Happy Ever After (4 page)

“Yippee!” cried the girls in unison.

“Wow! Thank you! I've never been a flower girl before,” said Sweetpea.

“What will we wear?” asked Abi.

“Ah, I knew someone would ask that!” Sally smiled at them. “Well, each of you will have a dress specially made for you by Saffron. I've chosen a gorgeous fabric for the dresses – it's printed with summer flowers. Lily Ann is going to help with your hair – though you can wear
it
in any style you like – and Holly Mallow is going to make charm bracelets for each of you.”

Poppy was absolutely thrilled by this exciting news. She hadn't even dared to hope that she might be asked to be a flower girl. It would be so much fun to do it with all her friends from craft class too. She was very pleased indeed that she was going to be part of the main wedding party and get loads of attention. Poppy loved being at the centre of the action!

“Now, girls, calm down and let's get down to work,” said Sally. “That's why we're here, after all. We will have to finish promptly today because I'm going on a date. Sol is taking me out for a yummy lunch in the City and then to the cinema.”

When Poppy got home she was dying to tell Mum all about being asked to be a flower girl.

“Hi, Mum! Where are you?” she called out.

“I'm in my studio. Can you come and try on a hat for me while I stitch some flowers onto it, darling?”

“Course I can,” said Poppy, who loved posing in front of Mum's fancy mirror.

“Guess what,” she said to her mum as she stood modelling the hat. “I'm going to be a flower girl at the wedding!”

“Wow! That's great news, sweetheart!” said Mum. “Has Sally told you what sort of dresses you'll be wearing?”

“Well—” began Poppy excitedly, but she was interrupted by the crackle of the baby monitor: one of the twins was starting to cry.

“Back in a minute, darling!” said Mum.

But Poppy knew she wouldn't be back. Angel and Archie were so demanding; they always made Mum forget what she had been doing before. Poppy took off the hat and placed it carefully on Mum's workbench. Shortly after this, Dad returned from pricing a big gardening job, and before long he and Mum were discussing childcare arrangements, shopping lists and chores once again.

“Oh, I'm shattered,” said Dad as he sat down at the kitchen table. “Any chance of a cup of tea?”

“
You're
shattered?” snapped Mum. “What about me?”

“I know, I know. It's harder work in the house than it is out of it. But I could do with a break,” said Dad.

“Honestly, James. I can hardly keep my eyes open. I've got the kids, plus all these hats and—” Mum sounded as if she was at the end of her tether.

“I don't know why you agreed to do so many hats. You're always overworked and then you take it out on me,” complained Dad.

“I take it out on you,” Mum continued, “because I don't think you do your fair share around here.”

Poppy hated it when Mum and Dad argued; it seemed to be happening way more often than it used to. She decided to go up to the attic.
At
least she wouldn't be able to hear them from there. But their argument made her even more convinced that they didn't love each other any more. And then it came to her . . . What Mum and Dad needed was to go on a date – just like Sally and Sol – and then maybe they would fall in love all over again and forget their troubles.

Chapter Five

POPPY PUT HER
mind to organizing the date right away. She took out her notebook and wrote down a list of ideas.

When she looked at her list, she became more concerned than ever: it seemed as if Mum and Dad didn't even like doing the same things! Organizing this date was going to be more difficult than Poppy had anticipated so she decided to go up to the Sewing Shop and ask Saffron for some advice.

When she got there, Poppy explained to Saffron that she was planning a surprise for Mum and Dad's tenth wedding anniversary but that she was having trouble coming up with the perfect date.

“Oh, Poppy! You are a love, thinking about your mum and dad like that. What a good idea. I hope that when David and I have children they grow up to be as thoughtful as you are. Now, let me think . . . I reckon that if you're an exhausted mum and have to make lots of meals every day, then the best treat is probably to be cooked a delicious meal – all nicely presented with candles, wine and music.”

“Good idea!” agreed Poppy. “Mum does get fed up with cooking all the time. She says she's running an All Day Café in our kitchen. I'll get to work on it now. Thanks, Saffron!”

Poppy returned home feeling much more positive than earlier and buzzing with ideas for the date. Now she just needed to sort out the details – and work out how to pay for it as she didn't have a lot of money left in her piggy bank.

. . .

Family life at Honeysuckle Cottage continued to be very hard at times. Poppy did her best to help but it didn't seem to do any good.

One morning she came into the kitchen to find Angel wearing the brand new silver sandals that she had saved up to buy from Saffron's shop. Poppy had been planning to wear them to the wedding. And worse still, Angel had drawn on them with felt pens.