by Lacey London
Running my fingers through her soft coat, I finally allow myself to relax. Janie might be driving me crazy, but let’s look on the bright side, Lianna’s coming home! A smile plays on the corner of my lips and I wiggle my toes against the soft bedding. My best friend, who I have spent the last two years missing terribly is finally coming back to see me! We have been over to Barbados numerous times to visit her, but this will be the first time since she left that she will be back on home soil.
A frisson of excitement runs through my veins as I picture the two of us at our old haunts. I hope Vernon is prepared to wave goodbye to his wife for a little while, because for the time that she’s here I’m not going to let her out of my sight. Barbados might be where Li lives, but London will always be her home. They say that home is where the heart is and my heart has felt a little bit empty since the day she left.
Pumpkin creeps towards me and snuggles her face into my belly. Allowing my eyes to close, I find myself counting my blessings. I may have one very audacious mother-in-law who isn’t aware when she’s outstayed her welcome, but Lianna’s coming home and that makes me happy, even if it is just for a little while…
Friends are flowers in the garden of life…
Chapter 5
‘Personally, I would go with the spray roses. I think they would set the lilies off beautifully.’ Holding open the wedding brochure, I wait for the pickiest customer in the world to make a decision.
‘I dunno…’ Screwing up her nose, she shakes her red hair and flips through the pages. ‘I just don’t know if roses say wedding. Do you know what I mean?’
Nope. I absolutely do not know what she means. Roses have been hailed the classic wedding flower since, well, since forever. I smile through gritted teeth and take back the catalogue. She has dismissed every other flower in the book. Spray roses were my last hope. Where the hell do we go from here?
‘How are we getting on?’ Dawn appears at my side and flashes Miss Fussy a friendly smile. ‘Have you come to a decision?’
‘We’re getting there…’ I give Dawn a look that says we are most certainly not getting there and hand her the book. ‘Although, perhaps we could do with a second opinion.’
‘Sure.’ Taking a seat next to me, Dawn looks between the customer and I confidently. ‘What have we got so far?’
‘Calla lilies.’ We answer in unison.
‘Great choice!’ Dawn gushes enthusiastically. ‘One of our most popular wedding flowers.’
I nod in agreement and hope that Dawn has better luck than I’ve had for the past two hours. Scanning the brochure, Dawn appears deep in thought for a few moments before breaking into a grin.
‘OK, how about hydrangeas? We have the most stunning lilac hydrangeas…’
‘I hate hydrangeas.’ The customer purses her lips and frowns, clearly disgusted at the idea of having such hideous flowers in her bridal bouquet.
‘Oh…’ Dawn nudges me under the table and I bite my lip to stop myself from laughing. ‘Well, I also have some very pretty lilac tulips…’
‘I also hate lilac.’ The fastidious redhead spits out lilac with such venom that I actually wince.
Dawn looks at me perplexed and holds up her bridal breakdown. ‘But the notes say that your colour scheme is purple.’
‘Exactly!’ She snaps, grabbing her handbag and pushing out her seat. ‘Purple, not lilac.’ I exchange panicked glances with Dawn as she shakes on her coat and makes for the door. ‘Forget it. This has been a complete waste of my time. I shall use another florist. One that actually knows the difference between purple and lilac.’
Watching her march down the street, I stare at the spot where she once stood with my jaw wide open.
‘Talk about a bridezilla…’ Dawn whispers, slamming the wedding catalogue shut and exhaling loudly. ‘She was a bloody nightmare!’
‘Who was a nightmare?’ Eve steps out of the store room with a bucket of sunflowers and plonks them onto the counter.
‘Clara’s customer.’ Dawn stretches her tanned arms out above her head and yawns. ‘There was just no pleasing her.’
‘To be honest, I don’t think she knew herself what she wanted.’ I spin around to face Eve and drop the bridal breakdown into the bin.
Eve pulls some sweets out of her apron pocket and pops one into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully before throwing a couple over to Dawn and myself. ‘Did you try tulips?’ She asks, tapping her glossy nails on the counter.
‘Yes.’ We reply simultaneously.
