The Flower Shop on Foxley Street

by Rachel Dove

‘What did he say?’ she asked him quietly, as they walked across the foyer to the main doors. Will still looked angry, but he stopped and faced her, brushing a strand of hair out of her face.

  ‘The guy is trash,’ he said, ‘just ignore him. He made a comment about you. I wasn’t having it.’ He looked down at her, his brown eyes searching hers. ‘You okay? You can trust me, you know. I will always keep you safe.’

  Lily nodded, her whole body feeling fuzzy. ‘I know.’

  Will looked relieved and he let out a deep breath. ‘Let’s get out of here.’

  Lily walked with him, his arm still wrapped tight in hers. His girl?

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Lily waved Roger goodbye through the window and flipped the sign over. It was dark outside, and catching her reflection in the glass showed her how tired she looked. She wanted nothing more than a hot bath and a night in front of the television, but that meant going home, and she didn’t relish the thought of seeing her parents, even without the hangover.

  Turning around, she looked around her little haven of paradise and sighed. Tomorrow was Sunday, and she had plans to raid IKEA, use her emergency credit card if necessary to furnish the flat. It only needed a lick of paint upstairs, a little updating, the plumbing was all top notch and the heating worked. It even had a great sash window over the shop that looked out over Westfield, and the top of the fire escape from the door out of the back would be perfect for a little bistro set of table and chairs. She could just imagine herself sitting out there with her morning coffee and oats.

  Okay, so it wasn’t a coffee shop in Paris, or a terrace in Florence, but there was plenty of time for her to still visit those places. Once her parents let her go a bit, once she settled in, maybe then. Perhaps Stuart would tour again with his golfing, then she could join him here and there, see a little bit of the world. He was always talking about hitting the road again, and with all the early mornings and late nights he was putting in lately, something was sure to happen soon.

  She suddenly realized with a jolt that this was the first time she had thought about Stuart all day, and not only had she not thought about him, she hadn’t spoken to him either. Heading to her handbag, she realized that her phone was still upstairs, on charge where she left it during her mid-morning dash. She headed upstairs to get it, half jogging up the stairs before she realized that her body was still bone tired and delicate from the alcohol.

  She tried to think back to when she had last spoken to Stuart, but she couldn’t remember. Not a good sign. Still, he hadn’t rung the shop, so he must be busy himself.

  Scrolling through her phone, she realized with dismay that it was full of texts and missed calls from her Dad, Stuart, Simon, and Elaine. She noticed that her mother hadn’t contacted her. Not surprising really, since the woman was stubborn as an ox.

  She saw that she had a text from an unknown number. As she opened it, her heart thumped in her chest.

  I am truly sorry that I ruined last night. I am not a monster; I had good reason. I hope you don’t think less of me, because I couldn’t bear that. I had fun, before anyway. Will x

  Lily smiled. Thinking of Will sending her that text, planning what to say, adding a kiss – it gave her a warm feeling. She couldn’t stop thinking about the night before, when he had wrapped himself around her protectively. He was warm, hot to the touch, his face flushed, and she had been hard pressed not to kiss him there and then. He looked so broken, so upset, and his chest still thumped from the adrenalin as he held her to him, pushing her out of the club and into the waiting cab.

  Simon and Elaine had fallen silent, till the cab pulled away and everyone seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Simon had then looked across at Will from the other side of the minibus, an odd look on his face.

  ‘Do you want to tell us what that was about?’

  Will’s gaze snapped to his, and he seemed to struggle to find any words. Finally, he sighed, putting his head down.

  ‘I’m so sorry you saw that, I …’

  ‘Sorry we saw it, but not sorry it happened. What is it between you and him?’ Simon persisted, picking up on Will’s choice of wording.

  Will looked across at Lily, and it was then she realized he still had her hand in his. He looked at it himself, squeezing it between his fingers gently, but not letting go. Lily looked across at Simon guiltily, but he was focused on Will. She wondered if he had heard any of what he had said to her as they were leaving. She still couldn’t work it out herself.

  ‘It’s a long difficult story,’ Will said finally. ‘But I am truly sorry. I lost control.’

