The Flower Shop on Foxley Street

by Rachel Dove

  Lily guffawed. ‘I highly doubt that, but thanks.’

  Roger looked serious suddenly, and he gripped her hand. ‘Just promise me one thing,’ he said earnestly. Lily braced herself.

  ‘Do not tell your mother how to use Skype. I swear, she FaceTimed me the other day, and I still haven’t recovered. You don’t want to see that, trust me.’

  Lily was still laughing as she got into the car.

  Her mother looked at her in the back seat. ‘Something funny, dear?’ she asked, her eyes crinkling in the corners.

  ‘No,’ she said, looking out of the window at her safe haven as they pulled away. ‘Nothing funny, just happy.’

  ***

  Will almost took Celeste off her feet as he punched in the door code and ran through the lobby.

  ‘Ouf! Will, Will, it’s okay!’ She grabbed him by the arm, stopping him from sprinting off.

  ‘Her parents are with her. Just take a minute – you look like hell.’

  Will bent over, waiting for the adrenaline running through his system to calm down as he rested his hands on his knees.

  Celeste went to fetch him a tumbler of water from the cooler nearby. He took it from her gratefully, straightening up. His chest was heaving, and he felt every drop of the cold water as it entered his body, cooling him down from the inside.

  ‘What happened?’

  Celeste motioned him to take a seat in the small reception area behind them. When they were both sat, she looked at him as though she was trying to find her words.

  ‘Celeste, just tell me please.’

  ‘Will, Kimberley has another infection. As you know, patients in long-term coma care are susceptible to infections, particularly with your wife’s injuries from the crash. Her breathing has deteriorated drastically. We were able to get her back to almost full health last time, but she will continue to get worse with each one. Her body is trying to shut down. The ventilator is the only thing keeping her here.’

  Will nodded. He knew it was coming, and he thought of Kim, vibrant and full of life on their wedding day. They had been so happy.

  ‘We talked about this, you know, as you do sometimes. She’s an organ donor; she carried a card. She never wanted to end up like this. She would hate it.’

  Celeste nodded. ‘Without a living care plan in place, or a DNR, we have to respect the wishes of the family.’

  Will twisted his ring around, again and again on his finger.

  ‘That’s you, Will. You are her husband – that means it’s your choice. Not theirs.’

  ‘How can I do that to them? She’s not my wife, not really. You know that.’

  Celeste pursed her lips. ‘No one can tell you what to do, Will, but I am telling you that she is dying. This is the best she will ever be. Kimberly is not here, not really.’

  ***

  Will dropped his head, his shoulders rocking. The sound of such a huge man crying so hard made Celeste brush away her own tears. She was so fond of Will. Sometimes her job was more than she could take.

  ‘I’m so sorry, William. No matter what, you are here for her; you always have been. No matter how this ends, you need to ask yourself: what would Kim say, if she were here?’

  She walked away then, retreating discreetly to her office, watching him from a distance as he cried himself out.

  ***

  His phone rang in his pocket, and he reached for it automatically.

  ‘Hello?’ he managed to croak out.

  ‘Will?’ Roger said, sounding a bit bemused. ‘Are you okay?’

  Will sniffed, rubbing his hands over his eyes as he gripped the phone. ‘I’ve had better days, Rog. What’s wrong? Is Lily okay?’

  Roger sighed down the line, and Will stood up, trying to shake the dead-tired feeling he had in his limbs. ‘She’s gone, Will. She left for the airport with her parents. I have the details, I just wanted to try one last time to convince you to go see her.’

  Will’s face crumpled as he fought to keep the tears from falling again. He couldn’t even speak. He felt as though he had a lead weight in his throat. If he opened his mouth, he would be done. He could feel his heart splintering, pulling away, chamber by chamber, and he had to remind himself to breathe. He clenched his fist.

  ‘Roger, I can’t. I have to let her go. She needs to do this. I can’t keep her here. It’s not right. I have to let her go.’

  He looked down the corridor leading to Kim’s room.

  ‘I have to do the right thing. Let them both go.’

