Page 70 of My Kind of Happy

Part Three

Chapter Twenty-one

The Claybourne Hotel finally came into view as Laura and I made our way up the long approach from the road. It was stunning. Festooned in frothy lilac wisteria, the Edwardian building stood proudly at the head of the drive amid pristine gardens. The façade was like something a child would draw; it had four rows of pretty white sash windows set into soft grey stone walls, steps leading up to a wide front door and two bay trees either side adorned with pale lilac bows. Directly in front of the house was a circular water feature with a fountain at its centre and terraced flower beds, bursting with colour, flanked each side.

‘Wow,’ said Laura and I at the same time.

We were into June and it was my first Monday without Nina and I was wasting no time in getting the week off to a positive start. I’d asked Laura to accompany me to visit the Claybourne Hotel for a bit of moral support and she’d been happy to oblige.

We grinned at each other in excitement and Laura whistled.

‘Fearne! Can we just acknowledge just how goddamn well you’re doing at this floristry lark to get a gig like this?’

I laughed and headed to the car park behind the hotel. ‘Getting the gig was the easy bit, now I need to work out how to deliver it.’

She flapped a hand. ‘You’ll find a way.’

I laughed. ‘Says someone who struggles to display a single rose.’

‘I’ve got Hamish trained now.’ Her eyes twinkled. ‘He buys the ones which are already arranged.’

‘He’s a keeper then?’

She didn’t have to reply; everything about her glowed: her skin, her eyes, her smile. Being in love suited her.

I pulled Nina’s van into a space and we both stared at the hotel.

‘This would be an amazing venue for a wedding.’ I nudged her. ‘You’ll have to bear it in mind for if Hamish pops the question.’

She gave me a look of rebuke as we got out of the van. ‘It’s the twenty-first century, Fearne, these days, we can ask men out on dates, say I love you first, pop our own questions.’

‘I suppose.’ I said and then sighed wistfully.

Laura raised her eyebrows, missing nothing. She had watched me sabotage my last relationship. I had shut Steve out. There’d been nothing malicious about my actions, Freddie’s death had left me numb to the needs of other people and a layer of ice had grown around my heart. And now the ice was beginning to thaw. I’d taken my work life in a new direction, maybe it was time for my heart to do the same.

She must have read my mind. ‘Do you think you might be ready to start dating again?’

‘Maybe,’ I said, taking her arm. ‘Come on, let’s go and do a recce on this place, I need to get back to the shop. I’ve left Scamp with Biddy and he misses me when I’m away.’

‘OK,’ she said, shouldering her handbag. ‘But don’t think you can change the subject that easily. I’m on a mission to find you a man. And I don’t mean one with a waggy tail and four legs.’

Inside, the hotel foyer was every bit as elegant as the exterior. Polished wooden floors gleamed, crystal chandeliers sparkled in the sunlight and a pair of receptionists beamed at us from behind a long mahogany desk. The overall effect was a welcoming blend of good taste, glamour and laid-back comfort.

I gave my name and asked for Marcia and while we waited for her, Laura and I were directed to a pair of wing-backed armchairs with a view out onto the terrace and the gardens beyond.

‘It’s like being in the home of a wealthy old aunt,’ I whispered to Laura, sitting down.

There was a small table between us on which sat a vase of old-fashioned roses, just like the ones which used to smother the trellis outside Granny’s back door. I leaned forward to sniff them and it took me straight back to my childhood and being taught to bash the stems of cut roses with a rolling pin to help them take up water.

A tray of coffee and biscuits was set in front of us and Laura’s eyes lit up.

‘The last time we were somewhere as grand as this was on our spa day,’ she said, pouring us both a drink.

I winced. ‘I was a bundle of laughs that day. I’m surprised you’re still willing to go out with me.’

‘Of course! You nut job.’ She slid a cup and saucer towards me. ‘Anyway you’ve come a long way since then. We both have. I think that crystal healer would be proud of us.’

‘You mean Maureen Sinclair?’ I said reaching for my bag. I pulled out the crystal she’d given me.