Page 6 of The Wedding Cake Wish
I groan. ‘Deadly.’
‘I thought she was joking at first. Did you know about itbefore tonight?’
I swallow. ‘She did mention it a while ago but I only foundout last week that she’d actually booked Arlo West.’
‘And you’re happy about it?’ he asks with a frown. ‘I mean,it’s what youwant?’
I sigh. ‘No. If I’m honest, I can’t stand the thought ofit.’
‘So why didn’t you tell her that?’
‘I did. But she has selective hearing, especially aboutwedding things.’
He shakes his head impatiently. ‘Fen, you’ve got to start standingup to Marjery. You let her walk all over you.’
‘No, I don’t!’
He looks at me in disbelief. ‘If Marjery said she wanted youto go down the aisle on the back of an elephant, you’d just go along with it,for the sake of keeping the peace.’
I laugh, although I’m starting to feel quite uncomfortable.So far, Rob’s been content to let Mum and me organise the wedding together.He’s usually so laid-back about everything...
‘You know what she’s like...’ I start, buthe cuts me off.
‘Just tell her you don’t want an ice sculpture.’
He stares at me as if it’s as simple as that, and my insidesshift uncomfortably.
‘But I already have.’
‘Well, the message clearly didn’t get through,’ he muttersabruptly. Then, seeing my face fall, he sighs and pulls me close. ‘Fen, it’syour wedding, not Marjery’s. I want you to have a day you’ll always remember,’he murmurs into my hair. ‘That’s all I’m saying.’
We break apart and I force a smile. I hate Rob thinking I’mweak, but Mum is so determined when she thinks she knows best.
‘Just tell her?’ He smiles, kisses me briefly on the lipsand walks away.
CHAPTERTHREE
When Rob’s gone, I go to find Mum in the kitchen.She’s clashing dishes into the dishwasher, moving with lightning speed.
‘Mum, can you sit down for a minute?’
‘Sit down?’ She looks up, a plate held aloft, as if I’m madto suggest such a thing.
I sigh. ‘Look, I’m really not sure about the ice sculpture.You’ve already thought of everything and the day is going to be brilliant, I’msure. But anice sculpture? Isn’t that going a bit too far? Do we reallyneed one?’
She looks at me, perplexed, then she laughs. ‘Fen, darling,of course you don’tneedone. No oneneedsan ice sculpture attheir wedding,’ she adds, and I relax slightly. ‘But luckily...Ican afford to push the boat out as far as myone and only daughter’s weddingis concerned.’ She beams at me. ‘Just think what a glorious talking point itwill make on your Big Day.’
I stare at her. It’s on the tip of my tongue to say,Yes,a full-size statue in ice of me and Rob will most certainly be a talking point.People will be sniggering behind their hands and wondering who on earth orderedsuch a tacky, ridiculous object.
But instead, I say, ‘It’s just not really me, Mum. You knowI don’t enjoy being in the spotlight. I’m not a showy sort of person.’
‘So you’re saying that work by the world-famous ice sculptorto the stars, Arlo West, isshowy?’ She shakes her head in dismay at myevident lack of taste and murmurs, ‘Arlo West has designed sculptures forroyalty,Fen.’
I nod half-heartedly. I suspect that if the great man wereto materialise in front of our dishwasher right now, Mum would in allprobability drop into a deep curtsy.
She starts stacking cutlery noisily, clearly full ofdisappointment in me, her uncultured offspring. ‘I hung on for months waitingfor a cancellation in his schedule, and when his office contacted me I was overthe moon, thinking how it would quite put the finishing touch to your day.’ Sheturns and looks at me sadly. ‘But if you want me to phone up and cancel andlose the rather substantial deposit, then of course I will. It’s your day.’
I smother a sigh. I’d forgotten there’d be a deposit. An eye-wateringlyhefty one, probably, for work by the great Arlo West! ‘No...no,don’t cancel. It’s fine.’
