CHAPTER ELEVEN
Skye seemed really pleased to see me, coming out of the ground floor flat’s main entrance as soon as I drew up.
She helped me unload my luggage from the boot, carrying both the case and the hold-all and taking me straight inside to the little box room, my temporary bedroom.
The boxroom might have been small but the white linen on the single bed was crisp and inviting, the pillows plump, and the pale blue throw looked soft and cosy. A small table by the bed held a pretty lamp with a blue and white striped base, and there was a rail at the end of the bed for me to hang clothes. Skye had hung three of Rori’s floral paintings around the walls, which made me feel right at home.
‘This is lovely!’ I gasped, thinking she’d worked absolute wonders with the compact space.
‘Well, it’s yours for as long as you need a bolthole. I’ll go and put the kettle on and then you can tell me all about it.’ She gave me an uneasy look, clearly wondering exactly what had precipitated me moving out, albeit temporarily. All I’d told her was that Ada and I both needed some space, but she would guess that there was more to it than that. I was a real homebody by nature. I’d never leave my cosy, familiar nest just for the adventure...
I smiled at her. ‘It’s so good of you to do all this for me.’
‘Rubbish. I enjoyed it. Actually, I was thinking I might give up the acting altogether and train as an interior designer.’ She shrugged. ‘Anyway, I’ll let you get settled in.’
She left and I unpacked my case, hanging my jeans, T-shirts and work clothes on the rail. Then I went through to the little galley kitchen, where Skye was making my favourite lemon and ginger herbal tea. I was actually longing for a good, strong cup of coffee to wake me up – I’d slept badly the night before – but I appreciated her thoughtfulness, so I drank it cheerfully and told her about my latest argument with Ada.
Sighing, I slumped back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling. ‘I need to know who he was, Skye. My dad, I mean.’ I sat up and gazed at her, feeling my eyes wet with unshed tears. ‘It’s all I can think about these days and it’s driving me crazy that Ada either can’t or won’t tell me the truth.’
She looked uncomfortable and I knew it was because she didn’t know the answer, either.
‘You need something to take your mind off it,’ she said at last. ‘Maybe you should concentrate on the gardening business? How about you show me your business plan and we can work on it together? Get it in tip-top shape so you can get that start-up grant?’
I smiled, thinking that Ada was right. No matter what I did in life, Skye always thought there was room for improvement. She’d check over the details of my business plan like a conscientious teacher marking homework.
But maybe that was exactly what I needed right now...
*****
After three days of Skye writing a daily checklist for me, in an attempt to make my gardening business dream a reality at last, I was almost ready for heading back to Ada’s.
Most of her ideas were good but she wanted them implemented immediately, if not sooner, and when I dragged my feet a little, particularly after a long day gardening, reminding her that Gary thought I should take my time to make sure my business plan was perfect before submitting it, I could tell she thought I was just being lazy.
It was the story of our relationship.
Whatever I did, Skye was convinced I could do it better!
But I was torn. Gary thought I shouldn’t rush into anything because in business, making hasty decisions could spell disaster. He’d set up the garden centre and it was thriving. Why wouldn’t I trust his opinion?
The problem was, Skye was by nature a risk-taker.
‘Pardon the pun but you shouldn’t let the grass grow under your feet, Blossom,’ she’d warned only the day before. ‘What if someone else beats you to it and takes all your potential customers? You should just go for it!’
My head was spinning with all the conflicting advice, and frankly, it wasn’t doing an awful lot for my motivation. I couldn’t help thinking it would have been much more relaxing staying with Rori over in Sunnybrook. But most of my gardening jobs were in and around Guildford, so Saul’s flat was a lot more convenient.
Saul had returned from his travels the day before and it was clear he and Skye had really missed each other while he was away but were trying not to show their feelings in front of me. It was all quite awkward and by the fourth day, I was ready to admit that Ada had been right.
I felt like a big fat gooseberry in that tiny flat.
I couldn’t even spend time at Billy’s because these days, when I phoned him, he was either out with Jenna, cooking dinner for Jenna (I could hear her giggling and whispering in his ear while we talked, which I thought was rude and pretty gross) or he was dashing because he had to go for his daily gym session or meet Jenna at some restaurant.
