Page 137 of The Matchmaker
And promptly letting him go again.
I huff as I break away, settling back on my side of the bar as Nush barges into the pub, dangling something from her fingers.
“I think someone dropped their keys down the well?”
EPILOGUE
ONE YEAR LATER
They’re calling it a heatwave. Last week it was a warm spell. But now it’s a heatwave. More than one sunburned body is walking around the village, and I’ve already had to redo my makeup twice today because it keeps melting away. I’m pretty sure it’s only the battered fan in the corner that’s stopping it from doing so now.
I reach for my powder just in case, only to hesitate as a burst of laughter sounds from close by.
The noise outside the tent has grown louder in the last thirty minutes. The good weather pushed people through Kelly’s quicker than we planned, and it sounds like nearly all of them have now made their way outside, waiting for the show to begin. Waiting for me. Abandoning my makeup, I peek through the flaps, even though I know it will just make me more nervous. I can’t see much from where I am, just the edge of the crowd, but everyone Icansee is dressed to perfection, clinking champagne flutes as they gather in small groups. News of the festival spread far and wide last summer, and we sold out within minutes of this year’s announcement. We were the hottest ticket in town, and everyone was excited.
Everyone except me, who feels like throwing up.
I turn back to the mirror, adjusting the straps of my dress and checking for sweat patches as Gemma slips into the tent, wearing a simple black dress and looking like she just came off the runway.
“Are you ready?”
My answering smile fools neither of us.
“It will be over before you know it,” she says, grabbing my powder brush and dabbing my upper lip.
I’d prefer it if it was over now. “Is Callum here yet?”
“He’s finding a seat for Maeve,” she says, and I nod. Granny recovered well after her fall last year. I thought it might have scared her a little bit, but if anything, it’s made her more active, like she’s trying to prove a point both to the doctors and to herself. She’s stronger than ever, and I was grateful for it. Not only because I loved her and wanted her well, but also because it meant she was able to take full control of the matchmaking this year, which meant I was able to steer clear of it. Really, it was a win for all of us.
“Just take deep breaths,” Gemma continues. “But remember the news crew is in the corner by the benches, and they have a second camera by the dance floor, so if you need to—”
“You’re not helping.”
“Right. Sorry.” She presses her lips together as Nush steps inside, holding her long glittery skirt out of the way.
“Okay, the last bus is here so we need to…oh.” Nush tilts her head, taking in my outfit with a frown. “You went with the yellow?”
“Ignore her,” Gemma says firmly. “You look beautiful.”
“I didn’t say she didn’t look beautiful,” Nush protests. “I just thought we’d decided on the teal suit.”
“I’ll be too hot in that,” I say.
“But—”
“She’s just afraid you’re going to upstage her,” Gemma says dryly, and Nush bristles.
“Well, it’s rude to upstage the bride.”
“You’re not a bride! And Monica hasn’t even said yes yet. You haven’t even asked her.”
Nush ignores her, striding forward to unclip my hair, which barely starts to fall before she twists it into an effortless braid that would take me forty minutes to accomplish and her two.
“She’s obviously going to say yes,” she mutters. “Have you seen the ring?”
We have. And it’s beautiful.
Nush and Monica have been inseparable since they met, and it was only a few months after the festival that they started living together, with Monica moving into her apartment above the salon.
