Page 46 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

‘I’ll do my best, love.’

‘Honestly, what was he thinking, giving me a shock like that?’ Ronnie’s face showed the strain she’d been under the last couple of weeks and Pia was determined to make sure Ronnie had the proper chance to recover from their ordeal too. Nothing a little tlc from Pia and the healing properties of Primrose Hall wouldn’t put right. Rex and Ronnie were full of energy, vibrant and forward-thinking, with so much life to live, but this episodehad been a reminder to them all that the pair of them weren’t as young as they once were. ‘I’d never want to go through anything like that again,’ Ronnie added.

‘No, I can understand that, but now we have to put all this behind us and look forward to all the exciting things ahead.’ Exciting definitely, but with Jackson still out of action, Pia knew she was going to be incredibly busy preparing and running the upcoming events on the social calendar. There was the writing festival, the bonfire night celebrations, the charity coffee mornings in the kitchen of Primrose Hall as well as the Christmas carol event. They’d also pencilled in dates to run some creator workshops over at the stables. Pia was also looking forward to becoming an auntie in the next few weeks. Oh, and then there was the small matter of becoming a wife to Jackson too. Her head grew dizzy just thinking about it all.

‘Did you know we’ve fixed the date for the wedding?’ Pia asked, knowing full well that they wouldn’t know, but wanting to spread some good news.

‘What? Not something else you haven’t told us! Honestly, I’m never going away again!’ Ronnie declared, to which Jackson pulled an exaggerated face.

Pia giggled.

‘Yes, it’s going to be on 21 December, the weekend after the Christmas carols event when the hall will be looking her absolute best.’

Ronnie gasped and threw her hands in the air, her face a picture of delight.

‘I can just imagine it now! It’s going to be simply amazing. Maybe it will snow? Can you imagine a white wedding?’ Ronnie was off, entertaining all sorts of possibilities. ‘The best thing, though, is that we’ll gain such a wonderful daughter-in-law as you, Pia, in the process.’ Now, Ronnie clasped her hands to her chest. ‘We’re so lucky to have you in our lives. You’ve madePrimrose Hall a proper home and we couldn’t be happier to be here, could we, Rex?’ Pia turned away on the pretext of getting some fresh coffee, but really it was to hide the tears brewing in her eyes. ‘You know, we could even think about renewing our vows at the same time. Wouldn’t that be lovely? In the beautiful grounds of Primrose Hall.’

‘Don’t be daft!’ Rex chastised Ronnie. ‘You can’t renew your vows if you’re not married,’ he said gruffly.

‘Ah…’ Ronnie seemed to have overlooked that small matter. ‘Never mind. Well, I shall need a new dress and a hat either way. New shoes as well, of course, but we don’t know what the weather will be doing so I’ll need to have a proper think about that. Oh, but what about your dress, Pia? Have you had a chance to look yet?’

‘Not yet,’ she said, wondering when she might ever find time to do that.

‘Well, we can do that together, can’t we? This is so very exciting. We should mark out a day when we can go shopping for dresses. You’ll need a new suit too, Rex. And we need to start looking at flowers and cakes, as well. There isn’t that much time when you come to think of it.’

‘It’s months away yet,’ said Rex, a look of confusion on his face.

‘Exactly. That’s no time at all when it comes to weddings. Some people take years to plan their nuptials.’

‘Enough time for people to change their minds, I reckon!’

‘Rex! Pia and Jackson are not going to change their minds,’ said Ronnie, indignantly.

‘I knowthey’renot. I was just saying. People should take a leaf out of our book and be spontaneous. We just went off to the registry office and then down the pub. It was a great day.’

Ronnie shook her head dispiritedly.

‘And look how well that ended. Take no notice of Rex. He doesn’t know the first thing about romance or weddings. We’ll make a list of everything that needs to be done and go from there. Dresses, flowers, guests, table decorations, menus…’

Pia’s head was spinning just thinking about all the things Ronnie was listing, and as for Jackson, he’d hidden himself behind the newspaper, blocking out the chatter, which was probably the best idea as far as he was concerned.

Mind you, Pia had known she needed to make a start on the arrangements for the wedding and Ronnie would be ideal at ensuring she was on top of that, although whether Ronnie would turn out to be a hindrance or a help on the wedding planning front Pia was yet to discover.

31

Sophie wore her hair loose, teasing out her natural waves with her fingers, checking her reflection in the mirror. After much deliberation, and several discarded outfits which were now lying in a heap on the bed, she’d opted for a yellow floral tea dress, not too dressy, but pretty and summery and hopefully just right for her dinner date. She was a bag of nerves and she wasn’t entirely sure why. She’d spent enough time now with Tom to know that he was easy and relaxed company and that he would naturally try to put her at her ease, and once they started chatting they wouldn’t stop, but still her heart fluttered in her chest and her skin tingled with anticipation. Tonight seemed potent with expectation, much more like an official date than any of the other occasions they’d spent together, and it was only natural that Sophie’s mind would drift to where it might take them.

‘Hey, you look great,’ he beamed when she opened the door to him at her cottage. He leant forward to kiss her on the cheek, his hand gently touching her waist, the lightest of touches yet it still caused a ripple of delight to travel her body. She was pleased to discover that he was wearing his trademark aftershave again too.

‘Thank you. So do you!’ Her gaze had already checked him out, surreptitiously she hoped, taking in his navy cords and a pale blue open-necked shirt. He wore clothes well as he was tall and lean, but muscular too, as she’d found out previously, when he’d held her in his embrace and her arms had wrapped around his torso.

She smiled into his dark brown eyes, bringing her thoughts back to the moment as she realised she’d probably been staring far too long at the iridescent pearl buttons down the front of Tom’s shirt, her mind entertaining all sorts of possibilities. So much for being surreptitious.

In the restaurant, they ordered a glass of Prosecco each as they pored over the menu, which had far too many options to choose from, all of which were equally tempting. It was something they’d immediately bonded over, their love of food, and so tonight they were in their element as they discussed the various choices available before they finally settled on their selections. Tom went for the Mediterranean prawns in garlic butter, followed by the sea bass cooked in a butter and lime sauce, while Sophie opted for the antipasto italiano and the seafood linguine.

‘How are things now?’ Sophie asked, when their orders were placed. ‘How is your dad doing?’

‘Yeah, he seems to be doing okay. I think obviously it’s shaken him up a bit, but I know he’s very relieved to be back at home. I think these heart ops are very successful these days, so we’re all hoping that he’ll make a full recovery. He’s got various follow-up appointments booked with his GP and the hospital so he’s in good hands. Ronnie is watching him like a hawk, obviously, and Pia is doing a great job at looking after them both. I think it’s lifted their spirits to know that the wedding is going ahead this year, so Ronnie especially is full of excitement and plans.’

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