The Summer House of Happiness

by Daisy James

  Gabbie opened her mouth to argue, to plead, to beg if necessary. Okay, everything Clara had said was true, and she accepted she was right, but a blind date? She couldn’t think of anything worse!

  ‘Clara, I’m not sure…’

  But her friend was on a roll.

  ‘It’s all arranged. So, put on your best party dress and sparkly heels, douse yourself in one of your love potions, and be ready outside at seven p.m. sharp. I’ll drive so you can have a few glasses of Prosecco to calm your nerves. Au revoir, ma petite choufleur.’

  Clara slurped a final mouthful of coffee, gave Gabbie a lascivious wink and collected her coat from the back of her chair, clearly anxious to make a quick getaway before Gabbie had time to marshal her arguments and come up with a rock-solid excuse for not joining her and Owen that night. Clara waved goodbye, then zoomed away from the garage forecourt with a jaunty toot of her horn.

  ‘Oh God! Oh God! Oh God!’

  ‘What’s the matter, sweetheart? Was that Clara I just saw screeching towards the village green?’ asked Jeff, snatching up one of the biscuits before Gabbie could whisk them away.

  ‘Yes, it was, but I’m not sure it was one of my best decisions to invite her over for a coffee this morning.’

  ‘Why not? You know, ever since you and Clara got together, you’re looking so much more like yourself again. She’s good for you.’

  ‘Well, I might just have to find a new best friend after tonight. She’s only gone and organised a blind date for me with one of Owen’s friends!’

  Jeff laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. ‘Dating is a great tonic for the self-confessed bookworm, Gabriella. What else do you have planned for tonight anyway? No Happily Ever Afters ever came from poring over those business accounts, that’s for sure!’

  ‘Actually, Dad, I wanted to talk to you about…’

  Suddenly she was aware that the reggae tune that had been blaring out from the garage had finished. Wil had paused in his toil to eavesdrop on Jeff and Gabbie’s conversation with interest, spanner held aloft like a conductor’s baton, a smirk stretching his face.

  ‘Hey, give the guy a chance, Gabbie.’

  ‘Wil, I really don’t think…’

  Gabbie’s face flooded with heat so she turned her back on Wil and her father and made a fuss about rinsing the mugs in the sink. Unfortunately, Wil ditched his task of fitting a new pair of windscreen wipers to an ancient VW Polo and came wading into the kitchen, closely followed by Max, who had just arrived for his shift looking even more handsome than usual in rolled-down overalls displaying a pristine, baby-blue T-shirt that strained against his bulging biceps. Memories of their kiss shot through her mind, the way his thumb had stroked the back of her neck, sending ripples of pleasure the length of her spine and…

  ‘Erm, actually, Gabbie, I wanted to ask you something?’

  Wil paused, his body language screaming awkwardness as he moved from one foot to the other in an attempt to build up the courage to continue.

  ‘I wondered if, well…’

  Max nodded and smiled at him encouragingly, producing those heart-stoppingly cute dimples. He strode over to the percolator on the kitchen bench, poured two mugs of coffee, handed one to Wil, and relaxed against the worktop, clearly ready to enjoy his front-row seat at the drama that was about to unfold

  ‘Do you think you could whip me up a love potion in that little summerhouse of yours? It’s just I had to work really hard to get Alicia Secombe to go out on a second date with me after what happened last weekend.’

  ‘Why? What happened last weekend?’ asked Gabbie, not entirely sure she wanted to know.

  Wil was notorious for having disastrous dates. He was a great guy, but more of a playful puppy than a serious contender for the boyfriend Oscars. However, there was one benefit of dating Wil – your car would always run like a dream! Colour had flooded his pale cheeks, not a great look when his hair was the colour of a wily red fox and even more chaotic than usual. However, Gabbie happened to think his slightly dishevelled appearance suited his personality much better than the smooth, highly styled version preferred by some of his friends who called to see him at the garage to persuade him to go for a drink at The Pear Tree. She had never known anyone to have so many friends. However, now she came to think about it, there were never any girls lingering around the garage forecourt.

