Chapter Three
Dripping in sweat from several hours trapped in a cramped train carriage, I practically fall forward face-first onto the platform of Gladeswood Station. I’ve made this journey several times over the years, but today, I’m particularly knackered.
Being the sweetheart she is, Lucy immediately invited me to stay when I told her I was coming to Lily Vale for a visit.
I’d insisted it was no problem for me to book a bed and breakfast instead, but she insisted harder.
Secretly, I’m quite relieved that she did, at least now my savings won’t be spent on accommodation during my prolonged stay, though I’ll be sure to chip in my fair share for groceries and that sort of thing.
The next thing I knew, I’d shoved all my furniture in a self-rented storage unit, packed up the essentials in a battered old suitcase, and now I’m here.
Well, technically, I’m in the nearest major town to Lucy’s village, but she’s picking me up from the station.
I buy two overpriced lattes from a kiosk in the station and lumber with my suitcase, cursing its broken wheel.
It’s going to be weird to see Lucy; we haven’t spoken in person since Christmas.
I sort of glossed over the reason that I’m able to help her tackle wedding planning, and I’m sure she’ll have heaps of questions for me, but I guess I’ll just jump that bridge when I get to it.
There’s not much time to mull it over, as Lucy is waiting just outside the station, a bouquet of yellow roses in her arms and a massive smile on her face. Beaming, she rushes to my side and embraces me, handing me the flowers as she takes one of the coffees.
‘I’m so glad you’re coming to stay,’ she says. ‘We’re going to have the best time!’
‘You’re sure it’s not an imposition?’ I inquire, biting my lip. ‘I told you, I don’t mind finding a B-and-B or something.’
‘Don’t be daft, if I didn’t want you, I wouldn’t have asked. Besides, it’s me who’s going to be imposing on you, I need all the help I can get when it comes to the wedding, so sucks to be you, maid of honour!’
Tutting, I playfully elbow her. ‘Thanks for giving me such an important role, I mean, I’m sure you had other options, it - it means a lot that you chose me.’
Lucy grins so wide, it’s impossible not to smile back. ‘I wouldn’t have picked anyone else, Alicia, only you.’
My heart swells and fills with joy and dread simultaneously. I just pray that she doesn’t live to regret her decision.
Inside Lucy’s car, we finally address the elephant in the room - or Ford Fiesta.
‘So you’re actually able to stay for the whole run-up to the wedding?’ Lucy asks, focused firmly on the road. ‘You were a bit vague on the phone.’
‘Yeah, as long as you don’t mind having me for that long?’
‘Not at all, I told you, it’s going to be great! It’s just, well, I’m surprised you were able to book so much time off at work.’
A flutter of anxiety beats its icy wings in my chest - should I make something up? Try to play it off as extended paid time off? But when I glance over at my friend, I realise I just can’t lie to her.
‘Well, I wasn’t allowed, actually.’
Quizzically, her eyes flick to me. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Oh, Luce, I’ve been fired.’
‘Fired?’ She shakes her head in shock. ‘What happened?’
‘I called a child a little shit.’
Spluttering, she bursts into peals of laughter. ‘Oh gosh, I wish I’d been there to witness that!’
‘It’s not funny, Lucy!’
‘Well, it is.’ Still chuckling, she relents and pats my knee. ‘The little shit part, not the fact that you lost your job, of course, that’s awful. How could Mr Farley fire you for one little misstep like that?’
Sighing, I rest my chin on my palm. ‘It wasn’t just that, it was everything. I couldn’t do anything right, you remember how terribly careless I was.’
‘No, you were never careless, just … scatterbrained?’
‘Yeah, which is another word for stupid.’
Shoulders slumped, I gaze out of the window, sipping the last of my coffee pensively. Everything is so green, a stark contrast to the grey, gritty city streets I’m used to.
‘Hey, that’s my best friend you’re talking about!’ Lucy chastises me. ‘So, what’s the plan going forward?’
‘I don’t really have one, to be honest. I guess I’ll just throw myself into being the best maid of honour I can be and burn my way through my savings until I’ve got nothing left.’
A flicker of worry crosses Lucy’s face, though she tries hard to disguise it.
‘Well, there’s nothing wrong with having a much-needed break.
