‘I love this, Lila,’ Roxie said as Lila spread the silk out across her dining table.
‘It’s beautiful, isn’t it?’
‘And the chiffon too. Freda gave this to you?’
‘She did and the pattern I’ve chosen.’
‘Can I see it?’
Lila nodded and went to the kitchen dresser, opened a drawer and retrieved the pattern. ‘I’ve kept it hidden because I don’t want Ethan to see it before our wedding day.’
‘Wow! I love it and in those materials, it will be simple yet stunning.’
‘I was thinking though …’
‘Yes?’
‘Should I get one of those wigs to go with it?’
‘What?’ Roxie’s eyes widened.
‘Well they did have some fabulous ones and a blue one would be just …’ Lila started laughing. ‘Sorry, I can’t do it! Your face …’ She held her belly as she laughed. ‘I’m joking.’
‘Thank goodness for that. Blue hair has its place but not on your wedding day. If you usually had blue, green or pink hair, then fair enough but you have the loveliest blonde locks and you should show them off.’
‘Thank you.’
‘What about a veil or tiara or something?’
Lila shook her head. ‘I’ve had an idea about that and I think you can help me.’
‘Ooh, okay. I’m excited to know more.’
‘Let’s get the kettle on and have some of those cookies you baked and I’ll show you the designs I’ve drawn.’
‘Wonderful.’
Half an hour later, they were sitting in the lounge. The windows were open and warm rose scented air floated into the room along with the sounds of a lawnmower in a neighbouring garden and the birds singing in the trees that lined Sunflower Street.
‘I think your idea is fabulous,’ Roxie said as she relaxed on the sofa, her bare feet propped up on the coffee table, her turquoise toenails matching her soft silk blouse.
‘I’m glad. It just seemed perfect to go with the dress and sandals.’
‘It will be. Oh, Lila, Ethan will be wowed by you when you walk down that aisle.’
‘I hope so.’
‘Of course he will and I’m going to be so proud.’ She sniffed and pulled a tissue from the box on the table. ‘I don’t know how I’m going to do it without crying all the way.’
‘Don’t or you’ll start me off.’
‘On the subject of weddings … what are we doing for your hen night?’
‘Ugh … I was hoping to avoid one of those.’ Lila had never been keen on the whole hen and stag thing and didn’t want any fuss anyway.
‘Noooo. You can’t say that. It’s part of the fun.’
You know me, Rox, I’m not a big party animal and I can’t drink at the moment anyway.’
‘It doesn’t have to be a boozy night. We could have afternoon tea or something nice and civilised. I know … we could have a garden party at mine. Have tea and cakes in the garden and some champagne for those who want it and just celebrate the life you’ve had and the one you’re embarking upon.’
‘It’s not going to be that different.’ Lila cradled her mug between her hands.
‘I guess not as you’re already living together but you’ll soon have a baby and things will change a lot then.’
‘That’s true.’
‘And being married isn’t a massive change but it can kind of cement things. To be honest, Lila, I just want to have a party for you before you get married so we can celebrate love and friendship and good fortune. Life can be so difficult and I think it’s very important to make the most of the good times.’
‘You’re right. Let’s do it.’
‘Thank you!’ Roxie smiled. ‘I’ll make it wonderful, I promise.’
‘We could go strawberry picking beforehand to make sure we’ve got some lovely fruit.’
‘That’s a wonderful idea. I love strawberry picking.’
‘Me too. And now I’m craving big, fat, red strawberries with clotted cream. That would be so yummy right now.’
‘With meringues and scones and pink champagne.’
‘All of that except for the champagne.’
They laughed together.
‘What can we have instead?’ Roxie asked. ‘I’m rather peckish now.’
‘We’ve just eaten the cookies you made.’
‘I know but I fancy something fruity.’
‘There’s ice cream in the freezer. It’s some raspberry swirl thing that Ethan picked up at the weekend.’
‘That sounds perfect. Shall I get us a bowl each?’
‘Go on then but I think I’ll have to plan on making the size up in the wedding dress if you keep feeding me like this.’
