Read Online Amelia Grey's Fireside Dream by Abby Clements - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Abby Clements
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to see Carly and Sunita, but I could only spot a few familiar faces milling around the bar: regulars at the pub, not my friends.
‘You did tell people it was here, didn’t you?’ I asked Jack nervously.
‘Oh crap, I completely forgot.’ Jack slapped a hand to his forehead. I saw the ghost of a smile appear at the corner of his mouth. ‘Come out here and take a look,’ he said, leading me out of a door at the back.
I could hear the buzz from the beer garden as soon as we opened the door – and when I looked out the place had been transformed. The trellis was strung with white fairy lights and paper lanterns in green and orange, and each of the wooden tables up on the decking was covered withMexican striped tablecloths. It was a warm summer’s night, and there was a clear sky overhead; the stars shone through the city smog.
A colourful banner was strung up on the wooden fence
Happy 30 th Amelia!
‘Did you do all this?’ I said, turning to look at Jack.
He shrugged. ‘I might have. With a little help from the fairies.’ He nodded over at Sunita and Carly, who were looking at us from the far side of the garden.
Sunita brought over a tray of cupcakes decorated with green icing, candles burning on the central three cakes, and greeted me with a kiss. ‘Happy birthday, sweetheart. The green’s meant to represent the countryside,’ she explained. ‘I didn’t realize it was going to look gross. I think I put too much food colouring in.’
A chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ started up and I blew out the candles and took a cake for myself. Like everything Sunita made, it was delicious. ‘They taste far better than they look,’ I said.
I passed the tray to Jack and Nico.
‘You’ll come down the Go-Kart track next week, won’t you?’ Nico said to Jack, taking a cake from me with a smile. ‘I’m going to close it to the public so it’s open just for friends – a sort of baby shower.’
‘A baby shower?’ Jack said.
‘Yes. Well, with me and Suni not married yet I never got to have a stag, so I thought we could have one now instead. You’re up for it, aren’t you?’
‘I know,’ Sunita said, nodding over at them, ‘any excuse for these guys, eh? Can I get you some Prosecco?’
‘Thanks.’ I walked with her to the bar.
‘He’s already been on the sambuca, and he’s supposed to be working early tomorrow,’ she said. ‘Watch he doesn’t drag your husband into that.’
‘I should have known I could count on you guys to get the party started.’ I laughed.
‘Yes,’ Sunita said. ‘Although Nico’s drinking my units tonight.’
Carly made her way over to us. Sunita put a glass of fizz in my hand.
‘Got you a little pressie,’ Suni said, passing me a gift bag. I opened the parcels carefully – a delicate cream and china blue blouse from Reiss and a matching necklace.
‘Thanks, Suni,’ I said, giving her a hug.
‘Clothes shopping for other people is a whole lot more fun than trying to find something I can squeeze into.’
‘And a little something from me too,’ Carly said, passing me a carefully wrapped blue package.
Inside was a pretty scrapbook, and an illustrated book on vintage-style interior decoration I’d been going on about to her.
‘I thought the scrapbook might be useful for mood boardsand things, when you’re planning how to do up the house.’
‘That’s a lovely idea,’ I said, giving her a hug in thanks. Flicking through the decorating book, I felt a rush of excitement – I couldn’t wait to get started adding the touches and polishes that would really make the cottage ours.
‘St Catherine’s won’t be the same,’ Carly said. ‘I still can’t believe you’re really going.’
‘We’ll only be an hour away, and we’ll have plenty of room for you both to stay over. You can give yourselves a weekend trip to the countryside.’
‘So much change going on at the moment,’ Carly said. ‘Why do you all insist on changing your lives so much? I
‘You did tell people it was here, didn’t you?’ I asked Jack nervously.
‘Oh crap, I completely forgot.’ Jack slapped a hand to his forehead. I saw the ghost of a smile appear at the corner of his mouth. ‘Come out here and take a look,’ he said, leading me out of a door at the back.
I could hear the buzz from the beer garden as soon as we opened the door – and when I looked out the place had been transformed. The trellis was strung with white fairy lights and paper lanterns in green and orange, and each of the wooden tables up on the decking was covered withMexican striped tablecloths. It was a warm summer’s night, and there was a clear sky overhead; the stars shone through the city smog.
A colourful banner was strung up on the wooden fence
Happy 30 th Amelia!
‘Did you do all this?’ I said, turning to look at Jack.
He shrugged. ‘I might have. With a little help from the fairies.’ He nodded over at Sunita and Carly, who were looking at us from the far side of the garden.
Sunita brought over a tray of cupcakes decorated with green icing, candles burning on the central three cakes, and greeted me with a kiss. ‘Happy birthday, sweetheart. The green’s meant to represent the countryside,’ she explained. ‘I didn’t realize it was going to look gross. I think I put too much food colouring in.’
A chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ started up and I blew out the candles and took a cake for myself. Like everything Sunita made, it was delicious. ‘They taste far better than they look,’ I said.
I passed the tray to Jack and Nico.
‘You’ll come down the Go-Kart track next week, won’t you?’ Nico said to Jack, taking a cake from me with a smile. ‘I’m going to close it to the public so it’s open just for friends – a sort of baby shower.’
‘A baby shower?’ Jack said.
‘Yes. Well, with me and Suni not married yet I never got to have a stag, so I thought we could have one now instead. You’re up for it, aren’t you?’
‘I know,’ Sunita said, nodding over at them, ‘any excuse for these guys, eh? Can I get you some Prosecco?’
‘Thanks.’ I walked with her to the bar.
‘He’s already been on the sambuca, and he’s supposed to be working early tomorrow,’ she said. ‘Watch he doesn’t drag your husband into that.’
‘I should have known I could count on you guys to get the party started.’ I laughed.
‘Yes,’ Sunita said. ‘Although Nico’s drinking my units tonight.’
Carly made her way over to us. Sunita put a glass of fizz in my hand.
‘Got you a little pressie,’ Suni said, passing me a gift bag. I opened the parcels carefully – a delicate cream and china blue blouse from Reiss and a matching necklace.
‘Thanks, Suni,’ I said, giving her a hug.
‘Clothes shopping for other people is a whole lot more fun than trying to find something I can squeeze into.’
‘And a little something from me too,’ Carly said, passing me a carefully wrapped blue package.
Inside was a pretty scrapbook, and an illustrated book on vintage-style interior decoration I’d been going on about to her.
‘I thought the scrapbook might be useful for mood boardsand things, when you’re planning how to do up the house.’
‘That’s a lovely idea,’ I said, giving her a hug in thanks. Flicking through the decorating book, I felt a rush of excitement – I couldn’t wait to get started adding the touches and polishes that would really make the cottage ours.
‘St Catherine’s won’t be the same,’ Carly said. ‘I still can’t believe you’re really going.’
‘We’ll only be an hour away, and we’ll have plenty of room for you both to stay over. You can give yourselves a weekend trip to the countryside.’
‘So much change going on at the moment,’ Carly said. ‘Why do you all insist on changing your lives so much? I
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