‘Roses?’
‘Yes.’
‘Hydrangeas?’
‘Yes!’
‘I’m going to save you some time, Eve. We tried everything!’ Pushing myself to my feet, I check my watch and wander over to the window.
‘Oh…’ Eve shrugs her shoulders and sighs. ‘Well, I hope she finds what she is looking for.’
‘I don’t…’ Dawn grumbles, running her fingers through her mahogany hair.
Eve and I exchange shocked glances and Dawn is quick to defend herself.
‘What? She was horrible!’
Not being able to disagree with her, I resort to a stifled giggle as Eve shakes her head disapprovingly. Realising that it’s nearing closing time, I lean against the glass and stare outside at the busy street. The resident eccentric lady is perched on her bench, shouting something about the economy to anyone who will listen. Excitement runs through me as I remember that unlike the other six nights in the week, tonight I am not heading home. For this one night I am not the dishwasher, the laundry doer, the maid or the toilet cleaner. Tonight I get to do something a little more enjoyable. Spinning around I flash Eve and Dawn a smile and point to the clock on the wall.
‘Fifteen minutes, girls! Have you got that Friday feeling yet?’
* * *
‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ Gina holds out her glass and the rest of us clink our champagne flutes against it.
‘Thank God it’s Friday!’ We echo happily, before taking a sip of the crisp bubbles.
Swooning at the taste, I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. I have waited all week for this one evening and now that it’s here, I’m going to savour each and every second.
‘Well, we made it through another week!’ Dawn giggles and reaches over for the bowl of olives.
‘We certainly did. Here’s to tonight’s book club. I hope it proves as educational as all the others!’ I wink cheekily as a laugh echoes around the room.
This has to be the best idea that Eve has ever had. Our now famous book club is held every Friday evening and has become my favourite part of the week. Kicking back in my seat, I scan my surroundings and feel every muscle in my body start to relax. When Eve and I stumbled across Artemis on our way home one afternoon, we immediately fell in love with its cosy surroundings and quaint interior. The ivory walls are adorned with stunning images of Greek gods and goddesses, making you feel like you’ve stepped into an extraordinary art gallery. Tipping back my head to take in the intricate drawings, I run my fingers along the stem of my glass and get comfortable in my plush seat.
When Eve suggested that we start a book club, it’s fair to say that I wasn’t exactly forthcoming with my offer to join. It was only when she revealed that she didn’t intend to do any actual reading in this club that she pricked my attention. You see, being excused from your daily duties is a lot easier when you have the justification of an educational book club. Telling your husband that you’re abandoning him for one evening a week to drink cocktails and dance with your girlfriends generally goes down like a lead balloon, as the four of us soon discovered.
Until Floral Fizz came along, Eve was used to being the very bored housewife of a very rich man. I don’t think she quite realised what actual work entailed. After just a couple of months at the florist, Eve declared that she needed at least one day a week where she could let her hair down and have some me time. With Floral Fizz being my first job since I had Noah, I must admit that I was finding it a little demanding too
and the thought of a club for women who felt the same seemed right up my street. As it turns out, our club ended up consisting of just four members. Eve, Dawn, Gina and myself, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
‘So, does anyone have any gossip to share?’ Gina asks, adjusting her tiny sequin dress and throwing back her bubbles.
Not wanting to give up my juicy piece of Lianna information just yet, I purse my lips and wait to see if anyone else speaks up first. Realising that no one has anything to offer, I decide to reveal all.
‘Actually, I have some pretty exciting news…’ Placing my glass on the table, I take in the three pairs of wide eyes that are staring at me in anticipation.
‘I know what it is!’ Dawn suddenly exclaims, jumping to her feet. ‘You’re pregnant!’
‘No!’ I yell loudly, a little offended that Dawn thinks I look like I’m with child. ‘If I were pregnant do you really think I would be knocking back champagne?’
‘Oh, yeah…’ Dawn smiles apologetically and sits back down, looking slightly embarrassed.
