Page 20 of The Wedding Cake Wish
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That afternoon, when I pick up Molly to do our regularFriday food bank deliveries, she has her little daughter Eva with her.
‘I like sitting in this sansit van,’ announces thefive-year-old, scrambling into the front with her mum’s help. ‘I’m just likethe Queen.’ She folds her arms and sits up straight, surveying the peoplewalking by. A woman in a navy-spotted sundress waves at her and Eva waves back.
I nod in agreement as I do up her seatbelt. ‘Transit vansare good. You have a great view and you can get three in a row in the frontseat.’
‘This is cosy,’ grins Molly, buckling up on Eva’s other side.‘Right, deliveries.’ She claps her hands. ‘Let’s go.’
Eva copies her, clapping her hands enthusiastically. ‘Let’sgo!’
‘So are you going to help your mum and me deliver the boxes,Eva?’ I smile fondly down at her blonde, candyfloss curls.
She nods but shoots her mum a sheepish look.
Molly smiles. ‘No, we’re dropping her off at her nana’s onthe way, if that’s okay?’
‘Of course.’
‘But Ilikedoing the deliveries with you,’ protestsEva. ‘I got chocolate last time.’
‘From Mrs Foster?’ Molly grins. ‘Yes, you did. And you ateit all yourself and forgot to share it with Fen and me.’
Eva regards her mum with a serious look. ‘I didn’t want togive some to you, Mummy.’
‘Really? Why not. It’s good to share things.’
‘But you said to Uncle Matt you were going to cover him inmelty chocolate and eat it all up.’
Molly gasps. ‘I never said that! When did I say that?’
‘When I was going to stay at my nana’s house.’ She looks atme and confides, ‘I had chicken nuggets and chips and chocolate ice-cream withsprinkles at Nana’s house.’
‘Lovely.’ I shoot Molly a grin, noticing her embarrassedglow. ‘It sounds as ifeveryoneenjoyed themselves that particularevening.’
Eva nods. ‘They made it all messy in the house.’ She gigglesand leans towards me, saying in a confidential whisper, ‘There was pizza on thechair and Mummy left her boobie goggles on top of the TV.’
I snort with laughter and Molly turns even redder and sayshastily, ‘Right. Next stop, Nana’s. And be quick about it.’ She lifts Eva’ssunhat and wafts her cheeks frantically. Then she catches my eye and mouths,boobiegoggles? And it’s all I can do to keep my laugh in.
‘Hey, that’s mine.’ Eva makes a grab for her sunhat, andwe’re all still laughing as we draw up outside the house.
With Eva despatched into her nana’s safe hands, we drive onto our first customer and Molly turns to me with a big smile.
‘Just over a month to go till the Big Day. You must be soexcited.’
I’d thought I was fine. I’d given myself several sternlectures on staying strong. But at the sight of Molly’s face, so hopeful andhappy for me, a swell of emotion surges up and crashes straight through mycarefully constructed defences.
‘What is it?’ she gasps at the look on my face.
I swallow hard. ‘Nothing. I’m just being silly.’
‘Tell me, Fen. Is it just wedding stress? Because everyonehas that.’
A tear escapes. ‘I don’t know. I suppose I thought theseweeks, before the actual wedding, would be a really happy time, buteverything’s going wrong. Mum’s being a pain, but of course I knew she wouldbe. But the worst thing is Rob.’
‘What about him?’
‘We had...words last night. We were outfor a meal but it was awful. We were just sniping at each other, and now Ican’t get the thought out of my head.’
