Chapter 30 #2
‘What is it?’ she asked, turning it over. Her eyes widened as she read the words printed on the front. ‘A business plan? For– for—’
‘For Linny’s Garden,’ Max said, appearing at her side, finishing the sentence she couldn’t quite manage.
‘For the next stage of your growth,’ Finn added.
‘I don’t– I don’t know what to say.’ Unable to stop the tears spilling down her cheeks, Rosie swiped them away and half laughed, half sobbed. ‘Finn... Max—’
Max’s hand gripped her shoulder. ‘Open it.’
She turned the first page to see a beautiful illustration of what her logo might look like.
The words ‘Linny’s Garden’ were written in a beautiful cursive font of a bright golden yellow.
Seeing her mum’s name written down, tied on paper to her dreams, sent a swell of such strong emotion through her she almost stepped back, like a wave was hitting her legs and driving her backwards.
Tears once more pooled in her eyes as she could almost hear her mum’s voice telling her how proud she was of her.
Rosie let it fill her consciousness, and she could almost sense her mum’s touch.
She’d worked hard to overcome so many obstacles and she was still standing. Rosie had never felt a pride like it.
The name was surrounded by thick line drawings of leaves and flowers, gently coloured in differing shades of green and pink.
To the right-hand side was an enormous forget-me-not curling around the letters.
Rosie gasped and placed a hand over her mouth.
Her mum would have approved of this, and so would her dad and sister.
It was a wonderful tribute to a woman whom they had all loved and missed every day.
‘Max, it’s beautiful.’ His eyes met hers, and he raised his hand, gently brushing the moisture from her cheeks.
Her skin almost burned with longing where he’d touched her.
All she wanted was for him to cup her face and draw her in for a kiss.
She wanted to feel his mouth on hers and push her hands into his hair.
But he didn’t move, and his hand slowly dropped away, back down to his side.
‘There’s something else too. Turn to page five.’
Her fingers were numb and undexterous, but eventually, she found the page.
There was a sketch of the Forget-Me-Knot .
Flowers flowed from pots and buckets, making it look more like a garden than a houseboat.
She saw the outline of the houses on the opposite bank of the canal and ducks on the water.
On the side of the galley was the logo Max had designed, but the forget-me-not was painted much bigger, and on the bow, the boat’s name was painted in wide, high letters.
It was exactly what she’d envisioned. It was exactly what she’d dreamed of.
‘I don’t know what to say.’ She choked down a sob, determined to get the words out. ‘It’s perfect. It’s everything I ever wanted.’
‘We can make your dream a reality,’ Finn said, kindly.
She turned her attention back to the document, aware of everyone’s eyes on her, flipping the pages and scanning the words.
Though she couldn’t understand the details in such an emotional state, she could read the heading and subheadings.
He’d outlined a step-by-step business plan working out possible profits, reinvestments and other income streams she might consider while she was setting up.
He’d basically encapsulated her dream of running a shop from the flower market and from the Forget-Me-Knot .
‘You’ve done so much, Finn! How can I ever thank you?’
‘We’ll need to go through it together and add in lots of details and actual figures, but this worked for me to get me started and that was before social media, so there’s a lot we can add in that will help build your brand, but we might need someone else who knows—’
‘I can help with that,’ Noah suddenly piped up. ‘I have a huge following on TikTok.’
‘You do?’ Emma blurted, covering her mouth as she realised how rude that sounded.
Noah laughed and adjusted his glasses. ‘I might be shy around you, but that doesn’t mean I’m shy around everyone.’
Emma immediately grabbed her phone and found him. ‘You’ve got three million followers.’
He shrugged. ‘People like cheese.’
Everyone laughed but Rosie’s eyes searched out Max. He met her gaze and edged towards her.
‘I hope you don’t mind, but I spoke to Piet too. He’s willing to sell you the boat. In fact, he’s promised to sell it to you. As soon as you’re in a position to buy it.’
‘He better not try and add anything on after all the work I’m going to do on it.’
Everyone laughed and Rosie felt relieved that her equilibrium was returning. But he’d done that for her. And the question that floated in her mind was why?
‘Jeroen called earlier,’ he continued. ‘The painting sold. That’s some more for the pot too.’
‘I can’t believe it worked. You’ve all been so brilliant.
’ Rosie looked at the assembled group– her friends, her Amsterdam family– who’d stuck with this ridiculous idea and helped to make it a reality.
‘And thank you, Max. And you, Finn, for this.’ She held up the business plan.
‘I can’t believe I have a future again.’
‘So . . .’ Max said tentatively, stepping forwards. ‘You’re staying?’
‘I am.’ She glanced at the people around her, grateful for their love and friendship. Emma was winking and tilting her head towards Max. Was it time to take her own dating advice?
If she told Max how she felt and he was still against them having a relationship, for whatever reason, she’d be left embarrassed in front of everyone, and life would be unbearable as his neighbour.
But if she didn’t, what would happen? Would they continue as they were?
Clearly attracted to each other but each waiting for the other to make the first move.
If she’d learned anything from being in Amsterdam it was that it was time she went for what she wanted.
She’d done it so far and had made something special of her life.
Something that was only going to get better and better the harder she worked at it.
And weren’t relationships a lot like that?
Not only had she learned to fully open her heart instead of keeping a part of her back, protected for fear of losing the one she loved, but she’d learned that sometimes, working hard towards something was the best part.
The journey was just as much fun as the destination.
