Page 21 of The Wedding Cake Wish
‘What thought?’
I try to smile...to brush it off asnothing. But my mouth won’t do what I want it to.
‘Oh, Molly, I can’t help thinking Rob might have got coldfeet.’
There’s a pause. The she laughs in disbelief. ‘No way! Fen,you two were made for each other.’
I shrug. ‘I thought so, too. I was on top of the world. EvenMum taking over everything couldn’t dent my happiness, but last night, thingsdefinitely weren’t okay. He was tense and distracted, like there was somethingon his mind.’
‘Isn’t he just worried about Rory, though?’ she says gently.
I nod. ‘He is. I know. But before, we’d have talked abouthis worries.’
‘Rob loves you. Anyone can see that.’
‘Yes...but maybe not enough to shacklehimself to me for life?’ I attempt a smile, trying to make a joke of it butfailing miserably. ‘He’s too good for me, Molly. At the back of my mind, Ithink I’ve always known that.’
‘Hey, stop that!’
‘No, it’s true. I’m not just saying that so you’ll arguewith me. I’ve always felt that Rob is out of my league.’
She sighs. ‘Well, I’ve no idea why on earth you would thinkthat. Fen, you’re the kindest, loveliest person I’ve ever met. If it hadn’tbeen for you taking a chance on me when I first arrived in Sunnybrook, goodnessknows where Eva and I would have ended up. Still dancing to that bully Jaxon’stune, probably.’ She shudders at the memory. Jaxon was her horror of alandlord, who expected favours in kind when she couldn’t keep up with herrental payments. ‘Rob would bemadto let you go. If anything,you’retoo good forhim. So please don’t do yourself down, Fen. It makes meupset to hear it.’
‘Right. Well, I can’t have you upset as well.’ I give her awatery smile. ‘Thank you, Molly. I’m feeling so pathetically feeble today Ithink I needed to hear someone telling me I’m okay.’
She shakes her head. ‘Oh, Fen. What a bummer. This should besuch a wonderful time for you both.’
‘I know. I keep hoping he’ll phone and tell me he’s sorryabout last night and that everything’s going to be okay. But...’I shake my head.
‘So far, nothing?’
‘He phoned first thing to say good morning, the way healways does when we haven’t spent the night together, but it was as if he wasphoning because he knew he had to. Normally he’s so tuned in to my emotions, he’dknow I’d be feeling down after last night and he’d be trying to make thingsright, but it was as if he couldn’t wait to get me off the phone.’
We’re approaching a bend and panic shoots through me as Irealise my vision is blurry.
Quickly, I dash away the tears – but it’s too late.
The left front of the van mounts the grass verge, jerking usforward. I wrench the steering wheel in the opposite direction to get us backon the road, but I’m driving too fast. Glancing in the rear-view mirror I hitthe brake hard, but the sudden force makes the van skid on the road’s surface,and we end up spinning round a full three-hundred-and-sixty degrees.
When we finally come to a stop, the van’s rear wheels are ina ditch.
CHAPTERTEN
We stare at each other in shock. My heart is slammingagainst my ribs, sounding loud in the silence.
‘Are you okay?’ asks Molly cautiously, rubbing her neck.
I nod. ‘You?’
‘I’m fine. What about the van, though?’
We both glance over our shoulders. The back end of the vanis skewed at a steep angle, the wheels clearly lodged firmly in the ditch.
‘Oh, I’m sorry. I’mso sorry, Molly.’ I shake myhead. ‘I don’t know what happened.’
‘Hey, we’re both okay. That’s the main thing. But I mean...howthe hell are we going to get this thing out of the ditch? Got a crane backthere by any chance?’
We look at each other and burst into hysterical laughter.
