Best Friend To Royal Bride / Surprise Baby For The Billionaire. Annie Claydon
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sit and watch me work.’
The idea was much more enchanting than it should be. He could survey his handiwork with a sense of pride at something started and finished amongst a list of tasks that never seemed to end. Better still, he could watch Marie. Her dress brought a splash of colour to the monotonous pale walls of the clinic, and the way she moved injected life and fluidity. He loved the way the light glinted in her hair and—
Enough. He should confine himself to appreciating the colours of the brick. He might even allow himself a moment of self-congratulation that all that tapping with a mallet had borne fruit and they were perfectly level.
‘I’ll be back in ten minutes.’
He grinned at her, leaving her standing in the middle of the courtyard, still looking around, while he headed for the shower.
Marie couldn’t wait to get started. By the time Alex had returned she’d brought the rest of the pots and seed trays through from the other courtyard and was shifting the planters around into different configurations.
‘Stop!’ Alex was leaning back in his seat, drinking lemonade. ‘That’s the one I like.’
Marie stood back. ‘Yes, me too. Then there’s space for some seating.’
Alex nodded. ‘Where are you thinking of getting that from?’
Now or never… The idea had occurred to her yesterday, and since then Marie hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it. ‘I had my eye on some old garden benches I saw in a junk shop. They’d scrub up nicely. But…’
Suddenly she felt as if it was too much to ask. As if this little garden with its recycled pots and bedding plants grown from seed wasn’t really good enough.
‘But what?’
Marie must have shown her embarrassment, because Alex was suddenly still, looking at her thoughtfully. There was no way out now…
‘I thought… Did your mother like flowers?’
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. The question had come so much out of the blue.
‘She loved her garden. She was always out there, planting things and helping the gardener. Whenever my father wasn’t around, that is. He reckoned she shouldn’t get involved with any actual work.’
‘I thought… Well, I know this garden’s never going to make the Chelsea Flower Show, but you made it… And you know how they have seats in the park with people’s names on them…?’
She couldn’t quite say it, but Alex had caught her meaning and was nodding slowly. Marie held her breath, hoping Alex wouldn’t take offence at the suggestion.
‘My mother would have loved this garden. And I’d like to buy something for it in memory of her.’
Marie let out a sigh of relief. ‘You’re sure, Alex? I know it can’t do your feelings for her justice.’
He shook his head. ‘My father thought cut flowers and ostentatious wreaths did her justice. I hated her funeral and I wanted to go away and do something simple for her on my own, but I never could find the right thing. This is the right thing. You said you wanted a water feature?’
‘Yes? Do you think that would be better than seating?’
‘Much better. She liked the sound of water; she used to say it was soothing.’ Alex thought for a moment. ‘No brass plates with her name, though. I don’t want that.’
His obvious approval for the idea gave Marie the courage to suggest another. ‘What was her name?’
Hopefully it wasn’t something too long…
‘Elise.’
Perfect. ‘If you wanted we might spell her name out? With the plants we choose to put around the water feature?’
He smiled suddenly. ‘I’d love that. Thank you for thinking of her, Marie. She’d be so pleased to be part of this garden.’
‘Good.’ Marie’s heart was beginning to return to something that resembled a normal pace. She felt almost light-headed.
‘As this is Friday, and we’ll be opening on Monday, I’ll have to go to the garden centre this weekend. I don’t suppose you could spare a couple of hours to help me choose?’
Marie rolled her eyes. ‘Where else did you think I was going to be this weekend? Yes, of course I’ll help you.’
They’d worked hard at the weekend. Alex had chosen an old millstone, with water bubbling from the centre of it, which was a great deal heavier and more expensive than Marie had envisaged. Jim was going to have to construct a base for it, and install the motor and drainage tank, but Alex and Marie had heaved the millstone into the place reserved for it in the courtyard, and it already looked stunning.
She hadn’t stopped Alex from buying plants, some more planters for them, and four wooden benches. This was a labour of love, and the look in his eyes when they’d hauled the first of the planters through into the garden, filled it with compost and arranged echinacea and lavender in it had told her that it meant a great deal more to him than anything money could buy.
On Monday morning everything was ready. Tina, the receptionist, was at her post, and Alex and Marie were sitting in the chairs at the far end of the reception area, along with one of the counsellors, a physiotherapist, and therapists from the pool and the gym. Tina would welcome visitors and summon the relevant person to talk to them.
‘You’re sure we shouldn’t be next to Tina? She looks a bit on her own.’ Alex waved across to Tina, who waved cheerily back.
‘No. We don’t want to frighten anyone away with a horde of therapists waiting to pounce.’
‘But I want to pounce. Actually, I want to go out onto the street and kidnap anyone who walks by.’ Alex was looking a little like a caged lion at the moment.
‘Well you can’t. We’re supposed to be friendly and non-intimidating. We wait, Alex. We’ve got some groups coming soon. Before you know it you’ll have more people than you can cope with.’
‘I hope so…’ He caught his breath, stiffening suddenly as a shadow fell across the entrance. ‘Aren’t they the women you were talking to the other day?’
Carol and Nisha had manoeuvred their pushchairs into the lobby and were standing by the door, looking around. They moved forward to let a group of young mums past, who had obviously just dropped their children off at school.
‘Yes.’ Marie smirked at him. ‘They’re mine, Alex. You can wait here until Tina calls you…’
He grinned at her, obviously relieved that the reception area was beginning to fill up. ‘No one likes an overachiever, Marie.’
‘Too bad. I’m still first.’
She stood up, walking across to where Carol and Nisha were standing.
‘Hi, Marie.’ Carol saw her first, and gave her a wave. ‘We’ve come to check out the mum-and-baby swimming classes.’
‘That’s great. I’ll get you signed up… Would you like to come and see the pool first? It’s in the old gym.’
‘The gym?’ Carol rolled her eyes. ‘That I’d love to see.’
Marie led the way. Both women had been to school here, and by the time they got to the swimming pool the three of them were swapping memories of their years spent here.
‘You’ve worked wonders with it all, that’s for sure.’ Carol nodded her head in approval of the changing rooms and showers,