‘Just pay whatever you think it was worth or whatever you can spare,’ I said.
Jackson raised his eyebrows and sauntered away.
The shop was ready and as I looked around the premises I wondered if any of the high street establishments were open for business today, because almost every shop owner who’d agreed to be involved in Florrie’s was here for its inaugural opening.
Also present was our guest of honour, Christina, Florrie’s daughter, who was now on her second round of the room, effusively hugging and thanking everyone for helping to make her mother’s dream come true. She’d finally stopped crying when she did so, although seeing the framed photograph of her mum that I’d hung on the wall had set us both off.
‘Where on earth did you find this photo?’ she’d asked in wonder.
‘Rosemary from the tea shop had it on her phone,’ I’d told her with a smile, ‘and John from the art shop got it framed.’
She’d struggled with her lower lip on hearing that. ‘You’ve all been so incredibly generous, so kind. This is exactly what Mum wanted. I just know it is.’
That had made me happy, because this wasn’t my project, it was everyone’s. And even though I might have taken on the lion’s share of the admin – with a lot of help from Mel – it was a community effort that we were committed to make a success. There was no profit or gain for any of us, except the satisfaction of knowing we were doing a really good thing. And that meant more to me than any commission I could ever have earned from selling the property.
‘The artwork looks really cool,’ Mel said, stepping up to one of half a dozen framed originals that I’d hung on the freshly painted walls. She studied a charcoal drawing of a windswept beach, one of my personal favourites. ‘Rhys is really talented, isn’t he?’
‘That’s what I keep telling him.’
Mel waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
‘I meant as an artist,’ I said, unable to stop a flush from flooding my cheeks.
‘Ellie Harker, are you blushing?’
‘No. Well, maybe a little,’ I admitted, suddenly flustered. I focused my gaze back to the drawings on the wall. ‘One day his pieces will be hung on the walls of a proper gallery, and then everyone will get to see how good he is.’
Another surprised look from Mel.
‘What? Now what have I said?’
‘Nothing,’ Mel replied, trying to button down a smile and failing miserably. ‘It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen you giddy about anyone.’
‘I’m not giddy,’ I denied, turning to straighten up a stack of board games that were positioned on a table. ‘I have my feet firmly planted on the floor. See, rock-steady,’ I said, and then lost my own argument when I caught sight of a tall dark-haired man withbrilliant green eyes striding up to the door and promptly walked straight into a stand of donated paperbacks.
‘Sure you are,’ said Mel on a laugh, turning away to answer a question from one of the volunteers as I hurried towards the door to let Rhys in.
When I passed the counter, I caught Beth’s incredulous face as she looked down at the donation tin, into which Jackson had just dropped two fifty-pound notes.
Perhaps that’s why my eyes were sparkling with tears when I slid back the bolt on the door to let Rhys in.
‘I thought you weren’t going to be able to make it today? That you had meetings this morning?’
‘I rescheduled them,’ he said, bending down to drop a kiss on my cheek. ‘I couldn’t miss your big opening.’
‘Not just mine,’ I said, peering beyond him at the empty street and pulling a worried face. ‘But you might have wasted your time as I don’t think anyone is going to show up.’
Rhys gave a knowing smile. ‘Well, I just passed about a dozen people who were patiently queuing around the corner and most of them were clutching flyers in their hands. So, I don’t think that’s something you need to worry about.’
I lit up. And yes, some of that was down to Rhys and the way he was looking at me right then, but perhaps even more was because I was so proud of what we’d all achieved.
I looked around the room, smiling at everyone present.
‘Everyone ready?’ A chorus of yesses and an overly loud whoop and a ‘hell yeah’ which could only have come from Jackson was the reply.
I turned to the door and flipped the Closed sign to Open.
‘Okay then. Let’s do this.’