‘Do you think Saul would let me stay at the cabin for a while?’ I asked Skye over breakfast. ‘I just need a little time to sort things out in my head... you know, so that I can get going on the business?’
She frowned. ‘He wouldn’t mind at all. But you can’t stay there on your own.’
‘Why not?’
‘Well, it’s in the middle of nowhere, Blossom. What if something happened to you and there was no one there to help?’
‘What’s going to happen to me?’
‘Well, I don’t know. What if you were swimming and you got cramp or something?’
I laughed. ‘I’m not going to drown in that pool. It’s not deep enough.’
‘But there are some very odd people about. You wouldn’t be safe in those woods on your own.’
I sighed. ‘I’d be fine.’ But I knew it was a losing battle. Once Skye made her mind up about something...
‘Tell you what, why don’t we all go to the cabin at the weekend?’
‘Right,’ I said smiling, while thinking there was no way on earth I’d be accompanying those lovebirds on a romantic weekend away. Where would I sleep, for goodness’ sake? There was only one room! Skye was being so caring and thoughtful, which I really appreciated, of course. But I wished she would just leave me alone to do my own thing.
There was also the small matter of my business plan. I could tell Skye was getting annoyed with me countering her advice by talking about suggestions Gary had made. And the following day, it all came to a head.
We were in the kitchen unpacking the dishwasher, Skye and I, and Saul was making coffee. Thinking Skye would be glad I was being proactive, I mentioned that I’d asked Gary to email me his own business plan to look over and it was giving me positive food for thought. But instead of being pleased, she shook her head impatiently and snapped, ‘You know what? I’m actually fed-up hearing what this Gary person thinks you should do. You allow yourself to be far too easily swayed by other people. Men in particular.’ She sighed. ‘Blossom, you’ve got the warmest, kindest heart of anyone I know. But you’re too gullible. And you’ve allowed men who really don’t deserve you, like that scumbag cheat Trevor, to walk all over you.’
I felt a pang of misery. ‘Thanks for reminding me.’
‘Sorry. Look, all I’m saying is you should start trusting your instincts. You know in your gut the gardening business is a good idea. So take the advice on board, weigh it up and then act on it. You’ll be brilliant at it and we’ll all be there to support you. So stop hesitating and just do it!’
‘I know. I hear what you’re saying. But Gary thinks it would be a risk to just dive right in without – ’ I stopped in my tracks and shrugged.
She sighed impatiently. ‘So what if it’s a risk? Life is a risk. And risk isn’t a dirty word, you know. I mean, do you think the likes of Richard Branson and Sir Alan Sugar just sat and contemplated their navels when they came up with a great idea for a business? No, of course not. They’d be fired up with enthusiasm and want to forge right ahead. I’d imagine.’
‘You don’t actually know that,’ pointed out Saul with a grin. ‘Maybe they dithered as well before deciding their business idea was worth pursuing.’
I nodded, grateful for Saul’s support. ‘And maybe that’s why they’re so successful, because they don’t rush into things.’
Skye gave a frustrated sigh. ‘Okay, okay. So you’re ganging up on me now.’ She grinned at us both.
‘Look, I appreciate your advice, but – ’
‘I’m allowed to be concerned about you, aren’t I? I just want the best for you.’
‘I know. But Rori never gets on at me like you do!’
‘Rori’s got more patience than me, that’s why.’
‘Well, anyway, you said I should listen to my instincts, and that’s what I’m doing. I instinctively think the gardening business is a good idea, but I instinctively know that Gary is right. I need to get all my ducks in a row before I charge off like a bull in a china shop. And that means being absolutely certain I’ve done all the groundwork first, right?’
‘Okay, okay. I’ll try and keep my opinions to myself from now on.’
Saul gave an amused snort and she glared at him, but he gave her a look as if butter wouldn’t melt.
She groaned. ‘I need coffee. Or better still, a glass of wine. Anyone?’
I said I would pass on the wine and I retired to the boxroom early that night, feeling utterly exhausted. I’d come here hoping to have some breathing space to sort my life out – but if anything, my emotions seemed to be in more of a tangled mess than ever.
And to cap it all, my birthday and Ada’s party were looming horribly near...