Page 22 of All Wrapped Up
‘You’re welcome,’ I said, trying not to be further swayed by the sleepy but reproachful look Pixie gave me for allowing Ash to remove her from Rowan Cottage.
Ash had been keen on my autumn festival ideas and had come up with a couple of great ones of his own. Having chatted even more on the phone ahead of the meeting, by the timeWednesday dawned, I felt as though we were as prepared as we could be.
I hadn’t expected to feel quite so confident, but the spring in my step that day was a real bonus. I wasn’t sure if the feeling would remain when faced with a pub full of people, but I endeavoured to keep the festival visual at the forefront of my mind, go with the flow and hold my nerve.
I spent much of the day in the garden and posted a selection of photos on AutumnEverything featuring the peachy-hued dahlias which were now flowering in abundance. It was the first image I’d shared that year to show how the garden was hinting at a sign of my favourite season being on the horizon and the likes and comments that rushed in suggested that my followers were as keen as I was to welcome in the scent of woodsmoke and get wrapped up in warm layers and big soft scarves again.
I was considering what to wear for the meeting that would set the right tone when Mum called.
‘Hello, Mum.’ I cheerfully smiled, as her face popped up and I carried on looking through my wardrobe.
‘Hello, my darling,’ she smiled back. ‘How are you? You sound in a good mood.’
‘I am.’ I nodded, as I pulled out a Joe Browns autumn patterned dress and wondered if it would be too much or an aesthetically pleasing extra confidence boost. ‘A really good mood as it happens, but I’m sorry I can’t chat for long, because I’ve got to go out.’
Mum looked delighted about that.
‘In that case, I won’t keep you,’ she promised. ‘Going anywhere nice?’
‘To the pub in town,’ I told her. ‘There’s a meeting there tonight to discuss the event I told you about.’
‘You didn’t tell me much,’ she wheedled, obviously hoping I’d share more now.
‘Well,’ I laughed, ‘I’ll tell you all about it tomorrow, because we’re nailing down the details tonight.’
I was both surprised and excited to still feel so confident and I was practically itching to ring Lizzie and ask if we could move the meeting forward by an hour or two!
‘I’ll hold you to that.’ Mum grinned. ‘And you’ve got me thinking, as you’re going to be involved with it, maybe your dad and I should come and visit while it’s happening? It’s been so long since we’ve seen you.’
‘Oh, I’d love that,’ I gasped.
Their presence at some point during the festival really would be the cherry on the cake. Though I’d have to prime them not to talk to anyone about the reason behind my move to the Fens. Or my Insta account. I felt my rush of excitement wane a little when faced with the prospect of that.
‘That’s settled then,’ said Mum.
‘Don’t do anything until we’ve got the itinerary sorted,’ I hedged, in spite of the fact there wasn’t actually anything they could plan until the festival details were settled on, ‘then I’ll let you know the best dates.’
‘It sounds like it’s going to be a big deal, Clemmie.’
‘It is,’ I confirmed, with an eye on the clock. ‘And I really had better start getting ready now, otherwise I’ll be late. I’m sorry to cut your call short.’
‘It’s fine,’ Mum insisted. ‘I’m sorry for holding you up, but I will just quickly tell you why I was ringing in the first place.’
‘Go on.’
‘Jill and Colin have had an offer on the house.’
‘Already?’
‘Yep.’ Mum nodded. ‘Already and above the asking price, too.’
‘That’s amazing. Are they going to take it?’
‘They are, and they’re in a right flap now because they haven’t started looking for anywhere to move to yet!’
‘A time limited house hunt is just what they need,’ I said seriously. ‘They won’t have a chance to think about anything else, while they’re doing viewings, booking surveys and packing boxes.’
Mum agreed. ‘This should really help them, shouldn’t it?’ she said thoughtfully. ‘Of course, it will be hard when the day comes to hand the keys over, but it’s the right thing to do.’