‘You’re perfect the way you are and don’t you forget it. Right, two bowls of raspberry swirl thingy coming right up!’
Roxie took their mugs to the kitchen and Lila stroked her bump. ‘I hope you’re okay in there, little one. There’s a lot going on right now.’ The baby gave a kick that Lila felt against her palm. ‘I’ll take that as a yes.’
9
Roxie
Heading home after spending the morning with Lila, Roxie’s mind was busy. There was a lot to organise, but she liked being busy and was so happy for her friends. When the people she cared about were happy and settled, Roxie could relax and enjoy life. Her thoughts turned to Fletcher, Glenda and Stinky. She’d only been away a few hours but she was looking forward to getting home and seeing them all again. Having her own little family was the best feeling in the world. She was glad that Fletcher had thought to adopt Stinky because Glenda adored her and was enjoying having a canine companion far more than Roxie could ever have imagined. It made her wonder why they hadn’t got another dog years ago, but then she realised that if they had, she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy those years alone with Glenda.
Her mobile buzzed in her bag so she got it out and swiped the screen. It was Fletcher asking her to pick up some bread and some chocolate chips. He was baking cookies because the ones Roxie had made that morning had, rather strangely he claimed, disappeared. Roxie laughed then sent a reply and changed direction to head to the shop. She’d have a look and pick something up for the dogs too because she didn’t like to return empty-handed.
Ten minutes later, Roxie emerged from the grocery shop with a paper bag containing chocolate chips, crusty bread and a tin of sardines. Much as she wasn’t keen on the smell of sardines, the dogs loved them and the oil was good for their skin. She knew that as soon as Glenda saw the tin she’d go crazy as she always did and race around the house while Roxie opened the sardines and spooned them into the dogs’ bowls. Stinky would, of course, copy her older sister, and Roxie and Fletcher would end up laughing indulgently.
She lowered her sunglasses from her hair and rested the bag on her hip then set off for home. As she walked, she greeted a few people, waved at Joanne as she passed the café and breathed in the balmy air. It was a beautiful day and …
‘Lila?’ She frowned because her friend was standing outside the library gate reading the noticeboard. When she’d left Lila, she’d said something about taking a nap, but now she was out and about already and wearing different clothes. Roxie looked both ways then crossed the road, waving to get Lila’s attention. Lila glanced at her, folded her paper and marched away.
Roxie lowered her glasses to get a better look at the retreating woman.
It had certainly looked like Lila. The face shape, hair colour and petite figure were the same and yet there was something off.
That was it! The woman Roxie had seen didn’t have a baby bump. She was, in fact, very slim and Roxie had caught a glimpse of a flat stomach under a tight white T-shirt. Roxie shrugged and turned for home. There were often tourists in Wisteria Hollow in the summer months and it just so happened that the woman she’d just seen looked a bit like Lila. Didn’t they say everyone had a double out there somewhere?
10
Joanne
‘Hello!’ Joanne called as she pushed the front door of the cottage open. ‘Anyone here? It’s Joanne and Max.’
She turned to Max and he shrugged so they entered the cool dark hallway.
‘Ethan?’
She heard footsteps from above their heads and then Ethan was on the landing. ‘Hey there.’ He padded down the stairs to greet them.
‘Hey mate.’ Max shook Ethan’s hand. ‘How’s it going?’
‘We’re getting there. The plumber’s in the bathroom fitting new pipes so he can put the bathroom in, then he’s going to do the kitchen.’
‘It really is a full renovation then?’ Joanne asked as she peered around.
‘Everything has been ripped out, except for irreplaceable features like beams and the slate floor in the kitchen and the whole cottage is being rewired. It will have all the original charm but with energy efficiency and speedy Wi-Fi.’ Ethan’s cheeks were flushed and there were tiny beads of perspiration at his hairline from manual labour and the warmth of the day. ‘You want the grand tour?’
‘If you have time?’ Joanne smiled.