  ‘Well, I took my time getting ready, even managed to scrub every last speck of oil from my fingernails. I invested in a great shirt from this really expensive designer boutique over in Exeter, polished my shoes, added a bit of mousse to my hair, totally rocking the Ed Sheeran look. Just as I was leaving, I accidently spilled a bottle of screen wash down the leg of my jeans and spent the whole night reeking of chemicals. Alicia said it made her feel nauseous and I could see the looks of disgust on the faces of everyone in Angelo’s pizzeria. Then, when I tried to give her a goodnight kiss, she said she couldn’t bear to come any closer because the smell made her eyes water.’

  Gabbie exchanged a glance with Max, trying hard not to giggle at Wil’s dating disaster, but Jeff wasn’t so reticent and waded in with his size-ten boots.

  ‘Faint heart never won fair lady, I told him! So, with a little persuasion from Yours Truly, he’s managed to score himself a second date with the alluring Alicia this evening. Only this time you’re going to make sure you smell of roses, aren’t you, eh, Wil?’

  ‘Well, not roses, but… maybe a dab of the cologne my brother brought back from a trip to Prague. Prefer the screen wash myself, if I’m honest, but I’ll give it a go. Or maybe Gabbie’s got something in that summerhouse of hers that’ll make Alicia fall in love me after just one sniff? I saw what you did for Jacob last week, and Clara told me this morning that Andrea swears by the sleeping potion you made for her. So, Gabbie, will you help a desperate guy out? Alicia is my soulmate, she just doesn’t know it yet.’

  ‘I don’t mind helping you, Wil. But first of all, I did not give Andrea a sleeping potion. It was just a couple of bottles of essential oil to add to her bath and bedside diffuser to create a pleasant fragrance to induce nighttime relaxation. Secondly, sorry, but there is no such thing as a love potion!’

  Gabbie saw the look her father gave her from behind Wil’s back and her heart softened.

  ‘However, I might be able to offer you a twist on the new House of Gasnier men’s cologne I was working on before I left France. I can assure you that you won’t smell anything like screen wash.’

  ‘Oh, thanks, Gabbie. I owe you one. I promise that if it all works out, you can be a bridesmaid at our wedding, or, no, no… on second thoughts you can be godmother to our first child.’

  ‘Hey, mate, don’t jump the gun. I reckon you should take it one step at a time!’ chuckled Max, slapping Wil on the back and sending Gabbie one of his signature smirks that made her heart flutter. She briefly wished her blind date could have been with Max instead of one of Owen’s rugby pals who would probably bore her stupid all night about the last try he’d scored.

  ‘Come on. Follow me.’

  She led Wil out of the door and into the back garden, smiling as he bounced along at her side like a puppy on his first walk in the country. This time, when she stepped through the summerhouse door, and the faint aroma of rosemary oil wove its way into her nostrils, she focused hard on maintaining a positive attitude. The gleam of anticipation in Wil’s eyes was more than enough to spur her on as she perused the shelves for the perfect fragrance for his eagerly anticipated date with the girl of his dreams.

  As she measured out each drop of essential oil and the kaleidoscope of aromas filled the air, a pleasurable sensation wound its way around her chest. She recalled her conversation with Max the previous evening by the lake – making others happy rubbed off on you too! Even if her alchemy in the Summerhouse of Happiness didn’t cause Alicia to fall at Wil’s feet declaring her undying love, at least their night would start out on a more fragrant note if he smelled of an English summer garden inste
ad of a bouquet of harsh chemicals with a sprinkling of engine oil.

  ‘I can’t tell you how grateful I am that you’ve agreed to help me, Gabbie. I get how much you and your mum loved it in here, and how hard it must be for you without her. After my dad died, I knew my life would change, of course I did, but not as disastrously as it did. If it wasn’t for Jeff and Sofia offering me an apprenticeship at the garage, well, who knows where I might have ended up?’

  ‘It’s no problem,’ muttered Gabbie, leaning forward to inhale the fragrance she had created, assessing the base note, middle note and top note of the fragrance, then deciding which other oils to add that would suit Wil’s personality.

