Page 4 of The Wedding Cake Wish
Seeing my face, Ellie squeezes my arm. ‘A cocktail isdefinitely what’s needed.’
‘Definitely. I need some Dutch courage to face the meetingtonight. Shall we go to the bar here? They do a very nice cheeky mojito.’
She shakes her head. ‘You’re getting married, Fen. Andyou’re moving into your beautiful new house in a few weeks. We need to gosomewhere really swish to celebrate. My treat.’
‘No, Ellie.’ I stare at her in horror.
Jaz nudges me. ‘Ourtreat. We’re both chipping in.’She grins. ‘And you’d better make the most of my generosity because at the ratebaby Emma is growing out of her clothes, I’ll be penniless by this time nextweek.’ She rubs her hands together, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.‘Okay, girls. The Alexandra Hotel cocktail lounge?’
*****
‘I love you two,’ I murmur, as I practically fall out ofthe taxi a couple of hours later at the back door to Brambleberry Manor. ‘Butyou shouldn’t have let me have that third Woo Woo. I love peach schnapps but I’msonot used to drinking that much. Am I walking in a straight line?’ Imake an attempt, trip over my own feet and lurch to one side, to a chorus ofraucous laughter from the back seat of the taxi.
Jaz snorts. ‘If that’s what you’re like after just threecocktails, how will you be on your Big Day wheneveryoneis buying youdrinks?’
Ellie, curled up in the corner, grins. ‘I promiseIwon’t buy you a drink.’
I giggle. ‘Gee, thanks.’
‘What the hell is a Who Who, anyway?’
‘AWoo Woo. Sex on the Beach without the lemonade. Oris it the orange juice? I can’t think. My brain’s turned to flippin’ sawdust.’
‘Love you, too, Fen,’ Ellie calls, as Jaz pulls the doorclosed with a cheery wave.
I wave them off, feeling all smiley and sentimental. Then Ipause, take a deep breath and go inside.
‘Fen? Is that you? We’ve been waiting for you.’ Mum’s voice callsthrough and next second, she’s standing in the hall looking flushed andbright-eyed, the way she always gets when an event she’s organising is looming.
‘Well, I’m here now!’ I smile and mentally count to ten as Ifollow Mum through to the drawing room.
CHAPTERTWO
Rob is there, perched on the sofa in his best shirt andtie, looking rather awkward, and he smiles with relief when I walk in.
‘Right, I’ll go and cook the scallops,’ Mum says and clipsaway to the kitchen in her maroon and dark blue kitten heels, which match thesleek navy dress she’s wearing, leaving Rob and me alone together.
He smiles up at me and I sit down beside him. ‘Any news ofRory?’
He shakes his head and at the mention of his best man,despair shines in his eyes. He’s known Rory since schooldays, and I know thefact that Rory’s been out of touch since Thursday is preying on his mind.
He’d phoned Rob and arranged to meet him at the pub on theFriday, the following night. Rob waited over an hour but Rory never showed up.Phone calls and texts elicited no response from Rory over the weekend, so wereasoned that maybe he’d lost his phone or gone away for the weekend and leftit behind by mistake, having forgotten about the arrangement.
But then earlier today Rob was in Sunnybrook and he bumpedinto one of Rory’s colleagues at the IT firm where he works. Dave told him thatRory had phoned in sick on the Friday and then taken holiday that was owing tohim, although no one knew where he’d gone.
‘He’ll turn up,’ I murmur cheerfully.
Rob doesn’t look convinced, so I search my brain forsomething positive to say. ‘Rory’s been so good, looking after his mum afterthat horrific accident she had. Maybe he just needed to get away for a whileand relax a bit?’
A glimmer of hope appears on Rob’s face. ‘Maybe.’
I shake my head. ‘Poor Rachel. Tripping over and fallingunder that car. It’s amazing she survived.’
He nods. ‘If Rory hadn’t been there for his mum every singleday when she left hospital, I don’t know what would have happened to her. Shecouldn’t have managed on her own.’
‘She is getting stronger now, though, isn’t she?’
‘Yeah, yeah.’ He smiles at me. ‘So you’re probably right.Now that Rachel can fend for herself, Rory might have just taken off somewhereto relax a bit.’
