Page 119 of Second Chance Summer
‘I don’t think I can take any more,’ Lily sighed. Sam was on Stark, looking after a full house of visitors with the help of the chef and housekeeper. Lily was going over to stay with him in the flat that evening.
‘I guess Sam has no idea about this?’ she said to Morven.
‘No way. He doesn’t look online unless he’s searching for something specific for work. Shall I get on the radio and tell him?’ Morven’s voice lifted hopefully as she scented a chance to ramp up the drama.
‘No! No, don’t bother him. He’ll have his hands full with the guests. I’ll break it to him later when I go over. Thanks for letting me know.’
Morven grinned. ‘You’re welcome!’
She skipped down the stairs that led to the courtyard between the café and her annexe. It was a challenge for Lily, shuttling between the islands and London, but gradually she was working towards a balance of spending one week in London and three on the islands.
Whether that was sustainable in the long term was an unknown, but Sam couldn’t leave Stark just yet.
As the season drew towards its close, the cottages were almost fully booked for the two Crafty Scilly weeks with local makers – helped by a special guest appearance from Lily herself. With classes in watercolour and creative writing already scheduled, and wellness breaks planned for the following spring, there would be enough to tempt new visitors and keep old ones returning.
Lily was also going to speak at The Natural Balance, a four-day break where corporate executives could come to de-stress, enjoy nature, lean in to being ‘unplugged’ and learn about new techniques for promoting work–life balance – for their employees as well as themselves.
Together, their efforts were enough to have guaranteedbookings in place for the quieter times of year. Over the bleakest part of the winter, when transport to the isles became more difficult, Sam was going to take an extended break in London with Lily. That was only a month away and she couldn’t wait.
No one ever said it was going to be easy, but Lily loved a challenge and her reward was to be blissfully happy in a way she’d never thought possible.
Sam had called Rhiannon and said he wasn’t going to visit her, but they’d had a brief conversation and he’d told Lily that she seemed happy and had accepted a promotion to another hospital in Australia. Lily would never know what she had really wanted by sending the letter but she was happy that Rhiannon, like Lily and Sam, had a fresh start to look forward to.
With a sigh, she closed down the latest gossip site and started a Zoom with Richie.
His face appeared and instead of being greeted with his trademark grin, he seemed twitchy, fiddling with his pen and looking anxious.
‘Is everything OK?’ she asked.
‘Yes. Yes … I have some news.’
‘Oh?’ A horrible thought struck her. ‘Don’t say you’ve been offered another job?’
‘No! Oh God, no, I’ll never leave you.’ He let out a breath and a smile crept onto his face. ‘Let’s just say, you’re going to need a hat, bab.’
‘What?’ Lily processed the meaning of his words. ‘No! You’re getting married? Oh, I am so happy for you.’
Lily’s eyes stung with unshed tears. Richie was glowing with happiness.
‘I’ve wanted to ask him for ages but I was scared of him saying no. When I got the promotion, it gave me the push I needed. So I popped the question after we’d been to a Harry Styles concert and the gorgeous man said yes!’
‘Of course he said yes. He’s lucky to have you.’ Lily sighed with happiness. ‘I wish I could give you a hug through the screen.’ She held out her hands.
Richie held out his and blew her an air kiss. ‘You can when you get back.’
‘What does your nanna have to say about it all?’
‘I had to make sure my mum was there in case she had a funny turn. She was speechless and, believe me, that’s not a family trait!’
Lily arched an eyebrow. ‘You don’t say?’
He grinned. ‘We’re so happy – I want everyone to be happy. Oh, I keep going around the office with a huge smile on my face. Now I’ve told you, I can share it with everyone else.’
After a few more minutes hearing about the proposal, Lily ended the Zoom. She was meeting up later with Penny and a number of the makers and artists from the craft fair who’d expressed an interest in being part of the Lily Loves Scilly collection that she wanted to sell from her website.
Cockahoop were also very interested in stocking it but Lily knew the key was to take things slowly, make sure everyone was happy with the set-up. She didn’t want anyone to feel they were compromising their independence and individuality.
She got up, deciding that after Richie’s momentous news, she needed a coffee – and possibly some cake – to help her recover before she went back to work.
