Clara in the Middle (Clara Andrews Series - Book 8)

by Lacey London

  I tilt my head to one side as I recall the story that Dawn told me many times before. ‘The fortune teller?’

  She nods in response and bites her lip. ‘Well, when she told me that I would stumble into this job, she also told me that it would lead me to my future husband!’

  My eyes widen as I try to work if she’s is joking. ‘You can’t be serious?’

  ‘I’m totally serious!’ Dawn giggles like a love struck teenager. ‘She promised that my new career would be where I would meet him and get this, she told me he would be called Harry!’

  ‘But Hugo isn’t called Harry. He’s called Hugo…’ I look at her as though she has lost her mind and frown.

  ‘It’s close enough!’ Dawn laughs and punches my arm playfully. ‘Think of it this way, the fortune teller was so right about this job being the best decision I would ever make. Taking her advice has led me to a job where I can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning. It has led me to making the best friends that a girl could ask for and now it has led me to the man I am going to marry.’ She inhales deeply and looks between Eve and I. ‘She was so right about the job, just imagine if she was right about this too…’

  Eve reaches for the tissues and I have to admit that I could do with one as well. ‘Well, when you put it like that…’

  Dawn and Eve shriek simultaneously and I can’t help but join in. ‘I still think it’s crazy, but you’re crazy and I wish you all the happiness in the world.’

  We have a group bear hug and I can’t help but feel happy for Dawn. Yes, seven days is a ridiculously short amount of time to know someone before agreeing to spend the rest of your life with them, but Lianna did pretty much the same thing with Vernon and look how happy she is now. Thinking of Lianna makes my skin tingle with anticipation. Stealing a glance at my watch, I am about to ask Eve if I can sneak outside to call her when the doorbell chimes loudly. Jumping apart, we snap back into work mode and stand to attention.

  ‘Mr Williams!’ I exclaim, placing my hands face down on the counter. ‘I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.’ Eve and Dawn scuttle into the back of the shop to arrange the afternoon delivery, so I grab my apron and motion to the brochure. ‘What can I get for you today?’

  Mr Williams beams widely and adjusts the waistband on his jeans. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him out of his office clothes before. ‘Actually, today I won’t be the one choosing.’

  I flash him a quizzical look which melts into a smile as Sandra walks into the florist. Looking as crazy as ever, she strides across the floor in an orange kaftan and takes Ken’s hand in hers.

  ‘We won’t be needing that brochure.’ Sandra looks at me and winks. ‘I know exactly what I would like.’ I try to keep a straight look on my face and play dumb as she dumps her handbag on the counter.

  ‘And what would that be?’

  ‘Sunflowers.’ She declares proudly. ‘Your biggest, most vibrant bunch of sunflowers.’

  ‘Sunflowers?’ I repeat, very aware that of the dozens of bouquets I have made up for Mr Williams, sunflowers are probably the one and only flower that I haven’t used.

  Clearly realising this too, Ken shifts his weight from one foot to the other. ‘You’ve never said that you like sunflowers.’ He mumbles, wiping a bead of swear from his forehead.

  Sandra exhales and blows her frizzy fringe out of her eyes. ‘You never asked…’

  I hold my breath as they look at each other carefully, the love between the two of them filling the room.

  ‘Clara, we shall take a bouquet of your finest sunflowers and can you set up a standing order so that my beautiful wife can have her favourite flowers every week of the year?’ Ken slams his credit card onto the counter with a flourish, causing Sandra to grin manically.

  Feeling a little overwhelmed, I give him a swift nod and make a grab for the roll of tissue paper. As I pluck several striking sunflowers and position them between the sheets of paper, Mr Williams and Sandra watch me in complete silence. I am smiling at my frankly beautiful creation when Sandra reaches over and taps my arm.

  ‘There’s a smile that speaks a thousand words...’

  I contemplate thanking her for making me see things more clearly, but the way that she is beaming at me tells me that she already knows.

  We lock eyes as I hand over the bouquet of flowers. ‘There you are, Mrs Williams. You are one lucky lady.’

  Sandra glances over at Mr Williams, who is now beaming from ear to ear.

