Page 50 of The Little Flower Shop By the Sea
‘Really? How fabulous. I love eccentric old people. Who was this Stan? Was he like a duke or something grand like that?’
‘No.’ I smile, remembering. ‘Stan was the least grand person you could meet. He lived at Trecarlan on his own with no family. But there was a rumour he’d once eaten a dozen giant Cornish pasties in one sitting, and so he’d earned himself the nickname Mad Stan the Pasty Man.’
‘Wow, I love it!’ Amber claps her hands together enthusiastically. ‘Tell me more. I adore this Stan already.’
‘Everyone thought Stan was a bit doolally,’ I recall, as I’m taken back to a period in my life when I seem to have been happy all the time. ‘But I had many a lovely conversation with him, and we often played up at Trecarlan Castle in the summer months. Stan loved talking about Trecarlan’s history, and if you took him a pasty, he’d happily tell you tales about the castle – which isn’t really a castle,’ I explain, ‘it’s more like a big country house that looks a bit castle-esque from outside.’
‘How fantastic. I would love to have played in a castle when I was young. Did you pretend you were a princess?’ Amber asks, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
‘Yes,’ I grin, ‘I did sometimes.’
And Will would usually play the prince, or more often a knight brandishing a pretend sword he’d fashion from a twig.
Will and I had loved Stan, and spent many happy hours with him. Mad or not, we found him to be a lovely, kind man with a good heart.
‘Anyway,’ I say, shaking myself from my reverie, ‘that’s in the past. We need to get this shop shut up for the night. What can I do to help?’
I close the shop door and pull the bolt across. Then I move towards the desk.
‘You’re good. I’ve got this,’ Amber says as she counts out some notes from the till. ‘Why don’t you begin carrying the buckets of flowers back to the cold store?’
I’d have rather cashed up the till. But I still feel bad about abandoning Amber earlier, so I do as she asks, trying to hold the first bucket at arm’s length from my face without being too obvious about it.
‘So what do you think of the people in St Felix now we’ve been here a while?’ Amber calls as I’m just returning to the shop for my fourth bucket. I’m leaving the roses till last in the hope Amber might finish cashing up and help me.
‘Er…’ I’m surprised by her question. ‘They seem very nice. I’m not keen on that Caroline, though. She’s definitely got it in for me. Gives me the evils every time I see her – which thankfully isn’t too often. I’ve no idea why though. I’ve done nothing to her – except for the night in the pub, but that was ages ago.’
‘She’s like that with everyone,’ Amber says dismissively, busily writing figures in a book. ‘You should see her at the Women’s Guild meetings. She rules them with a rod of iron.’
Encouraged by Willow and Beryl, Amber had joined the Women’s Guild and had very much enjoyed the first meeting she’d attended.
‘I can imagine that,’ I say, thinking about Caroline as I carry a bucket of carnations out to the back and place them in the cold store with the others. ‘What does she actually do in St Felix though?’ I ask as I return. ‘I mean, apart from be a busybody. Does she have a job?’
Amber shrugs and begins sweeping the piles of coins into tiny plastic bags. ‘I don’t think so. I don’t know what she does. She lives in that nice house as you drive out of town, the big red one.’
‘Caroline lives there? It’s massive! She and her husband must be loaded.’
‘I’ve only met Johnny the once. I think someone told me he was a banker. Seems like a cool guy though. Talking of which,’ Amber says glancing at me, ‘Jake is a really nice guy too. Don’t you think?’
‘Yeah,’ I try to sound noncommittal as I lift the last bucket not to contain roses. ‘He seems it.’
‘Hot, too.’
‘Perhaps.’
‘Come on, Poppy, even you must be able to see that.’
‘What do you mean “even me”?’ I ask, putting the bucket down.
‘Well, you hardly try with anyone, do you – let alone men.’
‘I do try,’ I protest. ‘I’m just not a people person.’
‘What are you then – an animal person?’ Amber enquires, grinning. ‘I hardly see you jumping to play with Miley when she’s around.’
‘I’m better on my own, that’s all. People end up hurting you when you let them get close.’
I expect Amber to say something to the contrary, but instead she nods. ‘That is sadly often the case. But you can’t let that stop you from trying to find people whowon’tlet you down.’
