Page 88 of Merrily Ever After
‘I’m really sorry, but I think I’ve left my rugby boots in your car, and I need them today.’
A quick look over my shoulder into the footwell behind confirmed it.
‘Yes, you have. Can you borrow some?’ I asked, hopefully.
‘No, because they all need them at the same time as me. If I don’t have my own, I’ll have to wear the massive pair from lost property, and everyone will take the pi—’
‘Harley,’ I warned. Cole had had a word with him for swearing last night in front of Freya. Harley had argued back, saying that everyone at school swore and that it was no big deal, at which point Cole had marched him out of the room. I didn’t get to hear the rest of the conversation, but neither of them spoke for a while when they came back in.
‘Sorry. Please could you bring them for me, Merry, I’ll get teased otherwise and I can’t handle that today,’ he pleaded.
I sighed. Fred had a doctor’s appointment first thing and there was no one to open the shop.
‘Please,’ he said again. He did sound desperate. ‘I owe you one.’
‘Does that mean you’ll sing at our wedding?’ I asked.
I’d told Cole how brilliant his son’s solo had been on Saturday and both of us had asked him if we could have a repeat performance during the marriage ceremony. Our request had been met with a resounding no.
Harley sighed in exasperation. ‘OK. Forget it.’
‘No, no, Harley, it’s fine,’ I said, taking pity on him. ‘I’m turning the car around now.’
I parked in my space near the back of the shop, unlocked the door and went inside. The detour had added another forty-five minutes to my journey, but it had been worth it.I’d left his kitbag with the school receptionist and Harley had sent me a text to thank me, adding a kiss at the end of it for the first time.
I quickly switched on the coffee machine before walking through the shop, turning the lights on and flipping the sign on the door from ‘closed’ to ‘open’.
Five minutes later, I was ready for business. Gentle Christmas music played in the background and the smell of cinnamon and cloves from the candles I’d lit mixed with the aroma of my coffee to create a delicious layer of scents throughout the shop. I opened my emails to tackle the orders which would have come in over the weekend and almost fell off my chair when the door flew open, and Nell burst in.
‘Guess what!’ she cried breathlessly. She looked like she had just run all the way across the market from her stall.
‘You’ve just sold a bag of almonds to Tom Hardy?’ I said, laughing. There weren’t many men who could tempt Nell away from Olek, but Tom was top of the list.
‘No, no,’ she replied, bending down to pick up all the post by the door which I hadn’t got around to sorting yet. ‘I’ve agreed the sale on my stall. Nell’s Nuts will live on, but without Nell.’
‘Congratulations!’ I hugged her and we danced around in a circle in excitement. ‘When did this happen?’
‘It was all so easy,’ she said, beaming. ‘Those customers I told you about made me an offer. Olek and I discussed it and we’ve accepted.’
We went into the workroom and while I poured her some coffee, she gave me the details.
‘And how do you feel?’ I asked, leaning against the workbench.
‘Excited,’ she said, her brown eyes sparkling at me. She put the post down between us and picked up her mug.
‘And I haven’t felt that for a long time. The market stall was fun, but I’m ready for a new challenge. Seeing you build up Merry and Bright has inspired me.’
I looked at my friend, surprised. ‘Really?’
Nell nodded. ‘You’ve grabbed every opportunity with both hands, taken risks, you’ve been brave and daring. I’m going to be channelling your energy for my next venture.’
‘You’re a good friend,’ I said, touched. ‘And I know that whatever you do you’ll be brilliant at it.’
I flicked through the letters. The usual suspects were there – flyers, junk mail, a letter from a supplier and … I paused, my hand hovering over an envelope with my name handwritten on the front of it and PERSONAL underlined underneath. No address or stamp. How odd.
‘I’m in no rush,’ Nell was saying. ‘I’ve got my honeymoon cover to do here first anyway. What’s that, a Christmas card?’
‘I don’t think so, it feels too flimsy.’ I tore open the envelope and removed a single sheet of paper. ‘Oh! It’s a letter.’
