‘Yeah, why?’ Leanne sat next to her.
‘You look… I don’t know… a bit anxious?’
Leanne shook her head. ‘I’m fine,’ she protested.
‘Is it the competition?’ Stevie persisted. ‘If you need any help, just shout. We’re all here for you.’
‘No, really, everything’s good. Honest,’ she added when Stevie continued to watch her beadily. ‘Have you decided on a colour scheme?’ she asked, to change the subject.
Actually, she wasn’t all right. Not really.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something had definitely been wrong with Rex last night. There wasn’t anything she could put her finger on, but he’d given her the impression he didn’t want to talk to her. He’d sounded preoccupied, and had been keen to end the call.
Giving herself a mental shake, she realised she was probably being silly. He’d been busy, or Nell had just had an accident on the rug, or he might have been in the middle of eating his supper – anything.
But then again, why hadn’t he explained to her why he had to go?
She quickly checked her phone.
Still no text, and no missed call, either.
‘What do you think?’ Stevie’s voice roused her from her vague sense of worry.
‘Eh? Oh, that’s lovely. Why don’t you try it on?’ Leanne said, looking up to see Mrs Carrington (no one would ever dare call her Moira, despite the name above the door) holding up a mass of champagne tulle with a pretty appliqué neckline.
‘Not for me, for you and Karen,’ Stevie said, and Leanne saw Mrs Carrington roll her eyes.
‘Aren’t we here to get you kitted out with a dress?’ Leanne pointed out.
‘We are, but when I saw this, I thought it would suit both your colouring.’
Leanne was brown-haired and brown-eyed, and Karen had dark, almost black hair, with chocolatey eyes. Leanne knew which of them would look better in the dress, and it wasn’t her. But then compared to Karen, she was always going to come second. Oh well…
‘Edie, bring out the Stardust dress in ivory and nude,’ Mrs Carrington called over her shoulder.
While the three girls waited, Leanne sipped at her slightly tepid tea and surreptitiously checked her phone again.
‘Excuse me, but I don’t allow photos,’ Mrs Carrington said. ‘These are all one-off designs. I can’t have them copied. I’d be grateful if you’d put it away.’
Sheepishly Leanne switched her mobile off, dropped it in her bag and placed her hands demurely on her knees, feeling as though she’d been told off by a headmistress. Crikey, but the woman was scary.
Stevie was trying not to snigger, and Karen was staring determinedly at a print on the wall.
When Mrs Carrington turned away for a second, Leanne elbowed Stevie in the ribs and hissed, ‘Are you sure you want to buy the dress of your dreams from her? Oh…’ She breathed out slowly as a girl came out from behind a curtain, holding up the most gorgeous creation Leanne had ever seen.
‘Bring it here, girl,’ Mrs Carrington ordered, and her assistant stepped forward, holding the dress as high as she could to show off the fall and flow of the fabric.
‘It’s got an off-the-shoulder neckline and a fit-and-flair skirt,’ Mrs Carrington said. ‘Can you see how the nude silk underneath the lace complements the champagne colour of the bridesmaid’s dress I’ve just shown you? You’ve got the figure to carry this off,’ she added, running a critical eye over Stevie.
‘It’s wonderful.’ Stevie had teared up, and Leanne reached for a handily placed box of tissues on the coffee table (did many brides cry? she wondered) and passed her one.
‘Try it on,’ Karen urged. ‘I bet it’ll look fabulous.’
Leanne thought so, too. She couldn’t wait to see her friend in it – she’d be the most stunning bride ever.
‘Edie, take Miss Taylor into the fitting room. I’ll be in shortly.’
‘Edie? Edie Adams? Is that you?’ Leanne cocked her head to one side. ‘Don’t I know you from school?’
‘You were in the year above me,’ the girl said, shooting an anxious glance at her boss.
‘I thought so. How are you?’
‘Great, thanks. Excuse me, but I need to get Miss Taylor undressed.’