  Should she choose lemongrass or something more woody or earthy? What about cedarwood? Or bergamot with a touch of black pepper?

  In that brief moment of indecision, she turned to the chintz-covered seat next to the window, her lips already parted to ask for her mother’s advice. The words evaporated in an instant and a spasm of shock sliced through her chest when she saw that the chair was, of course, empty. The intensity of the pain whipped the breath from her lungs and she quickly turned her back to reach for a bottle on the top shelf so she could hide her distress from Wil.

  Gritting her teeth and inhaling a few deep, steadying breaths, she managed to rein in the tumble of memories that assaulted her senses. With a tremor in her hand, she completed the task and held out the pipette for Wil to test.

  ‘What do you think?’

  ‘Mmm, I can smell lemons, freshly laundered cotton sheets and… erm… well, something like the spray of the sea on a stormy afternoon.’

  ‘Like it?’

  ‘I love it. Is it a love potion?’

  Gabbie laughed and the vice-like grip at her temples eased.

  ‘Why don’t you give it a try tonight and you can let me know tomorrow?’

  ‘I will. Thanks again, Gabbie. You’re a lifesaver!’

  ‘No problem.’

  She watched Wil make his way back to the garage, a jaunty spring in his step, his head held a little taller, his back straighter, clutching the small glass bottle as if it held the elixir of youth. She hoped it would work some magic for him. He deserved a break after everything he’d been through and Alicia could do a lot worse than fall in love with someone as kindhearted and generous as Wil.

  Before following in Wil’s footsteps, Gabbie took a moment to glance around the little wooden summerhouse, savouring the lingering fragrances of each one of the oils she had used in Wil’s ‘love potion’.

  Outside, the leaves on the cherry tree at the bottom of the garden had started to display their autumnal costume, with russet yellows, dark reds and burnt oranges. She loved the old tree no matter what the season: the shady, luscious leaves of the summer, the wrinkled browns of October, the spindly branches of the winter months, and the fluffy pink blossom of the spring that her mother used to display in vases dotted around the house like bridal bouquets. A bench stood beneath its wide awning, hewn from ancient railway sleepers, and usually bedecked with red gingham cushions when the sun shone. It was the perfect place to sit with a book, or just to relax and contemplate life.

  She slumped down in the chair, all at once exhausted from the emotional turbulence churning through her veins, and closed her eyes for a few seconds. The next thing she knew she had been asleep for over an hour and the sky was strewn with cotton-wool clouds scudding by in the breeze. She pushed herself out of her mother’s chair and went in search of her father, determined to have the conversation she had been wanting to have with him since the previous night.

  She poked her head round the garage door, but there was no sign of him tinkering with the flashy yellow Saab that belonged to the vicar, and he wasn’t in the kitchen either.

  ‘Max? Have you seen Dad?’

  ‘Oh, yes, he said to tell you he’d gone with Mike to look at a second-hand longbow in Bickleigh. Won’t be back until around eight-ish.’

  A splash of irritation burst into her brain. Her father was clearly avoiding her, deploying the same tactics that had got the business into trouble in the first place. He knew Clara would have collected her for her Saturday night date by seven, and she had no doubt that he purposely intended to stretch out his trip with Mike until after she had left.

  She resolved to snag him first thing the next morning and not to fall victim to any of his evasion strategies. She briefly considered cancelling her night out so she could surprise him by being there when he got back, but she couldn’t do that to Clara. She would be accused of exactly what she was accusing her father of – avoidance of difficult or awkward situations.

  Chapter Fourteen

  ‘Wow, Gabbie, you look amazing. I love what you’ve done with your hair. It really suits you having it loose, and of course you smell divine. Is that one of your own creations or a House of Gasnier speciality?’ asked Clara as she steered carefully along the winding roads, her nose so close to the windscreen that a niggle of worry erupted in Gabbie’s stomach.

  ‘It’s one of my own – actually, it’s the perfume I showcased to Jules Gasnier for next summer’s fragrance before I quit.’

  ‘Well, it’s gorgeous; fresh, yet filled with warmth and depth, like it should be worn by a Roman empress dressed in a column of gold, her chocolate waves cascading down around her shoulders as she waits for her emperor to return from battle.’

