Page 43 of The Last Saturday In July
Simon’s eyebrows shot up again. ‘Gosh no, I can’t see them together at all.’
Jess said nothing. Simon could be so clueless sometimes. Now that the Big Day was imminent, it was a pretty safe bet that Kate was starting to feel a bit left out. It would certainly explain the recent tension in their friendship.
Simon took off his glasses and cleaned them with a small cloth from his inside pocket, before picking up the menu.
Jess tried to think of an interesting topic of conversation. Not the wedding. Anyway, what would they talk about once it was all over? A slight shiver ran through her, and Simon glanced up.
‘Are you cold? I hope you’re not coming down with something.’
‘No, I’m fine.’ Jess smiled and picked up the menu. He was so thoughtful.
‘Hmm, it’s just a critical time for me at work, and I can’t afford to catch anything.’
Jess’s smile faltered.
‘While I think of it, Jess, there’s something I want to discuss.’
Shit, that sounded serious. ‘Is it a pre-nup?’
‘What? Of course not.’ He blinked. ‘You don’t want a pre-nup, do you?’
‘Er, no.’ She had to put work stuff out of her mind. ‘Sorry, go on.’
‘It’s about my mother’s request for those extra guests.’
‘The Feely people, right.’ Jess sighed, then realised that Úna hadn’t sent her an email about it. ‘Maybe she’ll forget?’
‘The Feely-Martins, and my mother won’t forget, darling.’ Simon’s eyebrows disappeared under his fringe. ‘She’s not senile.’
Jess fiddled with her watch. ‘I suppose we could phone the hotel and beg them to fit in a couple of extra people …’
He reached across the table and ran his thumb over the back of her hand. ‘I was thinking it might be easier to ask if there’s anyone who’d prefer not to come?’
Hadn’t that been his mother’s suggestion? Jess knew if she did that, her family and friends would think she’d lost her mind.
‘Maybe someone who’s not that close to either of us. Someone we rarely see.’ Simon appeared to think. ‘You know what weddings are like, there’s always lots of people who feel they have to go but would rather not. Like that awful wedding you and I met at. It was the last place I wanted to be.’
‘Er, that was where we met.’
Simon smiled. ‘Which was very lucky. But that’s not my point.’
What was the point? ‘Let’s think about who’s coming, Simon. There’s our friends.’ She spoke quickly. ‘And on my side, it’s just family and a couple of really close friends of my parents. If I asked someone not to come, I’d upset everyone.’
Simon pushed his fringe off his forehead. ‘They’re not the Mafia, Jess. What about your dad’s really weird brother?’
‘He’s my dad’s only sibling and he’s bringing Nana!’ Jess leaned across the table and tried to sound reasonable. ‘Why don’t we just enjoy our lunch?’
‘Jess, how are you doing?’
She jerked around at the sound of Frank Charleston’s voice. Beside him stood Adam.
Oh God, this was like one of those anxiety dreams, where she was about to make a presentation, only to discover she was naked. Only this was a hundred times worse.
She forced her mouth into a smile. ‘Frank, lovely to see you.’Please just walk on!
When he didn’t move, Jess’s eyes slid again to Adam. Maybe she didn’t have to introduce Simon. Or she could sort of introduce him and leave them to think what they wanted. Or …
Adam stepped forward and stuck out his hand. ‘Adam Rourke, how do you do?’