‘Call me Stevie,’ Stevie said. ‘Everyone else does.’
‘Not everyone, Miss Taylor,’ Mrs Carrington said. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, I have another bride in an hour…’
Oops. ‘Sorry,’ Leanne mouthed at Edie, suddenly very glad indeed that she was her own boss. She’d hate to be spoken to the way Moira Carrington spoke to little Edie Adams. Which was another reason why she’d have to seriously consider this offer of Jarred’s. She wasn’t sure she could work for anyone else after running her own business for such a long time.
Then there was Rex, and her growing feelings for him.
Why, oh why, did life have to be so complicated?
Chapter 32
Rex put his head in his hands and gave a huge sigh. Next to him, Nell whined, pawing at his leg, and he reached out absently to ruffle her ears. She sensed his unhappiness, bless her, but there was nothing she could do. Nothing anyone could do. Not until he knew for sure whether his life was about to be turned upside down.
He knew he wasn’t being fair to Leanne by not speaking to her, but how could he? What was he supposed to say: ‘Hi, I think I’m in love with you, but my ex-girlfriend may be pregnant with my baby, and if it is mine then I’ll be moving several hundred miles away and probably won’t manage to get to see you more than once a month’?
He couldn’t, could he?
But she had to be told at some point. He couldn’t keep avoiding her calls. She deserved better than that from him.
Oh God, he wasn’t looking forward to this one little bit.
Gathering his resolve, he picked up his phone to call her before he had a chance to change his mind.
It rang once, twice.
He hung up before she could answer.
I’ll tell her in person, he decided. It would be better than trying to explain over the phone.
Yes, that was what he’d do. He’d speak to her as soon as he got back to Tanglewood, face to face.
It did occur to him that he was putting it off, but the relief he felt at not having to give the woman he was falling in love with the news that their relationship might be on the rocks before it had hardly got started was immense. He was back in Tanglewood on Monday – he’d tell her then, and let her choose whether she wanted to keep seeing him. If she decided it was too complicated, then at least he’d given it his best shot.
* * *
Damn and blast! She knew it! She simply knew it! The minute Leanne had been incommunicado, Rex had called. Sod’s law.
But when she tried to ring him back, he wasn’t answering. Typical.
Crossly she stomped back to the shop to relieve Mabel, not even the thought of the wonderful bridesmaid’s dress cheering her up. There was far too much happening between now and Stevie’s wedding to begin to get excited about it.
If only Mrs Carrington hadn’t made her turn her phone off…
Oh grow up, she told herself once she was safely ensconced behind her counter and back in control once more. He’ll ring again. Or you’ll call him. One or the other. It didn’t matter if they went for a day or so without speaking to each other, did it? They didn’t exactly live in each other’s pockets, and neither of them was obliged to tell the other what they were up to every minute.
She really did want to speak to him, though, just to check that everything was OK between them. Common sense told her there wasn’t any reason for it not to be, but nevertheless, a frisson of unease travelled down her spine, making her shiver.
Chapter 33
Leanne checked her watch again. Barely ten minutes had passed since the last time she’d looked at it. Rex had been gone nearly three whole days, and she’d hardly heard from him. She’d tried to call him back a couple of times, without su
ccess, and now the whole non-contact thing was starting to get to her.
She let out a long, heavy sigh. It was gone ten o’clock and another sleepless night stretched ahead.
Should she call him again?
Yes.
No.
Oh hell – she’d been having this argument with herself for days, and each time she came to the conclusion she should wait for him to call her. She didn’t want to come across as a stalker. She’d already done enough chasing; it was his turn to make the next move.
But what if he didn’t? What should she do then?
Carry on as before, she told herself. After all, nothing much had happened, had it? A few kisses – she deliberately tried to push to the back of her mind just how wonderful those kisses had been – and some (marvellous) embraces, that was all. It wasn’t as though either of them had declared their undying love for the other, was it?