  ‘Both?’ Roger asked, baffled, but Will had already cut the call.

  ***

  He was walking down the corridor, telling his legs to work. One foot in front of the other. Left, right. Keep going. Nearly there. His heart thudded in his ears comfortingly. Thuds telling him he was still alive, though he felt numb.

  Kim’s room was dimly lit. Her parents sat at each side of her bed.

  Her mother rounded on him crossly, jumping up from her bedside. Kim’s arm that her mother had been holding dropped back to the bed with a flumph sound.

  ‘Where the hell have you been?’ she demanded. Will ignored her, striding around her to take the place she had just vacated. He picked up Kim’s limp hand tenderly, holding it to his face and rubbing his lips against the back of her hand. He sobbed again, kissing her fingers over and over.

  ‘I am so sorry, Kim. I will make it right, I promise. I love you.’

  He gently lowered her hand to the bed, keeping it wrapped between his.

  ‘Take a seat,’ he said, motioning to a spare chair in the corner. ‘I haven’t been honest with you. I need you to listen to me, and actually listen.’

  John and Isobel stared at him before agreeing silently.

  ‘I love Kimberley, but she is not mine. The man she was with when she died – he wasn’t just a work colleague. She loved him, and he loved her. She was leaving me for him, and now she needs to return to him.’

  John said nothing, just stared open-mouthed.

  Isobel balked. ‘How can you say such a thing? She can’t even defend herself. How could you –’

  ‘Shut up, Isobel.’ John’s stern voice rang out across the room. ‘Can’t you see how Will has been since this happened? He never left her side, but something isn’t right, and you know it. Will, carry on.’ He glared at his wife again as she started to object, and she closed her mouth.

  ‘She was leaving me that night – her bags were in his car. They were going to get married, but they had the accident, and he died. You might not want to hear this, but we don’t have any more time. She met his family, they knew her well, and they loved her too. I wouldn’t let them near her, but I was wrong. I was angry and upset, but we need to call them. We have to say goodbye, and let her go.’

  Isobel howled, and John went to her side to comfort her. He pulled her up into his arms, as she emitted a howl that Will had never heard before. It sounded like pure pain, feral. It was a sound that Will knew he would never forget.

  ‘Look,’ he said softly. ‘As her husband, it’s my choice, but I could never do that. She isn’t mine, she is yours, and his. She wouldn’t want this, and you know it. We have to let her go, but they need to say goodbye too.’

  Isobel said nothing, and the room was filled with her anguish. Will rubbed a tear away, determined to be strong. He looked at his wife, and for a second, he almost thought he saw her smile through the tubes. He didn’t of course, she was gone, but the thought she was watching somewhere comforted him.

  John cleared his throat, rubbing his wife’s back. ‘Call them, Will. Get them here.’

  Will nodded, and left the room.

  EPILOGUE

  Fifteen months later

  Will took a deep breath as he pulled up in his jeep. He had parked a little away from the gathering crowds, to give himself chance to get his bearings before the onslaught of the day. He had been planning this day for so long that he could scarce believe it had arri
ved. All the hard work, the late nights, the time spent following the designs he knew so well, and today everyone would see it. They would be able to enjoy it with their families, walk their dogs, take a moment to smell the flowers. He just hoped that he did it justice.

  He took a breath and checked his reflection in the mirror, then he got out of the jeep and started to make his way to the entrance. It was time to enjoy the day, make some people happy. He just wished that the one person he wanted to make happy was here, and that he could talk to her. She would love today, and he had felt closer to her by undertaking this labour of love. He had to try enjoy it at least, and try not to think about all the days that came after, when he would still be alone.

  Walking across the newly constructed car park area, Will looked up to the sky. The August weather was perfect, as though it had jumped from the surface of a picture-perfect postcard. He could hear the birds in the trees, feel the sunlight on his skin. Even for Yorkshire, it was a pretty amazing sight.

  ‘Will?’ a voice called behind him. He spun around and noticed a familiar figure standing there.

  ‘Ryan?’ Will said. ‘Listen, man, I don’t want any trouble, okay? Not today.’

