Page 7 of Before You Say I Do
“You’d be surprised,” Jordan replied. “Does 10am work? I like to leave plenty of time for an initial consultation, at least two hours. Think of it as having a coffee with a friend. Just chatting, getting to know each other. At the end of that, you’ll know whether we can work together. Does that sound okay?”
Abby nodded. “It sounds almost normal.”
Jordan laughed. It had a deep timbre to it which made Abby smile.
“I’ll see you Saturday,” Jordan said. “And I promise to try to be almost normal.”
Chapter 5
Jordan arrangedto meet Abby in Pinkies Up, a recent addition to the café culture on Balham High Street. She’d contacted her friend Sean who lived in the area, and he’d told her this was the local hotspot. He wasn’t wrong. The place was a sea of white wooden tables with matching chairs. The walls were painted a shimmering pink, adorned with ample plants in holders whose leaves fell casually everywhere her eye could see. Jordan liked the effect. Plants calmed her, made her feel at ease.
She was early, because that’s who she was. Jordan sat and let her gaze sweep the room as she sipped her Americano with hot milk. The café was busy, with the usual mix of parents and kids, along with an array of people typing furiously on their laptops. Jordan had never understood that tribe until she started her own business. Now she got it. The chance to work outside the four walls of your own home, with the hum of human interaction. Although after a long job like the one she’d just done, she craved solitude for a few days. Her business dealt with the public, and that was never an easy ride.
At bang on ten, a woman walked in, wringing her hands, her gaze darting around the café. The woman from the email. Abby.
Jordan sat up. Even if she hadn’t known what Abby looked like, she would know it was her. Jordan had done this many times before. Although normally, the brides weren’t quite as reluctant as Abby had sounded on the phone. Brides usually welcomed extra attention. So perhaps Abby was going to be more of a challenge than normal.
Jordan had told Abby she’d be wearing a yellow shirt. She knew it popped against her tanned skin; she always got comments when she wore it. She’d teamed it with some black trousers and white Grenson trainers for a casual, but put-together look. On first meetings like this, too formal made things stilted.
Jordan stood up and gave Abby a mini-wave, like she was shining a window.
She held out her hand as Abby approached. “Thanks for coming, Abby. It’s great to meet you.”
Abby gave her a firm handshake and a curt nod, before sitting in the chair opposite. She was dressed in dark blue jeans and a black top. Her hands were manicured, her nails polished red. They told Jordan she took care of herself. Her dark hair just hit her shoulders, flowing out into a wave as it did. Plus, she’d brought her killer cheekbones. No doubt about it, Abby was striking. She clutched her brown Coach handbag as she gave Jordan the once over.
Did Jordan’s blond hair, blue eyes, and winning smile pass the test? It seemed they did, as Abby’s body visibly relaxed.
“I nearly didn’t come.” Abby had a soft, lilting Scottish accent. She leaned back in her chair. “But then my etiquette got the better of me. I knew you’d come all the way from Brighton, and it would be a little rude of me to stand you up.” Her shoulders went up, then down. “So, here am I. How long I’m staying… Well, that depends.”
“On what? How tasty the coffee is? I can tell you it’s pretty good.” Jordan flagged down a passing waitress.
Abby gave her coffee order. Then she shifted in her seat again, before turning to hang her bag on the back of her chair.
She was staying. Round one to Jordan.
“I’ve got to say, you’re not what I expected.”
“Oh?” Jordan rarely was. “What did you expect?”
“Someone in a bridesmaid dress. Which is stupid, I know. You’re not at a wedding, so why would you do that? It’s just, you look like you could be one of my friends. Someone I know. I didn’t expect that.”
Jordan smiled. “That’s kind of the point. My job is to blend in to your life, and I can do that by looking however you want.” She lifted a few strands of her shoulder-length blond hair. “This is my almost natural colour, with a little help from a bottle. But I’ve dyed it auburn, red, and even black when I needed to. I can be whoever you want me to be.” Jordan let her gaze run down Abby’s tall, lithe frame. Abby was still in fight or flight mode. Jordan’s job was to keep talking, and make her feel relaxed. It was her speciality. “But I’m getting ahead of myself.”
The waitress brought the coffee.
“Do you want anything to eat?” Did Abby normally eat breakfast? Jordan would lay bets she didn’t.
Abby shook her head. “I’m good.”
“Okay. So I guess I should tell you a little bit about my business. I started it because I saw a need, and it’s grown through word of mouth. How did Marcus find out about me?”
“On a website I think.” She pursed her lips, screwing up her forehead. “Although it’s a bit weird he even knew such a service existed.”
“When he emailed, it sounded to me like he just wanted to make your wedding as easy as possible. That’s my job, and I do it well. You can speak to any of the brides I’ve worked with before and they’ll tell you that.”
“I’ll take your word for it.” Abby sipped her coffee, giving Jordan a nod. “You’re right. This is good. So what do you normally talk about at these first meetings?”
Jordan cleared her throat. “What I can do to help you out. But also, it’s just a chance for us to get to know each other and see if we can work together. Because if we do, it’s pretty full-on. I don’t take on everybody who asks me, and I don’t get taken on by everyone, either. No pressure.” Jordan paused. Abby was a tricky one to work out. “Let’s start off with something easy. Tell me about your life. Your work, your family. And then of course, the most important thing: how you met Marcus.”
