Page 34 of All Wrapped Up
‘Yep. A terrific turnout.’
I took a moment to digest that.
‘I only wish a couple of the people who were at the wrong place had come along to the pub,’ Lizzie huffed. ‘That way, we could have sorted the muddle out on the night and not wasted more time.’
I wished that had happened too, but there was no point crying over it now.
‘So, there actually was more interest in the idea than the few of us in The Mermaid suggested?’ I asked, focusing on what was most important.
My heart rate quickened at the thought and increased tenfold with Lizzie’s next words.
‘There certainly was,’ she said, with relish. ‘There still is. And if you’re still up for the challenge, they’re all willing to turn out again and this time,definitelyin the pub!’
Chapter 9
Of course, I was feeling terrified by the prospect of talking to everyone who had turned out for the first meeting at the wrong venue, because the weight of expectation to offer a fabulous festival weighed even heavier now, but I took a leap of faith and said a resounding ‘yes’ to Lizzie’s request. And, having turned once again to Callum’s words of wisdom, it wasn’t the only thing I had decided to welcome in, either.
As soon as I’d got home from town that Monday, I had made myself a pot of tea and sat down in my armchair with the box containing all of Callum’s notes resting on my lap. I took out and ran my fingers lightly over the words of his last one and acknowledged thatthe best and loveliest thingsreally were on my horizon now. I was taking some risks and the rewards were starting to make their presence felt and when I picked out and read another note, I knew that, even with my nerves kicking in, everything was going to work out just fine.
I hadn’t learnt to drive until Callum and I were engaged and the morning of my test, I had been absolutely terrified. However, Callum had sent me off with a few words, which hesaid I couldn’t read until the time of my test and when I did, I found he’d cleverly turned my fear on its head.
You’re feeling scared because you care, Clemmie. The fact that you’re so nervous is proof of how much you want this and you always achieve everything you set your mind to, don’t you? And that’s because you go after it with the whole of your heart!
Callum was right about that, and this time around, what I wanted, along with making a success of the festival, was to give Pixie a safe and loving forever home.
‘Clemmie.’ Ash smiled, when he opened the barn door early that evening and found me on his doorstep. ‘Hey. This is a surprise.’
‘I asked Lizzie for your address,’ I explained. ‘I hope you don’t mind that she gave it to me.’
He didn’t have the chance to answer because the moment Pixie heard my voice, she’d skirted around his legs and bowled into mine.
‘Hello, you,’ I said, scooping her up. ‘I was hoping to find you at home.’
‘No,’ Ash laughed, opening the door wider. ‘I don’t mind. Come in. I was just about to make a coffee. Would you like one?’
‘Yes, please,’ I said, practically tripping over the threshold because with Pixie wriggling in my arms and shoving her face in mine, it was difficult to see where I was going. ‘Has she been like this all day?’ I asked as she continued to squirm about. ‘This is a vast improvement on her mood from before, isn’t it?’
‘No, she hasn’t been like this all day,’ Ash continued to laugh. ‘And yes, it is a vast improvement. Her excitement seems to be solely reserved for when she sees you.’
‘That’s probably because we’ve got so much in common,’ I unguardedly said, then felt relieved that Ash hadn’t heard me over the noise of the boiling kettle.
‘What was that?’ he asked, moving closer.
‘I said,’ I amended, ‘I’m honoured.’
‘Good.’
‘And she was pleased to see you the other night, too,’ I pointed out.
‘That’s true,’ he agreed. ‘Now, how do you take your coffee?’
Once he’d made us drinks, Pixie had calmed down and I had admired the beautiful barn conversion Ash currently called home, we sat on the sofa with Pixie between us.
‘So,’ he said, as he passed me my mug. ‘Is this a social call or…’
‘It’s partly a social call,’ I told him. ‘I wanted to see how you were feeling after the weekend.’
He looked touched that I had asked.