Shaking my head at her, I glance over at Eve who looks down at the ground sadly. Bloody hell. I keep forgetting that anything baby related is off limits when Eve is around. She would kill me for saying that, but I can’t stand the hurt look that washes across her face. She doesn’t even know that she’s doing it which makes it a million times worse.
‘What is it then?’ Gina asks, tapping her feet in time to the music and bringing me back to the subject in question.
‘Well…’ I drum my fingers on the table to build up the momentum and hold my breath. ‘Lianna’s coming home!’
‘Oh my God!’ Eve squeals, putting down her orange juice. ‘When?’
I let out a laugh and shift around in my seat. ‘It’s just for a short visit, but she lands in a couple of weeks.’
An excited buzz echoes around the room and I sit back and revel in their enthusiasm. Watching my friends chatter animatedly amongst themselves, I can’t help but feel a little like Santa Claus. It’s like Christmas has come early. I knew this would lift everyone’s spirits! I almost forget that Lianna isn’t just my friend and that the others miss her just as much as I do.
‘This is fantastic!’ Gina motions to the barman that we will have another round of fizz and fluffs up her black hair. ‘I’ve missed that girl so bloody much.’
‘We all have!’ Eve sighs and perches on the arm of my chair. ‘I haven’t seen her for almost a year now.’
‘Me neither.’ I add, recalling the last time that I went to Barbados.
‘Count yourselves lucky.’ Gina scoffs and slips the barman a wad of notes. ‘Marc and I haven’t seen her since she left!’
We sit in a strange silence for a moment as we cast our thoughts to our dear friend.
‘I am so glad that Li met Vernon.’ Gina muses, swapping her empty glass for a full one. ‘She’s had some awful boyfriends in the past…’
‘Really?’ Eve turns to face Gina and waits for her to elaborate further.
As Gina fills Eve in on Lianna’s dating disasters, I slide over to Dawn and place the olives between us.
‘You’re going to love Li.’ I give her as friendly smile and pop an olive into my mouth.
‘To be honest, I feel like I know her already! You guys talk about her all the time!’ She giggles and turns a deep shade of pink as a gorgeous man in a navy suit walks by and blatantly checks her out.
‘Was he checking me out?’ She gasps, straining her neck for a better look at the mystery man.
‘I think he was!’ A rush of adrenaline runs through me as she reaches out and squeezes my arm.
Frantically looking around in her purse, she pulls out a compact mirror and tops up her lipstick. ‘How’s my hair?’
I give her a quick once over and nod in response. ‘It’s perfect! You look amazing.’
She really does. Wearing a nude, lace dress with her glossy hair cascading down her back in a series of perfect curls, she looks almost unrecognisable from the woman who trims the roses at work. I don’t think most of our customers would know her from Adam if they saw her right now. That’s one of my favourite things about this book club, it gives us a chance to see one another without the obligatory apron or mum jeans. When you see someone every day in a working environment, you almost forget that they’re a real person out of office hours.
‘How’s that delightful mother-in-law of yours doing?’ Dawn shouts over the music, which is now noticeably higher than it was ten minutes ago. ‘I’m actually surprised that she isn’t here tonight.’
‘Don’t get me started on Janie.’ I growl, already knowing that I have sunk enough to go on a drunken rampage. ‘She is literally driving me up the wall. I don’t know how much more I can take…’ Dawn nods knowingly and opens her mouth to speak, but I carry on regardless. ‘She came home drunk last night, again. That’s the third time this week.’
‘Wow…’ Dawn’s eyes widen as my voice gets higher.
‘Did I tell you that she brought a guy home on Tuesday?’ She shakes her head and covers her mouth in shock. ‘And on the way home the other night, she was chatting up the delivery guy from the pizza place on Alton Lane.’
‘Pizza Navona?’ Eve chips in and I am suddenly aware that she and Gina are listening in on our conversation.
‘Yes!’ I raise my glass and narrowly avoid spilling it over Dawn’s dress.
‘You don’t mean Francesco, do you?’ Eve whispers in horror, looking over her shoulder as though she is half expecting him to be stood behind her.
I nod and take a sip of my fizz as Eve recoils, obviously as disgusted as I am.
