Chapter 16
SIXTEEN
Florrie had known about Luella before she and Ed had got together.
She was the woman he’d been dating right before he first came to Micklewick Bay a couple of years ago.
If her memory served her correctly, Luella hadn’t taken Ed breaking up with her too well and had trashed his London flat while he was here.
Memories started tumbling into her mind, clashing around chaotically: Mr H mentioning an ex of Ed’s that put him in mind of Dawn and how they shared an aggressive temper and were prone to throwing and smashing things.
Him describing them as manipulative, that they had a conversational style that was to shout and dominate.
It was rare for Mr H to say anything negative about anyone, which was why his comments had struck such a chord with her.
Florrie’s pulse started whooshing in her ears and her stomach churned so violently it was making her feel physically sick. If she was feeling this way, she dreaded to think how Ed must be affected by it all. Her heart went out to him.
‘B… but… but… What are you even doing here?’ Ed pushed his fingers into his hair, looking at Luella in disbelief. ‘How did you find out where I live?’
‘Your mom told me.’ Luella’s smile widened as she hitched her oversized bag further onto her shoulder, seemingly oblivious to the chilly tone that laced Ed’s words.
He pressed his hand to his forehead, glaring at Dawn, his breathing shallow. ‘Would you like to tell me what’s going on, Mother?’ he said. From the way he spoke, it was clear he was trying to keep his anger from his voice.
‘Calm yourself down, boy. I can assure you, nothing’s going on,’ Dawn said, adopting her familiar overbearing tone.
‘Lu’s the friend I bumped into the other day – remember, I told you it was the reason I didn’t get back here with your key.
’ Dawn treated him to a rare smile that had no warmth to it.
It crossed Florrie’s mind that it could easily be mistaken for a snarl.
‘You appear to have omitted an important detail.’ He set his mouth in a hard line.
Dawn steamed on, evidently choosing to ignore what Ed was getting at.
‘You know very well you’d be disappointed if I didn’t let you know Lu was in the area.
And, since she said she was keen to catch up with you, it made sense for me to bring her here, rather than that poky house you share where there’s hardly room to swing a cat.
’ She side-eyed Florrie, as if to make sure her thinly veiled barb hit its target.
Florrie’s eyes widened at the thought of Dawn turning up at Samphire Cottage with Luella. That would’ve been unbearable on so many levels. And, ludicrous as it sounded, she wouldn’t put it past Dawn pulling a stunt like that.
‘Mother, that’s hardly helpf—’
‘I felt sure you’d want to catch up with her, too, see how she’s been doing. After all, you and Lu were very close for a long time, and you’re well aware of how fond your father and I are of her.’ Dawn was talking so fast, she barely drew breath.
Ed shook his head in disbelief, raking his teeth over his bottom lip.
Before he could speak, Luella picked up from Dawn.
‘We ran into one another in London, and your mom described Migglewig Bay – seriously weird name, by the way – and I couldn’t even begin to imagine you living in such a funny little place or working at a bookshop of all places, especially with you barely being able to read, so when Dawn said she was popping up for a visit and that I should join her, I thought, hey, why not?
’ She treated him to an extra wide smile.
Florrie’s anger blazed at the cruel reference to Ed’s dyslexia.
‘So you didn’t just “run in” to Luella, you asked Luella to join you?’ He turned to his mother, giving her the full weight of his accusatory glare.
‘Semantics, boy.’ Dawn waved a dismissive hand at him. ‘What does it matter anyway? She’s here now.’
‘Aren’t you pleased to see me, Eddie?’ Luella asked, batting her incredibly long eyelashes at him. They were so long, Florrie felt sure they must be false, not that she was an expert on these things; any make-up she wore she kept to a minimum.
She was still trying to get her head around it all when Dawn turned to her, a cold glint in her eye, and said, ‘I don’t suppose Edward will have told you all about Luella, his girlfriend of not so very long ago.
His father and I always say she was the one that got away – we were devastated when they broke up. ’
The dig wasn’t wasted on Florrie. ‘Yes, I know who Luella is,’ she said, determined to keep her voice steady, wondering all the while what Dawn was doing bringing her here.