That’s what I did when I first moved to Lily Vale, I wasn’t planning to stay, remember?
I was only supposed to do up my granny’s cottage for selling, then I ended up buying it! ’
‘Hm, well, I don’t think I’ll be buying a cute little cottage any time soon, I could barely afford to rent my smelly old flat. Now that I’ve got no income, I’m going to have to be very careful.’
‘Well, Chez Middleton is completely free of charge, mi casa, su casa.’
Touched, I reach out and squeeze her hand on the gear stick. ‘Thanks, Luce. You’re the best.’
It doesn’t take long before we pass the little sign at the side of the road that says Welcome to Lily Vale Village, and in an instant, my mood lifts.
Rolling fields of wheat and grazing cows stretch out as far as the eye can see on either side of the car, and as we drive into the village centre, we’re greeted by the most charming mish-mash of pastel-hued shops and cafes, each so different yet somehow fitting together perfectly, like a strange little jigsaw puzzle.
It must be wonderful to live here, Lucy is just so lucky.
We pull up onto the drive of Lucy’s home, aptly named Appleseed Cottage due to the huge apple tree in the front garden. It’s bearing fruit, and Lucy encourages me to take one. My mouth floods with sweet juice the moment I bite into the shiny red apple, and I literally swoon at the taste.
‘Oh my gosh,’ I gush, my mouth full of delicious nectar, ‘this is so much better than the bruised up ones I get from the shops!’
‘I know, they are lovely, aren’t they?’ Lucy strolls up the garden path and turns the key in the primrose yellow door. ‘Come in, I’ll put the kettle on.’
It’s oddly depressing entering the cottage, not because it isn’t beautiful - it’s wonderfully quaint with its hardwood floor, terracotta kitchen, and homey living room with its original fireplace and mantel, decorated with an assortment of family knick-knacks.
The culture shock hits me hard, it’s just so vastly different from my own flat back in London.
Well, it’s no longer my flat, not anymore, and I can’t say I’m too cut up about that.
Though I’d lived there almost six years, it never felt like mine .
Truth be told, I feel more at home after just ten minutes inside Appleseed Cottage.
That feeling only grows when I sink down on the soft, comfy floral sofa and Lucy passes me a steaming mug of tea. She sits beside me, her legs curled up cosily underneath her.
‘I still can’t believe old Farley fired you.’ Angrily, she taps her fingers against her mug. ‘After all the years you’ve given his wretched practice, what a jerk!’
I raise my hand to halt her rant. ‘I don’t want to get into all that stuff now. Let’s talk wedding plans.’
Her brow creases with concern, but she agrees. ‘Well, Alex and I have already got a lot of the big things sorted - the venue, the music, the photographer, and I’ve had a couple of fittings with my friend Lottie for my dress. It’s all the little details I’ll need your help with.’
I allow myself to exhale - I can handle the little details, right? ‘Great, I can’t wait to get stuck in.’
‘And of course, there’s the hen party.’ With waggling eyebrows, she gives me an arch grin. ‘I can’t wait to see what you come up with for that!’
Oh crap, I’d almost forgotten about the bloody hen.
I better start to put together a guest list, though I still can’t recall the names of her new villager friends.
And what sort of thing would Lucy want - a demure and elegant affair, or something more bawdy?
I push down my panic and mirror Lucy’s excited expression.
‘Don’t worry, Luce, I promise your hen will be a night to remember.’
Big words from someone who famously can’t organise a piss up in a brewery.
‘So, now that you and Alex are getting married, are you finally going to live together?’
Lucy flinches and blinks as though I’ve just slapped her. Whoops, that question must have touched a nerve.
‘Well, that’s the plan, but God knows whose house we’re going to sell and which one we’re going to keep. I mean, you know how much Appleseed Cottage means to me, it was my granny’s and Alex and I worked so hard to get it back to rights when it was in such a state.’
‘Of course.’
‘But then, there’s Alex’s family home, his mum signed it over to him when she went to live in the local retirement community.
Even though Phyllis is happy in Lavender Fields and it would cost a fortune to adapt the house to her needs, I can’t imagine Alex wanting to sell it, it’s the last tie to his childhood, you know?
I think he’ll always want to keep it in the family. ’
‘Have you asked him about it?’