  ‘I most certainly am…’

  I’d rather wear flowers in my hair than diamonds around my neck…

  Chapter 15

  Music floods into the toilet cubicle as I struggle to fasten the zipper on my skinny jeans. Why do I never learn? Skin tight denim is not the ideal attire when you plan on drinking your weight in bubbles all night. Juggling my clutch bag and mobile phone, I slide open the lock and check out my reflection in the mirror. Eyeliner is still in place and the lip gloss I blindly applied earlier hasn’t made its way onto my teeth, not bad considering that I’ve sunk almost an entire bottle of fizz. Taking my bronzer out of my bag, I apply yet another layer to my cheeks. Lianna’s been living in Barbados, I’m not being plastered all over Facebook looking like Casper the ghost if I can help it.

  Checking my phone for what feels like the millionth time, I place my hands under the running water before slipping back into the bar. As usual, Artemis is buzzing with people, all alive with that delicious Friday feeling. We have been here for just over an hour and I still haven’t been able to get in touch with Li and even though Vernon called Oliver when they got off the plane, a small part of me is worried that they aren’t really coming. I flash Eve a grin as I slide back into my seat, pricking my ears to pick up on the conversation. Unsurprisingly, the topic on everyone’s lips has become Dawn’s sudden decision to marry a near stranger.

  ‘I say go for it!’ Gina cackles, waving her glass around in the air. ‘You get one life and before you know it you have three babies, a laundry basket that’s never empty and an impending fortieth birthday.’

  Janie nods along and clinks her glass against Gina’s. ‘Besides, you can always just divorce him if it doesn’t work out.’

  I shake my head in response to Janie’s crude remark and dump my handbag on the table. When I filled the girls in on my huge turnaround with Janie and her decision to return to America, they all insisted that I invited her along tonight. Looking at her now, laughing and joking with the girls, I have to admit that I am glad I did. Fiddling with the strap of my watch, I am cursing myself for drinking so much in such a short space of time when a distant rumbling catches my attention.

  ‘Is that thunder?’ I whisper to Gina, looking out of the window expecting to see a storm coming in.

  ‘I don’t think so, but I did hear something.’ Straining her neck, she scans the room before letting out a scream and slamming down her glass.

  The rest of us fall into silence as we watch her sprint across the room.

  ‘What’s she doing?’ Dawn picks up the cocktail menu and flips through the pages, more interested in choosing her next tipple.

  Standing on the tips of my toes, my heart pounds in my chest as a familiar face enters the bar.

  ‘Is that…’ Eve’s voice trails off as I let out a shriek of my own.

  ‘Vernon!’ I squeal, clapping my hands together excitedly and running over.

  Already embracing Gina, Vernon reaches out and scoops me up with his free hand.

  ‘Hey!’ He lets out a low laugh and squeezes the two of us tightly. ‘How’s it going?’

  ‘I’m great!’ I plant a kiss on his cheek and look behind him for Lianna. ‘Where is she?’

  ‘She’s right there!’ He points over to the bar and allows Gina to drag him to the pack of waiting girls.

  Squeezing through the gathering of people, I tap the shoulder of an insanely brown and pink haired Lianna.

  ‘Li?’ I let out a gasp as she spins around and throws her long arms arou
nd my neck.

  Clinging on to her for fear that she will disappear, I bury my face in her hair and breathe in her familiar perfume. She’s here! She’s actually here! Not wanting to let go, we stand there for a good few minutes before finally tearing ourselves apart.

  ‘You look amazing!’ I gush, running my fingers through her striking new haircut.

  ‘So do you!’ Lianna looks me up and down and nods approvingly. ‘I love those shoes!’

  ‘You do?’ I hold them up for her to see the gems more clearly. ‘I got them in the sales!’

  As I lead Lianna over to our table, I fill her in on last month’s epic shopping session. Isn’t it incredible that no matter how much time we spend apart, the second we’re together again it’s like she never left? Before I can say another word, Eve fires out of her seat and leaps up at Li. My heart bursts with pride as I step back and watch my friends greet each other animatedly. They say that friends are the family we choose for ourselves and if that is the case, I have chosen the best family a girl could wish for.

  Not wanting to interrupt, I sip my drink and watch as Eve introduces Dawn to Lianna and Janie to Vernon. Just as I expected, Janie’s jaw drops open as she eyes up Vernon like he is a hot pecan pie. As much as I hate to admit it, I am actually going to miss that woman, just don’t tell her, ever.

