Page 30 of The Wedding Cake Wish
I give one last gentle tug in desperation, and at last thedress is free. Grabbing my robe, I shrug it on and dive to the door.
‘Hi, it’s Hudson.’ His voice sounds deep and rich on theintercom system, like a mug of deliciously dark hot chocolate, and my kneesturn to jelly.
‘Hi! Is it that time already? I’ll be right down.’ I aim for‘robustly cheerful’ to offset the wobbly legs.
‘Great. I hope we’re not too early.’
Alarm shoots through me.
Who’s we?
‘Er, no, you’re fine. I’ll be down in just a minute.’
And then I hear Amelia’s voice, all perky and cheerful. ‘Canwe come in, darling?’
‘Oh, well...I won’t be long.’
‘I just need to use your facilities.’
I grit my teeth. I’ll bet what Amelia really wants is tohave a nose around. And of course, it would be bad form to refuse her –especially if she really is desperately crossing her legs down at the maindoor.
I buzz them up and hurry back into the bedroom to sortmyself out, closing the door firmly behind me. Then I dash back through, openthe door and call down the stairs, ‘Just come straight in. I’ll be out in ajiffy.’ I can hear them walking up the stairs, chatting, the tap of Amelia’sspiky heels growing louder as they approach. (Images of medieval torture flashinto my head for some reason.)
I glance warily at the dress, hoping I’m not going to haveanother fight with it to get it on.
But when I step into it, instead of pulling it on over myhead, I’m relieved to find that the zip slithers right to the top without aproblem. It’s a snug fit, especially across the bodice, although on the plusside it’s doing wonders for my cleavage. But why on earth did I decide thatbaked beans were a good idea? Beans...with their superiorbloat-inducing properties. I’ll be desperately breathing in all night now...
‘Wow.’ Hudson gazes admiringly at me when I walk out of thebedroom. ‘You look amazing, Rubes.’
I feel myself blush. ‘Thank you. I thought I should make aneffort...you know, a business dinner and everything.’
He nods approvingly, a warm light in his eyes, and I givethanks for Amelia’s bladder, which meant we could have this moment on our own.Our eyes lock and my insides perform a funny little jig. Hudson’s looking drop-deadgorgeous himself in a well-fitted charcoal suit, white shirt and a dark bluetie. He smells great, too, and for a long moment we stand there, smiling, justlooking into each other’s eyes as my heart bumps erratically.
‘Are you looking forward to the awards ceremony?’ I ask atlast.
His expression changes. ‘I got some news the other day.’
‘What is it?’ He looks tense all of a sudden. ‘What’shappened?’
He gives me a sad little smile. ‘It’s a good thing, really.Myles has won a special award for creativity and I’m receiving it tonight onhis behalf. I called Amelia to tell her and she said she really wanted to cometoo, so I managed to get an extra ticket for her.’
My heart squeezes at the look on his face – great pride inhis brother, mingled with grief. ‘That’s just...brilliant butso sad as well...that he’s not here to receive it himself.’
He nods and I move towards him, slipping my hand in his.
‘He truly loved what he did,’ I murmur, ‘and there aren’tmany people who can say that. He’d have been over the moon to get this award.’
He smiles. ‘Funnily enough, I thinkI’dhave beenmore thrilled by his success than he would have been. Myles was so modest hewould probably have smiled and shrugged it off and got on with his nextproject.’
‘It’s going to be a very special occasion.’
He squeezes my hand. ‘I’m so glad you’re coming with metonight, Rubes. I’m not sure I could have faced it without you there to make melaugh...lighten the proceedings a little.’
‘I’ll make sure I brush up on my dirty jokes,’ I promisewith a smile.
My eyes slide to his and stay there, as my heart beats rapidly.I’d love to be the one to help Hudson move on with his life...whetherit’s as a good friend or something more...
The door opens and Amelia walks in, derailing the moment byholding up two empty toilet rolls. There’s a look of mild distaste on herstunningly made-up face. (With all the golds and bronzes around her eyes andher caramel-coloured hair, styled into tumbling curls falling loosely aroundher shoulders, she reminds me of a lioness, but I’m starting to suspect herclaws might be rather more lethal.)
