Page 65 of The Last Saturday In July
Jess propped her elbows on the table and rested her head in her hands. ‘I should never have agreed to let Úna bully me into squeezing in last-minute guests. I’ll message the girls later and make this right.’
Carmel spoke slowly. ‘I’m not sure how you can make this right without making changes. Faye and Sarah are your closest cousins, and they were invited first.’
Jess looked up. ‘I know.’ She massaged her temples. ‘God, Mam, the last thing I want to do is to go back upstairs to everyone.’
Carmel flashed her a sympathetic look. ‘We have guests. Come on, we’ll take the cake up and play some of Kate’s games.’
‘I’ll take it.’ Jess took the chocolate cake carefully off the counter, steeling herself as she walked back upstairs, where she was relievedto hear music and chatter. Taking a deep breath, she went back into the living room. She just had to get through the next hour. It took her a few moments to realise that Susan had gone as well as her daughters.
That had been the longest hour of her life, Jess thought, as she said her goodbyes to everyone at the door, and thanked people for coming. She wondered if they’d all been as conscious of the strained atmosphere after Faye, Sarah and Susan had left. If so, everyone had made a huge effort for her and Carmel’s sake, even if they weren’t keen to hang around afterward.
To Jess’s surprise, Úna was one of the last to leave.
‘I know I’ve created some problems between you and your family, Jess.’ Her hand fluttered to the pearls at her throat. ‘I’m so sorry. Maybe I can explain the situation to the Feely-Martins.’
Jess was tempted to ask her to do just that. But Úna looked so worried she felt a bit sorry for her. And it still wouldn’t fix what she had done to her cousins.
‘It’s fine, we’d better not mess with it anymore.’ Jess gave her a hug. ‘I should have just come clean with the girls at the start. I’ll figure it out.’
Úna appeared to be at a complete loss. ‘I don’t know how we managed to pick a hotel that doesn’t allow after-dinner guests at a wedding, even if there is a limit on numbers.’
Jess decided not to remind her that the church and hotel had been her suggestions.
‘Well, thank you for a lovely afternoon, Carmel. We’ll see you at the wedding.’ Úna clasped Carmel’s hands briefly in her own.
Jess felt a flash of respect for her as she watched her leave. It would have been easy for Úna to make her excuses today, and she wouldn’t have blamed her if she’d left early after what happened.
She closed the door and went back into the living room, where her mother, Zoe and Kate were clearing up. Suddenly, all she wanted was to be alone with her own family.
‘Thanks, Kate, we’ve got this, honestly.’
Carmel caught Jess’s eye before turning to Kate. ‘We have a lot of leftover food. Will you come down to the kitchen to help me wrap some of it? I might give a few things in to Mrs McCarthy, and you’ll take some cake and biscuits home for Luke, won’t you?’
Kate nodded and with downcast eyes followed Carmeldownstairs.
Zoe rounded on Jess. ‘What’s up with her?’
Jess perched on the arm of the long sofa. ‘Kate? She might be feeling under a bit of pressure because of David, I’m not really sure. To be honest, I have bigger problems.’
Zoe found a clean glass and poured herself some warm Prosecco. ‘Jess, this is your wedding. Just tell the hotel you need extra space. Full stop.’
‘I tried that. The banqueting manager reminded me that it’s all they can fit in their room. It all comes down to insurance.’
Zoe pulled a face just as Kate stuck her head around the door.
‘I’m off.’
Jess got up and went out to the hall. ‘Hey, thanks again.’ She moved to hug her, but Kate reached for the door instead.
‘See you Monday, Jess.’
Jess sagged against the door after she left. Kate had seemed fine the night before at the dance class, so she couldn’t understand why she’d been in such bad form today. After the awful incident with her cousins, the old Kate would have hugged her tightly, and told her everything would work out. Jess missed that person.
The guest book, another of her mother’s ideas, was open on the hall table and Jess spotted Faye’s distinctive, loopy handwriting. Beside her signature, she’d written:Here’s to a fab day on the 28th. Can’t wait. xxShe felt like a total bitch. She should have told Úna and Edward straight out that she wouldn’t hurt her friends or family, but she’d been too much of a coward.
She ran her eye over the other comments, stopping when she got to Mrs McCarthy’s. Opposite her name, in careful, spidery writing, she’d written:The key to a happy marriage is to keep a few secrets.Jess sighed. Mrs McCarthy was a smart woman. And possibly a mind-reader.
Chapter 25
