Chapter 17
‘Yo! Boss… you’re doing that thing again!’
‘Huh? What thing?’ said Milly vaguely, turning to blink at Jo.
When had her trainee snuck up on her?!
‘You know – that thing where you stand with the shop keys in your hand and don’t actually use them to unlock,’ huffed Jo.
‘Right,’ said Milly. ‘Right… sorry.’
With one last peek at the door of her flat, she did her best to pull herself together… and to quell the smug smile that was threatening to sneak onto her face while she was at it.
Popping the key into the lock, Milly opened the door and made the usual dash for the alarm. She needed to get Jo inside before the girl had the chance to twig that she was hiding something. Or – in this case - someone.
‘Okay, let’s get this show on the road!’ said Milly, re-emerging and rubbing her hands together.
‘Urgh – you’re far too perky for this time in the morning, especially considering we haven’t done the coffee run yet,’ grumbled Jo. She shrugged out of her red jacket with its line of silver military buttons to reveal a pair of sunflower dungarees underneath. ‘What’s with you, anyway?’
‘I’m high on life,’ said Milly. ‘And on that note - your dungarees…’
‘Ah maaaan!’ whined Jo. ‘I’m wearing my staff top underneath – see?’ She tugged at the pink collar.
‘Uh-huh?’ said Milly, raising an eyebrow.
‘And I chose them because they’re themed!’ said Jo. ‘Who wouldn’t want to buy flowers from a florist covered from head to toe in sunflowers?’
Milly cocked her head, then stared down at her own pale pink polo shirt that she was wearing over a pair of neat – and stupendously boring - jeans.
‘What?’ said Jo. ‘You’re looking mad. Not angry-mad… nutso-mad.’
‘I just think… you might be right,’ said Milly slowly.
‘Hold the phone, what’s that now?’ said Jo, peering around the shop with her hand cupped theatrically to one ear. ‘Damnit – there were no witnesses!’
‘Haha, very funny!’ said Milly, looking her trainee up and down again. Jo looked vibrant and quirky. ‘You do look amazing, though. You’ve inspired me. Maybe it’s time for a new staff dress code.’
‘Oh yeah?’ said Jo, her eyes lighting up. ‘Like what?’
Milly pointed at Jo’s dungarees. ‘Flowers. And fun. And colour.’
‘I like it!’ said Jo.
‘But when we make deliveries – we’ll still have to wear the polos.’
‘They’re so boring, though,’ said Jo, wrinkling her nose. ‘No offence! But, wouldn’t it be better to have something that set us apart a bit?’
‘Any suggestions?’ said Milly.
‘Embroidered denim jackets!’ said Jo. ‘Or… oh I know… remember those jackets the Pink Ladies wear in Grease? But with Milly’s Flowers on them instead - maybe highlighted with a funky, swirly, floral design that looks a bit like a tattoo?’
‘Sold!’ said Milly. ‘I love it. I always wanted to be a Pink Lady.’
Jo narrowed her eyes at her again and Milly cocked her head. ‘What?’
‘You’re… different,’ she said. ‘I can’t put my finger on it.’
‘Just make the most of it!’ said Milly with a grin.
‘Okay – how about a raise?’ said Jo, doing her best to look innocent and failing miserably.
‘How about we re-visit that when your buttonholes don’t disintegrate five minutes after you’ve made them?’ countered Milly.
‘Deal!’ said Jo. ‘Right, shall I get coffees now or…?
‘Erm… not sure,’ said Milly, glancing out of the window and then trying to hide it by staring hard at the order pad next to the till.
‘What’s going on?!’ said Jo.
‘Nothing… I… nothing…’ said Milly, racking her brain.
‘Spit it out, young lady!’ said Jo, crossing her arms.
Milly snorted. ‘Did you just young lady me?!’
‘Well, someone’s got to!’ said Jo. ‘Sorry,’ she added, not sounding in the least bit sorry.
‘It’s just… I… the windows,’ said Milly. It was something she’d been meaning to talk to Jo about since the weekend – and right now it might just help her kill two birds with one stone. She needed to keep Jo safely inside the shop for a little while longer. If she could distract her trainee and keep the coast clear for about ten more minutes—
‘The windows?’ said Jo. ‘What about them?’
‘Cactuses!’ said Milly.
‘Eh?’
‘Remember a few weeks ago you wanted to buy in a collection of cactuses and carnivorous plants?’ she said.
‘You hated that idea!’ said Jo.
‘Change of heart,’ said Milly. ‘And I want you to design a full window display with them. You can curate your own Jo Burton Collection!’
‘Amazing!’ said Jo, her eyes lighting up with excitement. ‘But… why the change of heart?’
‘Those teeth,’ said Milly. ‘You and all the weirdos who wanted to find them…’
‘The kind of weirdos who’d love my grumpy plant collection?’ said Jo.
‘Exactly,’ Milly nodded. ‘New clients.’
