Page 174 of Rough Around the Hedges

Susan chewed the inside of her cheek. “I don’t think we need anything that fancy, though. It’s the second marriage for both of us.”

Did that matter? Was it against some kind of societal rule for a second marriage to be simple and not fancy? Was it any less important than their first one?

“So?” Oliver said, shrugging. “That doesn’t mean you can’t have the wedding you want. Think about it—your first marriages were when you were young, and were they your dream wedding?”

George and Susan shared a look. “Not the dream of dreams,” she said after a moment.

“Nothing wrong with it,” George said. “To be honest, I don’t care much either way. I’d be happy if her dream was us nipping to the registry office and going home for a cuppa. If you want a fancy one, Susie, let’s have a fancy one.”

I smiled and patted his hand. He was gruff and grumpy at the best of times, but he had a big ol’ soft heart in there somewhere.

She hesitated. “But won’t it be expensive?”

I looked at Oliver. “Will it be expensive, Mr Fancypants?”

His lips pulled to one side as his eyes met mine. “I don’t think so. You see, princess, I happen to know a guy.”

“Oh, do you? Do you think he’d be willing to offer my dearest friends a discount?”

“I think he’d do just about anything for you if you asked.”

George faked a sick noise. “And you complain to us about the flirting.”

“Now you know how I’ve felt for years!” I laughed, picking the last seeds out of the sunflower head. “Ow. Now my fingers hurt.”

“I’ve told you before to use tweezers.” Susan took hold of my hand and examined my fingers. “Look at your poor fingers, you silly thing.”

Oliver let himself into the plot and came over, taking my hand from Susan. “Rose…”

“They’ll be fine with a bit of ice. I’m not plucking the seeds out with bloody tweezers,” I huffed.

He lifted my hand and pressed a kiss to each of my fingers. “Maybe this will stop you putting salt in the sugar pot for a few days.”

“That depends on if you annoy me again or not.”

Susan sighed. “Again, Rose?”

I grinned at her. “And still, he doesn’t check before he puts it in his coffee.”

George got to his feet, depositing Hades on his chair. “That’s on him,” George said. “If I were you, lad, I’d be taste testing that every time.”

Oliver grinned, resting his forearms on my legs and looking up at him. “Yeah, I know, but the look of delight she gets when I make a face is too cute.”

“You—” I tugged on his ear.

Susan laughed, following George to the gate. “Ah, who’d have thought it would work out like this.” She closed the gate behind them and looked over at me with a twinkle in her eye. “The world is a weird old place, isn’t it?”

I smiled. “Especially in Hanbury.”

Oliver looked up at me, still crouching in front of me. “And I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

I leant down. “You almost did, though.”

“Rose.” He pulled me down and fell backwards onto the gravel, and I flumped on top of him. “Ouch.”

“That was stupid,” I said, sliding my hand under the back of his head and rubbing it. “You’re an idiot.”

“Yeah, but I’m your idiot. Right?” He gave me the stupidest, most playful smile I’d ever seen cross his face.

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