Page 62 of From Notting Hill with Love…Actually
You’re not the only one, Sean, I thought as I tried to steady my breathing again.Believeme, you’re not the only one.
Eighteen
By the time Sean had held the ice pack on his head for a while and had finally put on some clothes, it was 9 p.m. and time to meet up with the others again. There had been no mention of what had nearly happened on the bed earlier, and I was relieved.
We split up into two parties and departed to our allotted venues to spend the rest of the night participating in activities deemed suitable only for persons of our own gender.
I was happily sitting at a table alone downing the last of a bottle of champagne while the other girls were doing some sort of boat dance on the floor, when Maddie swayed over in my direction. She was wearing Minnie Mouse ears, a veil, and L-plates pinned to her front and back.
“Why are you sitting on your own up here?” she asked, slurring her words slightly.
“Because I’ve seen enough boats for one night.”
Maddie furrowed her brow. “What do you mean? I didn’t go on any boats. Oh, the paddle steamer wasn’t running, was it? Did they start it up and I missed it?”
“No, not the paddle steamer, don’t worry about it, Mad—it’s nothing.”
Maddie draped her arm around me. “I can’t be having my chief bridesmaid sitting up here all alone moping, can I? Now tell me how you’re getting on house-sitting for Belinda—I’ve barely heard from you since you left for London.”
I told Maddie as much as I thought her sozzled brain could take on board about what I’d been up to since I arrived in Notting Hill. I was deliberately selective in what I chose to tell her—mainly about the new friends I’d met, and how “coincidentally” and “maybe it was something to do with living in Notting Hill,” things that happened in movies just seemed to keep happening to me. I left out the part about my mother—that was too complicated to explain to someone who’d had as much to drink as Maddie had tonight. I was glad the wedding wasn’t until Saturday evening—at least she would have enough time to sleep off her hangover tomorrow.
When I’d finished, Maddie was strangely quiet while she took another long drink from her glass of…just whatwasin that purple concoction she was drinking?
I watched the girls on the dance floor who were now trying to do the Macarena while Maddie apparently gathered her thoughts.
“Sean seems nice,” she suddenly said after a few minutes, as she casually stirred the umbrella around in her cocktail.
I looked hard at Maddie. What did she mean by that comment? Nice in regard to what? Or was it just a throwaway observation? The state Maddie was in it could mean anything. It was hard to tell.
I decided to play it cool. “Yeah, he’s OK.”
“Remind me again—just whyishe here with you this weekend?”
“I told you, he’s Belinda and Harry’s neighbor in Notting Hill, he’s been helping me get to know the area—and stuff.”
“I wouldn’t mind him helping me out with mystuffany day!” Maddie cackled, then she winked at me. “There’s a definite look of Brad Pitt about him.”
“Maddie! You’re getting married tomorrow!”
“And you are getting married in April, Scarlett, but you’ve still brought another man to my wedding!”
I looked at Maddie again. Was she as drunk as she was making out? She was making some very telling observations for one so under the influence of alcohol.
“No, I haven’t,” I said defensively. “David arrives tomorrow morning, as you well know.”
“Yes, that’s right, so he does.” Maddie thought for a moment. “That’s good because tomorrow at the wedding, I’m going to try and set Danielle up with Sean. You met her earlier—she said she was sitting next to you on the Phantom Manor ride. Anyway, Sean is single, isn’t he? Because Danielle was asking about him. Danielle has been single far too long, and I reckon Sean looks the type who wouldn’t mind a quick shag after the ceremony tomorrow.”
“Maddie, no! Don’t you dare!”
Maddie looked at me innocently with wide eyes. “Why not? After all if he’sonlyyour temporary neighbor, what’s it to you?”
“OK, what’s in that drink?” I demanded.
“What—this?” Maddie held up her glass.
“Yes, that. It’s not alcoholic, is it?”
Maddie leaned in toward me. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to get hammered the night before my own wedding?It’s the biggest day of my life—and I’m damned if I’m walking down the aisle looking like death warmed up.”