  Once we are all sat down, I motion to the barman to bring over more fizz and a couple of glasses for the new arrivals.

  ‘So, how was the flight?’ I ask, not being able to stop myself from smiling manically.

  ‘Long!’ They answer in unison, accepting a glass each and clinking them together.

  Lianna takes a sip of the crisp bubbles and swoons. I am about to ask her if she upgraded her seats when she picks up a fork from the table and taps her glass.

  ‘Alright, before we move on to other things, Vernon and I have a couple of things to tell you all...’

  The rest of us exchange concerned glances as my heart pounds in my chest. ‘All good, I hope?’

  ‘Very good.’ Vernon confirms, kicking back in his seat and stretching out his long legs.

  ‘First things first…’ Li tucks her hair behind her ears and puts down her glass. ‘I have gifts!’

  A chorus of oohs echoes around the room as Lianna reaches into a hot pink holdall. Producing a brown paper bag, she passes around a selection of delicate shell bracelets. Each one has shades of lemon, lilac and mint, all held together with a pretty ivory rope.

  ‘Where’s mine?’ Eve frowns, tipping the bag upside down to show Lianna that it is empty.

  ‘You’ve got an extra special gift…’ Vernon teases, taking a black pouch from his pocket and handing it over. ‘This came from my mom. Her instructions were that you use it daily, twice daily for optimum results.’

  Eve takes the velvet bag and fiddles with the ribbon, her face alight with anticipation. Pouring out the contents into her lap, she turns over a stunning green stone in her hands.

  ‘What is it?’ She asks, holding up the nugget to the light.

  ‘It’s jade.’ Lianna explains. ‘You’re supposed to rub it on your stomach to increase fertility. I know you might think it’s silly, but I thought it was worth a shot.’

  The room falls into silence as we wait with bated breath for Eve’s reaction. I know Lianna means well, but I also know that anything baby related is a sore spot with Eve.

  ‘Well in that case, rub me up good and proper!’ She lets out a laugh and passes the stone around the group.

  One by one, we take the beautiful gem and rub it vigorously on Eve’s tiny tummy. The smooth stone is cold in my hands as I say a silent prayer and press it against her stomach.

  ‘Thank you.’ Eve gushes holding on to the green gem as though her life depends on it. ‘I’m going to use this every single day until I have a bun in the oven.’

  Lianna flashes her the thumbs up sign and pulls a yellow box from her handbag. ‘We also got you this. It’s just a pregnancy test. I thought a Bajan one might be luckier for you.’

  If you didn’t know Lianna, you would probably think this is a little strange, but Li is more superstitious than anyone I’ve ever met.

  Eve laughs and places it on the table next to the jade stone. ‘You know what, the next test I take is going to be this one.’

  ‘Talking of tests, when did you last take one?’ Gina asks, scooting her chair forwards and turning over the box in her hands.

  ‘A couple of weeks ago with Clara.’ Eve looks down into her orange juice and sighs. ‘I haven’t wanted to take another to be honest.’

  I nod along as I recall Eve’s heartbroken face as she looked into that little window.

  ‘You’ve still been trying though, right?’ Gina places the test back on the table.

  ‘Oh, we’ve been trying alright!’ Eve manages a small smile. ‘We have been doing it literally every day, ovulating or not!’

  Vernon’s cheeks flush pink and we fall about laughing.

  ‘Weeks of extreme baby making and you haven’t taken a test?’ Janie howls, topping up her glass with the bottle on the table. ‘Go get that test done!’

  Eve chews her lip and looks around the group dubiously. ‘Should I?’

  ‘Yes!’ We all yell at once, shooing her towards the toilets.

  Taking one last gulp of her drink, Eve grabs the yellow box and stands to her feet.

  ‘Before you go.’ Lianna pulls Eve back by her sleeve. ‘There’s something we wanted to tell you guys.’

  Vernon beams brightly as Li looks up at him. ‘We have decided to sell The Hangout…’

  ‘What?’ I exclaim, cutting him off midsentence. ‘Why?’