Turning to Max, she took a breath, her chest filling with air.
‘Max,’ she said, ‘I know you think we should just be friends, but you’re wrong.
’ His eyes flicked over the assembled crowd, silently questioning if she really wanted to do this now, in front of everyone, but as his gaze fell on her, their eyes met, and there was nothing but them.
‘I don’t know why we make such a good team, but we do. ’
‘Thanks. I think.’ His brows knitted together, and he ran a hand through his hair.
There was a small titter from the rest of the group but, undeterred, Rosie carried on regardless.
‘You’re grumpy and stubborn, and like an old man sometimes, but you’re also kind and funny and caring and gentle.’
‘And hot,’ Emma added, making everyone laugh again, including Max and Rosie.
‘Yeah, that too.’ Rosie met his eye defiantly, feeling confident, unbreakable.
‘I’ve had the most amazing time here in Amsterdam.
It feels like home. It feels like this was always where I was supposed to be and what I was supposed to be doing.
And... you do too. You feel like home.
When I’m with you, I feel like I’m with exactly who I’m supposed to be with for the rest of my life.
So, you see, we can’t just be friends. It’s a stupid idea. We should be together... always.’
Max, whose eyes had been pinned to hers throughout her speech, took a breath and stepped forwards.
He took the business plan from her and passed it to Finn, who smiled on affectionately.
Suddenly, both Rosie’s hands were in Max’s, his thumbs running over her skin, but he wouldn’t meet her gaze and Rosie’s stomach dropped.
A lump, large and h eavy, formed in her throat.
Her chest tightened, her body struggling to resist the urge to run away from his rejection and the subsequent humiliation that was to follow.
‘Rosie... you are the most annoyingly cheerful person I’ve ever met in my life. You sing and dance at all hours of the day and you talk to yourself constantly. Loudly. You refuse to let people have their privacy and you have an opinion on everything.’
Everyone around them had fallen silent. Rosie could hear the blood pumping around her body, sending her into fight-or-flight mode.
Her heart slammed rapidly against her chest as if trying its best to put itself out of its misery.
This wasn’t how she’d expected the conversation to go.
It certainly didn’t in the romcoms she loved so much.
‘But you’re also the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I fell in love with you the moment you stepped onto my boat and bewitched my dog.
’ As he looked down at Zoon nestled between them, the dog gave a small bark.
Rosie thought she might burst as love filled every cell in her body.
‘You love me for who I am and I– I don’t think that’s ever happened to me before.
After Johanna left, I didn’t think I could follow my passion and make someone happy.
But you made me see that I just needed to find the right person to share my life with.
Those weeks when I stayed away from you were the worst of my life.
I missed you every day. I missed seeing your smile and hearing you sing about chopping potatoes or being Queen of the Idiots. ’
‘Queen of the what?’ Emma choked.
‘Don’t ask,’ Rosie replied, not taking her eyes from Max’s for a second.
‘I– I felt like the luckiest person because you wanted to be with me and I’m sorry I threw all that away.’
‘I love you, Max,’ she replied, unable to keep the words inside any longer.
He stared into her eyes. ‘You make me brave, Rosie. And I love you too.’
She pulled her hands from his, wrapping them around his neck instead. His arms engulfed her, tugging her close. Max’s lips met hers with a gentleness that made her feel loved but left her desperately wanting more. As if he sensed her feelings, their kiss became more passionate, his hold tighter.
They forgot anyone was there until Zoon barked. When they broke apart, a sea of amused faces surrounded them.
‘Sorry,’ Rosie replied, unable to stop herself from smiling. Max loosened his grip enough for her to turn and face them.
‘I guess,’ said Emma, ‘that a celebratory dinner with you two is out?’
‘Rosie deserves to celebrate the hard work she’s put into this. And we’ve got the rest of our lives to spend together,’ said Max.
‘But we might head off a bit early,’ Rosie added, catching Max’s eye. He raised a teasing eyebrow. All she wanted was to get him back to the Forget-Me-Knot and rip his clothes off. ‘You know, I’ve got a lot of repairs to do on my boat and I need to get started.’
‘We’ll see you at the restaurant,’ Finn said. ‘Give you a few minutes to umm... pack up.’ He handed back the business plan. ‘Don’t forget this.’
She took it and a second later, removed her arms from Max and instead put them around Finn, pulling him in for a hug.
‘Thank you so much, Finn. You’re amazing.’
He chuckled. ‘We’ll start working on this as soon as the boat’s repaired. I’ve got some great ideas.’
‘And of course,’ added Fenna, ‘we need to start planning next year’s festival. If we can do this in three weeks, just imagine what we can do with a year!’
Where would she be a year from now? Rosie wondered as she moved back into Max’s arms, his lips meeting hers once more. She couldn’t be sure, but she had the feeling that the future held more than her fair share of success, and, more importantly, love.
With a wave, the others walked ahead of them.
‘So, Rosie Harper, there’s something else I need to tell you.’
‘Oh?’
‘Thanks to you, I was brave enough to send some images of my work off to a gallery in Berlin.’
‘Berlin? And?’
‘They want me to exhibit next year.’
She inhaled sharply and squealed, causing Zoon to drop his ears. ‘Max, that’s amazing!’
‘It’s because of you, Rosie. All because of you. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone.’
‘Even Zoon?’ she teased.
‘Even Zoon.’
And before they left to celebrate the festival’s success and the new future ahead of them, he swept her into his arms and kissed her fiercely to prove it.