‘Of course, I have. I could do with a break anyway. Cutting in is challenging and can’t be rushed. Let’s do the downstairs first.’
Ethan led them around the ground floor, showing them the two large reception rooms, the small snug that could be a study or, as Max suggested, a games room then he took them through to the kitchen-diner. It was a large open space and he showed them where the kitchen units would be, the island and then the room for a dresser and table and chairs. Bifold doors opened out onto an established garden and when they stepped outside, Joanne felt breathless at the beauty before her. When Max took her hand and squeezed it, she knew he felt the same.
‘This is some garden,’ Joanne said.
‘It’s pretty cool, right?’ Ethan agreed. ‘The old lady who lived here liked her flower beds and trees and there’s more past the first section.’
‘You mean it’s bigger than it looks?’
He nodded. ‘See the archway in the hedge?’
Joanne peered at what she’d thought was the end of the garden, thinking the archway led to a gate or even a garage.
‘If you go through there, you’ll find a whole fruit and vegetable garden.’
‘Can we have a look now?’
‘Sure, carry on.’ Ethan nodded. ‘I’ll be inside if you need me and can show you round upstairs when you’re ready.’
‘Thank you.’ Max smiled.
‘Let’s explore, shall we?’
Joanne led him over the grass and towards the hedge. They went through the narrow opening and it was like entering the set of a gardening show. There were rows of fruit trees, raised beds with herbs and vegetables and a small greenhouse where what looked like tomato plants were reaching for the sky.
‘Max, it’s so beautiful. Can you imagine living here?’
Max was gazing around them, his eyes wide behind his glasses. ‘The house is worth it for the garden alone.’
‘We could live on the produce from the garden.’ Joanne wasn’t sure why, but her throat was aching with emotion.
Max pulled her against his chest and kissed her forehead. ‘I love it. Do you?’
‘I really do.’
‘I think we should put in an offer.’
‘But it’s not finished yet.’
‘I don’t care. This is the home we’re meant to have.’
‘Max!’ Joanne giggled. ‘You’re so romantic sometimes.’
He nodded. ‘I blame all the reading I do. I must be absorbing a lot of things without realising it and being around you brings it to the surface.’
She looked into his eyes then slid her arms over his shoulders. ‘I love you so bloody much.’
‘I love you too.’
He kissed her softly then hugged her hard and Joanne knew that they had to make an offer on the cottage. She knew that someone could make a better offer than them and that they’d be disappointed, but if it was meant to be, it was meant to be.
‘Come on then, let’s see the upstairs.’
Max wiggled his eyebrows so Joanne tapped his arm.
‘Behave yourself.’
‘I thought you liked it when I’m a bit … naughty.’
‘I do but not now, Max.’
‘I’m teasing you, my love. Let’s go and check out the bedrooms and bathroom then we can go straight to the café and speak to Bridget.’
‘Seriously?’
‘I’ve never been more serious in my life, Joanne. I want this home for us and for … anyone else who might come along.’
‘What? Other people?’ she joked.
‘You know full well what I mean.’
Joanne grinned as they headed inside, her heart fit to burst with excitement and hope.
11
Lila
‘And now exhale as you go down …’ Finlay Bridgewater touched the floor in front of him as easily as if he was made of rubber. ‘Don’t forget though, mums to be, don’t push your bodies … allow for your bumps.’
Lila stretched forwards gently but didn’t try to achieve a full forwards fold pose because her belly wouldn’t allow it. She breathed in and out, filling her lungs and focusing on nothing other than the feelings in her limbs and her breathing, knowing that this was good for her and good for the baby.
Roxie was to Lila’s left, supple and bendy as Finlay, and Joanne was to her right. Lila was flanked by her besties, enjoying her Saturday morning yoga, feeling the peace that going through the poses and emptying her mind gave her.
A loud ripping noise from her right startled her and she wobbled as she tried to maintain her balance.
‘Oops!’ Joanne giggled.
‘Joanne!’ Roxie scolded as she reached for Lila. ‘You okay, honey?’