  Gabbie giggled at the theatrical tone in Clara’s voice and knew she was teasing her. She didn’t mind. She and Fleurette had often cringed at the advertising slogans designed to persuade people to buy their fragrances.

  ‘Thanks. If I ever see Monsieur Gasnier again, which I seriously doubt, I’ll be sure to pass on your sentiments! Erm, Clara, why are you squinting at the road so much?’

  ‘Okay, you’ve rumbled me. I’ve decided to swap my glasses for contact lenses, especially on the weekends, but I just can’t seem to get the hang of them.’

  ‘You mean you haven’t got them in now?’

  ‘Oh, I have, yes. But I think the prescription must be wrong.’

  ‘Are you telling me you can’t see the road?’

  ‘Oh, I can see the road, I just need to take it a little slower than I usually do. That’s all.’

  Gabbie chanced a quick glimpse of the speedometer and saw they were travelling at twenty-five miles an hour. At this rate they would be twenty minutes late for their dinner reservation! She was about to say something, to offer to take over at the wheel, but then decided that, as it would mean twenty minutes less with her blind date, Clara could take as long as she needed to get them to their destination in one piece.

  ‘So, are you going to tell me who you’ve set me up with tonight?’

  ‘No. I want it to be a surprise.’

  Gabbie rolled her eyes. ‘Then at least tell me where we’re going.’

  ‘There’s this new Lebanese restaurant opened in Tiverton. Owen has been promising to take me for weeks, but he’s been really busy opening his new surgery in Exeter. I think you’ll love it. The boys are meeting us there so I thought we’d pop into the wine bar next door for a sneaky pre-dinner aperitif, like we would if we were living in the South of France. What do you think?’

  ‘Sounds great. Maybe we could stay there all night and you can fill me in on all the Oakley gossip I’ve missed over the last two years?’

  ‘As much as I’d love to do that, I know you’re only suggesting it because you’re worried about the date. You don’t have to be, you know. I told you already – the two of you are going to get along just fine.’

  ‘So how does Owen know my mysterious beau?’

  ‘Actually, it’s a blind date for him too,’ said Clara, a little too nonchalantly for Gabbie’s liking, which sent her suspicions into overdrive.

  ‘What? It’s not one of Owen’s rugby friends?’

  ‘Would you have preferred that?’ asked Clara, a look of panic on her face.

  ‘Well, it might be better than a complete stranger. Please t
ell me you didn’t just stop a random person in the street and beg him to go out with your desperate friend!’

  ‘No! And Owen agrees with me that the two of you are perfect for each other.’

  Gabbie shook her head in exasperation at her friend’s shenanigans. It was okay for her. Clara had been dating Owen since sixth form. They had chosen to go to the same university, and their relationship had survived until they graduated, Clara as a graphic designer and Owen in veterinary medicine so he could join his father in his local practice. Gabbie was surprised they hadn’t moved in together, but she knew how hard it was to get on the property ladder anywhere near where they grew up.

  Clara screeched to a halt in a parking space right outside Vineyard wine bar and they dashed in to order a bottle of their favourite red wine, Gabbie realising a little too late that she was expected to drink most of it herself.

  ‘How’s your dad doing?’ asked Clara as she topped up Gabbie’s glass.

  ‘Hmm, you might well ask. I actually think he’s avoiding me.’

  ‘Why? Because you’ve got him on a starvation diet?’

  ‘I have not got him on a starvation diet! Is that what he told you?’

  ‘Joking! So why is he avoiding you? Doesn’t sound like Jeff.’

  ‘The accounts for the garage are in a mess and some of the invoices haven’t been paid. I need to go through them with him – and I want to go with him when he goes back to the bank at the end of the month.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘So, when I tried to talk to him about it this morning he changed the subject. I think he knows how bad things are and doesn’t want to worry me, but if he talks to me I can help.’

  ‘Hey! Here you both are!’ cried Owen, striding forward to envelop Gabbie in a bear hug, crushing her ribs with the strength of his affection before dropping a kiss on Clara’s lips.