Page 16 of Flowers Go Flying in Crumbleton
Monday mornings were usually Milly’s happy place. She knew that probably made her a bit weird – but she didn’t really care! There was nothing quite like the buzz of excitement she felt, opening up her shop for the first time after the weekend.
Milly’s Flowers was her domain. She’d built it up from scratch – and it still made her heart flutter with a heady mixture of pride and excitement. The start of a new week meant fresh deliveries and the chance to try out design ideas she’d dreamed up over the weekend. At least… that’s what Mondays usually meant.
Today though? Not so much!
This particular Monday morning found Milly dragging her feet down the narrow wooden staircase that led from her cosy flat to the door right next to her shop below. The thought of launching into the day’s tasks made her feel exhausted rather than excited, and the sound of the shop phone - already demanding her attention - made her want to turn around and head straight back up to bed.
Milly paused to glance at her watch. It was still early. Whoever it was could wait. They’d call back if it was important.
Seriously – what kind of attitude is that? Pull yourself together!
Milly had been giving herself a good talking to inside her own head every ten minutes or so since she’d returned home on Saturday… but it was yet to have the desired effect. She was in a funk to end all funks. Despite her best efforts not to think about the “great wedding disaster” - as she’d dubbed it - her mind was still full of it… and Murray.
Even if she didn’t count Murray’s accident, it had to be the weirdest wedding she’d ever been to. The plates of food had barely touched the tables before they were snatched away again by the harassed and decidedly embarrassed-looking waiting staff. It had almost felt like there was someone out in the kitchens with a giant stopwatch, timing every bite.
That wasn’t the worst bit, though. The speeches had started the minute everyone sat down to eat, and they were still going on by the time Milly made a break for it. In fact, she’d bet her shop and everything in it that the short guy with the top hat who’d stepped in for Murray was still down at the Dolphin and Anchor right now - droning on about his “special friendship” with the bride and groom.
In the end, Milly had ducked out before pudding was served. She’d felt awful about abandoning Caroline – but by that point in proceedings, her excuse hadn’t even been a lie. Her headache was in full bloom, and she’d been seriously happy to get out of there.
Poor Caroline - Milly had barely given her a second to react before she’d clambered to her feet and bolted for the doors. Usually, her finely honed people-pleasing gene would have stopped her from even thinking about leaving in the middle of a wedding. In this case though, the happy couple had been busy shrugging into their own jackets as she legged it out of the room… so she didn’t feel too bad!
After nipping into Bendall’s for an essential ice cream stock-up on her way back up the hill, Milly had locked the door behind her and gone to ground for the rest of the weekend. She’d worked her way steadily through her own body weight of raspberry ripple and mint choc chip while doing her best not to think about the wedding… or the fact that the flowers she’d hand-tied had knocked the man of her dreams unconscious.
‘Gah!’ she groaned as she fiddled with the keys and unlocked the shop at a snail’s pace.
She didn’t know why she’d pinned such high hopes on seeing Murray at the wedding. Perhaps because weddings were meant to be inherently romantic. Whatever the reason, she’d somehow managed to convince herself that the weekend would deliver her very own rom-com moment.
Okay… okay… perhaps that had been asking a bit much.
Frankly, she’d have settled for a proper introduction, a nice conversation… and maybe a dance. Instead, the poor guy had been carted off in an ambulance before she’d even managed to say a word to him. It was hard not to take the whole thing as some huge, cosmic sign from the universe that romance simply wasn’t for her.
To make matters worse, Milly had no idea if Murray was okay. She was desperate to find out – but she’d quickly realised that she had no way of actually doing so. She didn’t have his mobile number… and she didn’t know who his friends were… because she didn’t really know him. Obsessing over him for a year and a half didn’t count when it mattered!
So – like the grown-up she was – Milly had decided the best way to deal with the whole thing was to hide in her flat and pretend it had never happened. Unfortunately, the rude arrival of Monday morning meant that was no longer an option. Somehow, she had a feeling the Great Wedding Disaster was likely to be the topic on everyone’s lips.
‘Are you going to actually open that door or are we just going to spend the day out here?!’
Milly jumped and then glared over her shoulder at Jo. She had no idea how long her trainee had been standing there but going by the curious look on the girl’s face, it had been a little while.
‘Sorry,’ she said, shaking her head, ‘I was miles away.’
Pushing the door open, Milly made the most of the beeping burglar alarm to buy her a few seconds before she had to actually enter into any kind of conversation. She dashed over to the cubby hole to disarm it, and then took a deep breath before heading back through to the shop, plastering a smile on her face.
‘Good weekend?’ she said, wandering over to the till.
‘Who cares about my weekend!’ said Jo, shrugging out of her patchwork coat, ‘I want to hear all about the wedding!’
‘Oh,’ said Milly, her heart sinking. She’d been expecting this, but not quite so soon! ‘Well-’
Saved by the bell!
Milly had never been so happy to be interrupted by the phone. She made an apologetic face at Jo and practically lunged for the handset.
‘Milly’s Flowers – Milly speaking!’ she trilled.
‘Oh thank heavens, I’ve been calling all weekend.’
Milly raised her eyebrows in surprise. It was a gruff, male voice that she couldn’t place.
