Page 69 of Wedding Crasher

‘Did you?’ Marla said, deliberately evasive.

‘I asked you if you loved Rupert.’

Emily’s head swivelled back to Marla, agog.

‘So?’ Marla folded her arms across her chest and glared at Jonny squarely across the table.

‘So, do you?’

The weight of both of their expectant stares proved too heavy. Marla slumped, elbows on the table and her face buried in her hands.

‘No. I’m fond of him, but I don’t love him. And no, I don’t want to marry him, either.’

Jonny rubbed her back, immediately contrite.

‘Poor baby, I knew it.’ He shot a pained look of horror over her head at Emily and mouthed ‘Help me!’

‘You have to tell him it’s off, darling, and sooner rather than later,’ Jonny advised, making Marla howl behind her fingers.

‘But why did you say yes?’ Emily whispered, fishing a tissue out of her massive tote bag and pushing it into Marla’s hands.

Marla lifted her head and ripped the tissue slowly into ribbons.

‘DidI? You were there. Did Iactuallysay yes?’

Jonny and Emily exchanged troubled glances.

‘It sort of looked like you did, yeah. You nodded, and then you burst into tears,’ Emily said.

‘I nodded. You’re sure?’

‘’Fraid you did, sugar,’ Jonny confirmed.

‘And to think I thought it was all so romantic,’ Emily marvelled with wide eyes.

‘Are you sure? That you don’t love him, I mean?’

Marla took a good slug of wine and nodded.

‘He’s fun company and he makes me laugh. We have a good time together.’

She balled the shredded tissue up.

Emily’s face said all Marla needed to know.

‘He doesn’t make your heart miss a beat when he looks at you?’ Emily asked. ‘He doesn’t make you melt, make your stomach flip?’

Marla smiled sadly and patted Emily’s hand. ‘We can’t all be as lucky as you, Em.’

She registered the shadow that passed across her friend’s eyes.

‘Well, that’s that then. You can’t marry him if you don’t love him.’ Emily placed her other hand over Marla’s. ‘Marriage is hard enough when youdolove each other, so it’d be a complete disaster if you don’t.’

‘Is everything okay with you and Tom?’ Marla asked, partly out of concern and partly because she badly wanted to change the subject.

Emily batted the question away with a wave of her hand. ‘We’re fine. Ignore me. It’s just hormones.’

Marla debated for a second before reaching for her handbag. She pulled out her diary, and extricated the note she’d found on Gabe’s desk from between its pages. Jonny and Emily stared at the innocuous little envelope in silence as Marla slid it towards the centre of the table.

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