Page 42 of Wilder at Heart
If this place could bottle the sense of wellbeing it radiates, the owners would all be billionaires. I suspected I’d find it impressive. I didn’t expect to be transfixed by it. Evelyn and her team have nailed the combination of quiet luxury with a restorative retreat. God only knows how much money Miles had to throw at them to clear the resort of their pre-bookings for July. But I can’t help but be impressed by his and Saoirse’s choice of wedding venue.
Lunch manages to be both idyllic and stimulating. Nora’s trying her best to hide it, but she’s absolutely wired. I can tell she just wants to get rid of us all and huddle in a corner with her laptop so she can process the ideas she, Saoirse and Evelyn are generating and impose some sort of order on them. In Excel, obviously.
This visit is more of a general recce and high-level brainstorming session. The next one, Evelyn tells us, will involve her onsite events team and a full tasting session for the wedding’s canapes, dinner and wines. I can definitely get on board with my best man’s role for the second half of that proposition. If the food we’ve eaten today is any indication, the wedding will be an incredible culinary experience.
I’m having a surprisingly good time here. My grumpy-arse brother is on pretty good form. I’m sure it has nothing to do with having three beautiful women to charm, even if he only has eyes for one of them. His bride’s looking as hot as ever today in a flirty little dress, and Miles doesn’t let her out of his sight, or away from his touch, for a second.
And Evelyn’s definitely an excellent lunch companion. The woman is groomed to perfection, absolutely gorgeous, and great at carrying a conversation. She’s energetic and inspiring and self-deprecating. I’m not surprised Nora’s got a boner for her.
But it’s my little Nora who holds my attention through the delicious alfresco lunch and the bottle of perfectly chilled rosé we share. She’s still pretty stiff around me, most of the time, and though I enjoy winding her up and watching her coil tighter and tighter, I’m loving this hyper-engaged, enthusiastic version of her. Her left brain and right brain seem in perfect sync as she suggests ideas, spins rapidly through problems and spits out solutions.
She’s in a flow state down here, and I love it. She’s hot as hell when she’s on a roll, talking excitedly and waving her hands around, painting pictures. She takes notes and doodles suggestions and bites down on her pen in a way that’s adorable and pretty damn sexy.
I’ve got to admit, I’m having fun playing the role of her boyfriend today. No one here but Nora and I know the truth, so I have all the pretext I need to be physically affectionate with her. My arm lingers on the back of her chair and I brush my fingertips up the velvety skin exposed by the back of her dress. I rub her shoulder with my thumb pad. When we get up from the table, I keep hold of her waist. Evelyn comments that we’re a gorgeous couple, and the satisfied smirk I give her isn’t totally faked.
Even my brother seems to treat me differently when Nora’s around. Worst case, he’s showing me the basic courtesy of not belittling me or ripping the piss out of me when my ‘girlfriend’ is around. Best case, he’s taking me more seriously because he perceives me to be playing nicely. It does feel pretty grown up of us to be meandering around a resort as couples and discussing wedding plans (his, not mine, thank fuck).
Miles and Saoirse need to take off after lunch to go get Bea from nursery school, but I’m in no rush. As long as we hit London before rush hour, I’m relaxed.
‘You guys should hang around,’ Evelyn tells us. ‘Enjoy the weather. Go hang in the Walled Garden, if you like. We’ve got towels if you want a swim.’
‘We didn’t bring swimming costumes.’ Nora leans into me. ‘So please don’t put the idea in Theo’s head, because I suspect he doesn’t need much encouragement to skinny dip.’
‘That’d clear the pool pretty fucking quickly,’ Miles mutters, and Evelyn’s lips quirk.
‘Maybe stick to the loungers, then.’
I snigger and kiss the top of Nora’s glossy head, holding her tightly against my side so she can’t escape. ‘Your guests have no idea what they’re missing. But it’s fine—I’ll save the show for my lucky girlfriend.’
Nora snorts pointedly, but she lets me hold her. Which makes me weirdly fucking happy. I stand there, cuddling her as the others say their goodbyes.
Miles kisses Evelyn. ‘Thanks, Ev. It’s been great.’ He straightens up and looks around for Saoirse. ‘I can’t believe we’ll be getting married here in a couple of months, baby.’
Is that—is hetearing up? Jesus Christ. I slap him on the arm.
‘Get it together, bro, for God’s sake.’
‘I’m fine.’ He sniffs. ‘Just feeling like a very lucky man, that’s all.’
I’m not sure who the hell this man is, and what Saoirse’s done with my gruff, emotionally stunted brother. Next, he’ll be ending his texts withhashtag-blessed.
I shake my head as he ambles off, arm firmly around Saoirse, trying to pull himself together.
Seriously.
‘I don’t bite.’I pat the seat of the sun lounger. It’s massive—easily enough for two people.
‘I know you don’t. I just—we don’t need to put on a cosying-up-together show. It’s just us now.’ Nevertheless, Nora deigns to sit down gingerly on the lounger. She pulls her legs up and leans back, connecting with my waiting arm. I pull her into me.
‘Come here.’
‘What are you doing?’ she huffs, but she allows me to pull her closer to me.
‘I want a hug.’
‘Why?’ She’s giving me some serious side-eye. Nora Wilder: licence to kill with a single disapproving glare.
‘Because I love hugs. I need them—the cosier, the better.’
