Luke wouldn’t move back down here when he was so desperate to get away from the people of Lovegrove Bay and feasibly she couldn’t leave when she had worked so hard to get the studios to be successful. Although she had no idea if it would be profitable enough for her nan to want to keep the place. She supposed if her nan decided to sell the place in six months anyway, she could move to Scotland then, if he wanted her. There wouldn’t be anything left for her in Lovegrove Bay if her home, gift shop and the studios were taken away.
But what if Luke didn’t want her there? What if Scotland was a fresh start for him and she wasn’t part of it? She was desperate to talk to him about it, but she couldn’t bring herself to start that conversation for fear of the answer. The fact that he hadn’t raised it didn’t fill her with joy. And she still couldn’t forget how he reacted when she’d inadvertently told him she loved him. Admittedly, that was only the second time they’d made love and it was probably way too early to utter those words but was a week later any better? Had they really been together long enough to start planning a life together, long-distance or otherwise?
She had loved being with him since they got together, going for walks with him, chatting and cuddling with him. He made her laugh. And the sex was utterly incredible, every single time. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye to all that yet. Or to him.
He stroked her face. ‘Why are you looking so sad?’
She smiled and kissed his hand. ‘Why are you so lovely?’
But he wasn’t to be deterred. ‘If there’s something bothering you, you can talk to me.’
Here was the opening she so desperately wanted and she was too afraid to take it. If she told him she loved him and he didn’t feel the same way she’d be heartbroken. She also didn’t want to stand in the way of his exciting new life in Scotland. But she couldn’t let him walk away without at least trying to save what they had.
She looked at her watch. If she was going to have that conversation, it wasn’t going to be now. There was too much to get ready for the grand reopening.
She leaned up and kissed him. ‘Everything is fine.’
Before he could say anything else, she quickly climbed out of bed and headed for the shower.
Flick couldn’t be happier right now. All of their hard work had well and truly paid off. The house looked great: fresh paint, newly arranged studios, polished floors, even the garden had been tidied with new plants and flowers to make it look welcoming. The tree, despite its sad demise, looked spectacular, lots of people had commented on it. Everyone loved the café and how beautifully it had been decorated in the bumblebee theme.
Hundreds of people had come through the doorsthroughout the day, looking around at all the art, watching the artists at work, admiring the new café while they enjoyed their tea and cake. And Flick knew all the artists had made a good number of sales too, she just hoped that level of interest and trade would continue. The grand opening had been running all day, so people had come and gone rather than there being a deluge of visitors all at once and that had worked really well.
She’d had so many people come into her gift shop and had spent a long time talking to some of the customers about the different kits and craft paraphernalia she was selling. Being able to pass on that love of making art had filled her with so much joy. Some people had even bought her wish jars too, which made her happy.
The local news journalists had been there for a few hours, filming the tree, the artists’ studios, the house, interviewing the artists, Polly and the visitors. It was going to be great publicity once it aired on the TV later that day.
All that was left was for them to interview her. They were setting up the camera and the microphone ready for her and she was frantically trying to remember her speech when Luke came over and took her hand.
‘You’re going to be great,’ Luke said, kissing her head. ‘It’s your passion and belief in the studios that have led us to here. Just speak from the heart.’
She smiled. She loved his faith in her.
‘Are you ready?’ Sally, the reporter, asked.
Flick nodded and Luke took a step back out of shot, giving her two thumbs up for luck.
‘Whenever you’re ready just tell us about the studios, the tree and what it means to you and the people of the town,’ Sally said, giving her an encouraging smile. ‘And it doesn’t need to be perfect, we’ll edit it together over footage of the house and the tree, so don’t worry about any mistakes, they’ll be edited out.’
Flick nodded.
She looked at the camera and saw the little red light come on and Sally gave her a nod. She took a deep breath.
‘My grandad opened the art studios here thirty years ago to showcase artists’ work but mainly to support those with brain injuries by allowing them to express themselves through the medium of art. Therapeutic art is an important part of recovery and bringing that back to our community was something myself and the artists here are passionate about. Our wonky tree is synonymous with perseverance and resilience, which are things that people with brain injuries know about only too well, and so it was only right that we restored it back in its place just in time for the grand reopening today. We have something for everyone here, even if you just want to come up here for a coffee or a slice of Polly’s delicious cake. There’s beautiful artwork for you to buy and part of the money spent on every sale and every cup of tea will go towards running the art workshops here so it’s a win for everybody. We’re open seven days a week so please come down and have a look.’
Sally nodded and turned the camera off. ‘That was perfect. You have a great place here and it’s wonderful to see the community rallying behind it.’
Flick thought that the visitors were perhaps more concerned with the tree than the studios but their support here today was a good start.
She said goodbye to Sally and walked over to Luke who enveloped her in his arms.
‘Good job,’ he said, kissing the top of her head.
She smiled against his chest. She just had to hope it was enough.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Flick had just had a shower and was getting dressed in her room the next day when the phone rang. She saw the Australian country code and quickly answered it, sitting down on the bed to talk to her nan.