  ‘I saw that,’ Simon said, and Lily realized he was cross. Elaine looked at her, smiling reassuringly. ‘My concern is Lily – she could have been hurt.’

  Will’s jaw flexed. ‘Not on my watch she wouldn’t. I told you, I would never hurt her.’

  He squeezed her fingers again, and Lily’s stomach flipped.

  ‘I believe you,’ Simon said, his expression relaxing. ‘Next time though, we try to avoid the boxing at the end of the night, eh?’

  The bubble of tension in the cab burst then, and Will leant forward and held out his free hand. Lily noticed his knuckles were cut. ‘You have my word,’ he rumbled.

  Simon grinned then, shaking his hand and patting Will on the shoulder. ‘To be fair, he seemed like a bit of a dick. I thought you were going to take his head off.’

  Will laughed, a short sound that sounded hollow to Lily. ‘I almost did.’

  Before they knew it, the journey was over. They were pulling outside Archie’s cottage and Will was jumping out. He kissed Elaine on the cheek, patted Simon in a brotherly way, and jumped out. Lily was about to say bye when he reached back into the cab, giving her such a quick peck on the lips that she almost thought she had dreamt the whole thing.

  ‘Night, Lily,’ he said softly, and then he was gone, walking to the cottage with an obvious tension in his gait, and the cab was trundling towards Foxley Street. Simon and Elaine were jabbering away but Lily had her head against the window, watching him walk away. Take a chance, for once in your life.

  The mantra she seemed to be hearing everywhere played in her head again. Just what it meant, she didn’t like to ask.

  ***

  Looking at the text again now, she headed back downstairs, turning off the lights, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She would face her parents, get a hot bath, and then reply properly. She heard a tap on the door, and her heart leapt. Maybe it was him, come to see her to explain in person. She grinned as she rounded the corner, and there was Stuart. He was cupping the window with his hands, looking for her. She forced the smile back onto her face and jogged to the door, flipping the catch.

  ***

  Well now, she is in one piece, and her phone is in her hand. You are slipping, Stu.

  ‘Well, that’s a relief. I thought you might have been dead, or just lying somewhere with broken thumbs.’ He nodded to the mobile in her hand, and she sheepishly tucked it into her coat pocket.

  ‘I’m sorry, I left it here last night, and we have been busy today. You could have rung the shop though,’ she countered. Stuart noticed that beneath her flushed pink cheeks, she looked pale. So, not only was she embarrassed for ignoring him, she was hung over. He wondered to himself if last night’s paranoia hadn’t quite been as misplaced as he had thought.

  ‘I know,’ he said, grabbing her coat and putting it around her shoulders. She smiled gratefully, and he grabbed her keys, turning off the rest of the lights. ‘I have been working myself though, busiest day of the week, if you didn’t remember.’

  She should know that – he spoke about his work to her often enough. She nodded, staying silent as they walked outside, pulling the shutters down. Huh. Normally she would be apologizing. She MUST be ill. He shrugged it off.

  ‘Anyway,’ he tried again, steering her to his car. ‘You can make it up to me tonight. The committee have that dinner dance in Harrogate, so I thoug
ht you might like to have dinner at mine, stay over, as long as we are up and out first thing, of course.’

  Lily frowned. ‘Oh, Stuart, I don’t think I can. I’m really tired, and I need a hot bath and bed I think.’ She started to take her keys from his hand and walk to her car. Stuart couldn’t believe it. She was always nagging to stay over in the early days, and now she had the chance, the golden invitation, she wanted to go home to her parents? What?

  He shushed her, steering her back to his own car.

  ‘What? No no no. You can come to mine and have a bath; we can order in.’

  ***

  Lily snorted. Heaven forbid he should cook for her, of course. Jamie Oliver he wasn’t. The poor man could burn a salad. She noticed Stuart eyeing her warily, so she stopped shaking her head and touched his arm gently.

