Page 10 of Forever Love at Fleur's Flower Shop

‘Hey, it’s going to be okay.’ Bea rubbed Fleur’s back, the slow circular movements going some way to help soothe her. ‘He’ll just be visiting like you said. A few days, a week at most and then he’ll be gone, and normal life will resume.’

‘That’s what I’m hoping.’ Fleur closed her eyes. That’s what she wanted. She just wanted him to be gone so she could go back to pretending what had happened between them hadn’t, so why did she have that urge to run around to his parents’ house and hammer the door down until she could just catch a glimpse of him? Just one glimpse.

‘It will.’

Chapter Seven

Fleur straightened her back and turned to look at the door as the clip-clip of shoes signalled people making their way across the wooden floors of the large hall. Finally, others were joining them for the meeting. ‘Umm, sounds like we’ve not been abandoned after all, then.’

‘No, maybe not.’

Fleur watched as Pat from the patisserie, Marty and Martha from the hardware store and Scott, Bea’s fiancé, wandered in. She held up her hand in acknowledgement and relief that tonight hadn’t been one huge set-up, ensuring that she and Bea were the only ones in Gregory’s meeting.

‘Hey, Bea. Hi, Fleur.’ Scott bee-lined for them before leaning down and kissing Bea.

‘Yuck, get a room, you two,’ Fleur mocked.

‘You’re supposed to be the number one fan of love. Your shop’s built on that.’ Scott chuckled.

‘Haha, I know, and I am. Go ahead, just make sure to pop in tomorrow and order an expensive and extravagant bouquet.’ Fleur grinned. She knew she needed to stop thinking about Matty. Although this time of year, with Valentine’s Day being her and Matty’s should-have-been wedding anniversary, it stillwarmed her heart to see so many people ordering flowers from her who were obviously in love. It restored her faith in human nature and the opportunity to find ‘the one’. But this year…

‘I sure will.’ Scott lowered himself into a chair at the table in front of them before twisting in his seat towards their table.

‘Why is everyone so late, anyway?’ Fleur picked up Bea’s pen again and pulled the piece of paper Bea had given her towards her before drawing hearts in the margin. She really did need to start ignoring all the mixed feelings churning in her stomach and focus on what was normally her most lucrative time of the year.

‘Gregory pushed the meeting back by a quarter of an hour.’ Scott looked from Fleur to Bea and back again. ‘Did you two not get the memo?’

‘Nope, Gregory appears to have forgotten to tell us that little detail.’ Fleur rolled her eyes before glaring at Gregory, who, if she wasn’t mistaken, had overheard the conversation as his ears were tinged red.

Scott held his hands to his chest in mock-shock. ‘You mean you were both early?’

‘Don’t sound so surprised! I can be early!’ Bea leaned across and tapped him on the arm.

Raising his eyebrows, Scott pulled a face. ‘Not when you two are together, you can’t.’

‘Oi! I don’t like what you’re implying.’ Fleur laughed.

‘Umm, I’d apologise but…’ Scott shrugged as he chuckled.

Grinning, Fleur rolled her eyes. However much she or Bea denied it, Scott was right. When the two of them got together, they chatted as though they hadn’t seen each other in twenty years, even if it had only been twenty minutes.

‘Who are we waiting for?’ Gregory looked around the room. ‘Sadie and Ruby, I believe. Has anybody heard from them?’

Pulling her mobile from her pocket, Fleur checked the screen. Nope, no missed calls or messages. ‘I haven’t heard anything. Have you, Bea?’

Taking her mobile from her bag, Bea checked hers. ‘No, but it’s unusual that those two are late. Ruby’s normally the earliest to everything.’

‘True. I’ll go and see if I can find them.’ Fleur pushed her chair back just as the door to the meeting room opened again and Sadie hurried through. ‘Hi, Sadie. Is Ruby not with you?’

‘Hi.’ Hurrying towards them, Sadie slipped into the chair next to Scott. ‘No, she had a phone call just as we were leaving to come here. Her dad’s been taken ill. Think he’s had a fall from what I could gather, so she’s travelling back tonight.’

‘Oh, bless her. I hope he’s okay.’ Fleur sank back into her chair.

‘Me too. She looked so worried.’ Sadie bit down on her bottom lip.

‘Thank you for joining us, Sadie.’ There was no missing the impatience in Gregory’s clipped tone. ‘And is Ruby on her way?’

Sadie sighed before turning towards the front of the room and Gregory. ‘Err, no. She had a family emergency and sends her apologies.’

---