‘Yes, I’m fine thanks. I was completely relaxed but Joanne’s fart broke my concentration, and I lost my balance.’
Joanne’s face was red but Lila wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or the strain of trying to bend over.
‘I’m so sorry. I just can’t hold it in when I’m relaxing and that pose and downward dog get me every time.’ Joanne shrugged. ‘As long as you’re okay, Lila?’
‘I’m fine, I promise.’ Lila nodded. She placed both hands over her bump, something she found herself doing automatically now in a protective maternal gesture. ‘We’re fine,’ she said softly.
‘Joanne, try avoiding eating beans and anything that gives you wind the night before yoga.’ Roxie was frowning at Joanne. ‘Honestly, I nearly went head first onto the floor too.’
Joanne looked down at her naked feet and Lila’s heart went out to her. ‘Hey, love, it’s okay. It happens.’
‘It most certainly does.’ Finlay joined in from the stage. He was upright now, nodding his head at them. ‘I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t farted at some point when doing yoga.’ He put his hands on his slim hips. ‘Is there?’ He looked around the hall.
There was a murmuring and shaking of heads.
‘See, Joanne, everyone farts, some more than others, but we’re just animals with digestive systems and yoga can relax those parts of us that other exercise can’t reach.’ He winked at Joanne and Lila saw her mouth ‘Thank you.’ Finlay waved a hand. ‘Anyway, let’s get you sweaty folks on your mats now to ease out any stiffness in your backs and shoulders.’
They all lay down and Lila felt how her body was supported by the mat, felt her limbs loosen and her heart rate slow again. She turned carefully onto her side and pulled the long narrow pregnancy pillow she’d brought with her under her bump and between her legs to support her body. The pillow was flexible, and she used it a lot now for yoga and in bed. She knew from antenatal appointments and from her reading that she had to be careful of lying on her back, as the baby and womb could put pressure on the blood vessels that supplied her uterus and affect the oxygen supply to the baby.
She listened to Finlay’s relaxing voice as he led the class into deeper rel
axation and let her mind focus on the baby in her womb, on what he or she looked like now and how her deep state of relaxation affected the tiny being too. The thought that she’d meet her child within months was at once wonderfully exciting and utterly terrifying but she knew it would all be okay. Lila and Ethan would be completely responsible for another person – physically, emotionally and mentally. It was an enormous responsibility and one that she vowed to take seriously. Her baby would want for nothing, would be loved, cared for and raised in a happy home.
‘Lilaaaa …’
She opened her eyes and peered up at Roxie’s smiling face.
‘Hello, darling. You must have dropped off.’
Lila yawned then Roxie helped her to sit up.
‘I think I did. Last thing I remember I was thinking about the baby.’
‘Aww.’ Roxie sighed. ‘That’s lovely.’
‘How long was I out?’
‘I’m not sure because I was drifting for a while too. Finlay’s sessions are just the best. When his voice stopped, I came round then looked over at you and you were fast asleep.’
‘What about Joanne?’ Lila turned to look and snorted. ‘Hungry, huh?’
Joanne nodded as she munched on a cereal bar.
‘Actually, I could eat now.’
‘What do you fancy?’
‘Eggs. And buttery toast. Mmmm. And tea. Decaff, of course.’
‘Let’s head to the café, then.’
Roxie took Lila’s hands and helped her up. They put their trainers on while Joanne finished her snack and rolled up her mat then she did the same with Lila’s mat to save her from having to bend down again. Her friends were taking such good care of her.
‘To the café!’ Joanne held her mat up as if it was a spear then jogged out of the hall and Roxie and Lila followed, shouting their thanks to Finlay as they went.
In the café, Lila placed her bag, mat and long pillow on the wide windowsill then sat down and sighed. She’d enjoyed the session and been surprised by how quickly she’d dropped off to sleep, although yoga was so relaxing that she shouldn’t be. It made her feel loose and refreshed afterwards, like she’d had a holiday and that had to be good for her and the baby.
A Wedding on Sunflower Street: An uplifting story about friendship, love and marriage Page 5
