Forever Love at Fleur’s Flower Shop (Escape to… Nettleford #2)
Chapter 1
Chapter One
‘ Y es, of course. A dozen roses.’ Fleur Langford nodded as she jotted down the order.
‘Of your reddest roses. The deep red ones, not the pinkie ones.’ Mr Truman clasped his hands on the counter opposite her and frowned.
‘Yep, deep red.’ After adding the note to the order, she circled it twice. She tried her best not to laugh. Ever since she’d opened up the flower shop seven years ago, Mr Truman had been one of her regular customers and always asked for the deepest red roses she could find so of course she’d remember – she only had to see the name to know what was expected of her. ‘I have that.’
‘Thank you.’ Tapping his card against the machine, Mr Truman continued. ‘It’s just that she loved the deep red ones from the first bouquet I ever bought her seventeen years ago and every Valentine’s Day, birthday and anniversary since then, I always try to replicate that very first bunch I gave her.’
‘Aw, that’s a lovely tradition.’ Despite having heard the story at least forty times before, Fleur smiled as though it was the first. It was a lovely tradition. And any other time, she was more than happy listening to her customers gush over their love for the person they were buying flowers for, but this week, this month, she’d had it. If she heard one more person confide in her how much they felt about the other person in their partnership, she thought she might actually throw up. Tearing the receipt from the order form, she passed it over. ‘Here you go, Mr Truman. All set for the big romantic day.’
‘Thank you.’ Taking the receipt, Mr Truman carefully folded it in two before safely slipping it into his leather wallet, where it would no doubt sit until the precious flowers were delivered.
‘Bye now.’ Fleur held her hand up to wave, lowering it as soon as the door to her flower shop had closed and she was once again alone amongst the blooms. She looked around her. She loved her shop, but somehow, since Drew had broken off their relationship, everything felt a little tarnished. She sold romance. Heck, she was the Romance Fairy, making people’s hearts sing with the flower arrangements she created. She facilitated people’s romantic wishes, helping them to declare their love for another human being and yet here she was alone and on the shelf - again.
Not that she’d loved Drew. Far from it, but that wasn’t the point. And she knew she was only feeling this way because of the time of the year, because of that Valentine’s Day ten years ago. The Valentine’s Day she’d made the biggest mistake of her life. One she was still paying for and probably always would be. But normally she at last had a date for the fourteenth, something to take her mind off it all, but with three weeks to go that didn’t seem likely this year. Nope, this year she’d be facing Valentine’s Day alone.
Walking around the counter, she ran her fingers along the rows of fresh flowers sitting in their buckets on display. It was early, barely gone nine, and she’d already had five customers in, eager to order bouquets for Valentine’s Day, which seemed to be encroaching quicker than she could say the words - I want a date .
She jerked her head up as the door pinged open again, the dainty chime she’d had installed last year announcing the new arrival. She relaxed her shoulders as soon as she realised it was her closest friend and owner of the bookshop on the other side of the green, Bea. At least she wouldn’t have to put her happy front on with her. ‘Morning, aren’t you opening today?’
‘Morning, Fleur. My sister popped by on the way home from the school run, so I thought I’d come by and see how you are. You seemed a bit down at the Gregory’s town retail meeting yesterday.’ Closing the door behind her, Bea joined her.
‘Oh, you know.’ Fleur shrugged as she rearranged a bunch of yellow roses by the door before walking back behind the counter.
‘I brought coffee.’ Bea lowered two takeout cups on the counter before pushing one across to Fleur. ‘It’s Drew, isn’t it? You’ve been down in the dumps since you two broke up.’
‘Thanks.’ Fleur took a sip of the coffee, immediately regretting it as she forced herself to swallow the bitter taste. ‘I think this is yours.’
‘Oh, sorry.’ Swapping the cups, Bea took a sip and nodded.
Bringing the other cup gingerly to her lips, she was relieved when she tasted the sweet caramel syrup she always had in her coffee. ‘Much better, thanks.’
