Chapter 19 #2
Word of Ed’s amazing displays had spread quickly when he’d first taken over decorating the windows of the double-fronted Victorian shop.
They’d garnered such interest that the local newsroom and newspaper sent reporters to record the unveiling.
Florrie always made sure to announce it, together with Jack and Jenna’s reading, on the bookshop’s social media pages, as well as dotting leaflets and posters advertising it not only around the bookshop, but the tearoom, too; she was aware that some of their older clientele had no interest in the internet or social media.
It went without saying that the two authors’ events sold out within minutes.
Jack checked his watch. ‘Right then, Ed lad, it’s nearly six o’clock and folk are starting to look a bit nithered out there.
You just say the word, and as soon as you’re ready, I’ll get my butt outside, feed myself to the lions – to continue in the spirit of Charlie’s wildlife documentary theme.
’ He grinned at Charlie, the pair chuckling like mischievous schoolboys.
Charlie didn’t waste a moment, picking up on Jack’s cue. ‘And here we see the alpha male preening himself as he prepares to strut his stuff in front of his adoring minions who’ve been waiting patiently in what can only be described as inhospitable conditions.’
‘Strut my stuff. Ah, I love it!’ Jack gave a throaty cackle.
‘Give over, Charlie, you daft thing,’ Paula said, laughing, catching Florrie’s eye, an unspoken message conveying their happiness that he was back on form passing between them.
‘Two ticks,’ said Ed. He had a quick check of the sockets where the electrics linked to the display were plugged in, then loosened the ties of the curtains that hid his work.
‘Right, we’re good to go.’ He looked over at Florrie, the pair exchanging an excited smile.
This was the first display she’d never had a preview of and she was intrigued to see what it would be.
She’d have to wait until the crowd had dispersed before she’d get the chance.
‘Right then, folks, let’s get the evening underway.’ With that, Jack opened the door and stepped out onto the chequered tiles of the bookshop’s entrance. In an instant, a roar went up from the crowd, accompanied by a round of applause and much cheering and whistling.
‘Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming and for your patience.’ But his words were lost in the cacophony.
He tried again, this time holding his hands up in a bid for them to quieten down, laughing happily as he did so.
‘Well, that was quite the welcome, but I know it’s not for me, and that you’re all here to see what delights are lurking behind these curtains.
And I can tell you this, so are the rest of us here at the bookshop.
Ed’s been working on it solidly and none of us has a clue as to the theme.
Anyroad, that’s enough of me wittering on, but before we start the countdown, can we make sure we have all the little ’uns at the front so they can see what’s going on? ’
In the doorway, Florrie peered over Jack’s shoulder, excitement swirling inside her.
Light was already fading as dusk inched its way over the sky.
She caught sight of Jasmine and Max, standing behind their mix of kids, Zak, Chloe and Connor.
Jasmine beamed a wide smile at her, giving a happy wave, which Florrie returned.
As she scanned the crowd, checking for a glimpse of their other friends, her gaze snagged on an unexpected face.
Her heart jolted and her breath caught in her throat.
Please, no! She blinked quickly, but the face was gone.
Her eyes darted back and forth over the crowd, searching the sea of faces that were eagerly looking towards the shop.
Had she been seeing things? she wondered.
Surely, if she was still in town, Luella wouldn’t have the brass neck to come to the unveiling of the bookshop’s window displays after Ed had been so blunt with her, would she?
Florrie would’ve hot-footed it out of town in a blaze of humiliation if an ex had told her in no uncertain terms that they were finished and she was foolish for turning up at his new home.
There was no way she’d ever want to look like she was clingy and desperate or feel like some sort of stalker.
But then, there was Peter and Dawn’s influence to factor into this odd situation which was probably why she’d woken with the nagging worry that they were going to make an appearance that evening.
It didn’t help that Ed had said he’d heard nothing from either Dawn or Luella all day.
She’d at least hoped he’d get word that they’d left town and were heading back to London.
Only then would she be able to relax sufficiently for the fingers of concern to loosen their grip and allow her to properly enjoy the evening.
‘Right then, I think we’re all sorted, so, without further ado, I’d be very grateful if you could join me in a countdown.’
