Chapter 12 #2
‘And if you wanted to come up here, anytime, to work on your own projects, you’d be very welcome,’ Luke said, which Flick thought was a bit odd as he’d be gone in a few weeks.
Frank nodded with a big smile on his face and shook Luke’s hand enthusiastically. And then they left, Daniel thanking them on the way out and the door closing behind them.
Flick moved over to Luke and wrapped her arms around him. ‘That was brilliant, you were brilliant.’
‘Thank you, I’m just glad we found something he enjoyed doing.’
‘The birdboxes were a great idea. But you’re not going to be here if he comes back again.’
‘Well maybe I’ll have to pop down to see him.’ Luke cupped her face and kissed her. ‘And you.’
Flick smiled at that and kissed him back.
Watching Luke be so patient and kind and lovely with Frank had made her fall in love with him that much more.
She had kept telling herself that it was too soon to fall in love, that she was falling for him but she wasn’t there yet, but she knew that was a lie.
She had already fallen, she was completely and utterly in love with him.
People often likened that moment when they knew they were in love to being hit by a bus, but it hadn’t been that way for her.
It had been like a flower growing. Every day, every smile, every touch, every time Luke did something nice, every time he made her laugh, she had fallen for him that little bit more.
There was no thunderbolt moment when she realised, for her it felt like that love had always been there, growing stronger every day.
There was the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them and they turned to see Aidan standing there.
‘Sorry to interrupt but I… I’ve been watching you all morning and I…
’ he shook his head and looked away. Flic k eyed Luke in confusion.
‘Frank is my dad. We don’t speak anymore.
It was a stupid argument six years ago and we haven’t spoken since.
I’ve tried a few times to extend the olive branch and he doesn’t want to know.
Silly stubborn old fool. After the accident, I came round to see if I could help and he told me he doesn’t need my help and…
well here we are, still not speaking. Families are hard work,’ he sighed.
‘I’ve obviously stayed in touch with Daniel without my dad knowing, to keep up to date with how he’s doing, and it hurts to see him so angry and upset with the world and his predicament.
I’ve been watching him all morning, standing over there in the shadows where he couldn’t see me, and…
You made him smile and, judging from what Daniel said, he hasn’t had anything to smile about for a very long time. So thank you.’
‘It was my pleasure,’ Luke said.
‘I was against the idea of teaching workshops because, quite honestly, I don’t like people and I thought teaching them would piss me off.
I’m not a patient man and I just like to be left alone to do my pottery and not have to deal with customers or students.
But what you are doing here is of vital importance.
It means something to them, I can see that.
Watching my dad this morning, he came alive.
This is why we have to save the studios, for them.
So I’m all in, whatever it takes. I’m not saying I’d be any good at teaching workshops, but perhaps if you were there, Flick, to add the kindness factor we could muddle through.
I’ll produce smaller items to sell in my workshop, I’ll do demonstrations, I’ll put together pottery take-home kits for people to try their hand at pottery in their own homes, I’ll make flowers for the wonky tree, I’ll…
ride a horse naked through town promoting our studio, if that’s what it takes.
Because this matters. And I just wanted to say I’m behind you now, one hundred percent. ’
Flick blinked in surprise. ‘Thank you. Although I don’t think nudity is required.’
‘Thank god,’ Aidan muttered.
‘I think pottery would be a wonderful activity to offer those with brain injuries,’ Flick said.
‘But I certainly don’t want you to do something you’re not comfortable with.
Perhaps we could get a pottery teacher to come up here and run a workshop, maybe from your studio and you could be there to help, if needed? ’
‘I like the sound of that.’
‘But thank you for your support.’
Aidan nodded and walked away and Flick couldn’t help but smile that they’d finally found something to make him care.
Flick walked into the café a while later ready for Polly’s soft launch. She was doing a small taste testing first for the artists before the people of the town would arrive.
Quinn and Alex had been busy all morning moving into their studio spaces which were next door to each other.
Flick and Luke had been helping them for a little while after the workshop had finished but it was quite clear Alex had wanted the space to make the studio her own so they’d left them to it and Flick had spent a few hours putting the finishing touches on her gift shop instead.