‘Am I the only one who thinks Francesco is a little cute?’ Gina digs out her phone and blinks at the screen, oblivious to the fact that the rest of us are staring at her in shock.
‘What?’ She yells, hiding her grin behind her glass. ‘He is.’
‘Anyway…’ Dawn glares at Gina and shakes her head. ‘Cute or not, I am sure we can all agree that Janie is well out of order.’
‘Definitely.’ Eve tucks her blonde bob behind her ears and adjusts the hem on her skirt. ‘I remember when we had Owen’s mother living with us. I swear, it nearly pushed us to breaking point.’
‘Really?’ I lean forward in a bid to block out the music. ‘Was she as bad as Janie?’
Eve purses her lips and taps her wedding band on the rim of her glass. ‘I’ll admit she wasn’t as obvious as Janie, but she was absolutely awful.’
‘What did she do?’ Dawn asks, finishing the last of the olives.
‘What didn’t she do more like! She would belittle me in front of Owen, tell everyone who would listen that I was a gold-digger and not a day went by that she didn’t make sure I knew exactly what she thought of me.’
‘That’s awful!’ I visibly wince and look at Gina and Dawn for their reactions. ‘I can’t believe Owen would let her treat you like that.’
Eve shrugs her shoulders and takes a sip of her orange juice. ‘Owen was completely ignorant to her behaviour.’
A pang of understanding resonates with me as my mind flits to my own husband. ‘That’s exactly the same with Oliver.’
‘See, that’s what I find weird.’ Gina sighs and picks up the cocktail menu. ‘For all the years I’ve known Oliver, he’s hated Janie’s outlandish behaviour more than anyone.’
‘Exactly!’ I slur, suddenly aware that I might have had one too many. ‘For some inexplicable reason they’ve become the best of friends! That’s what makes it so infuriating. I feel like the bitch wife who’s stuck in the middle of their new found friendship.’
‘I think we’ve all been there!’ Gina laughs loudly and beckons over the barman.
‘Not me!’ Dawn waves her hands around to show off her bare ring finger.
‘So, you are single?’ The handsome man from earlier props himself up at the bar behind us and passes the barman a card.
The three of us glare at Dawn enviously as she seems to lose the ab
ility to speak. Giving her a quick dig in the ribs, Gina stands to her feet and physically drags Dawn over to the bar.
‘This is Dawn.’ Gina rests her heavily tanned hand on her hip and smacks her lips together. ‘She’s thirty-six…’
‘Thirty-four.’ Dawn corrects, suddenly regaining the use of her tongue.
‘She’s thirty-four.’ Gina repeats suspiciously, shooting the gorgeous stranger a wink. ‘She’s single and she’s looking for a good time…’
‘Gina!’ Dawn hisses, playfully hitting her on the arm.
Letting out a laugh, Dawn’s admirer holds out his hand. ‘I’m Hugh, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Dawn.’
His voice is low and husky as he takes her hand in his and smiles broadly. I don’t even need to look back at Eve to know that she is swooning too. Motioning for Gina to leave them alone, I order a few cocktails with the barman and deliberately move further along the bar. As he whips up our drinks, I can’t help but peek at Dawn out of the corner of my eye. After a pretty uneventful love life, Dawn had a whirlwind relationship with a man from Brighton. She was so blissfully happy until it turned out that her new found love already had a lifelong love of his own. After six months of romantic dinners and trips to the seaside, Samuel revealed that he was actually married. Although she didn’t let it show, Dawn was devastated and swore herself off men for good, so it’s fabulous to see her getting back in the saddle.
The barman places our glasses down in front of us, but I don’t think I can face it. My head is starting to hurt from all the fizz and even though I don’t have work tomorrow, I’m very aware that I have a little boy who’s going to be expecting a visit to the park at 9am. Clearly not having the same worries, Gina plonks herself down on a stool and picks up her glass.
‘Do you want mine?’ I ask, pushing it towards her. ‘I think I’ve had enough.’
‘Don’t be soft!’ Gina scoffs. ‘Besides, one more won’t hurt you, you’re already wasted!’ She throws back her head and cackles, almost toppling off her seat in the process.
