Page 83 of Love, Accidentally

TEN MONTHS LATER

‘Are you nearly ready?’ Will asks as he sticks his head round the bedroom door. ‘We probably ought to hit the road sooner rather than later as they’re forecasting snow.’

‘Yes. I’ve just got to pack the last couple of things and then we can leave. Who gets married in the middle of winter?’

‘Mike and Sarah do,’ he replies with a smile. ‘I can’t wait to see the venue. Apparently they’ve got Christmas trees in every room, including the bedrooms.’

‘Is Lena ready?’

‘Yes. God only knows what she’s wearing tomorrow because she’s only taking her backpack. If there’s a dress in there, it’s going to look like it’s been through a hedge backwards by the time she unpacks it.’

‘I can’t see Lena in a dress. I’m still amazed she came over for it. It’s not as if we’re close.’

‘I think she’s killing a few birds with one stone. She was telling me earlier that she’s thinking of selling the flat when we move out.’

Will moved in pretty much as soon as Mike and Sarah left. It happened fairly organically. He stayed the night after we celebrated his company landing the car contract, and then he never quite seemed to leave. Every so often, he’d be consumed with guilt and spend a couple of days at home with his father, only for Jonathan to tell him robustly that he was fine and send him packing back to me again. Lena hadn’t seemed in any hurry to advertise Mike’s room, to my relief, so when I told her that Will was interested in taking his place, she was delighted. However, we have started to look for somewhere that we can make our own, so I’m not surprised that Will’s been talking to Lena about it.

The only downside I’ve discovered about living with Will, and it’s not his fault at all, is that the standard of food nosedived rather when Mike left. His cooking had definitely spoiled me and, while Will was perfectly competent in the kitchen – much more so than me – I did miss it. I never said anything to Will, but he obviously picked up on it because he enrolled us both on a cookery course a month or so later. My initial reaction was most politely described as reluctant, but we both really enjoyed it and have since developed a kind of teamwork in the kitchen. I’m chief recipe researcher, as well as the weigher and measurer of ingredients, and Will is the cook and chief server. Whenever we find something we like, I transcribe it on the computer and print it out using dyslexic-friendly fonts, so Will can follow it by himself if I’m working late.

‘I’m ready,’ I call as I zip my case closed. My bridesmaid dress is hanging on the wardrobe door in its bag, and Will takes it almost reverentially to carry it down to the car before returning to pick up our cases. Lena is exactly as I’d expected her to be, wearing combat fatigues and hugging the enormous rucksack that Will mentioned.

‘I prefer to keep my belongings around me,’ she says when Will offers to carry it for her. ‘Most of the places I go, you give a bag to someone else and you’ll never see it again.’

‘I think you can trust Will,’ I remark.

‘Force of habit.’

My amusement at her paranoia is swiftly replaced by mild irritation when she insists on travelling in the front with Will, ‘because I don’t feel safe if I can’t see the terrain in front of me.’ I did point out that the M25 was unlikely to contain any landmines, even if it was a disaster generally, but my argument fell on deaf ears, so I’m cooped up in the back of Will’s hatchback with the backpack while Lena regales him with stories of her various exploits.

‘Did I tell you Dad’s news?’ he asks me when she finally runs out of steam. The wedding venue is just outside Guildford but the traffic is typically dire so it’s taken us nearly two hours to reach the turning off the motorway. As Will predicted, a light snowfall has also begun, which has slowed everyone down even more.

‘No?’

‘He’s going on a proper date. With Brenda.’

‘Goodness. How do you feel about that?’

‘It’s a bit odd. I mean, I try not to think about the logical consequences of where it might end, but I’m pleased for him. He’s really nervous about it, which is kind of funny when you think how much time they’ve already spent together.’

‘Why would he be nervous?’ Lena seems genuinely baffled. ‘If she likes him enough to go on a date, he’s in there, isn’t he? She’s probably just waiting for him to jump her bones.’

‘Too much information, Lena,’ I interject, spotting the look of horror on Will’s face.

‘The problem with people over here is they’re too polite. If I like someone, I tell them to their face. Either they like me back, in which case we get straight down to business, or they don’t. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that life’s too short to pussyfoot about. This Brenda is obviously up for it, so what’s your dad waiting for? Drinks, dinner, back to his and bosh.’

‘I don’t think Will wants to think about his dad and “bosh”,’ I explain. ‘Anyway, as you’ve pointed out so clearly, things move slower over here.’

‘Only because you’re all terrified of each other. I bet you I could get someone into bed after the reception tomorrow if I wanted to. What do you say? Ten pounds to make it interesting?’

‘No,’ Will and I say together.

‘Fair enough. I might do it anyway though, just to warn you. Maybe Mike and Sarah would be up for a threesome.’

‘I very much doubt it,’ I tell her firmly. ‘Ah, it looks like we’re here.’

Will swings the car into a driveway next to a large sign bearing the name of the hotel where Mike and Sarah are getting married and, even though the ground is now covered by a thin coat of snow, we can still hear the expensive crunch of gravel beneath the tyres as we head for the car park. There’s nothing budget about this venue. The weather is bitterly cold, but the reception area is beautifully warm, no doubt in part due to the large log fire burning in the grate. As promised, a huge, tastefully decorated Christmas tree dominates the room.

‘This is lovely,’ I whisper to Will as we wait for Lena to finish checking in. Unsurprisingly, she’s trying to haggle a free room upgrade. She really is shameless and, although I admire her directness and no-nonsense attitude to life, I do worry that she’s going to ruffle feathers tomorrow, particularly if she follows through on her threat to seduce one or more of the other guests. ‘Do you think they have bromide here?’ I ask him, causing him to smile.

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