing to sit out this year in order to allow the Rose Cottage Gardens to take centre stage. She could see their thinking behind the decision though, and as she read through the community chat WhatsApp messages she was buoyed by everyone’s determination to put pressure on W. Houston Property Developers by making sure all emphasis was on Rose Cottage and The Vintage Flower Van.
Florrie quickly replied to Martha.
Everyone is so lovely! And not to worry, I’ve not forgotten it’s Friday. I’m heading to the cemetery now before I open up the van.
It was a beautiful day. The sky was clear and blue with hardly a cloud to be seen. After making up the bouquet Florrie jumped into her van and made her way up the crest of the hill towards the impressive wrought-iron gates of the cemetery. The churchyard was awash with colour, the lawns had been recently cut and the hedgerows trimmed. Florrie glanced around the graveyard. It was deserted except for a woman on the far path, her tear-stained face saying it all. Florrie gave her a warm, gentle smile, knowing the pain she was likely going through.
After placing the bouquet on her great-grandmother’s grave, Florrie laid a different bunch of flowers on Great-Aunt Ada’s grave. ‘You aren’t going to believe what is going on here, Ada. Dolores is performing at Rose Cottage on her one hundredth birthday, and she’s doing it for you.’ Florrie took a breath. ‘I miss you, Aunt Ada. Everything is a bit of a mess since…’ She swallowed and took a moment before continuing. ‘Anyway, I’ll be back next week, if not sooner, but I have to go and open the flower van now.’ Taking another deep breath, she followed the tree-lined path back towards where she’d parked Rose.
Florrie drove back to Rose Cottage to discover a queue of customers already stretching along the lane towards The Vintage Flower Van. As soon as she opened up the hatch, the blooms were flying from the buckets. Florrie posed for countless photos and the tickets were selling fast. By her reckoning, they would be sold out within the first forty-eight hours, or perhaps even less!
‘Thank you so much, Florrie. Please could I grab a photograph?’ A customer who’d just bought a bunch of tulips and a ticket waggled her phone in the air.
‘Of course.’
