Chapter 46
EIGHT MONTHS LATER
The crocuses are out. Great drifts of yellow and purple cover the grass. There must be thousands, Celia thinks. She has never seen anything quite like it.
It’s not that park that Celia has brought Enzo to – the one where ‘Scott Chegg’ first found her, alone as a teenage girl.
They are not even in Glasgow. Celia and Enzo are staying at Amanda’s in east London and this is Kew Gardens.
Although Geoff is occupying less of Celia’s brain space with every passing day, she couldn’t ignore her frisson of pleasure when they bought tickets.
‘Oh, this is amazing,’ Celia exclaims, catching her breath.
‘It feels like we can see the whole of London,’ Enzo agrees. They fall into an easy silence, drinking it all in. And then Celia turns and catches his look of bemusement.
‘What is it?’ She smiles.
‘Just…’ He winds an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. ‘Who’d have thought we’d be here together? That first time, when I came round with Spike?—’
‘When Terri shooed you away?’
He laughs. ‘I thought she seemed quite ferocious.’
‘And what did you think of me?’
‘I thought…’ Enzo pauses. ‘I thought you seemed fascinating. And also sad.’ He smiles and then kisses her lightly on the lips.
‘I’m not sad any more,’ she says.
‘I can tell, and I’m glad about that…’ They make their way back down the pagoda and, at ground level now, they are soon back among the crocuses. It’s not their first trip together – they have been to the Highlands with Mathilde – but it is their first with just the two of them.
‘I love it here,’ Celia announces happily.
‘Me too.’ Enzo squeezes her hand.
‘It’s so inspiring,’ she adds, pausing to take photos with her phone.
‘Bet you can’t wait to start your course,’ he says, and she nods.
It’ll be busy, she realises, studying garden design while going all out to promote her houseplant hospital, bringing in more business to keep herself afloat.
But she’ll cut down on her shop hours and hopefully quit before too long.
Meanwhile, Logan will help out once he’s graduated.
He’ll be home for the summer and has offered to build her a website.
Until he flies the nest again, they can work together as a team.
That’s how it feels as Celia and Enzo wander towards the Palm House and step into its steamy warmth. That they, too, are a team. How easy he is to be with and how good he makes her feel.
Inside the vast glasshouse, her senses are fizzling with the sights and smells all around her.
Celia scribbles away in her notebook, jotting down descriptions of rare plant species to make sure she doesn’t forget a thing.
Not that she will, because this is one of those golden days you remember forever.
Today she is wearing that dress again – the green and blue patterned one, gauzy and light against her bare legs, now with a soft angora sweater worn on top, at Amanda’s suggestion. ‘Really?’ Celia had said this morning. ‘A dress, for going to the gardens?’
‘Why not?’ Amanda said.
She was right, Celia thinks. It’s the perfect dress for a day like this.
As Enzo’s hand folds around hers, she stops and looks at his handsome face, taking in the deep brown eyes, the mouth she loves to kiss.
They kiss now and her heart seems to soar with happiness. Then together they step out of the glasshouse and into the beautiful spring day.