Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
F leur straightened her back and turned to look at the door as the clip-clip of shoes signalled people making their way across the wooden floors of the large hall. Finally, others were joining them for the meeting. ‘Umm, sounds like we’ve not been abandoned after all, then.’
‘No, maybe not.’
Fleur watched as Pat from the patisserie, Marty and Martha from the hardware store and Scott, Bea’s fiancé, wandered in. She held up her hand in acknowledgement and relief that tonight hadn’t been one huge set-up, ensuring that she and Bea were the only ones in Gregory’s meeting.
‘Hey, Bea. Hi, Fleur.’ Scott bee-lined for them before leaning down and kissing Bea.
‘Yuck, get a room, you two,’ Fleur mocked.
‘You’re supposed to be the number one fan of love. Your shop’s built on that.’ Scott chuckled.
‘Haha, I know, and I am. Go ahead, just make sure to pop in tomorrow and order an expensive and extravagant bouquet.’ Fleur grinned. She knew she needed to stop thinking about Matty. Although this time of year, with Valentine’s Day being her and Matty’s should-have-been wedding anniversary, it still warmed her heart to see so many people ordering flowers from her who were obviously in love. It restored her faith in human nature and the opportunity to find ‘the one’. But this year…
‘I sure will.’ Scott lowered himself into a chair at the table in front of them before twisting in his seat towards their table.
‘Why is everyone so late, anyway?’ Fleur picked up Bea’s pen again and pulled the piece of paper Bea had given her towards her before drawing hearts in the margin. She really did need to start ignoring all the mixed feelings churning in her stomach and focus on what was normally her most lucrative time of the year.
‘Gregory pushed the meeting back by a quarter of an hour.’ Scott looked from Fleur to Bea and back again. ‘Did you two not get the memo?’
‘Nope, Gregory appears to have forgotten to tell us that little detail.’ Fleur rolled her eyes before glaring at Gregory, who, if she wasn’t mistaken, had overheard the conversation as his ears were tinged red.
Scott held his hands to his chest in mock-shock. ‘You mean you were both early?’
‘Don’t sound so surprised! I can be early!’ Bea leaned across and tapped him on the arm.
Raising his eyebrows, Scott pulled a face. ‘Not when you two are together, you can’t.’
‘Oi! I don’t like what you’re implying.’ Fleur laughed.
‘Umm, I’d apologise but…’ Scott shrugged as he chuckled.
Grinning, Fleur rolled her eyes. However much she or Bea denied it, Scott was right. When the two of them got together, they chatted as though they hadn’t seen each other in twenty years, even if it had only been twenty minutes.
‘Who are we waiting for?’ Gregory looked around the room. ‘Sadie and Ruby, I believe. Has anybody heard from them?’
Pulling her mobile from her pocket, Fleur checked the screen. Nope, no missed calls or messages. ‘I haven’t heard anything. Have you, Bea?’
Taking her mobile from her bag, Bea checked hers. ‘No, but it’s unusual that those two are late. Ruby’s normally the earliest to everything.’
‘True. I’ll go and see if I can find them.’ Fleur pushed her chair back just as the door to the meeting room opened again and Sadie hurried through. ‘Hi, Sadie. Is Ruby not with you?’
‘Hi.’ Hurrying towards them, Sadie slipped into the chair next to Scott. ‘No, she had a phone call just as we were leaving to come here. Her dad’s been taken ill. Think he’s had a fall from what I could gather, so she’s travelling back tonight.’
‘Oh, bless her. I hope he’s okay.’ Fleur sank back into her chair.
‘Me too. She looked so worried.’ Sadie bit down on her bottom lip.
‘Thank you for joining us, Sadie.’ There was no missing the impatience in Gregory’s clipped tone. ‘And is Ruby on her way?’
Sadie sighed before turning towards the front of the room and Gregory. ‘Err, no. She had a family emergency and sends her apologies.’
‘A family emergency, you say? And I hope this won’t be interfering with tomorrow’s speed dating event at her restaurant?’ Gregory glared at Sadie.
Shifting a little under his stare, Sadie cleared her voice. ‘Actually, yes, it will. She’s had to go out of town for a few days.’
Opening and closing his mouth, Gregory perched on the front of his table. ‘She won’t be here for the speed dating?’
‘No, sorry. Again, she sends her apologies.’ Sadie answered.
‘It’s not as though she has anything better to do, right? I mean family emergency or running some idiotic speed dating event?’ Fleur muttered under her breath. He really did think the whole world revolved around Nettleford and the town events he forced upon them all. Not that she didn’t enjoy some of them, she did. But still, even if it had been an event integral to the traditions of Nettleford and not the impulsive speed dating evening Gregory had practically coerced Ruby to agree to running at such little notice, then a family emergency would always come first.
‘Pardon, Fleur?’ Gregory frowned, his eyes fixing on her.
‘Oh, umm, I was just saying what a shame it is that the speed dating will have to be cancelled now.’ Fleur hoped she sounded sincere.
Crossing his arms, Gregory rubbed his chin. ‘Maybe not. You sound as though you are invested in this event, so maybe you’d like to volunteer to run it?’
‘What? No, I couldn’t possibly…’
‘Many would argue that you’d be the perfect person to run such an event, being as you, as a florist, have such a wealth of experience with all things romance-wise.’
Wringing her hands in her lap, Fleur tried again. She wouldn’t be running the speed dating event. That was the absolute last thing she wanted to be doing. ‘I…’
‘Thank you, Fleur. This is much appreciated and your support to the Nettleford community during an emergency won’t be forgotten.’ Gregory picked up a sheet of paper from the table, the conversation over. ‘On tonight’s agenda…’
‘Sorry, Gregory. I can’t possibly help tomorrow night. I have a full day of flower arranging and orders to fulfil and I’m sure you can appreciate that this time of the year is particularly busy for me.’ Fleur picked at her thumb cuticle.
‘Oh, there’s no need to worry. Everything is organised and ready to flow, so to speak. All that will be needed from yourself is to turn up at Ruby’s restaurant tomorrow at seven, ready to pick up the mic and host the event. Nothing else.’ Gregory smiled confidently. ‘I understand this is a busy time for you, and I wouldn’t have accepted your offer if I had thought it would in any way impact your capability to fulfil your orders or the running of your shop.’
Offer? She hadn’t offered. Despite wanting to scream that he had forced her into this, she didn’t. She kept quiet. She’d been a shopkeeper long enough, and a Nettleford resident since she was fifteen, to know better than to attempt to change Gregory’s mind. Nope, when he thought he’d settled something, there was no going back. All any protests would ever lead to was a sore throat from trying to communicate with him. Instead, she sighed before slumping back in her chair.