Page 73 of A Summer of New Beginnings
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The journey from Inverness airport had been filled with excited chatter from her friends. Josh had remained quiet, evidently sensing the attitude of mistrust radiating from Marco and Shelley, and Zara had been mesmerised by the view through the glass of the russet and gold of the trees that lined the roads. October in Inverness was beautiful, which, of course, meant autumn in Scourie wouldbe even more spectacular. She shook her head and tried to think about different locations in the Highlands that would be just as beautiful.
Someone nudged her, dragging her back from the verge of melancholy. ‘Do you have a speech prepared for the awards, Zee?’ Shelley asked as the people-carrier taxi pulled up outside the hotel in Inverness. Zara opened the door and the chill of autumn enteredthe car and made everyone shiver.
‘Oh, she doesn’t need a speech, do you?’ Marco interjected.
Shelley whacked him. ‘Marco! You could at least sound confident that shemightwin, Jeez.’
Not for the first time, he whacked her back. ‘Oy!Actuallywhat I meant was she can just get up there and speak from her heart,Shelley.’
Shelley’s cheeks flushed. ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. I thought this was youhinting that the book’s crap or something. I really was willing to fight you, you know.’
Marco burst into fits of laughter. ‘I’d like to see you try. Toby would back me up, wouldn’t you, Tobes?’
Toby snorted. ‘Against Shelley? Are you mad?’
Jake laughed. ‘Ooh, good answer, mate. Good answer.’
As they climbed from the cab Zara observed her friends and Josh with a contented smile. She was sohappy that they had all decided to accompany her to the awards ceremony. Loretta had been incredible about getting tickets for everyone and she was pretty sure she had been allocated more than her fair share. Her parents were already in Inverness, having chosen to make a romantic break of the whole event, and would be joining them later and they would all walk to the Kingsman together.
Zara wasunder no illusions that she would win the award. So she hadn’t prepared a speech. She was just incredibly grateful to be there.
*
Zara slipped on the dress she had bought on her weekend away with her friends and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her mum had tied her hair in a low chignon, slightly off to one side, and her dad had given her some beautiful diamanté earrings that she knewhe hadn’t chosen, but the fact that he had gone to the trouble of buying her something was so wonderful and sweet that she had cried.
Now, standing there, she hardly recognised the woman looking back at her. How could this be happening? How could she, Zara Bailey, the travel writer, be attending such a glamorous awards ceremony? She was scared that if she pinched herself she’d wake up.
‘Wow,look at you.’ Josh whistled and she turned to see him in his tuxedo, looking every bit the dashingly handsome man.
‘You don’t look too bad yourself.’
He walked towards her and gently placed a kiss on her cheek. ‘I hope you were in the bathroom so long because you were putting on some sexy underwear ready for later.’
She tilted her head to the side and said, seductively, ‘Oh, now, that wouldbe telling.’
