Page 13 of Forever Love at Fleur's Flower Shop

‘He wouldn’t have anything to do with why you’re hiding out in my shop, would he?’ Bea took a sip of her drink as she looked pointedly across the green.

‘Who? Gregory?’

Rolling her eyes, Bea scoffed. ‘No, Matty of course.’

‘Umm, maybe.’ Turning, she walked back towards the counter and leaned against it before taking a sip of her coffee and pulling a face as the bitter taste hit the back of her throat.

‘Sorry, I’ve run out of caramel syrup. My book club members have taken a liking to it and I meant to pick up some more at the shop but clean forgot.’ Bea placed her mug on the counter before pulling a box towards her and taking out a pile of books. ‘So, what’s your plan? You’re just going to keep avoiding him until he goes back home?’

‘No, he’s here to stay, apparently. Helen popped in and told me Matty has moved back to Nettleford.’ She took another sip, this time bracing herself for the bitterness.

‘Ooh.’ Bea clasped the small pile of books to her chest. ‘Then what? What’s your plan? You can’t run around the town avoiding him for the rest of your life.’

‘Move?’ Fleur laughed at the look of horror on Bea’s face. ‘No, I’ll face him. Just not yet. I just need a bit more time to work out what I’m going to say.’

‘Well, he’s made it obvious that he wants to speak to you, so I think that time will come sooner rather than later.’ Bea swapped the books for her coffee.

‘Maybe.’ Fleur shrugged. ‘It might all be a coincidence, anyway. Maybe he’s not trying to speak to me. Maybe he’s actually trying to avoid me, too.’

‘How do you work that one out?’

Fleur shifted on her feet and shook her head. It was worth a try. ‘I don’t know.’

‘No, neither do I. What is it you’re worried about? That he’ll want an explanation?’

‘Yes, exactly that. I don’t know if I have one. It felt right at the time. It was the right thing to do. The only thing I was capable of doing at the time.’ Fleur gripped her mug tighter, her knuckles turning white. ‘But I’m scared all the feelings I had towards him will resurface and it will just break me again.’

‘Oh Fleur.’ After placing her mug on the counter, Bea gently took Fleur’s from her and placed it down too before drawing her into a hug. ‘Hey, I didn’t know you back then and I can’t begin to pretend I understand why you did what you did, but I’ll always be here for you. Just as Sadie and Ruby will be. We won’t let you break.’

‘Thanks.’ Pulling away, Fleur wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her coat. ‘Sorry, I just...’

‘You don’t need to explain.’

‘I know. I know, but I do owehiman explanation.’ She picked up her mug again. ‘Although I don’t know why I’m getting myself so worked up about it. It’s been ten years, it’s not like he’s going to want anything besides an explanation from me. If he wants one of those. I mean, he’ll have moved on and me leaving him at the altar will just be a distant memory now.’

‘Maybe.’ Bea bit down on her bottom lip.

‘You don’t think so?’ Fleur frowned. She knew it was wishful thinking, and she knew she had the answer to that particular question in the fact that he’d literally been trying to catch her to talk to, but still, he might just want to say hi, mightn’t he? ‘He might just want to say hello or something? If Helen is right and he’s here to stay, then he probably just wants us to talk, so it’s not awkward.’

Bea slumped her shoulders as she nodded. ‘Then why don’t you just talk to him? Five minutes and you could give him whathe wants instead of being forced to run around the town trying to dodge him.’

Fleur could feel the flush of heat cross her cheeks. Bea was right. She knew she was. ‘I will. I just need a little longer. I need to work out what I’m going to say.’

‘Why don’t you just tell him the truth?’

‘Because…’ Fleur stared into her coffee. Because the truth was too lame to admit. Because the truth hurt more than any perceived ideas anyone might have to why she’d refused to get married, to why she’d done the unthinkable and left him alone standing in the church surrounded by their friends, his family. Because she couldn’t find the words to describe how she’d felt back then. ‘Because what good would it do? Whatever I say, I still abandoned him at the altar, didn’t I?’

‘Yes, but I think if he understood why, then things wouldn’t be so awkward anymore.’ Bea reached out and placed her hand on her friend’s forearm. ‘Hey, you might even be able to become friends.’

‘Huh.’ Friends? That was the last thing she wanted. Why would she want to spend time with someone she used to love more than anything and anyone in the entire universe and be reminded of just how much she’d lost? Nope. She didn’t want to be friends with him. ‘I guess I’ll just go to Plan B and move to Hawaii.’

‘Fleur!’ Bea laughed.

‘I’m joking. I’ll speak to him.’ Lifting her mug to her lips, she looked across at Bea. Yep, she could read Fleur like a book. Bea knew she had every intention of pushing that idea back as far as she could.

‘Okay, fine. Are you ready for an evening of fun at Nettleford’s first ever speed dating event?’

‘Urgh.’ Fleur sighed. ‘Ready? I’m ready to claw my eyes out at the thought of it, if that’s what you mean?’

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