  Ryan started walking towards him, and Will noticed he was dressed smartly.

  ‘I didn’t come to cause trouble. I got an invitation to be here today. We all did. I wanted to come to thank you as well. Them being buried together, getting to say goodbye to her, it meant so much to my family.’

  Will shook his head. ‘You don’t owe me an apology, Ryan. I owe that to you. I wasn’t thinking straight. I was angry, and I took it out on your family.’

  The two men looked at each other, before finally shaking hands. ‘I get it. It’s water under the bridge.’

  Will nodded, relieved. ‘So, you said you got an invite? Who was it from? Kim’s parents?’

  Ryan smiled, pointing behind Will. ‘I’m guessing it was from her.’

  Ryan patted his shoulder and walked towards the main entrance, chuckling. Will whirled around and saw Lily leaning against his jeep. She looked beautiful. She was dressed in a simple blue checked shirt, knotted over a white tank top and denim blue shorts. She was tanned, her hair even blonder than the last time he saw her. She rested one hiking-boot-clad foot against his front tyre. Will couldn’t believe his eyes, but there she was, waving.

  He walked slowly to her, taking her in as she gazed at him. He stopped when they were inches apart. They could hear people arriving, walking up to the entrance, but neither of them moved an inch.

  ‘Hi,’ she said softly.

  ‘Hi,’ he replied. His voice gave out a little on the small word of greeting, but he swallowed hard and tried to speak again.

  ‘You made my garden,’ she said, smiling.

  ‘I made your garden.’

  ‘Pretty ambitious for someone to take on single-handed.’

  ‘When you left, I had some time on my hands. I needed a project.’

  Lily’s lip twitched. ‘It’s beautiful. I could never have designed it like this.’

  Will shook his head. ‘I followed your plan to the letter. It’s all you.’

  She flicked her gaze to the garden, where people were congregating around tables positioned around a small stage set up in the distance. Will didn’t look away. He couldn’t believe that she was here, and he wasn’t about to miss a second of her being right there in front of him, close enough to touch.

  ‘I’m sorry about your wife,’ she said, not looking at him. ‘I know you loved her, and I am so sorry she died.’

  Will’s heart stopped. She knew. ‘How?’

  She took a step forward, touching his cheek with her hand tenderly. ‘I have my spies. I have been getting regular email updates on what everyone has been up to.’

  Will thought of Simon and Elaine, Roger and James. They were her friends, but now he considered them friends of his, too. They had been there, at Kimberley’s funeral, holding him up, and he would never forget their kindness.

  ‘Roger and James came to meet me in Barcelona. They told me the truth. The whole story. I am so sorry, Will, I judged you too harshly. I should have let you explain, but I was just so hurt. Stuart was the bad guy. I should have realized that too, but I guess I just wasn’t adult enough to recognize what was happening.’

  ‘Ah, so now you are a thirty something, and the original old soul eh, with your stamped passport and your exotic tan.’

  She went to poke him, and he grabbed her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers.

  ‘I missed you, Lily,’ he said simply. ‘I am so sorry I lied to you.’

  ‘I understand,’ she said, bringing his hand to her lips. ‘I forgive you. Now show me our beautiful garden.’

  ***

  They started to walk to the entrance, neither letting the other’s hands go at first. Lily tried to pull away from his hand, aware that Ryan and others would be watching, but Will squeezed her tighter. He moved closer to her, rubbing his thumb along her hand. She relaxed a little, and they heard the microphone spring to life.

  Agatha Mayweather stood there, resplendent in her usual pastel shades. She really was the Queen of Westfield, and today her subjects were excited to share the day. Lily saw Taylor stood at the side, along with her parents, who were wrapped around each other, the troubles of the last few months long forgotten. They were heading out next month, touring Spain, and Lily was to take the shop back. She couldn’t wait to settle down again, put down some new roots, intertwined with her childhood ones. It wouldn’t stop her booking her next adventure abroad though.

