23
Willow
‘Ta-da!’ Willow proudly displayed her princess cut engagement ring to the ladies at knitting club sitting around her living room, waiting on tea and bickies.
‘Well, you kept that quiet.’ Nora grabbed her hand, spinning the ring around three times. ‘That’s for luck.’
Josephine scoffed. ‘Who told you that nonsense?’ She flapped a hand, cutting Nora off. ‘Never mind. Congratulations, girlie. Wish you luck to wear it.’
Willow frowned whilst smiling at their strange customs.
‘I’m glad you made the right choice, lovely,’ said Nana Blackcurrant, getting comfy on the sofa.
Kip was long gone. Jumped on the first ferry he could, before the tent and stage had even been dismantled. At least Lance and the others said a polite goodbye and exchanged hugs, even Lavender held a genuine smile when she parted ways with the island. Surprised the hell out of Cody when she pinched his bum and winked, telling him she’d been dying to do that since first laying eyes on him. Willow wanted to knock her out.
‘I didn’t want to spread the news till our families knew,’ Willow told her friends.
‘That’s the correct way to do it, love,’ said Nora, scrunching her nose. ‘Not like when Fish-Face showed off what’s-his-face. Only went and hung his pants on the front tree.’
Unsure what to make of that, Willow simply nodded. She figured them a lively bunch so was never too surprised by their stories.
‘Oh yeah,’ said Josephine. ‘Finn got them down.’
Willow widened her eyes, thinking their story was from the past. ‘Finn? When was this?’
Nora looked to the ceiling. ‘Last week.’
‘How did your folks take the news?’ asked Josephine. ‘Mine weren’t so agreeable at first. Didn’t think he was good enough.’
At least Willow didn’t have that problem. ‘I thought they might say something because we are young or because we haven’t been a couple five minutes, but they were pretty chilled about the announcement, almost as though they were expecting it, and Zach cheered. All in all, it went well, and Gran is super-excited, and everyone loves my ring.’
‘I lost my engagement ring,’ said Nana Blackcurrant. ‘Playing with my daughter. Saw it years later on Gertie Baggerton’s finger. Next time I saw it was in one of the jewellers over at Gem Walk.’
‘Why didn’t you get it back?’ asked Nora.
‘Or punch Gertie in the face?’ said Josephine.
Willow shook her head at them. ‘I wouldn’t want mine back if it went on travels like that.’
Nana Blackcurrant nodded. ‘That’s how I felt. Wasn’t the same. I could’ve got another one, but I wasn’t bothered. I like wearing a simple band of gold.’
Willow glanced at her wedding finger, excited for the day when she had one too. ‘We ordered ours when we got this. Sully wanted me to choose my own, so we told Harrison our budget, and he showed us a collection to choose from.’
‘Ooh, Harrison Connell knows his jewels,’ said Nora, adding a grin. ‘He wouldn’t rip you off. Happened to Doris, you know. Her old man reckoned it was proper gold, but it started peeling in the washing up liquid. He got in a huff, stating he didn’t know, but he always was a tight old git.’
Willow smiled to herself at the plastic ring Cody had placed on her finger outside the sweet shop. Nobody knew how much value that toy meant but her. She glanced at her dainty diamond, finding it hard not to look its way every two minutes.
‘When’s the wedding, girlie?’ asked Josephine.
‘In two weeks. We got a cancellation at the register office.’
Nora wound some blue wool around her hand. ‘Oh, I pegged you for a white wedding. All the trimmings.’
Willow flopped to the sofa, beaming at her ring once more. ‘I want a wedding just like my parents had, and Sully said he’s not bothered what we do. I told him I wanted to add some of his wants and wishes as well, but he said he was happy with my setup.’
‘Didn’t Heath and Rhett have a barbeque for their reception?’ said Nora.
Willow nodded. ‘My family have a barbeque for all occasions. Anyway, we’re going to make one of the barns look like a magical woodland. All twinkling lights and foliage, just like Mum and Dad’s day.’
