‘You’re not?’ Laura’s face fell. ‘You’re not going to be planning our wedding anymore?’
‘I am.’ Ellie shifted on her feet. Laura was going to say no, wasn’t she? The way her face had fallen when Ellie had told her she was no longer working with Melissa… Ellie would be without a job or any hope left of continuing in her dream profession. Without Laura and Jackson as clients, what did she have? She didn’t even have a business name. Clasping her hands in front of her, she willed herself to focus. ‘What I mean is, I hope to. Myself and Melissa have decided to go our separate ways, to cover more ground.’
‘Oh, I see.’ Laura flicked away a strand of hair which had fallen from her plait and into her face. ‘So, you’ve started your own wedding planning business then?’
‘That’s right. Melissa and I have been working together for eight years now, so I have an awful lot of experience behind me.’ Ellie kept her smile in place as she skirted around the real reason her business agreement with Melissa had ended so abruptly. ‘The time has just come for us both to build our own companies.’
Laura nodded slowly. ‘But you can still plan our wedding? You’ll still take us on as clients?’
‘I would. If you’re still happy with me being your wedding planner whilst not being under the All Things Love umbrella.’ Drawing her hand behind her back, Ellie crossed her fingers.
‘Yes, of course we are.’ Laura grinned warmly. ‘When we spoke to Melissa originally, she said we’d be your clients, so whether you’re working with her or not makes no difference to us. I’m just relieved you’re still happy to plan our wedding and we’re not forced to push it back.’
As relief flooded through her, Ellie’s shoulders relaxed. Perhaps she’d be okay. If she could make Laura and Jackson’s wedding the best she possibly could, perhaps it would give her a chance to build up her client base, allow her to continue her dream of running her own wedding planning business rather than watching it all come crashing down around her, much like her personal life. ‘Absolutely no need to be pushing anything back.’
‘Fantastic.’ Clasping her hands in front of her, Laura’s grin stretched even wider. ‘What’s the name?’
‘The name? My name? Ellie Newton.’ She was sure she’d introduced herself properly, but if Laura had been nervous, she probably wouldn’t have remembered.
‘No, your business name?’ Laura shook her head.
‘Umm, my business name?’ Ellie’s stomach lurched as she quickly glanced around the large hallway for some sort of inspiration, her gaze dropping to a wicker foraging basket sitting on the reception desk. It was filled with small bunches of rosemary, lavender, thyme and mint. Looking back at Laura, she tapped the folder in her hand. ‘My business name is Forever Thyme Weddings. A little play on words with thyme being spelt like the herb. I’ll make sure to drop a business card to you.’
‘Ooh, that’s such a pretty name.’ Laura grinned as she nodded towards the thin sliver of window by the front door, indicating outside. ‘And Jill would absolutely adore it. She eats, breathes and lives plants, and herbs are her favourite.’
Ellie nodded. What was she supposed to say to that? She too enjoyed gardening, but she definitely wasn’t a gardener or anything of the sort, and if anyone laid eyes on her own dishevelled and overgrown patch, they’d likely question the name choice for her business. Still, Laura was right; it was a pretty name, and if she didn’t feel so nervous, she’d likely be at least a little proud of herself for thinking it up on the spot.
‘Shall we go through? I’ve just taken a fruitcake from the oven, if you fancy any? It’ll still be warm.’ Laura held the kitchen door open.
‘Lovely. Sounds delicious.’ Ellie clutched the folder to her chest as her stomach grumbled. Rick had left a breakfast bowl for her at least, not that she’d had the time to use it this morning. In fact, he’d thought to leave her a whole set of crockery and cutlery for one. She gripped the folder tighter as a rush of anger threatened to consume her. Did he expect her to be grateful to him for that?
‘Oops! I almost forgot these.’ Letting the door swing softly shut again, Laura took the few steps towards the reception desk before picking up the foraging basket. ‘That’s one of the fantastic things about having someone like Jill working here. She not only makes the gardens look amazing, but she makes them work for us too. And my fiancé, Jackson, loves nothing more than a freshly plucked bunch of herbs to cook with.’
‘That must be nice.’ Ellie smiled again, breathing in the mix of aromas from the basket as Laura walked past her towards the kitchen again.
‘It is. Not that I could tell you what they all are.’ Pushing the door open, Laura leaned her back against it, holding it open whilst she picked up a small bunch of stems with tiny dusky green leaves. ‘Look, she’s even grown thyme. That’s one I do know how to recognise. That must be a good sign.’
‘Yes.’ Walking past her into the kitchen, Ellie paused as she glanced around. The room was large and housed both the kitchen and a dining area filled with pine tables. French doors led onto the decking which wrapped around the back of the inn and overlooked a huge garden bursting with even more colour than the front garden and a huge willow tree growing in its centre, an almost mirror image to the smaller one at the front of the inn. Sure enough, the kitchen was filled with the smell of freshly baked fruitcake, which once again stirred her stomach and reminded her how hungry she was.
5
‘Hello, you must be Ellie Newton from All Things Love. I’m Jackson. Lovely to meet you.’ Jackson stood up from the table closest to the oven and held his hand out towards her.
‘Hi, great to meet you too.’ Shifting the folder into the crook of one arm, Ellie shook his hand. ‘I’ve just been telling Laura that I’m no longer working with Melissa at All Things Love, actually.’
‘Ellie’s starting up her own wedding planning business, Forever Thyme.’ Laura placed the foraging basket on the work surface before joining them at the table. ‘What can I get you to go with your cake? Tea, coffee? A cold drink?’
‘Umm, coffee would be amazing, please?’ Ellie stood awkwardly beside the table, her feet suddenly rooted to the spot. What was wrong with her? She was always professional when working, but she could almost feel her confidence evaporating. Laura and Jackson’s wedding meant so much. Of course, to them it did, and the couples were always of paramount importance when she organised their big day, but this was different. This would be the first wedding she’d be organising under her own name. The buck literally stopped with her. Not that it hadn’t when she’d been working with Melissa, but that had felt different, at least she’d had someone to discuss things with, someone to reassure her that what she was doing, what she was planning, would be perfect. She wouldn’t have that now. She’d only have herself. Just her.
‘I’ll get them.’ Jackson gently placed his hand on Laura’s shoulder. ‘I’ll let Laura get all the notes and mood boards out.’
‘Haha, I do have a fair bit to show you, I’m afraid.’ Laura slipped onto the bench next to the spot Jackson had vacated and indicated for Ellie to take a chair opposite her. ‘Please tell me if it’s too much, though.’
Sitting down, Ellie placed her folder down and slipped out of her thick chunky cardigan and tugged the creases from her shirt once again before taking a pen and notebook from her bag. ‘I love it when a client knows what they want, so I’m sure what you have won’t be too much.’
‘You’ve not seen it yet.’ Jackson glanced over his shoulder and chuckled. ‘Between the both of us, I think we have enough notes and ideas for a hundred weddings.’
‘I’m afraid he’s right. That’s why we need some help.’ Laura pulled a huge stack of notebooks, magazines and sketchbooks towards her. ‘We’ve just got so completely overwhelmed with it all and need someone to help us figure out what we want and how to make it happen.’