  ‘Honestly, Stuart, I won’t be much company, and I have things to do on my day off. I –’

  ‘Perfect!’ Stuart squeaked, and he bundled her into his car, taking her keys from her and putting them in her pocket. Lily flinched when she felt her phone in there. When Stuart shut the door and headed to his side, she reached into her pocket, turning the phone off altogether and zipping it into the side pocket of her bag. If he saw the text from Will, she would have questions to answer that she couldn’t even ask herself. She had her hand on the handle when Stuart shut his door.

  ‘Lily!’ Stuart said, exasperated. ‘What’s wrong? Do you seriously not want to come to mine?’

  He looked a little put out, so Lily pecked him on the cheek, placating him.

  ‘I won’t be good company,’ she tried again. She felt exhausted, and she knew she would be asleep before her head hit the pillow. Stuart ignored her attempt, starting the engine.

  ‘So? Come and snuggle on the couch with me, eat some food. What else are you gonna do – watch Take Me Out with your parents?’ He looked across at her with a cheeky grin, waggling his eyebrows. He knew just what to say to get his own way. Lily wondered absently how many times he had done this before, without her even noticing. She shrugged the thought off, too tired to even think straight any more. Food on the couch sounded pretty good, especially parent free. Stuart flicked his beams on and pulled away. Lily hunkered down in the front seat, trying not to fall asleep.

  ***

  Stuart drove around a jeep as he drove away to the golf club. The occupant of the vehicle said nothing, but noticed Lily being driven away. Looking at his mobile, which was blank of messages and sat in its holder on the dashboard, Will sighed. Checking the car was gone and the street was empty, he walked to the front of the florist’s, setting down a hand-tied bunch of wild flowers from Agatha’s gardens down near the shutters. Looking up at the sign Love Blooms as he walked away, Will wondered to himself about the irony of him laying flowers for a woman who wasn’t his.

  As he walked back to the jeep, his phone rang in his pocket. Looking at the screen, he sighed.

  ‘Hello?’

  The familiar voice spoke and Will’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

  ‘Really? Since when?’

  The woman’s voice spoke again.

  ‘Okay,’ Will said, walking faster to the jeep. ‘I’m on my way. Do they know?’

  The voice said yes and Will nodded. ‘Okay good, see you soon.’

  He clipped the phone into the holder and sped away, looking one last time at the flowers as he passed.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ‘You have got to be kidding me!’ Lily awoke with a start to see Stuart pulling on his smart work clothes, yelling at a golfer on the sports channel. Stuart’s bedroom looked out onto the golf course and she could see some staff members making their way across the green on their way to the big house. The room was light and airy: big French doors led directly onto a balcony over the green. They were draped in long cream curtains, which matched the clean cream walls and beige carpet. It matched the rest of the cottage, which was set out like a generic holiday home.

  Stuart hadn’t made a mark on it in the years he had lived here, other than installing large televisions in the bedroom and living room, and buying every sports channel known to man. Lifting her head from the blue checked pillowcase, she squinted at the sun. Stuart was oblivious to the fact he had woken her. He was still too busy muttering under his breath about the golfer, who evidently didn’t know his arse from his elbow. Remarkable really, since he was good enough to be watched, on TV, from across the world.

  Lily sat up and stretched, wondering when Stuart got so cynical about the game he loved. He wasn’t always so critical, and she wondered when that had changed. Was it recent, or so gradual that it was hard to notice? Lily didn’t quite understand it herself, and she realized what she was feeling as she looked at Stuart. He was gelling his hair, applying putty to his spiky locks whilst berating the guy taking another putt below par. His mouth was twisted into a grimace, and it hit her. She was feeling unease. Disgust even. Was he always this cavalier?

  She pushed her mop of hair back from her face, and swung her legs out of bed. She had slept in her pants and a T-shirt of Stuart’s, and looking in the mirror, she realized what it said.

  FBI: female body inspector

  She found herself wondering what T-shirts Will had in his wardrobe. Nothing like this, she hoped. He didn’t seem the type, but then again, neither did Stuart. The text popped into her head, and she remembered her phone was still off. Kim swirled into her head too. The name made her feel ill. I wonder if Kim wears his T-shirts.

  Pushing the thought away, she took off the T-shirt, putting it in the hamper as though it was an unexploded bomb. She went to get ready, eager to put some distance between them for a while, catch her breath. Stuart tapped her on the behind as she passed him on the way to the bathroom.

