Chapter 16
‘Oh, these look lovely!’ Suzy turned to her fiancé, Owen, and ran her finger across the pale pink rose in the centrepiece.
‘They’re adorable, aren’t they?’ Nicola smiled as she admired the pastel roses encircled by muted green foliage. After yesterday’s drama with Nathan, she was glad to have something nice to focus on this morning.
‘They really are.’ Suzy leaned her head against Owen’s chest.
‘So you’re happy for me to go ahead and order them for each of the tables for the wedding reception?
’ This was the first Pennycress wedding since Laura had bought the inn and, with Laura busy with other wedding preparations, Nicola was eager not to mess this up.
She looked at the three table centrepieces she’d ordered from Fleur’s Flower Shop in Nettleford and smiled.
Each of them was exquisite in their own way, but she’d have bet money on Suzy and Owen choosing the one Suzy was currently gushing over.
‘Absolutely!’ Suzy looked up at Owen. ‘I wonder if we can incorporate this colour scheme into something to go along the handrail of the decking?’
‘We could look into it for you?’ Nicola scribbled in her notebook. ‘I can speak to Fleur and confirm your choices for the centrepieces and then ask if she could recommend something for the decking.’
‘Yes, please.’ Suzy checked her watch before widening her eyes and turning to Owen. ‘We need to get going. We’ll be late for the dress fitting otherwise.’
Owen nodded as he pushed back his chair. ‘Thank you, Nicola.’
‘Yes, thank you so much! I can’t wait until next Saturday.’ Suzy grinned, gave Nicola a quick shoulder hug and slipped her hand into her fiancé’s before they rushed from the kitchen.
Pulling the chosen centrepiece towards her, Nicola slowly turned it, looking at it from all directions.
Suzy was right; it was stunning and would look just perfect on the pale pink tablecloths the soon-to-be happy couple had chosen for the tables they were hiring for the garden.
It might have even been something she’d have chosen for her and Nathan’s wedding.
‘You look deep in thought.’ Laura set two bulging canvas bags on the table and looked around. ‘Have I missed Suzy and Owen?’
‘Yes, only just though. They’ve literally walked out of the door this minute.’ Standing up, Nicola peered inside the bags. ‘You managed to catch the carpenter at the craft fair then?’
‘I did indeed.’ Grinning, Laura began pulling out decorations for the upcoming wedding, each as whimsical and as magical as the centrepieces.
Once she’d placed the last item from the bag onto the table – a beautiful white wooden heart – she stood back.
‘How gorgeous are they? And they’re all handmade and hand painted. ’
‘They are lovely. You were lucky you got to the craft fair early enough to get them before they ran out again.’ Nicola ran her finger over a cluster of small heart silhouettes.
Laura nodded. ‘I feel bad not being here to see Suzy and Owen, but if I’d gone any later, I wouldn’t have managed to get these and you’ve been speaking to Fleur about their wedding flowers, anyway.’
‘Don’t worry, they were fine. Super excited for next weekend though, as you can imagine.
’ Nicola laughed. When Suzy and Owen had first looked around the inn as a potential wedding reception venue, Suzy had been beside herself.
They’d been looking for a classic country venue and had both exclaimed that Pennycress was the perfect place the moment they’d stepped inside the gate.
Nicola hadn’t thought it was possible Suzy could be even more excited. How wrong she’d been.
‘I just hope it doesn’t rain.’ Laura looked out of the glass French doors and grimaced at the bright sunshine.
‘It won’t. And if it does, Jill is on standby with the marquee the community hub uses for the summer fayre.
It’s all good. We’ve got it covered.’ Nicola smiled at her.
She could understand why she was so worried about the wedding – it was the biggest event the inn had held since Laura had bought the place – but Suzy and Owen had specifically chosen Pennycress for its charm, they didn’t want flash or perfect, they craved something much more intimate and real.
And they knew the risks the weather posed.
Suzy’s reaction when Laura had voiced her concerns was to simply answer that at least it would be memorable.
Slumping into the chair opposite Nicola, Laura rubbed her temples. ‘I know. It’ll be fine.’
‘It really will be.’ Nicola reached across and took Laura’s hand. ‘Suzy and Owen are lovely people and all they want is to get married and have their families back to Pennycress to celebrate. And that’s what’s going to happen.’
‘Yes.’ Laura nodded, more for her own benefit than Nicola’s.
‘And they’ll be blown away by Jackson’s menu.’ Nicola flicked through the wedding planning notebook and tapped the page Jackson had scribbled the menu on.
‘They definitely will be, yes.’ This brought a smile to Laura’s face, her shoulders relaxing. ‘He’s popping back between lunch and dinner at the pub tomorrow to trial the vegan options.’
‘Jackfruit and roasted vegetable tart,’ Nicola read. ‘Yum, sounds good and I’m not even a vegan.’
‘It does sound nice, doesn’t it? Well, hopefully we can both be his guinea pigs tomorrow afternoon.’ Laura looked towards the hallway as the happy tune of the doorbell filled the air. ‘I’ll pop and see who that is.’
‘Okay. I’ll just finish making these notes and then ring Fleur.’ Carefully sliding the newly bought decorations to the side, Nicola picked up her pen again.
