Page 126 of All Wrapped Up
‘Hello, love.’ They both smiled, when I called them straight after Ash had left me on the Friday evening.
He had said he was going early to let me get organised and have a good night’s sleep ahead of the imminent busy day, but I knew he’d noticed I was feeling jittery about making the call and thought the earlier in the evening I did it, the better.
‘Hello, Mum.’ I swallowed. ‘Hi, Dad.’
‘Look at you, Clemmie,’ Dad laughed. ‘You’re looking wonderful, my love.’
‘Am I?’
‘Yes,’ Mum agreed with Dad. ‘You are. I was worried taking this festival on might prove too much for you to manage on your own, but clearly, it’s been the making of you. You’re positively glowing!’
‘Well,’ I said, taking up the opening her words offered. ‘As you might recall, I haven’t done it entirely on my own. I do have a very competent deputy assisting me.’
I could feel the colour starting to rise in my cheeks.
‘Ah, yes,’ said Dad, with what looked suspiciously like an attempt at waggling his eyebrows, ‘Ash, the vet.’
‘What are you doing?’ I frowned. ‘What’s with the face, Dad?’
Mum shook her head and gave him a nudge. ‘What I think your father is getting at,’ she said, ‘is that he’s seen a photo of the fella on the Facebook festival page and we both think he’s a very handsome young man.’
I knew the photo they’d seen. It had been taken in the pumpkin field. Ash looked entirely at home in his muddy wellies and grubby waxed coat and had no idea someone was about to capture the moment he and Jake shared a joke and he burst out laughing. I could have fallen for him on the strength of that one image alone, now that I’d opened my heart far enough to let love in again.
‘Oh.’ I further blushed. ‘I see. Well, yes, you’re completely right, Ash is very handsome. Even more handsome close up,’ I added, dreamily.
‘Exactly how close up?’ Dad asked keenly.
I took a deep breath, but didn’t then need to grapple to find the right words to tell them because they both guessed.
‘You’re in love with him, Clemmie!’ Mum gushed. She’d never been one to skirt around a situation. ‘You’re together, aren’t you?’
‘That’s why you look so radiant.’ Dad applauded.
‘Yes.’ I smiled, feeling both ecstatic and still surprised to be saying the words. ‘We are together and yes, we are very much in love.’
Mum gasped and her hands flew to her face.
‘Are you pleased?’ I asked.
Their reactions suggested they were, but I still sought their confirmation.
‘Pleased,’ Dad tutted. ‘That’s a feeble word, Clemmie! We’re absolutely over the moon, aren’t we, love?’
‘We are!’ Mum cried happily, her hands still cradling her face. ‘Oh, my darling, we truly couldn’t be happier for you.’
‘And I tell you who else will be thrilled, too,’ Dad was excited to tell me.
‘Who?’ I asked.
‘Jill and Colin,’ he declared.
‘Do you really think so?’ I gulped.
I had been wondering how Callum’s parents were going to feel to know that I’d moved on in a more meaningful way than just moving house.
Dad gave Mum a nudge.
‘We’ve never mentioned it before,’ she told me, emboldened by his encouragement, ‘but Jill is always asking if you’ve met someone. And now Colin is coming out of the shadows, he’s mentioned it, too. They’re going to be so happy for you. We all knew you were too young to be alone and hoped that one day, someone wonderful would come along.’
