Ed swallowed his mouthful. ‘Anyroad, getting back to what I was saying. I want you to know that I’m not buying my mother’s reason for her sudden arrival. Saying she’s here to help with the wedding is so out of character it’s ridiculous; she’s fooling no one, especially when she’s been so dead set against us getting married from the start.’ He pushed another chunk of croissant into his mouth.
Florrie let his words settle. If anyone else had held such an opinion on their forthcoming nuptials, she would’ve been devastated, but it was par for the course with Dawn Harte, which she knew was why Ed had said it so casually, and why she hadn’t taken offence. She looked on, taking in his earnest expression. Much as Florrie agreed with him, she was unsure of how to reply – if it even warranted a reply – and was glad when Ed continued.
‘I want to reassure you that, though I can’t stop them from coming to Micklewick Bay, I won’t let her or my father interfere with our wedding plans, or our life together. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, and I’m not about to let them change that. There’s noway I want to lose you, Florrie. No way at all.’ He leant across the small table and reached a hand around the back of her head, pulling her to him. His kiss that followed left her in no doubt he meant his words.
As he sat back in his seat, Florrie’s eyes met his and she was touched by the sincerity she saw there. Her heart squeezed with love for him. She knew, despite the dysfunctional relationship he had with them, it wouldn’t be easy for him to speak about his parents in this way. He had a good heart and decent values. Not for the first time did he remind her of his grandfather.
‘Thank you, Ed. And will you promise that if you have any worries about anything at all, you’ll come to me rather than keep them to yourself and start stewing on them? I know it’s an old cliché, but a problem shared and all that.’
‘I promise. I’m learning it’s better to talk.’ He flashed a lopsided grin as he took her hand.
Relief swept through her, her smile matching his. ‘It’s definitely better to talk; work through our problems together, especially if they’re caused by other people.’
‘I can see that now. I’m sorry it’s taken me a while to grasp that fact. Having spent so long keeping my worries to myself, it’s been a hard habit to break.’
‘I get that.’
Growing up with cold and distant parents meant Ed had learnt to be emotionally self-sufficient. His childhood had been the polar opposite of Florrie’s which had been loving and warm. Both were only children, and where Ed was treated as something of an inconvenience by his parents, Florrie had been the apple of her parents’ eye. It broke Florrie’s heart to think about how Ed had grown up, especially when he was such a warm, loving person.
‘I want us to just focus on looking forward to our wedding.’ He lifted her hand to his lips, kissing it softly. ‘I love you, Florrie, and I’m not going to let anything get in the way of us getting married, or our enjoyment of preparing for it.’
‘And I love you, too, Ed.’ A smile crept over her face, her eyeslooking onto his pools of navy blue. She pushed herself up and leant across the table. This time it was her turn to press her lips against Ed’s, delighting in their soft warmth. He reached up and cupped her face in his hand, their kiss deepening, releasing a host of butterflies in her stomach.Oh my days!
‘Ey up, I was under the impression there was a meeting going on in here,’ came a familiar gravelly voice, making them jump apart.
SEVEN
‘What the flippin’—?’ Ed exclaimed, knocking his chair over with a clatter.
‘Jack! It’s good to see you.’ With her face burning, Florrie went to gather the plates together, doing all she could to sound casual, and acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Though it was impossible to ignore the tingle in her lips left by Ed’s meaningful kisses.
‘Aye, but I’m not so sure your young fella would agree.’ The author laughed, nodding in Ed’s direction.
‘Hey, it’s always good to see you, Jack. Mind, I won’t argue, your timing could’ve been a little, shall we say, better?’ Ed grinned, having composed himself, setting his chair straight while Jack continued to chuckle.
‘Ey, lad, there’s nowt up with my timing.’ He pushed the sleeve of his jacket back and looked at his watch. ‘Ah, apologies, you’re absolutely right, it’s twenty past eleven; I’m a smidge early. Would you like me to come back in ten minutes, so you can carry on with your “break”?’ He put finger quotes around the word, his eyes twinkling teasingly. ‘Jen’s in the shop, chatting weddings to my mother, so I could always go and join them.’
Now he’d mentioned it, Florrie could hear snatches of hisfiancée’s melodic Geordie accent floating through from the bookshop as she chatted away enthusiastically.
Ed shook his head, laughing. ‘No, you’re fine to stay, Jack. The moment’s gone.’
‘Sorry about that,’ said Jack, the mischief in his eyes at odds with his apologetic expression. ‘Just call me Passion-Killer Playforth; wouldn’t be the first time.’
Ed chuckled while Florrie directed her gaze anywhere but Jack’s way, the heat in her cheeks showing no evidence it was going to calm down any time soon. Reserved by nature, Florrie wasn’t one for public displays of affection, even if they were inadvertent.
‘Don’t suppose there’s any tea going spare in that pot, is there, lass?’ Jack asked in his broad North Yorkshire accent. He was evidently keen to move the conversation on and help disperse Florrie’s embarrassment. ‘We’ve had a right busy morning – I’ll leave it to Jenna to tell you all about it – but it’s left me gagging for a cup of tea.’
‘’Course, there’s plenty.’ Florrie smiled, her embarrassment ebbing away. ‘I’ll pour a mug for Jenna, too. We can take our drinks through to the reading room, have our chat there.’
‘Grand, I’d be grateful if you’d chuck in a biscuit or two, an’ all. All this wedding talk hasn’t ’alf got me famished as well as parched,’ Jack added with a grin.
Jack’s down-to-earth personality belied the fact he was a nationally revered author whose books had hit theSunday Timesbestsellers list several times over – his fiancée, Jenna’s, too. She had a loyal following of readers, not to mention a book that had been optioned for a successful television series, with talks of yet more in the pipeline. Since the couple had moved to the town, they held regular author readings and book signings at the bookshop. The events were always a huge draw, not least because of their matching self-deprecating sense of humour that spilled over into copious giggles, much to the audience’s delight. Indeed, Jack had announced their engagement at one such reading lastyear, when his comical description of him getting down on one knee had the audience crying tears of laughter.
Florrie followed Ed and Jack into the shop, relieved that the air between her and her fiancé was so much lighter after their chat. Jean caught Florrie’s eye and the knowing smile that passed between them confirmed Florrie’s suspicions: Jean had clearly had a subtle word with Ed about his mother’s motives for turning up so out of the blue. She understood that Ed might not have realised that Florrie would need some reassurance. Florrie gave a smile and a quick lift of her eyebrows in acknowledgement.
It was fair to say Jean wasn’t Dawn and Peter Harte’s biggest fan, and not just because of how they’d treated Mr and Mrs H, blocking all contact for decades. She’d also witnessed the negative effect they’d had on Florrie and Ed’s relationship, and she seemed determined not to allow it to happen again.
‘Florrie, pet, it’s good to see you,’ Jenna said in her singsong voice, her softly highlighted hair framing her friendly face that was wreathed in smiles. In her mid-forties, she was over ten years younger than Jack. ‘I can’t wait to tell you our news.’ She rushed over to Florrie and pulled her into a hug, delivering a noisy kiss to her cheek.