Nora looked at Josephine. ‘We were their witnesses at the register office, just so you know.’
‘I know, and we were thinking, perhaps you could be ours as well.’
Josephine smiled as Nora jumped up and clapped her hands in glee.
Willow turned to Nana Blackcurrant. ‘And if it’s all right with you, we’d like you to officiate when we get back here. All you have to do is say a few words, and we’ll do the rest. The official stuff will take place at the register office, so it doesn’t matter what we do at home. This is what we’ll class as our real wedding, that’s why we’re going to the register office alone. Well, with Nora and Jo.’
Pale-blue eyes glistened as the old lady wiped her eyelashes. ‘Ooh, how lovely. I’ll have to get my hair done.’
Nora scoffed. ‘We all will.’
Twiddling with the end of her hair, Willow said, ‘We’ve got Viv’s court case the day before, well, Brody’s. So I’ve put her in charge of everything, hoping it will help take her mind off things. We all know he’s going to prison for burning down her café, but it’s still hard for her.’
‘Horrible mess that,’ said Nora. ‘Never did like him. Hope they throw away the key.’
Josephine nodded. ‘He’ll have to move off the island after he’s served his time. He won’t ever be welcome here again.’
‘Won’t be missed,’ said Nora. She sorted her long skirt as she sat back down to pick up the wool she’d dropped. ‘It’ll be a busy November around here.’
Willow sighed. ‘Tell me about it. We’ve got the Frozen Forest to start setting up and Christmas trees to deliver already, and it’s our first festive season without Grandad. He was always so organised this time of year.’
‘And you will be too, lovely,’ said Nana Blackcurrant, smiling.
‘I wish he could be here for my wedding.’
Josephine tossed a ball of pink wool at her lap. ‘He will be. Trust me.’
Willow hoped he would get some sort of angel pass and pop down for her big day.
‘Is that all that’s got your eyes not matching your smile?’ asked Nora, closing in on Willow’s face.
You can’t hide anything from this lot .
‘There is one thing.’ Willow sighed again. ‘Oh, I don’t know. It’s nothing.’
‘Best get it off your chest, I say,’ said Nora.
Josephine scoffed. ‘You only say that so you know what’s going on, then you can tell everyone else.’
‘Erm, excuse me, but I’m no gossip, thank you very much. I just like a natter. Not my fault people have got news.’
Willow laughed to herself. ‘You lot know anyway.’
Nana Blackcurrant stopped knitting. ‘We do?’
‘Yes. It’s about the psychic drawing.’
Josephine folded her arms in a huff, stabbing her elbow with a needle. ‘Why is that still a subject?’
Willow tapped her chest. ‘It’s not to me, but Sully is worried that I’ll still have one eye open all the time in search of the man in the picture.’
Nora laughed. ‘You’re not the cheating type, love. I can tell. Got a nose for it.’
Josephine chuckled. ‘You certainly have got some nose.’
Touching her nose, Nora frowned. ‘Oi, it’s mean to pick points about folk. Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with my snout, thank you.’
‘I’d never cheat on Sully. I wouldn’t do that to anyone.’
Nora nodded. ‘I know. That’s what I said.’
‘The lad’s just insecure, that’s all,’ said Josephine. ‘Mystic Texas, or whoever she is, got in his head.’
Willow disagreed. ‘It wasn’t her. It was me. I was the one sharing my thoughts with Sully on the whole soulmate thing, and I only went and bought the stupid reading because I was drunk.’
‘But you believed in it, didn’t you?’ said Nana Blackcurrant, smiling softly.
‘I did. It was just a feeling I had, that’s why. It sort of hit me all at once. At least now I know why. Sully was right under my nose all the time. He’s the reason I could sense my soulmate was close.’ Willow shrugged, reaching for a chocolate finger in the biscuit selection. ‘Well, that’s my theory.’