‘No problem.’ Placing her cup on the counter between them, Bea looked at her friend, the concern she felt etched across her forehead. ‘But, seriously, Fleur. What’s wrong? ‘
Shrugging again, Fleur sighed. She couldn’t hide anything from Bea, not that she’d been particularly coy about the way she was feeling at the moment. It took all her energy to put a front on for her customers. She just didn’t have it in her to hide her true feelings from Bea too. ‘You’re right. It’s him, and I know it’s daft. It’s not as though we’d been going out long. Or that we’d even declared our love for each other. It’s just...’
‘What?’ Bea placed her hand over her friend’s. ‘You’d fallen in love with him?’
Fleur scoffed. ‘No, not even that. I mean, he was a good-looking guy...’
‘With a ton of cocky confidence.’
‘Yep, that too.’Fleurforced a smile. It was true, Drew had been confident. Overly confident and not in the way that Fleur usually fell for either. He’d been cocky and, at times, just downright arrogant.Takinga deep breath, she blurted out what had beenplayingon her mind since the day Drew had ended things with her. ‘I’m just never going to meet anyone, am I? I date.Iuseallthe dating apps and forcemyselfto sit through boring date after date. I go out with guys I don’t even particularlylikethat much and still no onewantsme.’
‘Oh, Fleur.’ Hurryingaroundthecounter, Bea scooped herfriend into her arms. ‘I didn’t know you felt like this. You’re normally the happy-go-lucky one.’
‘I know.’ She laid her head on Bea’sshoulder, allowing herself to be soothed before stepping away and wiping at her eyes. ‘And I am. I just... I don’t know. Drew was the final straw, I guess.’
‘Are youtalkingto anyone else at the moment? On the dating sites, I mean. You always say the best thing after being disappointed is tojumpstraight back into it.’ Bea settled herself back on the other side of the counter.
Shakingher head, Fleurpickedup her coffee cup. ‘Nope. That’s it for me. I’m done trying.’
‘Don’t say that. They’ll be someone for you. I didn’t think I’d ever fall in love againaftermy divorce, but then whenIleast expected it, Scott came into my life.’ Bea automatically glanced down at theengagement ring on her left hand.
Fleur smiled. A genuine smile this time. She’d never seen Bea look as happy as she did now and thatmeantthe world to her, but it also highlighted thefactthatshe’dbeenchasingthe dream ofmeetingsomeone for so long now that she was now wholeheartedly convinced therewasn’tanyone out there for her. She’d had her chance all those years ago and she’d blown it. The number of dates she’d been on, the number of men she’d chatted to over theyears. She’d have met her Mr Right by now if he existed,wouldn’tshe?Shetook a deep breath, composing herself before answering. ‘Nope. I’ve decided the bestthingIcan do, for my sanity and myheart, is to have a break in searching for Mr Right. I need some time just being me and enjoying my life again.’
Bea nodded slowly. ‘Okay. Well, that’s probably a good idea. You know what they say, love comes knocking when you’re not looking.’
Wrapping her hands around her coffee cup, Fleur shook her headfirmly. ‘No, the last thing I need is to startthinkinglike that. You know me, ifIdo then I’ll just be looking over myshoulderevery five seconds wondering if the love of my life is the guy putting bread in his basket at the grocery store or,Idon’t know, buying sweets at Sadie’s sweet shop. No, I’m not looking, and I don’t want to find love at the moment.Thistime is for me.’
‘That’s fine, but just so you know, you’reamazing and you will find someone, so don’t give up on the idea of love forever.’
‘Notforever, I won’t. But for now, I need a holiday from it.’ Fleur straightened her back. Now she’d voiced what she’d been thinking, she actually felt better. Stronger.
‘And Drew wasn’t right for you.’
‘I know.’ She nodded. He really hadn’t been. ‘I think I’d have had to invest in a good pair of earplugs if we’d stayed together any longer. That music he listened to....’ She shuddered just at the memory of the dreadful racket he’d insisted on playing every time they went out in his car.
‘Haha, exactly. And you don’t want to live your life with everything muffled.’ Bea laughed.
‘No, thank you.’ Fleur took a long sip of her sweet caramel latte. That was decided then. She wasn’t even going to entertain the idea of looking for true love. She was going to enjoy her life as it was. She had her flower shop which, for the last seven years she’d sunk her savings, life and her heart into and that was the only thing she wanted to fall in love with again - her passion for flowers and bringing a smile to her customers faces.