Page 57 of Finding Love at Roseford Blooms
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Later that afternoon, fired up with enthusiasm for Bee’s proposition, Lizzie completely forgot to show her the mood boards she’d been working on. Instead, after helping Bee out with a few more of the displays for the wedding, she made another cup of tea and sat down in the tiny office space off the kitchen and started researching floristry courses.
Bee had been spot on when she’d referred to a course at the local college. The first step was a fifteen-week course, starting in September, which would give her a Level 2 qualification in floristry. It was only one day a week, but would certainly be enough to give Lizzie a clear idea as to whether she wanted to make a new career at Roseford Blooms. The rest of the week she’d be free to help Bee, and learn from her, and, hopefully, put together a solid business plan to take Roseford Blooms to the next level.
Lizzie nearly leaped up out of her chair with excitement. This could be it! This could be the thing that gave her the direction she wanted so badly. She was so enthused that she didn’t hear the door to the office opening behind her, and when there was a discreet cough, she really did jump.
‘Hi,’ Simon said softly as she spun around in the chair and nearly went sprawling onto the floor. ‘I, um, skipped lunch and thought you might fancy sharing a late sandwich at Lucy’s café?’
Lizzie looked at him for a long moment. Georgina’s words came flooding back to her, and she battled to ignore them, but it was difficult. To buy some time, she turned back to her laptop and shut it down. ‘Hang on,’ she said. ‘I won’t be a sec.’
Knowing Simon was still waiting for an answer, she closed the lid of the laptop and then stood up from the chair. ‘Look, Simon, can we talk?’
Simon looked wary. ‘That sounds serious. Like more than a quick sandwich at the café serious.’
Lizzie gave a quick smile. ‘Doesn’t have to be. But there is something I, er, need to sort out with you, if you’ve got time.’
Simon nodded. ‘Of course. Do you want to grab a takeaway and we can have a wander while we talk?’
‘Let’s do the talking first,’ Lizzie replied. Her heart started to gallop when she saw how concerned Simon looked, and she had to hold back the urge to rush and put her arms around him. She needed to get things straight first, and hopefully there would still be space for a hug afterwards.
‘Fair enough.’ Simon walked back out into the shop area, and Lizzie followed.
‘I’ll be back a bit later, Aunt Bee,’ Lizzie said.
‘Oh, don’t rush,’ Bee replied. ‘I think we’ve got most of what we can do today sorted now. You two get out and enjoy the sunshine.’
Lizzie gave Bee what she hoped was a reassuring smile. ‘See you in a bit.’
She and Simon walked along the high street and then veered off onto one of the public footpaths that bordered Roseford Hall’s perimeter. It ran across the land that Simon still owned, Lizzie noticed, the site where he intended to stage RoseFest. She wondered if that was deliberate. They stopped at a bench under a huge, ancient oak tree, and Simon gestured to it. ‘Shall we?’
Lizzie nodded and took a seat, and a deep breath.
‘Is everything all right, Lizzie?’ Simon asked, before she could speak. ‘I know it’s only been twenty-four hours, but you seem a little distant.’ His eyes radiated concern, and Lizzie desperately wanted to believe that it was genuine.
‘I need to ask you something, Simon,’ she said quietly. She turned to face him, and her resolve nearly faltered again when she saw the look on his face.
‘Of course,’ he said gently. ‘You can ask me anything.’
Lizzie paused, and the internal battle started raging again. How could she raise Georgina’s doubts with Simon without turning it into an argument? At worst, she’d be proven right, and at best he’d be so offended that he’d never speak to her again. But shehadto know.
‘When we met, you knew I’d recently sold my business, didn’t you?’
Simon looked confused. ‘Yes. I think Bee might have mentioned it, or you did. I honestly can’t remember. Why?’
Lizzie, unable to look him in the eye, glanced down at her hands. ‘Did you look up anything about me, when you knew that?’
Simon shook his head vehemently. ‘Of course not! Why would I do that?’
Lizzie, aware that he was getting upset, wanted this over with. ‘Maybe because you had an idea for a new venture, and you were looking for a backer? Someone to put in the money to finance RoseFest? And then I came along?’
The words hung in the air between them, and the look of shock on Simon’s face made Lizzie want to snatch them straight back.
‘You think I’ve been spending time with you because I’m after your money?’ Simon’s voice was low and he sounded desperately hurt. ‘Is that what this is all about?’
Lizzie shook her head. ‘I don’t know, Simon. My sister, Georgina, she said that you were pretty strapped for cash, and getting to know you has been so wonderful… I began to wonder if it was all a little bit too easy, you know? That you’re looking for more than just my, er, friendship.’
Simon jumped up from the bench. ‘If that was the case, then why would I have wanted you by my side at what could have been one of the worst nights of my life?’ he snapped. ‘And why would I have spent all that time talking to Andy and Marina about investing in RoseFest? It doesn’t make any sense, Lizzie!’ He ran a hand through his hair impatiently. ‘I’ve been spending time with you because I wanted to. Because initially I really liked you, and then I found that I was falling in love with you. Christ, I even started thinking about how wonderful it would be if we made this a longer-term thing… I was clearly barking up the wrong tree there, if all you think is that I was in it to fleece you out of your bank balance!’
