Page 71 of Before You Say I Do
“I also just wanted to say a huge thank you to Abby’s bridesmaids who’ve made this journey epic. Obviously I’ll do a proper toast at the wedding with gifts for you all.”
Jordan sat with a thud.
“But I especially wanted to say a huge thank you to Abby’s best friend Delta, and her oldest friend, Jordan. Particularly to Jordan, who’s stepped in and really made the run-up a breeze. So much so, she’s selflessly sitting at the end in hot pink, dealing with any issues and making them disappear. Here’s to you!” Marcus raised a glass in her direction.
The whole table turned to clap Jordan. She raised a weary smile.
Then she caught Abby’s gaze.
She was so beautiful.
Jordan was so over tonight.
When the clapping died down and Marcus was saying something else, she grabbed her bag and squeezed out the side door of the dining room as silently as she could. Then she walked back through the reception and out onto the main steps of the manor house. Its neatly manicured lawns stretched out under the imminent sunset. It really was a gorgeous setting for a gorgeous couple. This was how the world worked. Jordan had seen it enough to understand. If she ever got married, it would never happen in a place like this. She wouldn’t want it to, either. This venue wasn’t for the likes of her.
She was just about to walk down the steps to the car park and garden, when the main door opened.
It was Abby, with her beautiful shoulders on show. The same ones Jordan had gripped on the plane.
Jordan stilled, staring. “Are you lost?”
Abby shook her head. “I saw you slip out. I wanted to check you were okay.”
Jordan turned, and walked down the steps in a bid to get away. “I’m fine.”
Footsteps on the stairs signalled Abby was following. “Jordan,” she said, touching her arm. Abby had quick feet when she needed to.
Jordan shrugged her off, turning. “Go back to your rehearsal dinner, Abby. You heard Marcus. He’s the luckiest man in the world. You wouldn’t want to do anything to spoil that.”
Abby stared at her. “I’m sorry, okay? For it all. For kissing you. For having sex with you. It’s all my fault, and you’re the one who got caught up in it.”
“Not as sorry as I am.” Jordan’s heart hammered as her anger rose. “This is easy for you.” Jordan swept an arm out from her side. “You’ve got this whole cosy world to fall back on. A tall, rich man to run to. I don’t have any of that. And you made me feel things.Want things.” Her chest heaved. “And you just brush it off like it was nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing! It was the opposite of nothing!” Abby’s voice was raised, her tone staining the air. She seemed shocked by her volume, glancing around before turning herself down.
“You know it wasn’t nothing,” she whispered. “It was a whole lot of something. But it was wrong time, wrong place. I can’t change my mind now. No matter how much I might want to.” Her shoulders slumped, defeated. “You’ve no idea. My life is not as easy as you think. I haven’t slept all week, my job is getting bigger, and I haven’t been able to think about much else but you.”
Jordan scoffed. “Save it, Abby. You could change it if you wanted to. But you don’t want to.” Jordan squared up to her, unsure what she’d prefer to do. Shake Abby, or kiss her. Neither would do any good, though. Abby might harbour dreams of them being together, but if she was going to do anything about it, she’d have done it by now, wouldn’t she?
“I do want to, it’s just not that easy.” Now it was Abby’s turn to sweep her arm. “You might think this is something to fall back on. But it can also be a prison, too. One that stops me from doing what I want.”
“But you’re not from this rich and rarified world! What would your mum say?”
Abby dipped her head, obviously not wanting to answer that.
Jordan threw her hands in the air and began to pace. “I’m not sure I can take much more of this. I thought I could style it out, but the lying keeps sticking in my throat.”
“It’s not me, either!” Abby told her. “This, my job, none of it is.”
Jordan sighed. “It looks like it is, from where I’m standing.” She paused. “But I’ll finish the job as promised. Just don’t expect me to stick around on the day, toasting the happy couple.”
Abby nodded, her shoulders rising and falling. “Of course. Just know, I wish things could have been different. That we’d met under different circumstances.” She touched Jordan’s arm with her fingertips.
Even that light brush caused a frisson of desire to course through Jordan. She flicked her eyes to Abby.
“I never meant to hurt you, please know that. That I did absolutely crushes me.”
Jordan gulped, emotion rising in her. She couldn’t go back in now. She couldn’t shake Marjorie’s hand, pretend to Marcus that everything was fine.
