Page 112 of Just Say Yes
‘We need to start getting you into a fit state to be seen to marry this woman, mate,’ Lorcan said. ‘That could take a while so I’m not sure you’ll have time.’ He’d been standing behind the two of them, leaning back on the work surface, quietly taking it all in. When Patrick made the suggestion, he gave the smallest headshake to me and I sent him a look of agreement. Probably best not to have the man whose fiancée you just tried to steal deliver the news. There was every chance, something Lorcan’s mini gesture had confirmed, that Patrick might well deliver something else. Especially to someone as smug and underhand as Vance Benson.
‘Very funny,’ Patrick replied, glancing over his shoulder at his old friend.
‘I’m happy to do it,’ I said. Ecstatic, to be truthful.
‘Right!’ Maria said, brushing her hands on her apron. ‘Now that’s sorted, everyone sit down for breakfast.’ She began dishing out the plates, full to the brim with sizzling bacon, eggs, fried bread, beans, fried tomatoes, fresh local sausages and a pile of mushrooms.
I glanced up at the clock. It was only just coming up to seven and it already felt as if it had been a long day.
‘I can’t possibly eat all this!’ Peyton was now sitting and staring at the plate.
‘Just eat what you can, then, lovey,’ Maria encouraged her.
‘But I never eat this sort of thing.’ She was still staring at the food.
‘If I’m honest, Peyton, neither do I, but I can guarantee you don’t want to miss out on this. You’ve already had a tiring morning and it’s only seven o’clock. You’re going to need a lot of energy today. This is the best fuel.’
Maria looked over the heads of the others and gave me a wink and I knew then where Lorcan got it from.
‘But my dress…’
‘One meal isn’t going to make a difference, sweetheart,’ Patrick said, already tucking in. ‘Come on, you need some energy for all that dancing we’re going to be doing later.’
Peyton tried a piece of fried bread, clearly a new experience, and it was as if she’d seen God. Butter could do that to you.
‘You’re not even supposed to see me before the ceremony!’ she reminded him again, tapping him on the arm with her fork.
‘I know. But for a while there I thought I wasn’t going to see you at all, so let’s just enjoy this delicious breakfast and we’ll get back to the plan after that. Deal?’
‘Deal,’ she said, grinning at him with that wide Californian smile, enhanced just a little by a thin layer of tomato sauce, courtesy of the beans.
39
Vance did not take the news well, but I rather enjoyed myself. Lorcan was desperate to come with me to pass on the message because the bloke had irritated him from the start, but I persuaded him to deliver Peyton to the castle, where she was staying, and take Patrick back to his parents’ and begin getting ready. As a compromise, I promised to get Calum to surreptitiously record our conversation so Lorcan could enjoy it at a later date. To say Vance wasn’t exactly complimentary about me was an understatement, but, then again, most of the wedding party came in for it from him. Bearing in mind how Lorcan had reacted last time Vance had been rude, it was probably just as well he wasn’t there as I didn’t have time to clean up blood or bury a body.
* * *
‘You look like you need this.’ Lorcan handed me a large brandy and I just about found the energy to lift my arm to take it. I was flopped on the sofa in the snug, the door locked behind us, the wedding party having all finally made their way back to their respective abodes for the night. Calum had looked fit to drop and Lorcan had sent him home and made sure he’d messaged when he was back so we knew he was safe.
‘I really do. What a day.’
‘Are you pleased?’
‘I am. Peyton looked stunning and they both looked so happy, I couldn’t have asked for more.’
‘I think you’d be forgiven for asking for a little less drama at six o’clock this morning, but I know what you mean.’ He sat down heavily next to me, his bow tie hanging loosely around his neck and the first few buttons of his shirt open, exposing a few dark hairs against his skin. When I’d headed out with Ellise to meet him and Patrick approaching the castle, I’d hoped the bolt of electricity that shot through me at seeing Lorcan all dressed up had been calmly covered by my professionalism.
‘This is the guy you’ve been working with?’ Ellise had asked. ‘The taller one?’
‘Umm, yes. That’s him. The owner.’
She’d turned her head and met my eyes deliberately. ‘Lucky you.’
I’d given a wave of my hand. ‘It’s all business.’
‘Sure it is,’ she’d said, taking some candid shots as they’d approached. ‘Don’t forget once the wedding is over, those rules of yours can be tossed out. For God’s sake, take him to bed, woman, otherwise you’re both going to waste.’
‘Ellise!’ I’d hissed. ‘He’ll hear you.’