It wasn’t quite ready to open yet, but if people from the taste testing wandered in this afternoon and had a look around, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
All the artists, including Quinn and Alex, were there in the café sitting around a large table, as Polly ferried drinks over to them. Flick sat down next to Luke and took his hand. He smiled at her.
‘What drink can I get you?’ Polly asked Flick.
‘Oh, just a tea will be fine, thanks.’
Polly hurried back off to the kitchen and Flick looked around at the finished mural. Little bees danced over the walls, flitting between brightly coloured flowers and emerald stalks of grass. It looked wonderful.
‘Rose, this looks amazing,’ Flick said.
Rose beamed with pride. ‘Thank you.’
‘People coming here are going to love it, it really brightens up the place.’
Polly came over with a tea. ‘I love it, I can’t stop looking at it.
You’ve definitely earned your free cake for the next month, Rose.
’ She placed the mug down in front of Flick.
‘So in front of you we have upside-down pineapple cake, banana and chocolate chip cake, coffee and walnut, orange and lemon cake, a variation on Eve’s pudding which is basically apple cake and a triple chocolate cake.
If you want to take a slice and tell me what you think, that would be great. ’
‘Just one slice?’ Ethel said.
‘You can have as many slices as you like,’ Polly said. ‘As long as you eat them and they don’t go to waste. I’ve made a few more of the same that are out the back for when the villagers come up here so hopefully we won’t run out.’
‘Maybe a very thin slice of each,’ Rose said.
‘That’s a good idea,’ Aidan said.
They all tucked into various flavours of cakes and noises of appreciation could be heard from everyone.
‘This apple cake is heaven,’ Flick said.
‘I could die happy eating this chocolate cake,’ Luke said.
There were other comments and groans of joy as they polished off their thin slices and went back for seconds.
Polly let out a small sigh of relief. ‘Cakes aren’t really my speciality so I was hoping they’d be OK.’
‘Better than OK,’ Ethel said.
‘Any feedback?’
‘More please,’ Aidan said, helping himself to a third slice.
They all laughed.
‘I’m not sure I like the jam on the chocolate cake,’ Rose said. ‘But that’s a personal preference, there’s nothing wrong with it.’
‘No, that’s fair,’ Polly said.
‘I think the orange and lemon cake needs orange and lemon buttercream in the middle not vanilla, but the cake itself is moist and delicious,’ Katherine said.
‘OK, I can do that. Any other suggestions?’ Polly looked around the table.
There was silence for a moment, then Alex spoke. ‘I think they’re delicious. Far better than anything I could ever do.’
Polly smiled. ‘Right, I’m going to get ready for all the villagers. Please do help yourselves to more cake.’
She hurried off to the kitchen.
‘So I have some news,’ Ethel said. ‘There’s a JCB and a concrete lorry coming tomorrow.
We’ve raised the funds we need very quickly and, fortunately, my son knows someone who hires out JCBs and I’ve had a chat with them and they think they can do it.
So the tree will be raised back into its original position and concreted in and then we can start decorating it.
Alex and Quinn, do you have something you’d like to add to the tree? ’
‘I think you definitely need a few monsters, lurking in the branches,’ Quinn said.
‘I can donate a few baubles but I’m not sure how well they will stand up to our British weather.’
‘I’ve thought about that,’ Ethel said. ‘Anything we hang on the tree like leaves, flowers or other decorations could be changed every few months so we have seasonal decorations: eggs, chicks and rabbits at Easter; Halloween decorations in October; maybe even pirate decorations next year for our next pirate festival,’ Ethel said. ’
‘That’s a good idea,’ Rose said. ‘That would be an attraction, people would come up here to see the new decorations.’
‘Also our followers love that the studios are going to be renamed the Wonky Tree Studios,’ Ethel went on.
‘Lots of people are very supportive of the workshops we are doing here for those with brain injuries and some people have volunteered their time to come and help us smarten up the place ready for the reopening. Some people are going to tidy up the garden for us tomorrow and some are going to help paint the front of the house.’
‘That’s wonderful,’ Flick said. ‘Will everyone be ready if we do the grand opening on Sunday? I know there are still some areas of the house that need touching up or renovating but I think we can still do the launch and work on those things later. It would be good to capitalise on the extra footfall in the town this weekend because of the pirate festival.’
Everyone nodded.