Page 54 of Coming Home to Sturcombe Bay
“Thank you. It’s all perfect.” Debbie had to dab at her eyes again.
“Is that happy crying too, Mummy?” Amy asked.
“Yes, it is. Very happy crying.”
It was a lovely evening. A warm breeze was drifting in from the sea. To the east, the sky was shading from lilac to cobalt blue, and a few clouds like pink and purple powder puffs floated lowover the western horizon as the sun dipped slowly down towards the sea.
Music played softly as Debbie walked out onto the terrace on Kate’s arm and down the aisle between the chairs, followed by her two bridesmaids — little Amy and Bill’s teenage niece Bez, in matching pink dresses, holding hands.
The silver embroidery on Debbie’s bolero glinted in the low rays of the sun. Her soft brown hair had been caught up with an ivory silk flower, and she was carrying a dainty bouquet of white roses and gardenias.
And when Bill, awkward in a brand-new grey suit, turned and saw her, his homely face broke into the widest, happiest smile you ever saw, and he reached out his hand to take hers . . .
Uh-oh — tissue time.
Cassie was a little surprised at herself. She had been looking forward to the wedding, glad to see her old friend happy after the tough time she had had, but she hadn’t expected to be quite so affected by it. She had never been one for all that romantic stuff — it wasn’t her thing. It wasn’t.
She had been trying not to let her eyes stray across the aisle to where Liam was sitting with his family. He scrubbed up well, she reflected with a flicker of amusement, in a well-cut pale-grey suit with a crisp white shirt.
As if he felt her gaze on him, he glanced across and smiled — and that warmth spread right through her veins. She couldn’t stop herself returning the smile. Oh lord, all this wedding-y stuff was turning her brain to mush.
With an effort of will she focused her attention back on the couple stammering their way through their vows. Bill’s ears were scarlet, and Debbie was visibly trembling.
“Ah, bless,” she whispered to Lisa. “They’re both so shy, it’s a wonder they ever managed to get together, let alone figure out getting married.”
“Vicky gave them a bit of a nudge.”
“A bit of a nudge? I’d have thought they’d need a couple of super-powered electro-magnets!”
Lisa covered her giggle with a discreet cough, her eyes dancing.
The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon as the formal part of the proceedings ended, the darkening sky streaked with gold and magenta, the sea sparkling with sequins — the perfect backdrop for the wedding photos.
Then Bill tucked Debbie’s hand proudly into his arm and cleared his throat. “It’s . . . um . . . Well, it’s . . . um . . . time for champagne, and . . . um . . .”
Debbie smiled up at him, warm and encouraging.
He laughed. “Let’s hit the food.”
Everyone joined in the laughter, following as he and his new bride led the way into the conservatory. The DJ was playing classic old soul songs quietly through the speakers, and hotel staff in smart white jackets were circulating with trays of champagne.
Some of the younger children, their energy pent up for too long during the ceremony, were running around and playing chase, but no one minded. Ollie was holding little Kyra on his shoulder, and she was gazing around, wide-eyed, babbling softly to herself.
Queuing for the buffet, Cassie suddenly found herself hugged by a small blonde fairy in a yellow dress, who launched herself against her, throwing her arms around her waist.
“It’s the tappoo lady!”
Cassie smiled down at her, feeling a warmth in her heart. “That’s right.”
“Yours is still there, but mine washed off when I went in the sea.”
“Ah, yes — it would do that. But like I said, when you’re grown up, you can have one that stays on, like mine.”
The little girl pouted. “Everything is ‘when you’re grown up’,” she protested.
“I know. It’s a pain, isn’t it? But think what fun you can have when the time comes, and you can have as many tattoos as you want.”
Liam had strolled over to join them. “Oh, lord. If it’s going to be tattoos, I’m glad I have plenty of time to get used to the idea!”
