Chapter 4
Pausing outside Pennycress Inn, Ellie tugged at the hem of her white shirt in a vain attempt to stretch the material and lessen the creases.
She’d discovered the iron and ironing board missing this morning, which shouldn’t have surprised her, as Rick had always had a penchant for having crease-free shirts.
Likely, in order to impress Lisa, it had transpired.
She pulled her mobile from her over-the-shoulder bag and checked for messages or missed calls.
Nothing. Having rung him at least ten times since waking up, she’d expected at least one message in return.
But no, clearly Rick had no intention of returning any of the items he’d taken and was just hoping she’d disappear quietly into the past of his life.
She wouldn’t, though. She had nothing left at home.
At about two in the morning, she’d woken, her body aching from where she’d curled up next to her pile of clothes, and had ventured downstairs to spend the rest of the night on the sofa. Not that she’d got any more sleep.
After waking from what broken sleep she’d had, a rising anger had quickly replaced the numbness she’d initially felt, anger and confusion, but now she needed to present herself as cool, calm and collected, as well as being an advocate and believer in true love.
Ellie grimaced. After years of learning how to box up her feelings, she knew she could portray the confidence she didn’t feel, but that last part?
The part about believing in true love? Now, that would be a whole lot trickier.
Not only had Rick left her – and taken everything besides the kitchen sink with him – but the memory of running into Murray had put her on edge.
She couldn’t explain it, but past feelings of vulnerability had resurfaced, undoing years of work to build the walls around her heart.
Walls she’d never allowed Rick to tear down.
Maybe she’d been the problem in their relationship. She hadn’t let him in. She’d driven him away, straight into the arms of Lisa.
‘Hi there. Can I help you?’ A voice filled the quiet street.
Pulling herself from her thoughts, Ellie twisted on the spot. Where had that voice come from? ‘Hello?’
‘Hey.’ Jill, a woman Ellie had seen around the village and who often spoke at Meadowfield’s village meetings, appeared from behind the hedge next to her. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. You just looked a little lost, and I was wondering if I could help you with anything?’
‘Sorry, I was just in my own little world.’ Ellie forced a smile, the first of many she’d be putting on over the course of the day. ‘I’ve come for a meeting with Laura and Jackson.’
‘Ah, Ellie, isn’t it? You’re going to be planning their wedding, aren’t you?’ Pulling a muddy gardening glove from one hand, Jill unlatched the wrought-iron garden gate.
Ellie swallowed, hoping to practise the forced confidence she needed to portray. ‘Hi, Jill. Yes, that’s right.’
‘Fantastic. Laura’s so excited for this meeting. They both are.’ Jill stood aside, letting Ellie pass into the garden.
‘Thanks. Me too.’ Or she would have been if she weren’t so petrified her potential clients would refuse to work with her once she’d admitted she was no longer associated with All Things Love.
Or, even worse, if Melissa had changed her mind about allowing Ellie to take the wedding and had rung Laura and Jackson ahead of their meeting.
She dreaded what Melissa might have said, what she would have hinted at, blaming her for the fiasco of the celebrity wedding, even though Ellie had been nothing but a scapegoat in the whole sorry mess.
‘Go straight through. They were both in the kitchen a few minutes ago, but holler if they’re not.’ Slipping the mud-covered gardening glove back on, Jill bent to tend to the flower beds once again.
Nodding, Ellie made her way down the garden path towards the inn. The garden looked beautiful, and the early summer blooms filling the flower beds were already brimming with colour, giving more than a hint at what was to come as the season progressed.
Stepping up onto the decking, which ran around one side of the inn, Ellie pushed open the front door and walked into the large hallway.
Dark oak floorboards ran through to a large reception desk positioned beneath the ornate staircase, and Ellie spun slowly on the spot, taking in the bold flowered wallpaper and the peaceful ambience.
The new owners, Laura and Jackson, must have had some work done in here since she’d visited last. The wallpaper, although giving a very similar vibe to that which she remembered, looked new.
This would be a lovely place for a wedding.
She could just picture guests coming through into the hallway.
The reception desk could even be used to hold the welcome drinks.
‘Ellie? From All Things Love? I’m Laura. I spoke to your colleague, Melissa.’ Laura appeared from a doorway to the right.
Turning towards her, Ellie took a deep breath and stepped forward.
This was it. This was her time to own up to the fact that she was no longer working with Melissa.
She must have rehearsed this speech in front of the bathroom mirror a million times before she’d left the cottage this morning, and yet now she was here, all words had escaped her.
‘Oh, I am Ellie, but I’m no longer working for All Things Love. ’
‘You’re not?’ Laura’s face fell. ‘You’re not going to be planning our wedding anymore?’
‘I am.’ Ellie shifted on her feet. Laura was going to say no, wasn’t she?
