Page 45 of The Little Island Flower Stall
‘Aww…’ Celestine waved away the compliment. ‘Don’t be silly.’ She turned back to Rory. ‘So you’re on holiday?’
Bella held her breath for the shortest time. She’d asked Rory not to mention his quest, but would he forget?
‘I’m visiting,’ he said, and Bella had to admire his tact. ‘Getting a real feel for the island too.’
‘And how do you like it so far?’
‘I love it! I feel right at home here.’
‘That’s good to hear.’
‘I can’t imagine anyone saying anything else,’ Bella cut in. She gave Rory a silent look of thanks. ‘It’s nice to see you…Was there something in particular you wanted, or were you just passing?’
‘I was wondering if you might have time to…I don’t know…I wondered whether you wanted to grab some lunch or something? There’s no pressure if you’re busy.’
‘Um…I would, but we’ve got so much to do today.’
‘I can look after the stall,’ Celestine cut in, but Bella shook her head. Much as she wanted to go off and spend a few hours in Rory’s company, she didn’t want to leave Celestine minding the stall. It was bad enough that her aunt insisted on turning up for work every day, despite having Bella there to do it for her, without leaving her to manage alone.
‘I don’t suppose you’re free later?’ Bella asked.
‘I can be. What time?’
‘I’m not sure when we’ll be done here. Can I text you?’
‘Sure, whatever you need.’
He stood for a moment, gazing down at her, and she wondered whether they were meant to hug or something. But then he said goodbye to Celestine and went on his way.
‘Well,’ Celestine said as they both watched him walk towards the beach. ‘You never said he was so handsome.’
‘Is he? I hadn’t really thought about it.’
Bella turned back to see Celestine grinning.
‘OK,’ Bella said sheepishly. ‘Maybe I had. But I told you, there’s nothing more going on but friendship. I can’t get involved.’
‘Why not? I know you’re still married, but nobody cares about that these days, do they?’
‘I don’t care about that, only because Sean didn’t care. But I don’t think it’s a smart move. I’ve just met Rory.’
‘Everyone who ever fell in love had to meet for the first time. It never stopped any of them.’
‘Fell in love?’ Bella gave a self-conscious laugh. ‘Talk about jumping the gun! He’s good company, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say there’s anything like love going on.’
‘But you do like him. And don’t try to deny it because I could see it in your face the moment you laid eyes on him. You lit up like Christmas.’
‘Celestine!’ Bella huffed. ‘I think you need to rent a steamy romcom from Prime to get that out of your system! I did no such thing!’
‘I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, but I know what I saw.’
Bella went over to a crate of foliage. ‘This lot needs trimming,’ she mumbled. ‘I’d better get on with it.’
As she pulled some cutters from the drawer beneath the counter, she could hear Celestine chuckling. She knew she was beginning to get feelings for Rory, but was it really so obvious to everyone else? Was it obvious to him? That couldn’t be good – she didn’t want him to get the wrong idea about the time they were spending together. When she met him later, she’d have to keep herself in check or else put him in the picture.
Bella walked to the promenade after work via St Rosa’s church, where Celestine had a book club meeting. With half an hour to spare, they spent it wandering the churchyard, Celestine showing Bella where some of her ancestors were buried. Bella’s interest had been cursory at first – she’d never met any of these people and knew very little about them. But as she began to read the inscriptions on each headstone, the weight of history, of her ancestry, pressed down upon her. It had never occurred to her so viscerally before, but the people here, lying in the ground beneath their feet, were the people whose lives, in ways big and small, had made Bella’s life what it was today. They were a part of her.
Once Celestine had gone in to join her fellow book club members, Bella walked slowly to the beach where she’d arranged to meet Rory. Her time in the churchyard had set her mind racing again. Her family’s past was easy to find – she’d just seen it. Rory’s was hidden, and she couldn’t imagine how that felt.
