Chapter 5
FIVE
‘But I thought your parents hated Micklewick Bay?’ Florrie said when she finally found her voice. Her heart was thudding hard in her chest as shockwaves rippled through her.
‘Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. Haven’t ever heard them say a good word about the place.’
After over three decades of living in sunnier climes, and eschewing everything to do with Micklewick Bay and the bookshop, Ed’s parents had surprised those that knew them, giving up their nomadic lifestyle and settling in London.
When asked why they hadn’t opted for Micklewick Bay, Florrie had ignored the slight to her beloved hometown and felt an overwhelming sense of relief when Dawn had declared it too much of a ‘behind the times little backwater where nothing of interest ever happens’ and that it was a place that ‘stifled their creativity’ for them to entertain such a ludicrous idea.
As she absorbed Ed’s words, something his mother had said about Ed’s father yesterday started gnawing away in Florrie’s mind.
The almost dismissive tone in which it had been delivered, combined with the stony look in Dawn’s eyes, was what had stood out and caught her attention.
But since Dawn had steamed on in her usual overbearing way, there’d been no time for Florrie to loiter on it.
So she’d brushed it aside, tucking it away for later.
But now she had the chance to give Dawn’s words some consideration, it only added to her confusion.
If she remembered correctly, in answer to Florrie asking if Ed’s father would be joining them, Dawn had snappily replied that he wasn’t, and furthermore, he was going to have to get used to looking after himself whether he liked it or not.
Florrie couldn’t help but feel Dawn was implying the inconceivable.
Her breath caught in her throat. Had Dawn left Ed’s father?
If so, had she shared this news with Ed?
Did Peter even know his wife was there in Micklewick Bay?
Florrie glanced over at Ed, wondering if his thoughts had headed down this path, but it was impossible to tell, since so many other things could be attributed to his troubled expression.
Telling herself to calm down, that she was letting her worries get out of control, Florrie tried to steady her breathing.
‘So, did she mention anything about your dad being keen to move here? Or what their plans would be? Or what had brought about such a change of opinion?’ she asked, putting out tentative feelers.
Not wanting to alarm Ed unnecessarily if she’d got the wrong end of the stick, she kept her voice steady and her thoughts about his parents’ marriage to herself.
‘Not really, no. All she said was that if the flat above the bookshop hadn’t been converted into a tearoom, then her and my father would’ve had a ready-made home here.’
Realisation hit her in a flash. Dawn had no intention of moving to the town, which was a huge relief.
She’d merely used reference to the flat’s conversion, knowing full well it had been Florrie’s dream to have a teashop within the bookshop.
It was a thinly veiled dig, but one that she decided to ignore.
Florrie refused to get drawn in to petty squabbles.
Ed was right, there was no denying Peter Harte’s heart condition seemed to have taken the wind out of his parents’ sails, which was hardly surprising.
But assuming they were still together, it still made her wonder how they could go from having such a stormy marriage, fuelled by endless drama and high octane arguments – not just between themselves, but involving anyone who was unfortunate to get in their path – to this calmer version.
Indeed, Florrie was surprised that such a stormy relationship had lasted at all.
But they seemed to thrive on confrontation.
They’d fought and bickered through almost four decades.
It had been a case of them against the world, and that world appeared to have included their son.
Florrie assumed it was because Dawn and Peter were kindred spirits, their similar personalities and values drawing them to one another and keeping them together.
Their bond had been stronger than any glue, that was for sure.
Florrie’s dad, Charlie, had joked on several occasions that it was because they hadn’t found anyone else who’d put up with their bad behaviour and foul tempers, and Florrie had to concede, he had a point.
But though she was relieved that Dawn had dialled down her hot-headed, angry nature over the last year, she couldn’t help feeling wary that it could spring back to life at the click of her fingers.
And she could never get her head around how they’d treated Ed.
It was made more difficult because she’d come from such a warm and loving home.
Florrie regularly found herself wondering how they’d managed to produce such a mild-mannered, kind-hearted son.
Though she’d quickly remind herself that he’d clearly inherited his grandfather’s sunny, easy-going temperament, with a dash of schoolboy humour thrown in; she regularly saw reminders of good-natured Mr H in Ed’s actions, even some of his mannerisms, and it warmed her heart.
Thankfully, she hadn’t witnessed the slightest trace of his parents’ angry, confrontational behaviour.
Another thought struck. Did Ed mean that by talking calmly and using ‘a different tack’ Dawn had got what she wanted?
Ugh! She sincerely hoped not. His parents had never made a secret of their dislike of Florrie.
Nor had they hidden their resentful opinions on Mr and Mrs H’s fondness for her.
Their dislike had only intensified when Mr H had bequeathed the bookshop to Florrie and Ed, effectively snubbing his son.
It was something the young couple had suffered for since.
‘Right,’ Florrie said, being careful how she responded. ‘So, did she bring up her suggestion about staying with us?’
‘Yep, she did.’ Ed nodded. ‘And I told her we didn’t have room, that the spare bedroom was full of books and wedding stuff – which is true.’
‘Oh!’ Her head snapped round. This wasn’t what she’d expected, especially since Dawn hadn’t seemed annoyed when Florrie had returned home last night.
That said, the chilly attitude she directed at Florrie was still in evidence, as was the cold look in her eyes that betrayed the fact she regarded her future daughter-in-law with utter disdain, which was another reason Florrie didn’t want Dawn Harte living in her home.
‘I could see it didn’t go down well at first, but then she just nodded and said she’d look for another B&B.
I have to say, her reaction was so unexpected, it’s made me feel a bit wary, for want of a better word.
At least if she’d started her usual yelling and shouting, I’d have known where I stood, and what was going on in her mind, but thinking about it now, her reaction is making me a bit uneasy. ’
As his words sank in, wariness had started to seep through Florrie, too. She knew exactly what Ed meant.
‘Well, at least you set her straight about not staying with us.’
‘Aye, but then she switched her attention to the bookshop, saying what she’d do if she ran it. Rattled on about her ideas for the rest of the evening.’
Hearing this set fresh alarm bells clanging loudly in Florrie’s ears. All she wanted was for her and Ed to be able to get back to being excited about their forthcoming wedding as they had been before Dawn had landed on their doorstep. She had a bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling.