Page 3 of Flowers Go Flying in Crumbleton

Part of the problem was that Milly had been single for… well… forever. At least, that’s what it felt like. It meant that any hint of a man in her life would definitely get tongues wagging!

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to find a guy to share her life with… she was just… independent. She liked her space. Plus, there was the unfortunate fact that she tended to attract stage-one clingers for some reason.

Milly hadn’t even been on a date for nearly two years. What was the point? If she knew from the beginning that it was only going to amount to a glass of wine or a meal at most before she had to disentangle herself, why bother getting into the mess to start with?

She’d simply never had the good luck to come across someone she could handle being with for more than a couple of months before she wanted to put the brakes on.

Apart from one guy. The one she’d met at a town event eighteen months ago. The one she’d accidentally kissed in the dark carpark of the Dolphin and Anchor… and then never spoken to again.

Murray Eddington.

Milly shivered with delight. He was the only person she’d had even the slightest flutter of interest in for ages - the one person she’d even consider breaking her dating dry spell for.

The problem was – the object of her desire had proven to be more than a little bit elusive. Murray lived on an old trawler in the salt marshes that surrounded Crumbleton. According to the careful snooping she’d done after meeting him all those months ago, he was the Marsh Ranger.

Going by the fact that he was seldom seen in town, Milly had a sneaking suspicion that Murray was probably more comfortable in the company of the birds and the elements than actual people. She didn’t have an issue with that… but it did make getting to know him a bit of a nightmare.

To begin with, she’d been convinced they’d run into each other again before too long. After all, Crumbleton was tiny. As it turned out, though, Milly had only laid eyes on him a handful of times since that night - and it had always been from a distance. She’d still managed to go weak at the knees every single time though - proving that her monster crush was still alive and kicking! With any luck, this wedding might give her the opportunity to do something about it at long last.

Milly had her sights set firmly on the best man… and she couldn’t remember ever feeling this nervous!

‘Earth to Milly!’ said Jo, snapping her fingers in front of her face.

‘What’s that?’ said Milly, blinking in confusion.

‘Wow, where were you?’ chuckled Jo.

‘Back in bed with a cup of coffee instead of going to a wedding!’ said Milly promptly, hoping that it might mask her nervous excitement.

‘Blimey,’ laughed Jo. ‘Anyone would think you’re off to help de-louse earthworms for the day instead of going to a shindig full of free bubbly and cake!’

‘Do earthworms get lice?’ said Milly.

‘No idea… but gross job, right?’ said Jo.

‘Erm… yeah,’ said Milly.

‘Anyway, I was just asking if the bouquet’s going in a box or…?’ Jo trailed off.

Milly sighed and shook her head. She loved so many things about Jo - her energy, her good humour, and her creativity all made her a promising trainee. She was popular with the customers and great at sales. Her memory for the finer, more technical details of the business however… needed some work.

‘We went over this, remember?’ said Milly gently.

‘Sure… yeah,’ said Jo, scratching her nose.

‘Okay, let’s go again,’ said Milly. ‘I’ve done the ribboning already - because it’s just at the bottom of the hill - but any further than that, I tend to do it in the back of the van when I get there.’

‘Right!’ said Jo, nodding. ‘Because the ribbons wick up the water and you don’t want a soggy wedding dress.’

‘Exactly,’ said Milly. At least something had gone in. ‘So then - we use the short cylinder glass vases with a bit of water in the bottom, and we place them in the cardboard stands for the back of the van. Then…’

‘Three sheets of tissue around the bouquet!’ said Jo, clicking her fingers.

‘By Jove, I think she’s got it!’ chuckled Milly.

‘See - I do listen,’ said Jo.

‘Yeah… but you know what?’ she said, making a snap decision. ‘I’m going for a bigger vase for this blighter! It’s just going to topple over otherwise.’

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