Thirty-Six
‘Oh, I hope she hasn’t got lost…’
Flora bounced over to look out the window again.
‘I’m sure she hasn’t, love. Just relax.’
‘But, it’s nearly twelve…’
‘And your invite was for any time between twelve and half-past. If Sally was able to find that farm of hers, in the middle of nowhere, she’ll be able to find us.’
‘Dad, you know as well as I do, she found that by accident. Did I remember to tell her to take the first left AFTER the sharp bend in the road? That’s where people always go wrong.’
‘Flora, just calm down. You did tell her, several times. Anyway, what’s the panic? We’re not eating until after the King’s speech – there’s plenty of time.’
‘I simply want her here so we can all just chill and relax.’
‘Fine! You continue to keep an eye while I go and baste the turkey.’
Flora looked back out towards the road. She couldn’t share with her dad that much of her excitement was down to having a new person to share Christmas dinner with and that person was a woman to boot! She wasn’t blind and had been watching from the sidelines as her father and Sally appeared to be growing closer. Furthermore, the longer she’d been working with Sally and spending time in her company, she’d become really fond of her and wouldn’t be in the least bit upset if her dad and Sal became an item. Although they were going at it so slowly, they’d be using Zimmer frames when the time came. And, if they wanted to do the old “hoochie-coochie” they’d most likely need a bed-lift to make it happen!
Therefore, Flora had invited Sally to join them for dinner today in the hope of moving things along but she couldn’t help the little twinge of fear that she’d cancel at the last minute, having sussed out what Flora was up to.
A few minutes later, she saw the red roof of a car over the top of the hedge and let out a loud sigh of relief when it turned into their driveway.
‘She’s here!’ she yelled out to her dad before running to the front door and throwing it open.
‘Sally! You found us. Welcome, welcome!’
She grabbed Sally up in a big hug.
‘Hey, Flora, your directions were perfect and I found you with no problem at all although, I have to say, it is gorgeous around here. This side of the village is still uncharted territory for me.’
‘Our little lane is rather well hidden and the few residents on it like it that way.’
‘I adore your house – it’s stunning.’
Flora turned and looked at her home through Sally’s eyes. The old, detached building dated back to the seventeenth century and sported the timbred look so prominent from that time. Her dad had recently repainted the outside and had gone for pale blue plasterwork alongside the black wooden timbers. The window frames had been painted white and were vivid amongst the blue. The front door had been repainted in deep cornflower blue, with all the black cast-iron trimmings refreshed, making it a feature in its own right.
‘Dad will be pleased to hear you say that. He recently redid the exterior – it was traditional black and white before – and hasn’t been able to decide if he did the right thing.’
‘Oh, he did. I love it. And it looks so good alongside the other house I passed just back a bit.’
‘You mean the yellow one?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s what inspired dad to be brave.’
‘Well, I think they look stunning and they make your little well-hidden nook an extra-special find.’
‘Sally, hello, glad you found us okay.’
‘Hi, Matt, I was just telling Flora that her directions were perfect. I was also admiring your stunning house. I adore the shades of blue.’
It amused Flora to watch her dad swell with pride at Sally’s words. No matter how often she’d told him that his bold move was a success, it had only taken one sentence of praise from Sally to make him accept it.
‘Come, let me help you inside with your stuff.’
‘My stuff? I travel light – I have one overnight bag! His Royal Highness, Prince Herbert, on the other hand… he’s the one who needs everything bar the kitchen sink!’
Flora walked over to the car to help her dad.
‘Hey there, Herbie, how are you, you gorgeous boy?’ she cooed, as she bent down to grab his bag of litter and tray. Her dad picked up Sally’s holdall and a carrier bag of tins which she assumed was Herbie’s food. She hoped he’d be allowed some turkey later – surely cats were permitted to have a Christmas dinner too.
They filed into the house and she led Sally to the lounge where she placed Herbert, in his carrier, in the middle of the room.
‘Are you sure you’re both okay to let him just wander around? I’m happy to confine him to my room – it’s only for one night.’
‘Don’t be daft – of course it’s okay,’ Flora replied quickly before her dad had a chance to say anything different and bent down to let the cat out of his basket. She wanted Sally to be as relaxed as possible while she was here and she knew that was more likely if Herbert was around them and she didn’t need to pop up the stairs to check on him every ten minutes or so.
‘We need to keep an eye on any open windows, in case he’s tempted to go exploring, although, truth be told, he’ll most likely find a corner somewhere and hide away. Like most cats, he doesn’t travel well and isn’t too good in new spaces.’
‘We’ve got the skylights in the kitchen open but I think he’ll have a job getting up to those!’
‘Skylights? Right.’
‘Dad, why don’t you take Sally through to the kitchen and get her a glass of wine while I take her bag up to her room. Sally,’ Flora gave a little wink, ‘I’m sure if you ask him nicely enough, Dad will give you a tour of the house. It’s worth seeing and is the reason he became a builder.’
‘Oh, is that so? Please tell me more and I’d love to look around if it’s not too much of an imposition.’
Flora smiled to herself as she walked up the stairs and overheard her dad begin to explain the history of their home. She heard a soft padding behind her and looked over her shoulder to see Herbie following her.
‘Hey, little man, so far, so good, eh?’ she whispered as she bent down to give him a scratch under his chin. ‘Things have started off quite nicely.’
Herbert didn’t answer her back but she was sure there was an element of understanding in his bright green eyes while he waited for her to lead the way.