She was amazed his parents knew the names of any of Ed’s previous girlfriends; they usually took such little interest in his life, unless it was trying to get him to hand over the bookshop to them.
Florrie knew the only reason her own name stuck was because of the bookshop connection.
They wouldn’t give two hoots about her otherwise.
‘Mother, this is seriously out of order. I’m not sure what purpose you thought it would serve, bringing Luella here, but you had no right.
’ Though Ed spoke quietly, there was a steeliness to his voice, and Florrie had never seen him look so angry.
‘We need to talk, and not just about this, there’s something else; I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what it is.
’ He turned to his ex-girlfriend. ‘You should never have listened to my mother, Luella; you shouldn’t have come here. ’
His ex’s face darkened with a scowl that matched the one Dawn was now wearing. ‘That’s not very kind or friendly, Eddie. I’ve come all this way to see you, and that’s all the greeting I get?’ She pushed her mouth into a moue, her eyes flashing angrily at Florrie.
It was all the trigger Ed needed. ‘Right, both of you, come with me.’ In the next moment he’d placed his hand on Luella’s elbow and guided her out of the shop, his mother stomping over the floorboards after them.
Dawn shot Florrie a contemptuous glare before slamming the door shut with such force the whole building shook.
The bell was still jangling when Leah returned from the teashop a few moments later where she’d taken her lunchbreak, Marty in tow. ‘Wow! That was one heck of a door slam. We could feel the vibration as we were walking down the stairs. Did someone have their knickers in a knot?’
‘It was Dawn,’ said Florrie, still feeling unnerved by the hatred in the parting expressions the two women had treated her to.
‘Dawn? What happened? Are you okay?’ Leah’s eyes were full of concern.
‘I’m fine, thanks, Leah. It looks as though she’d arranged for Ed’s ex-girlfriend to visit the town and would you believe she actually brought her to the shop?’
‘Wow! That’s weird,’ said Marty.
‘She did what?’ asked Leah, incredulous. ‘She’s seriously delulu, that woman.’
‘Yeah, that’s one way of putting it.’ Florrie looked out onto the street, wondering where Ed had taken the two women, memories of what he’d shared of his relationship with Luella running through her mind.
Toxic was how he’d described it. Said she reminded him of his mother, with her touch-paper temper that could be ignited by the simplest of things.
Florrie felt a dart of worry shoot through her.
She hoped he’d be okay, dealing with the two hot-headed, volatile women on his own, that he wouldn’t be bullied into anything.
Not for the first time did she wish Mr H was still here.
He’d had a gentle strength, and was the wisest man Florrie had ever known.
He’d have the right words at his fingertips and would’ve offered Ed some much-needed support.
And there would’ve been no way Dawn would’ve waltzed in and tried to cause such disruption the way she had.
Florrie reached for the aromatherapy room spray Lark had dropped off earlier and gave the air around her a generous spritz, even giving herself a quick squirt for good measure. Right now, she needed all the help she could get.
‘Try not to worry, I’m sure everything’ll be okay,’ said Leah, offering a kind smile, rubbing Florrie’s arm.
‘I can hang around until Ed comes back, if you like?’ Marty said earnestly, looking impossibly young in his suit and tie.
‘My dad’ll be cool with it.’ Marty’s father was Sam Asquith, a senior partner at Cuthbert, Asquith if the two women returned to the bookshop, she’d make sure all customers had left, then she’d turn the sign to closed and bolt the door.
‘It’s fine, Marty, but thanks for your offer, I really appreciate it.’ She gave him a grateful smile.
‘Okay, but you know where I am if you need me.’ He turned to his girlfriend. ‘If Ed’s mum comes back and kicks off, just call me and I’ll come straight over. Moral support and all that.’
‘Will do, Marty.’ Leah nodded gravely.
After dropping a quick kiss on his girlfriend’s cheek, Marty left the shop, Leah gazing after him with puppy dog eyes.
‘He’s a nice lad,’ Florrie said.
Colour flooded Leah’s cheeks and her mouth tipped up in a smile. ‘Yeah, he is, and his parents are really cool, too. Unlike someone else’s we know.’ She gave Florrie a loaded look.