‘That the journalist asked Tom Houston to share his side of the story but he declined.’
Florrie’s heart began to race. Tom was definitely fully aware of her campaign now!
‘Doyouhave any comment on this?’ Aidy asked, his pen poised over his notebook.
Florrie was unsure what to say. What she did know was that she didn’t want anyone getting wind of the fact that she and Tom had spent two weeks wrapped up in one another’s arms, as that could make a blooming good story considering they were now at loggerheads.
‘There’s nothing to say.’
‘And there is no other link between you two?’
Telling a little white lie she said, ‘No,’ then quickly tried to change the subject. ‘This article certainly puts Tom’s company in a not so good light, doesn’t it?’
‘Yes, it’s definitely in your favour. By the way, those appeal letters have started to land in the council offices but we need to keep the pressure on.’
‘I think we can rely on Dolores for that.’
Aidy smiled. ‘Yes, I’ve got an article detailing how she’s planning to celebrate her centenary ready to run just as soon as she gives us the go-ahead. But my fellow journalists are already getting wind that something big is going to happen, because Dolores’s media assistant has started to post cryptic clues on her social media that an announcement is coming. I’m confident that I’m going to be first with the full story though.’
‘I’m sorry if you think I was keeping this from you,’ Florrie said as she handed his phone back. ‘It didn’t cross my mind as it just didn’t seem important.’ It wasn’t exactly true. Florrie couldn’t shake Tom from her mind these days.
‘If anything else comes to light do let me know. W. Houston Property Developers will be well aware of exactly what’s going on here now so we’d best prepare ourselves.’
After such an up and down day, Florrie was at a loose end after she cleared away the dishes from dinner and took a walk around the gardens. The freshly mowed grass had an earthy, slightly sweet aroma, and the stripes and chequerboard patterns were a piece of horticultural art. Hector, the head gardener up at Heartcross Castle, had kindly offered his services to help get the gardens into tip-top condition before Flowers in Bloom.
Pausing and standing next to the fountain, Florrie stared at the coins scattered in the water. When she was a little girl, she’d walk down the garden with Aunt Ada every Friday night after school and throw in a coin and make a wish. All those coins still lay there, a constant reminder of those special times. Florrie leaned over the shallow water and lifted out a coin. Grasping it in her fist, she looked up at the sky and made a wish. Then she headed back indoors.
In the hallway were the cardboard boxes that Flynn had dropped off, still stacked up where he’d left them. Knowing she had to start packing up Aunt Ada’s belongings, she made a cup of tea then grabbed a couple of binbags. First she pulled out a drawer from the dresser in the kitchen and placed it on the table. It was one of those drawers that housed anything and everything: old pens, balls of Blu-Tack, lots of faded receipts and a pile of bank statements. Florrie put those to one side and emptied the rest of the drawer into the bin bag.
The next drawer was full of placemats that only came out at Christmas and old takeaway menus. She put the placemats in a cardboard box, then began to make up another box, of things that could be dropped off at the local charity shop. She felt a little guilty at trespassing in Aunt Ada’s personal life but she knew it had to be done and it wasn’t long before the boxes were stacking up. Old plates and mugs had been packed for storage, and any pots and pans that hadn’t been used in years, or odd glasses that had once belonged to a set, were put aside for the charity shop.
The pantry was packed with jars and spices that had been out of date for years. Florrie began to sort through them, separating those that were still good. She smiled. Aunt Ada had never believed in best-before dates, relying on what she’d called ‘the sniff method’. She’d say that if it smelled all right then it was okay to use.
It didn’t take long to clear the shelves and wipe them down. Florrie stopped to take a breather and glanced up at the clock. The time had flown by, and she was surprised to realise she’d been packing up and clearing out the kitchen for over two hours. She was just about to close the pantry door when she noticed what looked like a wicker hamper at the back of the top shelf. Standing on a chair, she retrieved it and placed it on the kitchen table. In all the years she’d lived here she couldn’t recall ever seeing this box before. Lifting the lid, she found it was full of paperwork, and lying on top were newspaper cuttings and a lanyard. Turning the lanyard over, she saw it bore Aunt Ada’s name along with the logo and address of Glensheil Hospital. Placing the lanyard on the table, Florrie took out a bundle of newspaper articles and photographs held together with string. Untying the knot, she found they were all clearly labelled. Every article was about Ada, highlighting all the awards and gardening competitions she’d won over the years, including Flowers in Bloom. Among them was the article and photograph that Aidy had shared with Florrie about The Vintage Flower Van opening for business. Florrie spread the articles out over the table. In each photograph Ada was holding a medal or a trophy and wearing a radiant smile. Florrie felt proud of her aunt and her achievements.
The next item in the box was a certificate in a clear plastic wallet along with another newspaper article. The headline read,‘Local Volunteer Wins Kindness Award’.
Aunt Ada looked so young in the photograph. She was sitting on a hospital bed next to a patient. The article said that she had been nominated for a regional award by the patients at Glensheil Hospital for her kindness. Ada gave up ten hours of her own time every week to volunteer at the hospital, helping to serve the meals and chatting to patients to keep their spirits high. The photograph showed her wearing a medal around her neck, as well as the lanyard that was in the box. Florrie took a closer look at the lanyard and realised Aunt Ada must have been a volunteer before she was married, as her maiden name was printed on it, and in the photograph she was only wearing an engagement ring. She looked more closely at the caption to the photograph and was surprised to find that Ada’s name was followed by that of William Houston. Looking at the date of the article Florrie realised it had been written a couple of months before William had passed away. She wondered why Aunt Ada had never mentioned her time at the hospital.
Rap, rap, rap.
Florrie looked down the hallway. Someone was standing outside the front door. As the knocking continued she rushed to answer, calling out, ‘I’m coming!’
Opening the door, she discovered an angry-looking Tom on the step. In one hand he was holding a newspaper and in the other the bouquet he’d purchased from The Vintage Flower Van earlier that day.
‘I’m sorry but the flowers are non-refundable.’
‘What the hell are you playing at?’ Tom demanded.
‘I’m a florist, I sell flowers for a living, that’s what I do,’ she replied facetiously, knowing that’s not what he meant at all.
Tom raised his eyebrows and looked like he was about to burst a blood vessel. ‘Thisis what I’m talking about.’ He flapped the newspaper in the air.
‘All I’m doing is telling the truth.’
‘You’re spreading rumours, tarnishing my reputation—’
‘I don’t think you need much help with that,’ cut in Florrie.