Maybe she should give him another call, ask him straight out if there was something wrong.
Bad idea; she was bordering on stalking again.
But she had to know, one way or the other.
Then again, maybe she was reading too much into the whole thing. As that thought flitted through her head, she began to wonder exactly what it was she had been reading too much into – their romance, or his lack of contact?
She groaned. Her head hurt with all this thinking.
She made a conscious effort to think of something else; anything would do – the price of lamb (always important for the farm’s financial health), how Mabel was doing in the shop (fine, actually), whether Rex was cooling off—
Bugger, she was at it again, thinking about Rex.
Try again, and this time focus, she told herself sharply. She should be concentrating on the most exciting thing to have happened in her life so far – Budding Stars – and not on a man. She was so close to winning, she could almost taste it. Five of them left. Five!
Three more rounds. When she said it like that, it was quite frightening.
It was Monday already; she only had a day and a half to perfect her latest design, so why was she wasting time thinking about Rex?
She checked her watch again. Eighteen minutes past ten. Still no call from him. He should be back in Tanglewood by now. She was positive he’d told her he was coming home today.
He could still be on the road, though. If he was, she didn’t want to distract him.
A blast of noise from her phone made her jump, and she scrambled to retrieve it from the bedside cabinet, her heart thumping, her mouth dry.
A swift look at the screen confirmed her hope – it was Rex.
‘Hello?’ She hated that her voice sounded so high and reedy, and more than a little nervous.
‘Hi. Look, can we meet tomorrow? There’s something I need to talk to you about,’ he said.
‘Um… OK.’ Leanne’s heart sank to her fluffy pink bed socks, and her stomach turned over. He didn’t sound as though he’d missed her, as if he loved her and was longing to take her in his arms again. His tone was grim, and she guessed what was coming. ‘On second thoughts,’ she said, ‘say what you’ve got to say now.’
‘I think it would be better face to face.’
‘I don’t. Just tell me.’ Praying she was wrong about the whole situation, she held her breath.
‘I like you; in fact I more than like you—’ he began, but before he could say anything further, Leanne burst out laughing.
It came out shrill and slightly manic, and she bit her lip to prevent another cackle from escaping. She’d known it; she’d had a feeling he was going to end it, and here he was doing that very thing. Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes and she blinked them away. She had no intention of letting him know how much she was hurting right now.
‘It’s just that… There’s this…’ he tried again, and Leanne shook her head, her chin wobbling.
This was too painful for words. If he didn’t have the guts to come out with it and end it, then she would. There wasn’t any point in delaying things – he was clearly trying to break up with her, so she’d put them both out of their misery and try to reclaim some self-respect while she was at it.
‘I should never have kissed you,’ she said, before he could say anything else. ‘I’m sorry, Rex, but this can’t possibly work, me and you.’
A slight pause, then he said, ‘It can’t?’
‘Good, I’m glad you realise it too. I’ll see you around, yeah? Take care.’
She ended the call, and this time when her eyes filled with tears, she let them fall. That would teach her to read more into a couple of kisses than she should. How could she have been so stupid?
A sob escaped her, and she clapped her hands to her mouth. It was late and she didn’t want to risk waking her parents with her pathetic crying. She only had herself to blame; she never should have allowed herself to be seduced by a handsome face and a soft Scottish burr. She’d told herself right at the start that she had no time for romance, that she should be concentrating on Budding Stars, but she’d allowed love to sneak up on her, and now look at the state of her – a weeping, miserable mess.
Her eyes widened. Oh God, she’d just admitted to herself that she loved him.
Fresh tears fell, and she collapsed into her pillow and cried until she had nothing left.
It was much later when she finally sat up, wiped her eyes and lifted her chin. She couldn’t turn back the clock or change Rex’s mind – she was too proud to go chasing after him anyway – so the only thing to do was to put this behind her and look to the future.
She had a competition to win and a job offer to accept. She had a glittering future ahead of her; Jarred had said so.
