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

Fourteen

Friday was hectic but Hope made time to call Tom with the good news.

‘I think I’ve found the perfect venue for the proposal,’ she said the moment he answered.

His laughter rang down the line. ‘Good morning to you too, Hope.’

‘Sorry, Tom. Good morning. What did you and Della think of the sketch, by the way?’

‘That you were right. It’s absolutely perfect. Della burst into tears so I know for certain she loved it. And now you’ve found a venue? You’re incredible Hope.’

‘Wait till I tell you what it is. It’s a bookshop. And not just any old bookshop but one that stocks the largest selection of fantasy fiction books. They’re Della and Alice’s favourites, aren’t they? The event won’t be in the actual bookshop, but Della and Alice and their guests will be able to look around it. There’s a large room at the rear and it’s perfect. I spoke to Greg, the owner of the bookshop, last night and the room is free on Valentine’s Day. He only really uses it for book related events and writing workshops and such, but he said he’s happy to help on this occasion. I’ll send you some photos of it before and during last night’s event and then you’ll get an idea of what can be done, bearing in mind that the fairy grotto will replace the murder scene.’

‘Murder to romance. What a varied life you lead. It does sound perfect and if you think it is then I’m sure we’ll think so too.’

‘I do, Tom. We’ll find someone to do the catering although Valentine’s Day is a busy day for them so that may require us thinking outside the box, but we’ll sort something out. We can provide trellis tables and decorate them beautifully to fit in with the whole fantasy fiction theme, and have a cold buffet. We also have a heated buffet bar if hot food is preferred, but again we’ll need to see who’ll be doing the catering first. Several caterers have their own. I have a friend who’s going to open her own café soon and she’s a brilliant cook. She doesn’t have it yet but she can work out of our kitchen, or the one where she lives, or both. She lives near me and it won’t be a problem to get the food to the venue. Della said she didn’t want anything fancy. The horse and the fairy grotto were the most important things. There was a buffet last night as you’ll see from the photos. Although we had a specialist caterer for that event, but you’ll get the idea. After Alice says yes, which I assume is a sure bet, the party can continue until around eleven. There’s even a large enough parking space at the rear for a horse box, so the horse can be unloaded there and Della can arrive on Brilliant Day without having to travel far at all. The life-size fairy grotto will sit perfectly along one wall of the room and we’ll add plants, flowers, and some small blossom trees to fill any space on either side. There’ll be a pool in the centre at the base of the backdrop, and the trompe l’oeil will have a waterfall cascading into it.’

‘It sounds as if you’ve thought of everything.’

‘It’s my job to think of everything and that’s why I’m paid the big bucks,’ she laughed. ‘But seriously, I hope I have. I want Della to have a truly magical day. And Alice of course.’

‘I do too. I know it’s your job, and I’ll make sure I’m sitting down when I get your invoice, but I think you’ve gone above and beyond, Hope.’

‘Thank you. If only I could find a real unicorn. And perhaps a fairy or two. But even I can’t perform miracles.’

‘Oh I don’t know about that. I think you can. Ah. Sadly I’m the one who needs to go now. I’ve got an urgent call I must take. Have fun tonight and a wonderful wedding tomorrow.’

‘Thanks. I’ll call you as soon as I can.’

Hope sent the photos she had said she would, and then consulted her long list of things still to do, not just for Della’s event but also for all the others in the diary of Eversley Events.

The rearranged meal for that night that Greg Carter’s family had insisted must go ahead was the first one on that list. Eversley Events had taken over the organisation of the event because Naomi was now paying for it and she had asked them to do so.

But as Fiona’s best friend, Hope was also a guest, as were Grace and Griff because Grace was best friends with Fiona’s sister Naomi.

At events like these, where they were both the event planners and also guests, it was difficult but necessary to strike the right balance. But Hope and her family always managed it.

Hope made some calls to ensure she could tick the outstanding items from the list and then she moved on to the next one.

She repeated this process for the remainder of the day before she closed her laptop and went to her room to get ready for the evening … and for her work.

Not that she or Grace did much work on the night. But they did do a lot of eating, laughing, singing, and dancing. It was more enjoyable than Hope had expected, and everyone had a wonderful time. The food was superb, the disco was good, and Hope pushed all her thoughts of Russell, and Laurence and Rob being in love with her to one side, although she did think about Tom once or twice. But he wasn’t in love with her. Was he?

Drinking was kept to a minimum because Fiona’s wedding was the following day, and Hope was Fiona’s chief bridesmaid.

Hope had, of course, done most of the planning and implementation for everything in connection with the wedding, but as she had the important role of chief bridesmaid to perform on the day, the other members of the Eversley family would handle anything and everything pertaining to the event itself. Friends of Granny Joy would be taking care of her all day so they wouldn’t need to worry about her, which was a blessing.

Luckily for all concerned the wedding went off without a hitch and even the weather was perfect.

It was one of the warmest February days on record and the sun shone from morning until evening. The bride looked sensational in a snow-white, off the shoulder, designer wedding dress of satin and lace exquisitely embellished with pearls making the dress both lustrous and glamorous, with a tiara fit for a Queen positioned regally atop a stylish updo with a scattering of tendrils at the sides. A necklace of a single row of pearls set with a diamante heart in the centre, and pearl and diamante heart earrings to match, made the most of the sweetheart neckline.

This was the first time Greg and his best man had worn top hats and tails, but no one would have guessed it. Greg was a tall and handsome fellow and he wore the outfit as if he had been born to do so.

The limousines were bedecked with white and yellow flowers, as was St Gabriel’s Church. The ancient building looked resplendent and sunlight filtered through the stained glass windows casting rainbows of light dancing across the age-old tiled floor as the bride walked down the aisle.

The Reverend Brian Copeland performed the ceremony and as he had known Fiona and her family for many years, he ensured he gave his best.

The ceremony was followed by a four course meal held at the same restaurant as the family gathering the night before, so it was back to Folkestone for the wedding reception and, once again, a disco that enabled revellers to show off their finest moves on the dancefloor.

The honeymoon was two weeks in The Maldives which was a destination Fiona was more excited about than Greg, although this only became apparent when Fiona’s sister Naomi, having won so much money on the Lottery, purchased tickets for them to take a once in a lifetime trip in a Grand Suite on the Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express to Venice, as a wedding present.

No one had ever seen Greg so elated. Not even on his wedding day. But Greg loved trains and couldn’t get enough of them, which for a train driver, was really saying something.

That trip was booked for May but Greg was already talking about it more than he was his honeymoon. It didn’t seem to bother Fiona who simply said that she was delighted to see him so happy.

‘When your new husband is more excited about a train trip than he is your honeymoon, I think it’s time to question your choice of life partner,’ said Granny Joy when Hope and the others regaled her with tales of the wedding day.

But all things considered, it had been the perfect day and the perfect dream wedding.