Nora waggled a knitting needle at Josephine. ‘You should have just asked Jo.’
‘I’ve told you before. I’m not doing spoilers for Willow. Don’t have to now anyway. She’s figured it out all by herself.’
Willow turned to her. ‘Can’t you tell Sully he’s my soulmate, please? He might listen to you.’
‘Go on, Jo. Might be worth a shot,’ said Nana Blackcurrant, offering Willow a wink.
Nora agreed. ‘Or make something up. Ease his mind.’
Josephine gave her a pointed look. ‘I don’t tell lies. Truth or nothing. It’s on you how you handle it.’
‘I find people don’t take too kindly to the truth,’ said Nana Blackcurrant.’
Nora chuckled. ‘Ooh, yeah. Do you remember when Jo told Bunty that her old man put his coat on Brian’s Vera.’ She turned to Willow. ‘Wasn’t the first bar fight The Ugly Duckling had seen, but my goodness was it the best.’ She rubbed her right eye and squinted. ‘Feels like yesterday.’
Josephine grinned. ‘Yeah, you still look like you’re been smacked.’
Nora pouted her way. ‘I’ll smack you in a minute.’
‘Why were you fighting?’ asked Willow, trying to imagine the elderly women being young and rowdy.
‘Because some people can’t handle the truth, lovely,’ replied Nana Blackcurrant.
‘And because Jo’s got a big gob,’ added Nora.
Josephine shrugged. ‘Bunty shouldn’t have asked if she didn’t want the answer.’
‘So she hit you?’ asked Willow.
Nora laughed. ‘Sort of. Well, her handbag swung a little towards Jo’s face, but I caught it, so she shoved me, so I pushed her back, then that idiot old man of hers palmed my face.’
‘So I took him out,’ said Nana Blackcurrant.
Not for love nor money could Willow bring the image to life. Nana Blackcurrant was the sweetest little old lady to walk the planet. There was no way she could floor some fella in a pub. Willow side-eyed her, thinking looks could be deceiving.
The women were on top form, laughing as they reminisced about the punch-up years ago.
‘Kneed him in the delicates,’ said Nora, nodding at her friend. ‘That done him, but then his cousin went to join in, but Jo got there first, stomping on his foot with her heels. Anyway, some more fists started flying, then a few glasses, and before we knew what was happening, the whole pub was at war.’
Willow knew the feeling. Cody had shielded her whilst Kip didn’t even bother to make sure she was safe, and she’d thought Kip was the hero of the hour. At least now she had the sense to know it was Cody who had looked after her during the bar fight.
I wish you were here now, Sully .
She twiddled with her ring and smiled as everyone went back to knitting whilst talking about love, which she thought a more pleasant topic than reliving eye pokes and arm twists.
Cody entered and plonked himself down next to Willow, kissing her cheek and beaming like the cat that got the cream. ‘Thought I’d check out the gossip.’
Nora raised her drawn-on eyebrows in mock offence. ‘We knit here, not gossip.’
Nana Blackcurrant smiled. ‘We were talking about your wedding, young man. Congratulations, by the way. We’re all so pleased Willow found her soulmate.’
‘We knew it was you all along,’ added Nora.
‘Written in the stars,’ said Josephine, without looking his way.
Cody glanced at Willow, smiling softly. Was he taking notice of her friends or thinking she’d got them to say those helpful words? Either way, she was proud of them for trying and rather impressed at how subtle they were.
Jo reached over and placed her knitting needles into his hands. ‘Here, take over this scarf. One-by-one rib stitch you’re going for.’
Willow bit her bottom lip at Cody looking flummoxed.
‘One by what?’ he asked, examining the wool from all angles as though that would help.
Josephine nudged Willow’s elbow. ‘Show him, girlie.’
Willow placed her hands over Cody’s, meeting his eyes with a smile. ‘Here, like this.’ She proceeded to guide his fingers, putting back the stitches he kept dropping until he was sure of the technique.
