Page 58 of All Wrapped Up

I mysteriously never did find his note, which Ash told me revealed his plan to leave, and for the next three days, the only time we were apart was overnight and when he was working.

With our sincere love for one another finally declared, we had been inseparable and, even though we were taking the most intimate parts of our relationship slowly, we had talked and talked for hours about every aspect of ourselves, including more details about my past as well as Lizzie’s exciting job offer and I was beginning to feel that I knew Ash every bit as well as I knew myself.

In fact, I knew him so well and felt so certain that ours was a love that was going to last a lifetime, that I no longer wanted to keep it to myself.

We hadn’t yet shared the news with our friends in town, but it was Halloween the next day and there was a full-on afternoon and evening of festival events, where we were bound to be spotted together.

As a result, we hatched a plan and happily prepared ourselves for the stir that a well-timed kiss in the square, preferably in front of Joanne, would create.

However, the two people that I most wanted to know about us first were Mum and Dad and with them set to visit the following weekend, I decided to share the news and give them time to get used to it before they arrived at Rowan Cottage along with the opportunity to air their opinions to one another, whatever those might turn out to be, without being overheard.

‘Hello, love.’ They both smiled, when I called them straight after Ash had left me on the Friday evening.

He had said he was going early to let me get organised and have a good night’s sleep ahead of the imminent busy day, but I knew he’d noticed I was feeling jittery about making the call and thought the earlier in the evening I did it, the better.

‘Hello, Mum.’ I swallowed. ‘Hi, Dad.’

‘Look at you, Clemmie,’ Dad laughed. ‘You’re looking wonderful, my love.’

‘Am I?’

‘Yes,’ Mum agreed with Dad. ‘You are. I was worried taking this festival on might prove too much for you to manage on your own, but clearly, it’s been the making of you. You’re positively glowing!’

‘Well,’ I said, taking up the opening her words offered. ‘As you might recall, I haven’t done it entirely on my own. I do have a very competent deputy assisting me.’

I could feel the colour starting to rise in my cheeks.

‘Ah, yes,’ said Dad, with what looked suspiciously like an attempt at waggling his eyebrows, ‘Ash, the vet.’

‘What are you doing?’ I frowned. ‘What’s with the face, Dad?’

Mum shook her head and gave him a nudge. ‘What I think your father is getting at,’ she said, ‘is that he’s seen a photo of the fella on the Facebook festival page and we both think he’s a very handsome young man.’

I knew the photo they’d seen. It had been taken in the pumpkin field.

Ash looked entirely at home in his muddy wellies and grubby waxed coat and had no idea someone was about to capture the moment he and Jake shared a joke and he burst out laughing.

I could have fallen for him on the strength of that one image alone, now that I’d opened my heart far enough to let love in again.

‘Oh.’ I further blushed. ‘I see. Well, yes, you’re completely right, Ash is very handsome. Even more handsome close up,’ I added, dreamily.

‘Exactly how close up?’ Dad asked keenly.

I took a deep breath, but didn’t then need to grapple to find the right words to tell them because they both guessed.

‘You’re in love with him, Clemmie!’ Mum gushed. She’d never been one to skirt around a situation. ‘You’re together, aren’t you?’

‘That’s why you look so radiant.’ Dad applauded.

‘Yes.’ I smiled, feeling both ecstatic and still surprised to be saying the words. ‘We are together and yes, we are very much in love.’

Mum gasped and her hands flew to her face.

‘Are you pleased?’ I asked.

Their reactions suggested they were, but I still sought their confirmation.

‘Pleased,’ Dad tutted. ‘That’s a feeble word, Clemmie! We’re absolutely over the moon, aren’t we, love?’

‘We are!’ Mum cried happily, her hands still cradling her face. ‘Oh, my darling, we truly couldn’t be happier for you.’

‘And I tell you who else will be thrilled, too,’ Dad was excited to tell me.

‘Who?’ I asked.

‘Jill and Colin,’ he declared.

‘Do you really think so?’ I gulped.

I had been wondering how Callum’s parents were going to feel to know that I’d moved on in a more meaningful way than just moving house.

Dad gave Mum a nudge.

‘We’ve never mentioned it before,’ she told me, emboldened by his encouragement, ‘but Jill is always asking if you’ve met someone.

And now Colin is coming out of the shadows, he’s mentioned it, too.

They’re going to be so happy for you. We all knew you were too young to be alone and hoped that one day, someone wonderful would come along. ’

‘Well,’ I said, feeling genuinely touched. ‘He has. Ash really is truly wonderful and I can’t wait for you to meet him next weekend.’

