Page 15 of The Little Island Flower Stall
‘Oh, right. Thanks again.’
He walked towards the bin, and Bella, thinking that was the last of their encounter, went back to her sorting on the stall. But a minute later, she was interrupted by his voice.
‘Sorry, I don’t mean to bother you again.’
‘That’s OK,’ she said, looking up. ‘I was only tidying. What can I do for you?’
‘As I’m here, I’d like a nice bouquet.’
‘I’m sure I can do that. Something’ – the question was out before Bella had even thought it, and the way she flushed was even more unplanned – ‘romantic? Like roses or something? For a wife…girlfriend?’
‘Oh, no, nothing like that. Something pretty. For an older lady.’ He shrugged slightly. ‘To tell the truth, it’s for someone I’ve never met. Sort of an introduction, almost. What do you think? I didn’t know whether flowers would be the thing or not, to be honest, but I couldn’t think of anything else and I didn’t want to turn up empty-handed. Could you put something together?’
For the first time that morning, Bella wished her aunt was here because she felt sure Celestine would have a much better idea than she did. However, she was silent for a moment as she took in her stock.
‘Something traditional? Like carnations or pink roses or something?’
‘Sounds good. I’ll let you use what you think.’
‘How much would you like to spend? So I know how much to put in the bouquet.’
He shrugged again. ‘What’s the going rate for an introductory bunch of flowers for an older lady you’ve never met?’
‘Beats me!’ Bella said with a self-conscious laugh. ‘I suppose it depends how impressive you want them to be.’
‘They are going to be doing some heavy lifting.’ He scratched at the back of his neck and gave her a slightly awkward but all the more attractive for it smile.
As intrigued as she was, Bella avoided asking what he meant by that. Instead, she paused again and then threw out a figure.
‘About twenty-five pounds?’
‘What would that get me?’
Bella pointed to an arrangement Celestine had put together that morning. It was gorgeous, full of bright gerberas and tropical leaves, and the only reason Bella wasn’t trying to sell it to him now was that it didn’t seem to fit the bill, considering the brief he’d just given her. Even as she showed him, he made no sign to say he’d take that one. ‘I’m assuming those aren’t the flowers you want, but would you want about that size?’
‘That looks about right size-wise. I’ll trust you on what flowers to put in – haven’t a clue about that sort of thing,’ he said. ‘Twenty-five. You take cards?’
‘Yes.’
‘Great. Go ahead – put whatever you think in there. I’m sure it will be perfect. Are you busy today?’ he asked as Bella began to choose flowers.
‘A bit. It’s actually my first day so I don’t know whether it’s busy because I’m slower at doing things or whether it’s actually busy. It’s my great-aunt’s stall, actually, and she doesn’t seem too stressed about it, so I think maybe it’s the former.’
‘If you’re new to this, you seem to be doing a good job of my flowers.’
Bella let out a girlish giggle that took her totally by surprise. It also annoyed her, but it had come from nowhere. She wasn’t entirely sure she was doing a good job and a more practised eye might have said so, but he seemed happy, and for some reason it made her happy too. ‘Thanks. I’ve had a good teacher.’
‘Your great-aunt?’
‘Yes. She’s just gone to get us some lunch. Crab sandwiches from across the way.’
‘I had one of those before the seagull incident,’ he said ruefully. Bella tried not to laugh again at the memory of his misfortune. ‘The bit I had was really good. I’ll have to get another one and take more care of it. Anywhere else you can recommend to eat around here?’
‘There’s a great fish and chip shop. Depends what you want, of course. There’s not a huge choice if you’re after fine dining, but good casual places are pretty much everywhere you look.’
‘Bay Fish and Chips? I tried those yesterday. They were good.’
‘Have you been here long? I take it you’re on holiday?’
