‘Tell you what, though, it wouldn’t half add a bit of spice to the romance section of the bookshop if he’dperformed– as Florrie so demurely put it – in that particular aisle,’ Jasmine added with another raucous cackle.
‘Ugh! Please don’t. I doubt poor Jean would ever recover from the shock,’ she said of the bookshop’s septuagenarian assistant. ‘Mind, she wouldn’t be the only one.’
‘Might be the highlight of her week for all you know,’ quipped Jasmine. Florrie replied with an eye roll, though she couldn’t help but laugh.
‘So, lasses, here’s a suggestion for you, what d’you think about giving our Florrie here a bit of a hint about what we actuallydohave planned?’ asked Stella, glancing around at the others and steering the conversation in a direction Florrie found far more preferable. ‘I don’t mean to share the details, more like just enough info to help allay her fears once and for all, especially after the afternoon she’s had fretting about it.’
‘I’d be happy to do that.’ Maggie nodded.
‘Me too,’ said Lark.
‘Same here, especially since I’ve been the cause of her concerns – sorry, flower,’ said Jasmine.
‘No harm done.’ Florrie gave her a warm, but knowing, smile.
‘It’s a fab idea, but how about before we do that, we let Florrie tell us about Dawn and why she’s come to Micklewick Bay?’ suggested Lark. ‘I’m sure she’d rather get the bad stuff out of the way knowing there’s something happy and positive to chat about after.’
‘I’m good with that,’ said Stella.
‘Me too,’ agreed Jasmine.
‘Same here, if Florrie would prefer to do it in that order,’ said Maggie.
‘Actually, I like the sound of that.’ Florrie noted how telling it was that even Lark, who rarely said anything negative about anyone, would refer to Dawn and her arrival as ‘bad stuff’.
Feeling the weight of her friends’ gaze upon her, Florrie’s stomach clenched as her mind went back to the moment the bookshop door opened earlier that afternoon, and she looked up to see Dawn Harte standing there, a combative look in her eye. ‘We had absolutely no idea she was coming so we were totally flabbergasted when she landed. But it was even more of a shock when she told us that she’d booked herself in at a local B&B and – I can hardly believe I’m about to say this—’ Florrie grimaced. ‘She said the reason for her visit was tohelpwith our wedding preparations.’
A stunned silence followed as the four friends sat looking back at Florrie, mouths agape. The lively tune being belted out by the folk band was so at odds with the feeling of foreboding in her stomach.
THREE
‘Shewhat?’ said Jasmine, once she’d recovered from the shock and was able to speak. ‘Talk about dropping a bombshell.’
‘She told us – quite forcefully, I might add – that she’s here to “do her bit” for her son and “help” with our wedding plans.’ In fact, the way Dawn had spoken, it had sounded more like a threat. Florrie had only met her future mother-in-law a handful of times which, if she was being honest, was enough since any contact with Ed’s parents had invariably resulted in trouble and stress. And it wasn’t just that; they hadn’t kept their dislike of Florrie a secret, which was why she was suspicious of Dawn’s motives for wanting to be involved with their wedding plans.
‘After everything she’s done, I’m not sure you should trust her, Florrie,’ Stella said in a warning tone.
‘Aye, same here,’ Jasmine said firmly, her face flushing in the way it usually did when she was worked up about something.
‘I have to agree,’ said Maggie. ‘I mean, her presence in Ed’s life has been pretty sparse and any offer to help is so wildly out of character.’
‘I know, which is why I’ve been struggling to make any sense of it, or work out what the real motive could be,’ said Florrie. ‘It’s the same for Ed.’
‘I’m with the lasses; I’ve got a bad feeling about this, Florrie,’ added Lark, whose highly tuned intuition meant she was sensitive to bad vibes. Florrie knew that if Lark sensed something untoward about a person or place, it was worth taking notice of.
‘And hasn’t she left it a bit late in the day to want to help?’ asked Stella. ‘Your wedding’s three weeks away, and you’ve got everything sorted. There’s nothing left for her to help with.’
Florrie’s mind drifted to their wedding plans. Stella had a point. Florrie was known amongst her family and friends for being organised; she left nothing to the last minute if she could help it. As soon as she and Ed had set the date for their wedding, she’d created a spreadsheet of everything that needed to be bought, the orders to be placed and venues to be booked. Every detail was included, no matter how small. Jasmine, being a celebration-cake maker, hadn’t wasted a moment in offering her services to create their wedding cake. She’d invited Florrie and Ed to the home she shared with Max where the couple had spent a delightful couple of hours chomping on cake samples – ranging from traditional fruit, to lemon, to Victoria sponge, to gooey chocolate – as they’d pored over images of the designs Jasmine had created for other couples in order to choose their own. And while Florrie and Ed had agreed wholeheartedly on the gooey chocolate cake option, they’d been too spoilt for choice to be able to settle on a design, so they’d given Jasmine free rein to do what she thought best, much to her delight.
The couple had decided early on they’d like a book theme for the wedding, and had great fun sourcing items. Adding a personal touch, Ed had put his artistic skills to good use and designed their wedding invitations in the style of vintage library cards. And he’d gone one step further, making place settings that resembled the spines of old books. Both of which had delighted Florrie no end and added to her building excitement for their big day.
As for her wedding dress, Florrie had been feeling disillusioned by a recent unsuccessful shopping trip to York when she’d received a phone call from Lark, who owned Lark’s Vintage Bazaar which sat across the road from the bookshop in the town’sVictoria Square. She sold vintage clothing and accessories – as well as crystals and her own blend of aromatherapy products. Lark had been beside herself with excitement, telling Florrie she’d just taken delivery of the most exquisite vintage wedding gown and asking if she’d pop in to the shop to take a look. ‘I put it to one side straight away, it’ssoyou! And I know you’re just going to love it!’
Such was Lark’s excitement, Florrie had rushed over to the store, desperate to see the dress for herself. And as soon as she’d set eyes on it, she’d fallen in love with its simple lines and exquisite lace that were very much her style. She’d hoped with all her heart it would fit as she’d disappeared into the changing room and slipped the delicate gown over her head. Florrie was thrilled to find that the only thing that needed altering was the hem which, with her being so petite, was a little too long. Lark had assured her it was something she could easily take care of, especially since she was no stranger to altering clothes for her shop.
‘I have a bad feeling, too.’ Jasmine’s voice pulled Florrie out of her thoughts. ‘The old cowpat’s up to summat, without a doubt. There’s no way, after everything her and her toxic husband have done to you and Ed, that she’s come to “help”. And besides, she has no business marching in bold as brass and telling you what she’s going to do – especially when she’s barely given her son a second glance for the whole of his life.’ Jasmine’s cheeks were now blazing. ‘I don’t believe it for a second. I reckon she’s got an ulterior motive. I don’t know why she thinks she has the right to turn up unannounced and start with all her toxic flippin’ meddling. And don’t get me on to the way she’s treated you.’ She set her mouth into a hard line, fury flashing in her green eyes. Only the very brave or the very foolish got on the wrong side of Jasmine.
A vision raced through Florrie’s mind of Jasmine stomping over to someone she’d recently spotted sneaking a book into their pocket at The Happy Hartes Bookshop. The verbal savaging that had ensued meant the shoplifter had hastily replaced the pilfered item and hurried out of the shop, face burning. Florrie’s lips twitched at the memory. Jasmine may be petite, but she could be a tornado ofdevastating proportions when she was angry, particularly when she was protecting or sticking up for those she loved. It didn’t take much for her to adopt full-on mamma bear mode.