Jack’s voice broke into her thoughts, and she made the hurried decision to sweep all concerns of Ed’s parents and Luella from her mind and focus on what he was saying.
‘From five, here we go! Five… four… three… two… one!’
A great roar went up as Ed flicked a switch at the rear of the window on the right-hand side, and the curtain slowly swept back.
The anticipation in the air was tangible.
It was as if a collective breath was being held as the crowd fell silent, instantly followed by an ‘ahh’ as the full view of the window was revealed, showing Ed’s creative talents in all their glory.
An enthusiastic round of applause rang around the square with yet more cheers and whistles. The mood of the crowd was infectious, and Florrie found her heart dancing with anticipation. It didn’t help that she was certain she kept hearing her name being mentioned out on the street.
But what she couldn’t see from her position in the doorway was that the crowd were gazing upon a bride and groom in miniature form that bore more than a passing resemblance to her and Ed.
The bride, whose brunette bob was a carbon copy of Florrie’s, was wearing a pair of tortoiseshell glasses and was dressed in an empire line, floor-length gown in ivory silk, the short sleeves and neckline finished with an antique gold braid trim.
Mini Florrie’s bouquet was made of paper roses, their petals cut from the pages of damaged books that Ed had retrieved from the skip for paper at the recycling centre in Lingthorpe.
He’d even fixed a diamanté tiara to her head, the faux diamonds twinkling in the light.
The ‘couple’ were standing at opposite ends of the window before a backdrop that included a scaled-down version of the bookshop’s frontage.
It was set against a background of Thorncliffe, a bright blue sky above with occasional puffy white clouds.
Clifftop Cottage – home to Maggie and Bear – was visible on the fields of the cliff, and even the Jolly was included, nestling in Old Micklewick –where the couple were holding their wedding reception.
Ed had skilfully managed to include great detail without making the backdrop look cluttered or clumsy.
Standing between ‘Florrie’ and ‘Ed’ was a black Labrador who was a dead ringer for Gerty, a basket of spring flowers clenched between her teeth.
Seconds later, the bride and groom started to move slowly towards one another, the sound of church bells chiming joyfully in the background.
‘Gerty’s’ tail began to wag as her head bobbed up and down.
With the Labrador between them, the bride and groom came to a halt before bending towards one another and sealing the scene with a lingering kiss.
In that moment, a cascade of faux rose petal confetti started to fall from above.
The next moment, the loudest roar of the evening rang out, the happy sound ricocheting off the buildings and bouncing around the square.
Jack, who’d been watching the display from the side of the window, turned to Ed.
‘By ’eck, I reckon you’ve excelled yourself there, lad.
Your missus-to-be is going to be chuffed to bits with it.
’ Switching his gaze to Florrie, he said, ‘Wait till you see this, it’s nowt short of bloomin’ fantastic. ’
Florrie’s heart skipped a beat. She looked across at Ed who was wearing the widest smile.
She knew he’d secretly be relieved that everything had gone without a hitch.
‘Go and take a quick look; it’s already on repeat, but I can set it to play from the start,’ he said to her, the remote control poised in his hand.
‘Are you sure? I don’t want to delay the reveal of the other window.’
‘Get yourself out here, lass, no one’ll mind,’ said Jack.
In his next breath, he addressed the crowd, gesturing for them to lower their voices, which took a while.
‘I think we all know, the bride and groom in the window here are The Happy Hartes Bookshop’s very own Florrie and Ed, however, as I mentioned earlier, our Florrie hasn’t seen it yet with all the cloak and dagger secrecy during its creation.
She’s been waiting here like patience personified, so I’m sure you kind folk of Micklewick Bay wouldn’t mind if she came out here and took a quick shuftie right now, am I right? ’
His question triggered a cacophony of words of agreement mixed with calls of ‘Florrie! Florrie! Florrie!’
Jack held out his hand to her. Feeling suddenly bashful at being the subject of everyone’s attention, she took it and let him lead her outside as a chorus of ‘I’m Getting Married in the Morning’ struck up from the gathering.
Feeling her cheeks burn, she stepped out onto the pavement and turned to face the window just as Ed pressed the button for the moving parts to start from the beginning.