Lucy shuffles uncomfortably on the couch cushion. ‘Not directly, I’m a little scared to bring it up.’
‘Oh, Luce, you’ve got to! You’re getting married now, you have to be able to talk about the difficult stuff.’
‘Yeah, but this is particularly difficult. Alex and his mum are so close, she didn’t think she could have a child, but at forty-four years old, a surprise baby Alex came along and they’ve been inseparable since.’
‘Wow, that must have been a big surprise!’ I chuckle.
‘I’m sure it was, I know how much Alex means to her, and how much she means to him.
It killed him when her big fall put her in a wheelchair and she went to Lavender Field House.
I go there every Wednesday for book club with the residents and I can tell you she absolutely loves it, but Alex still feels guilty that he can’t take care of her himself, what with his job and everything.
I think getting rid of her beloved home would be the nail in the coffin for him.
And that’s why I could never ask it of him.
’ Sighing, she draws her gaze around the snug little living room.
‘But at the same time, I hate the idea of selling this place, too.’
‘Hm, I see your predicament.’ My mouth twists in thought, but I can’t come up with a solution that’s likely to please everyone. Instead, I lamely say, ‘I’m sure you’ll figure it out before the wedding, Luce.’
She herself doesn’t seem sure at all, but she’s eager to change the subject. Still, I can’t judge, I’m just as desperate to avoid talking about getting fired.
‘Right, so I’ve already talked to my florist Sarah about florals, we’re going for an eclectic, wildflower theme.’
‘Fun!’
‘And in terms of bridesmaids’ dresses, I was thinking a sort of rusty, burnt orange - what do you think?’
‘I think that would look great,’ I tell her in earnest, earth tones are always a classy choice, in my opinion. ‘Erm, who are the other bridesmaids?’
Lucy sits up straight, counting them off on her fingers. ‘Well there’s Lottie, Holly, Ruth, Mel and her daughter Grace is going to be the flower girl in a matching taffeta gown, won’t that be cute? Oh, and you, of course.’
Ah, at least that’s not too many women to keep track of. Four bridesmaids plus one flower girl - I can handle that, I’m sure I can.
‘What else is there left to sort?’
‘Well, we need to go shopping for bridesmaids’ dresses, think about decor for the venue, favours, accessories, all these little details, really. And I need some opinions on my dress, it’s not finished yet, and I’d really love to know what you think.’
Touched, I nod enthusiastically. ‘Ooh, how exciting - your wedding dress!’
Squealing, she kicks her feet like a little kid. ‘I know, it’s wild!’
I smile at my friend, and yet, my gut squirms, as if infested with writhing worms. All I want is for Lucy to be happy - but how happy will she be if she has to get rid of her late grandmother’s cottage, the one she’s spent years pouring her heart and soul into?
I know she loves Alex and she’ll do anything for him, but it seems such a high price to pay.
I don’t know, maybe these are the sacrifices you make when you’re in love? I wouldn’t know.
Rising from the sofa, Lucy takes my empty mug. ‘We should think about dinner soon, fancy a takeaway? There’s a great chippy up the road.’
‘Count me in!’ I stand up and retrieve my cumbersome case from the entry hall. ‘I’ll just start unpacking and get myself settled in, if that’s okay?’
‘No prob, you know where the spare room is.’
I climb the ornate staircase and find my bedroom, which has fresh pale pink linens on the bed and smells light and airy.
I rifle through my suitcase, fish out a peony and peach candle and pop it in pride of place on the windowsill.
I don’t have any matches on me, but I’ll be sure to ask Lucy for some later.
Contentedly, I sit on the soft bed and glance out of the window, taking in the beautiful, lush green scenery.
There’s only a handful of cottages on Lucy’s street, and they are all so different and unique, unlike the lines of grey flats and terraced houses I’m used to.
Oh, how I’d love to live somewhere like this, but until I get a job, I’ve got no chance.
Even then, I imagine housing is not cheap in Lily Vale, Lucy got lucky when her Granny left this place behind for her.
Exhaling through my nose, I turn to my suitcase and begin unpacking. At least I’m staying here for a while, and I’m going to soak up all Lily Vale has to offer until I inevitably have to leave.
Where I’ll be leaving to, though, still remains to be seen …