So why did she feel so awful about it?
She hadn’t given Jarred an answer yet, but maybe she should start thinking seriously about it. If Rex was no longer interested in her, then perhaps it would be best if she moved away from Tanglewood altogether.
It was actually quite shocking to her to realise she’d been delaying her decision because of Rex and her feelings for him. What had happened to the ambitious go-getter who had blithely sent off the application to Budding Stars, wanting nothing more than to win it?
Rex had happened, that was what.
* * *
The phone slipped out of Rex’s nerveless fingers and dropped to the carpet. He couldn’t believe what had just happened – Leanne had broken up with him, and just when he’d been about to explain everything, too.
Thank God he hadn’t opened his heart to her.
At least it had made the decision about moving back to Glenshona that much easier. He wouldn’t have to worry about Leanne’s feelings, or fret over how hard it was to leave her.
All he would have to worry about was himself.
And he was hurting like the very devil right now.
Chapter 34
‘Mabel,’ Leanne wheedled, knowing she sounded like a small child begging for sweets but carrying on regardless, ‘I’m going to need more help in the shop. Or should I say, you are going to need more help.’
‘Aren’t I good enough?’ Mabel asked. ‘I thought I was doing OK.’ She looked ready to cry.
‘You are, you’re doing brilliantly,’ Leanne hastened to reassure her, ‘but I’ve been offered an opportunity I’d be silly to pass up.’
‘Oh?’
‘Jarred Townsend has asked me to go and work for him.’
‘That’s wonderful!’ Mabel cried, then she frowned, and Leanne was aware of her scrutiny. ‘Isn’t it?’
‘Yes, it is,’ Leanne replied, injecting as much enthusiasm into her words as she could muster. ‘It’s just there’s an awful lot to think about. It’s a big responsibility, and I don’t know if I can—’
‘Stop right there. You can do this… whatever it is. You know you can. You’re young, talented and ambitious. I wish I’d been like you when I was your age. You’ve got to take the bull by the horns and ride it like you stole it.’
Leanne laugh
ed, despite her apprehension. And she agreed with the other woman. Sort of.
‘Would you be happy managing the shop if I employed someone else to help you?’ she asked.
‘Hmm, I’m not so sure about that. Don’t get me wrong, I love helping out, and the money certainly comes in handy, but I’m not getting any younger, you know.’
It was as Leanne suspected: Mabel was content with things the way they were and didn’t want the extra responsibility or the additional work. Running the shop single-handedly was hard work, and it wouldn’t be easy for a woman of her age.
‘OK. I’ll start advertising. I’m sure the job centre in Abergavenny would be willing to put an advert out, and I’ll stick a notice in the window, too. Stevie found Cassandra that way.’
Thinking about Cassandra gave Leanne a flashback to the conversation she’d had with Betty. The old lady had been right about one thing: Cassandra had given birth to a little girl, though Leanne had yet to see her. She could hardly wait to get her hands on her for a cuddle, but she’d been so busy lately, what with the flower shop, the competition and Rex, that she’d hardly found the time to brush her own hair. However, Betty had been totally, utterly and completely wrong about something else – Rex wasn’t in the slightest bit interested in her.
Rex. There he was again, lurking around in her mind like a fart in a lift. She simply couldn’t escape him; whatever she thought about, or talked about, he was involved somehow.
What on earth had she found to think about before she’d met him? she wondered. Her mind must have been as empty as a desert, or so full of innocuous things as to be positively vacant.
Well, she’d have to go back to not thinking about much at all, wouldn’t she? Although not thinking about Rex might be easier said than done, and would need a bit of working on.
Chapter 35
Rex didn’t want to bump into Leanne. He was too raw, too emotional. He could have sworn there’d been a spark between them, a growing awareness that the kisses could lead to something much more, maybe something permanent, but after what she’d said last night…
The Tanglewood Flower Shop Page 16