  ‘Thank you, one and all, for coming today to mark the opening of our new community garden. This project has been a pleasure to watch grow every day, and real love has gone into it.’ The crowd started to clap, and Agatha pursed her lips, cross at the interruption. Lily rolled her eyes at Will, who chuckled. They could see Taylor’s shoulders shaking with the effort of keeping his amusement in.

  Agatha cleared her throat with a ‘hum, hum’ sound. ‘As I was saying, this project is a wonderful addition to our village, and I now ask that the creators – Lily Baxter and William Singer – come up here, for the unveiling.’ She pointed straight at the pair, and Lily gasped. Agatha hadn’t told her about this little part of the day. All eyes turned to them, and Will tucked her into him, just like he did that night at the club, and led her, hands entwined, to the podium. A glance at him told Lily he was unaware of what was going on. She just hoped that her part of the plan didn’t backfire, especially in such a public way. She hoped Agatha knew what she was doing, calling them up to the front like this.

  They walked up to the stage, applause ringing in their ears.

  Agatha smiled at them kindly. ‘William, and Lily, the people of Westfield thank you for creating something so beautiful.’

  ***

  Will looked down at the crowd, and was shocked to see who Ryan was standing with. Kim’s parents were smiling up at him, flanked by Ryan and his family. He looked at Lily, but she just squeezed his hand.

  ‘It’s okay,’ she whispered. ‘I’m here.’

  ‘Now, without further ado, I declare the Kimberley Singer Memorial Garden open!’

  Will looked in disbelief at the sign as Agatha pulled off the white covering. There it was, his wife’s name in big letters, and below it, were written his and Lily’s. They were named as the founders of the garden. Tears welled in his eyes, and he felt Lily put her arm around his side. He looked back at the crowd and saw Damon’s family hugging Kimberley’s parents.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Lily said quietly to him, watching him with concern. ‘I hope you’re not mad.’

  Will looked again at the faces of the people who had loved his wife, and looked back at Lily. ‘I can’t believe you did this for her. It’s amazing.’

  Lily smiled at him, relief spreading through her features. ‘Agatha told me what you were doing here, with the plans Roger gave you from the shop. I wanted to do something for Kim, and them.’

&n
bsp; ‘I love you,’ he said simply, looking down at their entwined hands. ‘Even when I wasn’t free, I belonged to you. You put me back together, Lily, and I didn’t deserve you.’

  Lily shook her head, leading him towards the steps, away from the stage.

  ‘Not here,’ she said and his heart sank.

  She led him away from the crowds, people stopping them along the way to say hello, talk about the garden. They walked away from them all, and Lily led him to his jeep. They said nothing, sitting inside and looking out of the window at the people in the village milling around. The stalls were all up and running now, and low music was playing through the speakers, punctuated by the laughter and giggles of families enjoying themselves.

  Sat in the relatively confined space in his vehicle, it felt like the world had gone away, left them to have some privacy, to be together.

  ‘You know, I sat on a beach in Bali a couple of months ago, and I spoke to you.’

  Will said nothing, just turned his eyes to focus on hers.

  ‘Sounds daft, I know, but I felt like you were with me when I left. I was so mad at you for lying to me, I couldn’t believe that I was wasting my energy thinking about what you were doing, where you were. I didn’t think about Stuart at all, and I realized then that I never loved him. Not truly. I didn’t know it, of course. It’s just that when you find the real love, then you realize that everything before it was just a practice run.’

  Will nodded, looking at the woman who stole his heart all that time ago in the flower shop.

  ‘Roger wrote to me, email after email, telling me about home, asking me about my travels. Then, one day, I was in Paris and he wrote me again. He told me about your wife, about how you didn’t abandon her, even after she hurt you. You stayed on your own, so people wouldn’t think less of her, and I realized how awful I had been to you.’

  Will looked to see if they were being watched, and satisfied no one was around, he drew her close.

  ***

  Lily put her arms around his shoulders, breathing in his scent. It reminded her of home.

  He nuzzled into her hair, dropping a kiss on her neck. ‘You have nothing to be sorry for. I just wish I had told you the truth.’