Page 117 of The Last Saturday In July
Jess suppressed an hysterical giggle at the thought of Zoe in costume for the day, then tried to calm her breathing, as Zoe buttoned up the dress, before finally stepping into her shoes. When she was ready, she gave Zoe a quick hug. ‘In case I forget to say it later, you’re the world’s best sister.’
‘I know, come on!’
With some effort, Zoe slid in behind the wheel, bundled the long skirts of her dress into her lap and threw her shoes into the back. Jess eyed the passenger seat: the whole car seemed to have shrunk.
‘I’ll have to push the seat back.’ As Jess reached down for the lever, she heard a shout.
‘There she is! Chelsea? Turn this way!’
‘Chelsea, over here! Are you leaving because Leo cheated?’
‘Chelsea, where are you going? Give us your side of the story?’
Jess hesitated. Should she stop and let them know she wasn’t Chelsea? Only how would she explain why she was at Linford on the day of her own wedding? No, this was the less terrible option. She threw herself into the car, yanked in her dress and pulled the door shut. The press would find out soon enough that there had been a celebrity wedding. Just not the one they’d expected. ‘Drive, Zoe.’
‘Is there another way out?’ Zoe reversed sharply.
‘Around the back.’
Zoe drove out of the car park and found the short avenue that lead to the gates at the rear of the castle.
‘There she is!’
‘Shit, the paparazzi are everywhere.’ Jess slid down in the seat. ‘I don’t even look like her.’
Zoe glanced over. ‘You do, a bit, from a distance. Anyway, who else would they think it is, in a wedding dress?’
Jess tried to take a steady breath, which was almost impossible given how restricting the bodice was in this position. ‘There’s motion sensors near the gate. Just keep driving.’
Zoe accelerated, as Jess ducked lower in the seat, and tucked her head into her arms. Around them, reporters shouted and cameras flashed, non-stop.
‘Okay, we’ve passed them,’ Zoe said a few minutes later. ‘That was wild.’ She glanced over her shoulder. ‘Shit, Jess, stay low. We’re being followed.’
‘What?’ Jess tried to peer around the back of her seat, without being seen.
‘At least two cars, and a couple of motorbikes.’ Zoe cursed. ‘Somehow, I don’t think they believed Leo’s tweet.’ A deafening sound directly above their heads, made Jess jump.
‘Don’t look up.’ Zoe checked her mirrors. ‘I think that’s the World News helicopter.’
‘I’m in a car chase on my wedding day,’ Jess wailed. ‘And I think I’ve got makeup all over my dress.’
‘Maybe we should just stop? Once they see that you’re not Chelsea, they’ll –‘
‘Don’t stop, Zoe, I don’t have time. And I don’t want to talk to the press looking like this. Frank Charleston would kill me. After he fires me.’
‘Your call. Hang on.’
Jess sat up a bit in her seat. She was nearly there; it would be fine. She could get another job, too. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. ‘I can never tell Simon about this.’
Zoe checked her rear-view mirror and drove faster. ‘Why not?’
‘He wouldn’t understand.’
Zoe glanced over. ‘You sure this is the wedding you want to go to? Just say the word and I’ll turn around and go back to Linford.’ When Jess didn’t reply, she flicked her another look. ‘Jess?’
‘Listen, I know this sounds a bit out there, but what if Chelsea leaked that story about Leo and Brandi?’
Zoe braked as they approached a corner and yanked the car down a gear. Jess slid towards the door, and wondered vaguely if the dress would work like an airbag if they crashed. Probably not.