  ‘Morning, babe, you got time for coffee before you head out?’

  Lily nodded over her shoulder. ‘A quick one – I have a lot to do,’ she said, rubbing her bottom where he had slapped it.

  ‘Cool, put the kettle on then. I just need to finish watching this.’

  Lily turned to look at Stuart, to see if he was kidding, but he was still primping his hair with one eye on the screen.

  ‘What?’ she said, an angry edge to her voice.

  ‘Co-ff-ee,’ he said to her, like you would speak to a child when you are trying to get them to put their shoes on at the front door. His eyes were still on the screen, and she felt the sudden urge to pull it off the wall and throw it at him. Anything to get his attention. Had he always been like this, or was she only just noticing? What is the deal, Lily! Get a grip!

  ‘Okay,’ she said, keeping her voice even. She headed for the bathroom and then shut the door and dressed as quickly as she could. She ran a comb through her hair, and slicked on a bit of lippy from her bag. She could hear Stuart talking to the television, so she slipped out, headed for the door. Passing the hamper, she grabbed the T-shirt.

  Stuart didn’t realize she had even gone till she was walking out of the huge main gates, headed for home. Looking at the gardens, she realized just how selfish Stuart was. He only tended what he wanted to, which was why the gardens were in such a poor state compared to the golfing green. If it didn’t matter to Stuart, in his little world, then it didn’t matter. She looked at the wilting bushes and shrubs and couldn’t help thinking it was a metaphor for their love.

  When she arrived outside her parents’ house, she felt like a sullen teen or twenty something, returning home after a big night out to face the parents. Which was funny, because when she WAS a teenager and twenty something, she never actually did any of that. Ever. Her weekends were spent at the shop with her parents, out on deliveries with her dad, doing homework in the back, learning how to make beautiful arrangements. She had never questioned her youth, but she was certainly starting to now.

  Fair enough, she would never miss drinking on street corners, or having a tattoo of Tweetie Pie stamped on her bottom, but still, some experiences would have been nic
e. Why hadn’t she seen it before?

  Her parents’ cars were both in the drive, but she knew that they would be home anyway. Not ones for church much, Sunday mornings were usually spent together, reading the papers over a leisurely breakfast. That was before though, before the retirement tsunami hit. Now, it was just routine that kept them indoors. Sighing, she walked up the path. Shame she didn’t have that tattoo really. It would be a nice distraction for her parents. Maybe even given them something to bond over.

  ***

  Pulling out of IKEA three and a half hours later, Lily smiled to herself. Not only had she survived her parents’ house, she had also managed to get round the large furniture warehouse, stuffed with families, students, and young couples all tussling for the latest flat-pack sensations. She had managed to fill her van with nice airy white pieces of furniture, some kitchen utensils, pots and pans, throws, curtains, and various other bits and pieces that would make the flat hers. She had even bought a new double bed and colourful sofa, to be delivered the next day.

  She had made a start, and for once she actually felt like a grown-up. She drove home slowly, savouring the solitude of driving on her own, the radio pouring out her favourite tunes. As she came into Westfield, a song about a waterfall came on that she recognized from the club, and thoughts of Will, angry and tense, popped into her head.

  She remembered his text, so contrite, and realized that she hadn’t even turned her phone on yet. As she pulled up to the shop, she turned it on. Letting it boot up in her pocket, she was starting to unload when she noticed a bunch of flowers had been left. They were wrapped in simple twine, and were wild flowers, but the simplicity of them was beautiful. Someone who understood the scent of these flowers had put them together. The smell was amazing, even after being sat out.

  She set down her bags, picking them up and inhaling deeply. They were a little wilted. She guessed that they had been left there a while, and she smiled to herself. Will. He must have left them. She touched one of the petals, thinking of the way his body had felt when he had wrapped himself around her, protecting her. The fact was, she should have felt threatened, angry even that he had been such a brute, but she didn’t. She had felt safe, like anything that came in front of his path would be taken down, and if she was with him, he would protect her. She felt safe with him, and the feeling was something that she hadn’t really experienced before.