That Special Something: A heartwarming, small town romance to fall in love with

Five

‘You’re joking!’

Grace couldn’t stop laughing when Hope joined her family at lunch and told them about the tweaks the Boot sisters had made to what was previously a rather small and sedate event.

‘I’m not. Male strippers weren’t the only request. They want a mini casino, or at the very least, a roulette wheel and a poker table.

‘Strip poker, no doubt,’ Pat said, shaking with amusement as she placed a pot filled with steaming hot tomato soup on the large iron trivet at the centre of the kitchen table.

‘It’s always the quiet ones,’ said Simon, removing freshly baked bread from the Aga and setting it on a bread board to cool a little.

‘They’ve invited Granny Joy,’ Hope added, taking the breadboard from her dad’s hands and making room for it beside the pot of soup.

‘Why doesn’t that surprise me?’ Pat said. She sat down and served the soup to each member of the family, starting with her own mum.

‘What’s this?’ asked Granny Joy.

‘It’s tomato soup, Mum.’

‘Looks like a bowl ketchup. Don’t hog that bread, Hope. Cut me a slice. Door-stop sized.’

Hope did as she was told. ‘I’m just waiting for the call to tell me they’ve decided they also want a bucking broncho and a mud wrestling ring.’

‘Don’t joke about such things,’ said Simon.

When Hope’s phone rang right at that moment, they all looked at one another and burst out laughing.

But it wasn’t the Boot sisters. It was Della Hardy.

‘Hello, Hope,’ she said. ‘It’s Della. Della Hardy.’

‘Hello Della. How are you?’ Hope shot an apologetic look at Pat.

‘Erm. Fine thanks. I … I’m just calling to say I’m sorry. I hope you don’t mind. You wrote your direct line number on the card you gave me on Christmas Eve. Tom told me he spoke to you yesterday.’

‘He did. But there’s no need to apologise. It was simply a misunderstanding.’

‘I know. But I wanted you to know that I didn’t ask him to call you and I didn’t give him your phone number. He did that off his own bat. I was telling him how disappointed I was because I wouldn’t be able to do the proposal the way I wanted and I got upset. He asked why not and I told him that when I called you last week, a woman told me you were too busy to take on new clients. I should’ve known he’d find your website and call. He’s always been protective of me. He’s thirteen years older, and when our parents died, he brought me up. He thinks he needs to be my dad as well as my brother. If I wanted the moon he’d try to get it for me. Sorry. I’m going on, aren’t I? But … he told me there’s a possibility that you might be able to do it after all. Is that right?’

Della’s words had moved her. Now Hope knew more about Tom Hardy than she had yesterday. But something else that Della had said was niggling her.

‘Erm. Yes. That is, we’ll organise a surprise proposal, but whether we can get everything you’re hoping for is another matter. I was going to call Tom later today with an update.’

‘That’s fantastic! Thank you so, so much. You don’t know what this means to me.’

‘I think I do. But may I ask, did you speak to me last week, Della? Only I can’t remember that conversation. The one from last week, I mean. Not the one on Christmas Eve.’

‘No. I’m not sure who it was but it was someone older. She said you were too busy to come to the phone and when I said that we’d met at the Mistletoe Dance and you’d said I could call you, she told me you weren’t taking on new clients, and then she hung up.’

Hope sucked in a breath and glared at Granny Joy who was tucking into her soup as if she hadn’t eaten for days, despite devouring a hearty breakfast of porridge followed by two slices of toast and marmalade at breakfast.

‘Ah. I think I know what happened. I must apologise. The person you spoke to doesn’t actually work for us and shouldn’t have answered my phone. Sorry for the confusion.’

‘Oh. That’s a relief. You were so lovely and friendly when we met so I was a bit surprised because the person I spoke to last week was so ... abrupt. But Tom said I should’ve called much sooner anyway, and it’s not really your fault. And he’s right. So again, I’m sorry.’

‘It’s fine. Shall I still call Tom? Or would you prefer I call you now that we’ve sorted that out?’

‘Erm. Tom, please. I’m a bit of a dreamer and I tend to get carried away. He’s more down to earth and reliable. He knows exactly what I want and he’ll fill me in. But I’d like to see it before the actual day, please. I promise I won’t ask for any changes because I know I can trust you to make it look beautiful.’

‘You’ll see it before then because I’ll do a mock-up on line so you’ll have a better idea of what we’re planning. And you can make changes, Della. It’s your event. Just don’t leave them until the last minute, please. And if possible, don’t make too many, because this is short notice.’

‘I won’t. I promise.’

‘I’ll need to discuss a possible venue once I know what’s still available. Do you have any preference?’

‘No. Anywhere within a short drive of Folkestone is fine.’

‘Great. Leave it with me. There’re a few places in Folkestone itself that might be perfect.’

‘Folkestone is lovely, isn’t it? I can’t wait to show Tom around. He’s going to be visiting for a week or two. I want him here when I pop the question. Oooh! Maybe the three of us can meet up to make it all final or whatever. A drink would be lovely too, if you have time, that is. I know you’re really busy.’

‘He is? Oh yes of course we can meet up. I can definitely find time for that. We’ll speak soon, Della. Bye for now.’

Hope rang off and placed her phone in front of her on the table. She was annoyed about the phone call last week but she couldn’t help smiling at the prospect of meeting Tom Hardy.

Pat handed her a bowl of soup. ‘It sounds as if that’s all sorted.’

‘Yes. It is,’ said Hope, trying to dismiss Tom Hardy from her thoughts. But an alluring image was forming in her mind’s eye.

What would Tom look like in the flesh?

The thought of Tom’s flesh sent an unexpected ripple of excitement coursing through her entire body and soup lapped at the sides of the bowl that she was still holding aloft.

Heat shot from her chest to her neck and up into her cheeks and she hastily set the bowl down on the table.

Then she cleared her throat and added, ‘I now know who Della spoke to last week. So a word of warning to everyone. From now on, never leave your mobile anywhere in this house in case a certain someone decides to answer it when it rings. Take it with you, no matter what.’ She tilted her head towards Granny Joy, and the rest of the family all nodded their acknowledgement.

‘I never leave my phone anywhere,’ Granny Joy said, stuffing her free hand down the front of her dress and lifting out her phone from the inside of her bra.