Moments later Laura peered through the doorway and raised her eyebrows. ‘Nic, it’s someone for you.’
‘Who is it?’ Nicola mouthed as she stood up.
Laura glanced quickly over her shoulder before looking back and mouthing, ‘The farmer.’
Charlie? A sweep of heat rushed to her cheeks as she remembered the moment in the street earlier.
His hand touching hers… She shook her head.
It didn’t mean anything. The guy blew hot and cold more frequently than a blowtorch.
In fact, he’d more than likely resumed his grumpy demeanour by now.
She glanced at her watch. She’d been back at Pennycress for over three hours now, plenty of time for him to regulate his emotions again.
Standing up, she walked across to the doorway into the hallway, Laura giving her a look as she moved past her which said she wanted to know all the details once he’d gone. Nicola nodded slightly at her before turning to Charlie, who was standing by the reception desk. ‘Hi.’
‘Hey, I just wanted to pop by and check if everything was okay after your… err… chat with whoever that guy was.’ He glanced down at the oak floorboards beneath his feet before meeting her eyes.
‘Ah, yes. Sorry about that.’ She smiled.
This was unexpected. She hadn’t seen this side to him before.
Yes, he’d helped her after her fall and he’d fixed up her bike, but now he’d gone out of his way to pop by and check on her.
And he almost looked nervous with it, too.
Slipping behind the reception desk, Nicola picked up a pen, twisting it through her fingers.
‘You were lucky enough to meet my delightful ex.’
‘Nice.’ He nodded slowly, a look of confusion sweeping across his features.
Shifting on her feet, Nicola watched as he rubbed the back of his neck.
She knew there wasn’t anything between them.
The hand holding and the hugs, well, that had just been it, just someone helping someone out, reassuring her and getting caught up in the moment.
She might have even forced it. What if he’d wanted to let go, and she’d just stood there, frozen to the spot?
She swallowed. She’d let her thoughts run away with her.
What would someone like Charlie want with her, anyway?
And if he had, even for a slight second, wanted something more, Nathan had just put the dampeners on that.
‘Are you okay, though?’ He placed his hands on the desk between them.
Forcing a tight smile, Nicola nodded. She tried to fill her voice with more hope than she felt.
She hadn’t heard from Nathan since the altercation, so she presumed he’d either slunk back to Kerry or else was sleeping on a friend’s sofa.
Wherever he was there was one thing she was certain about though and that was she wouldn’t be letting him back into the cottage.
No chance. ‘Yes, all good, thanks. Hopefully, he won’t be back round again. ’
He grinned. ‘That’s good then. In that case, I wondered if I could ask you to help me with something this evening at the farm?’
Nicola widened her eyes. What could she possibly help him with? Did he think that because she was born and bred here in the countryside, she knew one end of a plough from the other? ‘You want me to help you with something?’
‘Yes. I’ve had an idea – probably a really stupid one – but I thought I’d give it a shot, anyway.’ He looked down and picked at a loose thread on his checked flannel shirt.
Tilting her head, Nicola smiled. He was nervous. ‘Go on then, what is it? And just for the record, I very much doubt it’s a stupid idea.’
Looking across at her, he caught her eye and smiled. ‘You’ve not heard it yet.’
‘Well, don’t keep me in suspense. Tell me!
’ She placed the pen back in the pot and leaned forward slightly, willing him to come out and tell her what it was he needed help with.
She certainly couldn’t imagine any idea of his to be daft.
He worked in the city and was now basically running a farm – a skill he hadn’t had up until a few months ago.
‘Okay.’ Taking a deep breath, he stood slightly back and shoved his hands in his pockets, a stance she could imagine he would take when addressing his colleagues in the city.
Of course, the faded flannel shirt was a stark contrast to the suits she guessed he wore to work, which gave him an adorable edge.
She leaned back quickly as she felt a jolt of surprise. She’d thought of him as adorable. Charlie. Adorable. She held the pads of her forefinger and thumb against her temples as though she were trying to soothe a headache. Headache or not, something wasn’t right.
‘I would like to take a recording of the farm, a snapshot of life at Little Mead, so to speak. Just something to pass down to any family I may or may not have in the future.’
Nicola felt a warmth in her chest. Charlie was a good person. No, he wasn’t keeping the farm, but he still wanted his uncle’s legacy and hard work to live on, even if that was only through a screen. ‘Oh, I think that’s a wonderful idea.’
‘You do?’ He stepped back to the counter, laying his fingers on the desktop.
‘Absolutely! I know you don’t want to move and live on the farm, but the video will be a reminder of what your uncle and your ancestors before him achieved.’ She reached out and touched the soft material of the shirt covering his arm. ‘It’s a really lovely idea.’
‘Thanks. So, I just wondered – if you’re free, of course – if you’d be able to come and play at being my cinematographer?’
‘Ha, I’ve no idea what one of them is, but I’m guessing it’s the person holding the camera, in which case, yes, I’d love to.’ Pulling her hand away, she smiled. ‘I can pop over after work if you want to get it done soon?’
‘Yes, that would be perfect. I’ll pick you up though, it will save you cycling.’
‘Oh, you don’t have to do that. I’m happy cycling.’ Nicola grinned. She was actually looking forward to this, a chance to explore the farm, but more specifically the opportunity to spend more time with Charlie.