‘Of course.’ Standing up, Laura led the way to the French doors at the back of the dining area, with Jackson just behind. ‘What do you think of the ideas in the sketchbooks?’
Turning to her, Ellie smiled. She should have reassured her that she liked Laura and Jackson’s visions – which she did, they’d come up with some beautiful and meaningful ideas and usually Ellie would have been gushing over sketchbooks as carefully thought out and displayed as Laura and Jackson’s were – but with thoughts of Rick’s game of clearing out the cottage, her business split from Melissa and her encounter with Murray all running through the back of her mind, it was all she could do not to walk away from this job and go and curl up on her squishy sofa back home. ‘I think they’re amazing. It’s obvious you’ve both put a lot of work into them, and I love the ideas. So creative and personal too.’
‘You do?’ Laura held open one of the glass doors as Ellie and Jackson slipped through onto the decking.
‘I really do.’ Placing her hand on Laura’s forearm, Ellie grinned. ‘I’ve worked with so many couples who are unsure of what they want, some who literally don’t have the first idea and others who have an inkling but no clue how to bring it all together, but what you’ve got in your sketchbooks already is so thought out and achievable too. You’re not asking for the Red Arrows to perform a flyby during the ceremony or for the king and queen to join you at the head table, for example.’
Jackson chuckled. ‘I bet you’ve heard some strange requests.’
‘I definitely have.’ Ellie laughed. She couldn’t remember the number of times she’d had to try to think of the words to let down a couple gently and explain why it wasn’t such a good idea to let off a hundred fireworks at noon or break the news that the most popular hotel in the county was already booked up with weddings for the next three years.
‘I know there’s a lot there in the sketchbooks, and I know we can’t have it all. We wouldn’t want, or couldn’t even afford, to have it all.’ Having closed the door quietly behind them, Laura wrung her hands in front of her. ‘But, as long as we actually get married and we have the inn at the heart of the wedding, we’ll both be delighted, won’t we, Jackson?’
Wrapping his arm around Laura’s middle, Jackson pulled her close and planted a kiss on the top of her head. ‘We sure will.’
Ellie glanced behind her as the dainty tune of a doorbell rang from inside.
‘Oh, that’ll be the carpenter.’ Laura bit down on her bottom lip.
‘I’ll go and show him what needs doing.’ Jackson dropped his arm from Laura’s waist.
‘Okay, remember to mention the problem we had with the banister last year, just in case it’s related.’ Laura gripped Jackson’s hand, making him pause before she spoke again. ‘Oh, and can you check in the diary, make sure the dates he offers don’t clash with anything.’
‘You can both go if you need to. I’m happy to take a wander around the grounds on my own.’ Ellie looked back out across the vast garden.
‘Okay, if you’re sure? It’s just that this is his first visit, and we have to let him know what we need doing.’ Laura pulled the door open again. ‘He was supposed to come an hour ago but got held up. We were going to tell him we were busy, since you were coming, but he’s the only one locally with availability, and he said if we didn’t fit him in today, then he had another client on his waiting list.’
‘Oh, that’s rubbish. Yep, you two go. It’ll give me a chance to really get a feel of the place.’ Ellie watched as they returned to the kitchen before spinning on her heels and walking down the steps leading from the decking to the garden below. As she made her way down the slabbed pathway, Ellie took a deep breath. The sun was shining, and she could hear birds singing, even if she couldn’t see them. She glanced across towards the large willow tree, they’d likely be hiding in the branches somewhere.
Once she reached the end of the garden, she spun around again and looked across towards the inn. The building was stunningly beautiful. Built with the same famous yellow Cotswold stone as her small cottage was, it held all the charm of a fairy-tale setting. On top of the thatched roof was a straw cat, positioned as though it were about to pounce along the ridge of the roof. Pennycress would be as gorgeous a location for Laura and Jackson’s wedding as any of the high-end hotels where her clients so often insisted on holding their receptions.
She grinned. She was looking forward to planning this one. It would be something different. Something personal to both Laura and Jackson, as well as to herself, being as she lived in the village too. She and Murray had wanted to stay at Pennycress when they’d visited all those years ago, but money had been tight, and besides, the inn had been full the weekend she and Murray had planned their getaway for, so they’d ended up staying in a room above the pub in the centre of the village. Which had been nice, but Pennycress was where they’d wanted to stay, and she still associated the inn with memories of him.
Sighing, Ellie walked across to the bench beneath the willow tree and perched on the cool wood before opening her notebook and sketching a quick diagram of the garden, being sure to include the decking and pathways. It would help her to visualise the space when she got home, and begin to truly think about what she could do to help Laura and Jackson with the planning.
6
Slipping back through the glass door and into the kitchen, Ellie grinned as Laura stood up hurriedly from the table they’d been sitting at half an hour earlier.
‘Sorry, I was going to come straight out to find you as soon as we were done with the carpenter, but I spotted you sitting beneath the willow with your notebook and didn’t know if you needed a bit of time to yourself to think about the wedding.’ She picked up a fresh cafetière of coffee. ‘Would you like another coffee?’
‘No, I’m fine thanks.’ Ellie held her hand up, dismissing the offer. ‘And yes, it was nice to have a moment to reflect on the gardens and the inn.’
Smiling, Laura placed the cafetière back down. ‘So, what do you think? Will you take on the task of planning mine and Jackson’s wedding?’
‘I’d love to.’ Ellie smiled. That wander in the inn’s garden had been just what she’d needed. Between the fresh air, the peace and the birdsong, she felt more refreshed than she had since this horrid business with Melissa had begun last week. ‘Would you mind if I take your sketchbooks home with me to have a proper look through and then perhaps we can schedule another meeting for tomorrow? I know it’s soon, but given our three-month time frame, I think I’d like to be able to make a start on booking what we need to. And if you and Jackson have a spare few minutes today to discuss the idea of holding the ceremony here at the inn, then perhaps we can talk about your decision tomorrow too?’
‘Yes, okay. Tomorrow will be good. Thank you. I’ve been so worried about it all, and we’ve both been tempted to push the date back until next year, but we just want to get married as soon as possible and get on with the rest of our lives together. It sounds daft, doesn’t it?’
‘Not at all. It’s completely understandable.’ Ellie moved the sketchbooks into a pile on the table, ready to pick them up. She’d never felt like that with Rick. She’d never wanted to rush things and marry quickly. Heck, they’d never even got to the engagement part. But it looked as though Laura and Jackson had found the unicorn in relationships. They seemed to be truly in love. ‘And I’ll do all I can to make this a special day for you.’
‘Thank you.’ Laura beamed as she led the way through to the hallway.
‘See you tomorrow. And thank you for these.’ Ellie nodded towards the sketchbooks in her arms. ‘I love it when a couple does their homework.’
‘Haha, I can’t promise it’s all good!’ Laura laughed as she turned to answer the phone at the reception desk as it started ringing.
Pulling open the front door, Ellie stepped through and closed it behind her. She’d always thought Pennycress had a special feel to it, cosy and homely, but she hadn’t been inside for a few years since she’d had the time to attend Meadowfield’s craft group and Vivienne, the previous innkeeper, had plied the crafters with tea and cakes during each meeting. Yes, Laura and Jackson had definitely kept that specialness alive.