The clackety clack coming from Nora’s knitting needles had Cody glancing her way.
‘She makes it look so easy.’
‘You’ll be that fast if you keep it up,’ said Willow, knowing full well he wasn’t about to take up the hobby anytime soon.
He leaned closer to her face. ‘I got another rejection,’ he whispered.
‘I remember those days,’ said Nana Blackcurrant, looking up. ‘I used to do ballet. Didn’t get far. Hard game to get into. I cried a few times but then accepted that wasn’t my road.’
Cody gave Willow a look that told her he was surprised the old woman heard him, but Willow smiled. She knew her mature friends could hear a pin drop a mile away, especially Nora.
‘Board games, is it?’ asked Josephine, casting on.
Willow shrugged slightly. ‘She knows things,’ she mouthed.
‘Erm, yes,’ he replied.
‘Not your path right now,’ said Josephine. ‘But it’s all good. We have to try these things. You can try again in…’ she gazed over at the fireplace, ‘four years.’ She nodded to herself as she hummed. ‘Yeah, that’ll work.’
Willow snuggled further into his side, kissing his shoulder.
‘Meanwhile,’ added Josephine, ‘you checked your book sales lately?’
Willow felt his arm tense. ‘He doesn’t like to look.’
Nora scoffed. ‘Why not? I check my banking every day. Online, you know. I have an app thingy. My grandson showed me how. He just told me that I’m not allowed to talk to the people from the bank if they call me.’ She looked at Nana Blackcurrant and shook her head. ‘Some of them are fake.’
‘I’d rather just go in the bank,’ said Nana Blackcurrant. ‘I prefer talking to people, not machines. You don’t really know what the electronics will say. It’s not like working with a cauldron.’
Cody frowned at Willow, making her grin.
‘Go on, son, take a peep now,’ said Josephine, lowering her needles, giving him her full attention.
Willow nudged him, so he obliged, tugging his phone from his jeans pocket.
Oh, poor Sully. He hates this .
‘Hey, you don’t have to read any reviews. Just see if you’ve sold any more,’ she told him softly.
A moment later, Cody’s eyes widened and his mouth gaped.
Josephine grinned, then went back to casting on. ‘Told you.’
Nora scrunched her nose. ‘You didn’t tell him anything.’
‘Did someone buy your book, Cody?’ asked Nana Blackcurrant.
Willow read the sales report on his screen. ‘Quite a few. Seems maybe this is Sully’s path.’
‘All’s well that ends well,’ said Josephine.
‘But I didn’t even plan this,’ said Cody, still staring at his phone.
Nana Blackcurrant giggled. ‘Ooh, the best things are never planned.’
Nora laughed. ‘Yeah, like that night we got lost in Hastings. We were on this pub crawl, when Jo got a bit worse for wear, and suddenly everything looked the same, and we didn’t know where we were. Anyway, this fella with a van offers us a lift, knew of a dance happening nearby. Turned out it wasn’t nearby at all, and we ended up in Margate. We had such a laugh that night. Even New Year’s Eve couldn’t top that.’
Josephine scoffed. ‘New Year’s Eve doesn’t top anything. You know why? Planned, that’s why.’
‘She’s right,’ said Nana Blackcurrant. ‘Your best nights out with your friends are always the ones you don’t plan.’
‘And way comfier when you’ve got your slippers on,’ added Nora.
Josephine chuckled. ‘Yeah, you definitely weren’t prepared for that field over in… Ooh, where were we that night?’
Cody grinned at Willow. ‘Sounds like we need a night out with this lot.’
‘We’ll have a good knees-up at your wedding,’ said Nora. ‘You’ll see.’
‘Soulmate weddings are the best,’ said Nana Blackcurrant, chewing her bottom lip as she went back to her knitting.
Willow beamed around the living room.
Ooh, I blimmin’ love you lot .