Page 6 of A Billionaire for Christmas
No excuses sprang to mind during the thirty-second walk.
Levi tightened his bow-tie and straightened his tux jacket, tugging at the sleeves, before he flung the door open. Molly was surprised to see that a wedding party was in full swing. The soundproofing in this place was out of this world. A nuclear device could go off and you wouldn’t hear a thing. All the guests were in glamorous glittering evening gowns. Molly stood out like a sore thumb in her burlesque costume, and their entrance caused an immediate stir. People eyed them both with interest.
‘Well, you seem popular,’ Levi murmured in her ear. ‘Do they all know you?’
Panic came at her like a charging rhino. A light film of sweat formed on her upper lip. She was simply a chef gone rogue and not used to all this. She flapped her hands around, trying to deflect attention. ‘Goodness. Why is it so hot in here?’
Levi put a hand to her elbow and guided her to a less crowded spot. ‘Better?’
They were at a wedding! She slid her clammy hands over her corset. She needed to somehow brazen it out and persuade him to invite her back to his room. ‘So, are you here for the bride or groom?’
He gave her an amused look. ‘Groom. You?’
Why was he so handsome? It really wasn’t helping.
Molly smoothed her hair to calm her nerves. ‘Erm, the bride.’
What was she doing?She’d have no idea who the bride would be. Suddenly, she caught sight of a huge wedding cake and the names Bev and Wyn on a swirling cake topper.
Which one was the bride?
‘Actually, I’m a friend of both Bev’s and Wyn’s.’ She was rambling. Words spilling unfiltered from her lips. ‘Lovely couple. Lovely. So young and in love.’
Molly glanced around the room. The average age was at least eighty.
Levi tried to stop himself from laughing. ‘Seriously?’
‘I meant young at heart.’ There was no way she could go through with this. Stupid bucket list. She was going to have to abandon this mission before things got too out of hand. A lump formed in her throat. ‘Actually, I forgot my… erm, my gift for them. That’s it. I’ll go back and get my gift.’ Molly prayed that Levi wouldn’t ask where she was going back to. Or what the gift was. All this lying had her nerves in shreds. ‘Perhaps we could meet up tomorrow? If you’re not too busy skiing or partying or…’Attending orgies for posh people?
Molly stopped talking as two elderly gentlemen approached. They shook hands with Levi and welcomed him. ‘Is this your date?’ one asked. ‘Hello, dear. Don’t you look divine? Simply ravishing.’ He gave a small bow, maintaining eye contact with Levi. ‘But then, you’ve always had exquisite taste.’
Molly’s blood pressure skyrocketed. Pretending to be a guest at a wedding wasn’t as easy as it sounded. If only she could ask which of their grandchildren was getting married without Levi hearing.
Levi’s eyes were sparkling as he turned to her. ‘I presume you’ve met the twogrooms, Bev and Wyn?’
The words left Levi’s mouth but took an eternity to reach Molly’s ears and settle in her brain. From the amused way he was regarding her, he knew she didn’t have a clue who they were. The cat was out of the bag. Luckily, a survival instinct kicked in from out of nowhere as the third challenge on the bucket list sprang immediately to mind.Crash a wedding and give an uplifting toast.
‘I’ve come to give your toast,’ she said shamelessly. ‘As a surprise.’ Keeping her voice steady, she continued the lie. ‘This lot hired me.’ She thumbed to the crowd of people dancing. Before Bev and Wyn could reply, Molly spotted a microphone by a small stage area and darted towards it. A DJ was playing hits from the 1950s. His eyes nearly popped from his head as he took in her costume. She hurried towards him and reached out to grab the microphone, held it up and tapped on it. Feedback squealed everyone into silence.
‘Can we pause the music, please? Just for a moment.’ Molly had no idea what she was doing. Perhaps some evil spirit had taken possession of her body. ‘Let’s all stand to toast the happy couple.’ Molly spotted a couple of wheelchair users. ‘Sorry, not you two. You don’t have to stand.’ She spotted a whole table of disgruntled geriatrics, huffing and puffing as they struggled to scrape back chairs. ‘In fact, let’snotstand if you’re not already standing, andstaystanding if you can manage it. Or seated if you prefer.’
It wasn’t rocket science but somehow she’d managed to cause confusion. Half of the dance floor had emptied, scrambling to grab the nearest seat. Levi was looking on with a puzzled frown.
Molly cleared her throat. ‘The main thing is we’re all here to celebrate this wonderful union.’
‘Will the dance take long?’ a frail voice called out. ‘You’re not going to take offallof your clothes, are you? I’ve recently had a pacemaker fitted, you see.’
‘And I’m on beta blockers for my blood pressure,’ another guest cautioned.
Molly felt every pair of eyes on her. She smoothed down the tiny ruffles of her skirt, pulling at them to see if she could make the outfit a little less revealing. She really couldn’t. This miniscule costume wasn’t doing her any favours.
‘I’m not here to dance.’ She grabbed a flute of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter. ‘Besides, I’m strapped in pretty tight. This thing won’t come off without a fight.’ Why did she get a sudden urge to look at Levi while she said that? Why? ‘Can we all raise our glasses to the happy couple, Bev and Wyn? May they enjoy a long and healthy life together…’
A ripple of sniggers ran round the room. It was then that Molly noticed Wyn’s walking frame, and that Bev was attached to an oxygen tank on little wheels. She wished the ground would open up and swallow her whole.
‘To Bev and Wyn. To everlasting love. Or however long you have together.’ Molly felt herself falling down a rabbit hole. She tried to recall the affirmations from Ava’s journal. ‘We have to live in the moment, don’t we? I mean, you never know what’s around the corner.’
Was her corset getting tighter?