‘We’re looking forward to that, too,’ Dad told me and I realised they weren’t going to need time to get used to the idea, after all. ‘And if we see Jill or Colin, would you mind if we mentioned it? Or would you rather tell them yourself?’

‘Given that the topic has come up between you before, I wouldn’t mind you telling them. Unless you think that would be passing the buck?’

‘Hardly,’ Mum said. ‘Let’s say, if we see them this week, we’ll tell them.’

‘And if we don’t,’ Dad finished up, ‘you can let them know after we’ve visited.’

That felt like a satisfactory plan and knowing how happy Mum and Dad were, I didn’t feel at all daunted by the thought of either them, or I, telling Jill and Colin now.

‘Sounds good to me,’ I therefore said. ‘I’ll see you next week!’

We signed off feeling excited that we were all going to be together again soon and under such happy circumstances.

‘So, they thought I was a good-looking chap, did they?’ Ash bragged, the next morning when he arrived in time for breakfast ahead of the Halloween celebrations in town.

He puffed out his chest and looked cock-a-hoop at the thought, which made me giggle.

‘They did,’ I confirmed as I handed him a plate loaded up with eggs, grilled Skylark Farm bacon, tomatoes and thick slices of buttered toast. ‘But I told them the photo was a lucky shot and up close you weren’t all that.’

I squealed as he put the plate down and then chased me around the kitchen and sitting room, with a spatula still in my hand and Pixie barking and joining in the fun.

‘I didn’t! I didn’t!’ I denied hotly, when he caught me and threatened to tickle me until I retracted the statement.

‘As long as you’re sure?’ he pretended to growl and tickled me anyway.

‘I am,’ I laughed, pushing him away as I caught my breath and then pulling him back again so I could kiss him. ‘I actually said you look even better close to.’

‘Well, that’s all right then,’ he said, kissing me with a passion that left my lips tingling and my appetite at an all-time high.

‘Now,’ I grinned, ‘eat your breakfast before it gets cold. And then perhaps we’ll see if we can find a way to work off some of the calories.’

He dropped me in an instant and grabbed his plate and cutlery which made me shake with laughter all over again.

‘The compost heap needs turning,’ I told him coquettishly once I’d recovered. ‘And I could do with more logs bringing in for the fire.’

‘Is that really what you had in mind?’ he laughed.

‘For now.’ I winked.

We headed into Wynbridge in plenty of time to check that everything was set up in the town hall for the first of the films that were going to be shown ahead of the Halloween procession.

After that, there was going to be another screening and even later a fancy-dress party in the pub which, I’d been told, was Jeanie’s forte and an annual event now.

‘I’ll go and check the procession set up with Tom, shall I?’ Ash offered.

‘Yes, please,’ I said, as I looked over the lists attached to my trusty clipboard. ‘And I’ll make sure Kathleen and the others have the films the right way around.’

‘Oh crikey,’ Ash laughed. ‘Can you imagine if the two got muddled?’

‘Given that the first screening is for tots and the second for teens, it doesn’t bear thinking about.’ I shuddered, then raced off.

‘We’ll meet in the square when we’re done!’ Ash called after me and I waved.

With everything checked, checked and checked again, I walked over to the square and spotted Ash standing alone, with his hands in his pockets.

He was wearing a burnt orange and brown chunky knit under his trademark waxed jacket, heavy boots and dark jeans and he looked utterly irresistible.

In fact, I wasn’t going to resist him. He spotted me coming and bit his lip as I approached which did nothing to temper his appeal.

‘Hey, you…’ he started to say, but I wasn’t in the mood for words and I kissed him long and hard without drawing breath.

‘Hey yourself,’ I smiled up at him when we eventually broke apart.

‘I thought we were supposed to kiss when everyone had gathered for the procession?’ he said, reminding me of our original plan.

‘And so we shall.’ I carried on smiling. ‘This was just a bonus that I couldn’t resist cashing in.’

‘Fine by me,’ he said, giving me a squeeze and then laughing as he looked over my shoulder.

‘What?’

‘I just spotted Joanne standing outside the café, with her mouth open so wide she could have easily caught a dozen flies in one gulp,’ he told me.

‘Well, that was a bit of luck. What’s she doing now?’ I asked, reluctantly untangling myself from his embrace so I could look, too. ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘She’s gone.’

‘She’s high tailed it back inside again,’ he laughed.

‘In that case,’ I said, holding out my hand, ‘let’s go over and find out how far she’s already spread the word.’