‘Yes!’ said Jo with a victorious fist-pump. ‘Way to go, toothless best man!’
Milly rolled her eyes. She’d just managed to bring the conversation straight back round to the one subject she was trying to avoid.
‘Ooh this is going to be brilliant,’ said Jo, skipping towards the windows. ‘I’ll get a new set of shelving here, and then…’
‘And then?’ said Milly, cringing slightly as Jo paused to stare through the shop window.
‘Milly Rowlands!’ she gasped.
‘What?’ said Milly, doing her best to look curious rather than well and truly horrified.
‘Why is there a man doing the walk of shame out of your flat?’ said Jo.
‘What man?’ said Milly.
‘That one!’ said Jo. ‘The one about three feet away - wearing shorts and a tee shirt and bed hair!’
‘I don’t see him,’ said Milly, lying through her teeth.
‘Him!’ said Jo, pointing at Murray.
The man in question had clearly noticed Jo’s finger pointing straight at him. He paused and waved at her sheepishly.
‘Oh – that man!’ said Milly with a little smile.
There was no point denying it any longer. Murray was still wearing the same outfit he’d turned up in for their date the day before, and he looked deliciously crumpled. Just the sight of him was doing something strange to her stomach… or maybe that was the vat of ice cream they’d overdosed on the previous night. She’d never be able to look at salted caramel the same way again.
‘So,’ said Jo, turning her back on Murray to stare at Milly. ‘You guys enjoy a sleepover, huh?’
‘Shh!’ hissed Milly as Murray poked his head inside the shop.
‘Erm… you two fancy a coffee?’ he said, running a hand through his tousled hair. Milly’s knees turned to treacle as she remembered doing that herself just a few hours ago. Their kisses had tasted of chocolate brownies.
‘Cappuccino for me, please!’ said Jo, taking advantage of the fact that her boss was momentarily tongue-tied.
‘Cake?’ said Murray.
Jo turned to Milly with wide eyes. ‘Marry him.’
Milly smirked as a combination of terror and amusement flitted across Murray’s face.
‘Don’t mind Jo,’ she said. ‘She thinks she’s a comedian.’
‘Right…’ said Murray, doing the hair thing again.
Wibble!
‘I’ll have the same, please,’ said Milly, keen to buy herself a few minutes to get her head together. ‘And since you’re offering – we like the meringues.’
‘We do!’ said Jo, nodding with reverence.
‘Coming up,’ said Murray, smiling and shooting her a wink before ambling off.
‘So…’ said Jo.
‘Yeah,’ said Milly, resigned to the fact that she was going to spend the rest of the day getting well and truly grilled.
‘You’re dating one of the wedding guests?’ said Jo.
‘Murray was the best man,’ said Milly.
‘Nope - the best man was short and arsy,’ said Jo, shaking her head. ‘Your guy saved me from him – so he already gets brownie points.’
‘Oh – you must have met Josh,’ said Milly as the penny dropped. Jo’s message threatening to flob in the best man’s hipflask suddenly made sense. She hadn’t been talking about Murray at all. ‘Murray said he’s a bit of a knob – and thoroughly miffed the groom didn’t ask him to be best man. He took over after the ambulance came for Murray. His speech knocked years off my life.’
‘Sounds like the guy,’ said Jo. ‘Anyway - back to more interesting things - you slept with the best man?’
‘Jo!’
‘What?’ said Jo. ‘Fine. If you want to be all Elizabethan about it… you’re being courted by the best man?’
‘His name’s Murray,’ said Milly, not really wanting to confirm or deny anything.
‘And he’s the one who got knocked out by the bouquet?’ said Jo.
‘Yep,’ said Milly.
‘Right,’ said Jo. ‘So - what’s it like kissing someone with missing teeth?’
‘He’s got all his teeth!’ laughed Milly.
‘Oh,’ said Jo. ‘Well, that’s disappointing.’
‘Not really,’ said Milly with a sigh.
‘Eww, gross!’ said Jo.
‘No seriously – all his teeth are still intact.’
‘I wasn’t talking about the teeth thing,’ said Jo. ‘You. You’ve gone all… sweet and melty. It’s disturbing!’
Milly let out a snort of amusement.
‘So,’ said Jo, ‘let me get this straight. When you disappeared on Monday - leaving me to fend off the hoards on my lonesome - you were, in fact, abandoning me to chase after a boy?’
‘No! Or… maybe… a little bit?’ said Milly, suddenly feeling like their roles had been reversed and she was about to get a thorough telling off. ‘Sorry?’
‘Don’t apologise,’ said Jo with a shrug. ‘It’s about time you found someone to fancy.’
‘I’m a grown-up, Jo – I don’t use words like fancy,’ she said primly.
‘What would you say, then?’ said Jo.
Milly tilted her head to think about it. ‘Nope, you’re right. Fancy just about covers it.’
‘Ah, young love!’ chuckled Jo.
‘Hush you,’ said Milly. ‘Now - go practise your buttonholes!’