Tilly came out too and all three of us stood in the warmth of the summer sunshine.
‘It could be beautiful out here,’ I said, glancing around the space which was larger than it had looked from inside.
‘It was once,’ Tilly said, somewhat wistfully.
‘It will be again,’ Lucy declared. ‘And you and Willy, and Billy – providing he doesn’t roll in fox poo again – can come and have tea out here when it’s done. And we’ll have comfortable chairs with padded cushions for you to sit on.’
A tear rolled down Tilly’s cheek and she brushed it away with the back of her hand as her silver curls danced in the breeze.
‘Tears of joy,’ she said, before either of us could ask. ‘I’m so glad we met, Lucy. I still love this old place and the thought of leaving it for good is why I haven’t retired before. I couldn’t bear to never see this shop and this little patio again. So many wonderful memories are here. But I know that I can pop back and say hello from time to time now that you’re taking it over.’
‘You’ll be more than welcome here whenever you like, and as often as you want,’ Lucy said, and I could tell she meant every word.
Tilly must have thought so too because she hugged Lucy tight, and then, to my surprise, she hugged me tight as well.
‘You’re a breath of fresh air,’ Tilly said, grinning at me. ‘Literally, today. You both are. You’ll breathe new life into this old place, Lucy and you’ll make it a huge success. But you must concentrate on your designs. You’re so talented, my dear, and you mustn’t let that take a back seat. Almost anyone can manage a bridal shop if they want to, given a little time and training, but only a very few people can design such beautiful gowns, and no one can design gowns like yours. That lovely Sam Worth won’t be the only one gaining a reputation for being the best in the business. You’ll soon be the talk of this town and far beyond, with your wedding dress designs. You mark my words.’
‘Well,’ I said, with a tear or two forming in my own eyes. ‘Tilly was right about that snowstorm, and I know she’s right about this.’
Lucy had slowly built a reputation for designing her exquisite gowns, in Kingston upon Thames, but she never really made the most of it, and she had never advertised her skills. Now I had a feeling that everything was falling into place and the time for right for her to shine.
I hoped she wanted this as much as she wanted to be married and have a family.
Although, why couldn’t she do both?
One thing I was certain about was that Sam would give her all the encouragement, support and help she needed, as would I, and of course, her mum and Chris.
And something deep down inside of me started to think that I’d like to be here to see her achieve all her dreams.
Wait. What was happening to me?
Did I want to move to Fairlight Bay?