  ‘It’s all happened so quickly.’ A smile plays on Lianna’s lips as she runs her fingers along the glass. ‘We had a call from Prestige, you know, the five star hotel around the bay?’

  Eve, Gina and I nod along, knowing exactly what she is talking about because we have all been there.

  ‘Well, they wanted to buy the bar.’ Vernon sighs and drapes his arm around Lianna’s shoulders. ‘At first I said no, I mean, The Hangout has been my life, but then they upped their offer…’

  ‘And then upped it again!’ Li chips in, her face flush with glee.

  ‘To what?’ I ask, before I can stop myself.

  Lianna giggles and clutches her hands to her face. ‘It was six figures, put it that way.’

  A gasp echoes around our group and my entire body tingles with excitement. They’re selling The Hangout! I don’t quite believe it!

  ‘So…’ She continues, her eyes sparkling. ‘This brings us on to our final announcement.’ Entwining her fingers with Vernon’s, she clears her throat dramatically. ‘We have decided… to move back to London!’

  I stare at her in disbelief as Gina and Eve throw themselves at the two of them, not quite sure that I have heard her correctly. ‘You’re moving back?’ I manage, feeling tears fall down my cheeks.

  ‘Yes!’ She squeals reaching out and pulling me into the scrum. ‘And it could be as soon as Christmas!’

  She’s moving back! She’s actually coming home! Happy tears drench my face, but I don’t care. My best friend is returning to London!

  ‘Alright, this calls for a celebration!’ Janie cackles, jumping out of her seat and making a beeline for the bar. ‘Who’s for more bubbles?’

  ‘Not me.’ Eve manages, squeezing out of the fray. ‘Orange juice, remember?’

  ‘You can have more OJ when you take that damn test!’ Janie scolds, rapping her knuckles on the bar.

  Glancing down at the test in her hands, Eve slips through the crowd and disappears into the toilets. Finally tearing ourselves away from the happy couple, we return to our seats and revel in firing a million questions at them.

  ‘Champagne.’ The barman announces, placing a couple of icy bottles in the centre of the table and putting a stop to our conversation. ‘Enjoy.’

  Standing to my feet, I gather the glasses and fill each one to the brim. Once ever
yone has a fresh drink in their hands, I hold my fizz in the air. A buzz of adrenaline fritters around the room and I steady myself on the back of my chair.

  ‘With all of these announcements, it only seems right that we have a toast.’ I smile back at the five pairs of eyes that are staring at me expectantly. ‘To Dawn, on her recent engagement. To Janie, on her new life in America…’ I turn to face Li and swallow the lump in my throat. ‘And to Lianna and Vernon on making the move back home…’

  ‘Guys?’ We spin around to see Eve standing in the middle of the bar with her t-shirt in disarray.

  Sensing something is wrong, the six of us put down our glasses and rush over. With her jeans unbuttoned and a dazed expression on her face, Eve looks like she has seen a ghost. My heart pounds in my chest as she holds up the little white stick. Completely forgetting that she has peed on it, I hold it close to my face and gasp.

  ‘Is that?’ Not wanting to say it in case I am wrong, I pass it over to Gina who holds it up to the light.

  ‘It’s faint, but it’s definitely there!’ She gasps, handing it to Janie. ‘I told you that a metallic taste was a sign of pregnancy! What did I say to you this morning? I knew it!’

  Eve looks at the stick in silence and for the second time that day, my eyes fill with tears. ‘I don’t want to believe it.’ She mumbles, clearly in shock. ‘I don’t dare to in case it isn’t real…’

  ‘Oh, it’s there alright!’ Janie hoots, waving around the stick as though it is a winning lottery ticket. ‘You’re for sure up the spout!’

  The group bursts into hysterics, completely taking over the bar with their noise. Eve’s pregnant! She’s actually pregnant! I don’t believe it. What are the chances? Is it luck? Is it the stone? Looking at her now, clutching the stick to her heart as she is surrounded by her friends, I don’t think it matters how, it doesn’t matter why. One way or another, Eve has been granted her wish and I have been granted mine.

  Isn’t it funny how your future can change at the drop of a hat, the booking of a plane ticket, the offer of a lifetime and the small act of peeing on a stick? What lies ahead for me? I don’t really know. What I do know is that I can’t wait to find out…