The way her face had fallen when Ellie had told her she was no longer working with Melissa…
Ellie would be without a job or any hope left of continuing in her dream profession.
Without Laura and Jackson as clients, what did she have?
She didn’t even have a business name. Clasping her hands in front of her, she willed herself to focus.
‘What I mean is, I hope to. Myself and Melissa have decided to go our separate ways, to cover more ground.’
‘Oh, I see.’ Laura flicked away a strand of hair which had fallen from her plait and into her face. ‘So, you’ve started your own wedding planning business then?’
‘That’s right. Melissa and I have been working together for eight years now, so I have an awful lot of experience behind me.
’ Ellie kept her smile in place as she skirted around the real reason her business agreement with Melissa had ended so abruptly.
‘The time has just come for us both to build our own companies.’
Laura nodded slowly. ‘But you can still plan our wedding? You’ll still take us on as clients?’
‘I would. If you’re still happy with me being your wedding planner whilst not being under the All Things Love umbrella.’ Drawing her hand behind her back, Ellie crossed her fingers.
‘Yes, of course we are.’ Laura grinned warmly. ‘When we spoke to Melissa originally, she said we’d be your clients, so whether you’re working with her or not makes no difference to us. I’m just relieved you’re still happy to plan our wedding and we’re not forced to push it back.’
As relief flooded through her, Ellie’s shoulders relaxed.
Perhaps she’d be okay. If she could make Laura and Jackson’s wedding the best she possibly could, perhaps it would give her a chance to build up her client base, allow her to continue her dream of running her own wedding planning business rather than watching it all come crashing down around her, much like her personal life.
‘Absolutely no need to be pushing anything back.’
‘Fantastic.’ Clasping her hands in front of her, Laura’s grin stretched even wider. ‘What’s the name?’
‘The name? My name? Ellie Newton.’ She was sure she’d introduced herself properly, but if Laura had been nervous, she probably wouldn’t have remembered.
‘No, your business name?’ Laura shook her head.
‘Umm, my business name?’ Ellie’s stomach lurched as she quickly glanced around the large hallway for some sort of inspiration, her gaze dropping to a wicker foraging basket sitting on the reception desk.
It was filled with small bunches of rosemary, lavender, thyme and mint.
Looking back at Laura, she tapped the folder in her hand.
‘My business name is Forever Thyme Weddings. A little play on words with thyme being spelt like the herb. I’ll make sure to drop a business card to you. ’
‘Ooh, that’s such a pretty name.’ Laura grinned as she nodded towards the thin sliver of window by the front door, indicating outside. ‘And Jill would absolutely adore it. She eats, breathes and lives plants, and herbs are her favourite.’
Ellie nodded. What was she supposed to say to that?
She too enjoyed gardening, but she definitely wasn’t a gardener or anything of the sort, and if anyone laid eyes on her own dishevelled and overgrown patch, they’d likely question the name choice for her business.
Still, Laura was right; it was a pretty name, and if she didn’t feel so nervous, she’d likely be at least a little proud of herself for thinking it up on the spot.
‘Shall we go through? I’ve just taken a fruitcake from the oven, if you fancy any? It’ll still be warm.’ Laura held the kitchen door open.
‘Lovely. Sounds delicious.’ Ellie clutched the folder to her chest as her stomach grumbled.
Rick had left a breakfast bowl for her at least, not that she’d had the time to use it this morning.
In fact, he’d thought to leave her a whole set of crockery and cutlery for one.
She gripped the folder tighter as a rush of anger threatened to consume her.
Did he expect her to be grateful to him for that?
‘Oops! I almost forgot these.’ Letting the door swing softly shut again, Laura took the few steps towards the reception desk before picking up the foraging basket.
‘That’s one of the fantastic things about having someone like Jill working here.
She not only makes the gardens look amazing, but she makes them work for us too.
And my fiancé, Jackson, loves nothing more than a freshly plucked bunch of herbs to cook with. ’
‘That must be nice.’ Ellie smiled again, breathing in the mix of aromas from the basket as Laura walked past her towards the kitchen again.
‘It is. Not that I could tell you what they all are.’ Pushing the door open, Laura leaned her back against it, holding it open whilst she picked up a small bunch of stems with tiny dusky green leaves. ‘Look, she’s even grown thyme. That’s one I do know how to recognise. That must be a good sign.’
‘Yes.’ Walking past her into the kitchen, Ellie paused as she glanced around.
The room was large and housed both the kitchen and a dining area filled with pine tables.
French doors led onto the decking which wrapped around the back of the inn and overlooked a huge garden bursting with even more colour than the front garden and a huge willow tree growing in its centre, an almost mirror image to the smaller one at the front of the inn.
Sure enough, the kitchen was filled with the smell of freshly baked fruitcake, which once again stirred her stomach and reminded her how hungry she was.