Page 2 of The Perfect Summer Wedding

Scarlet pulled a face. ‘But why the competition to design her wedding dress? You know, I wouldn’t want the job of that poor wedding planner – what’s her name, Tish? – for all the silk in China. I bet you she’s already tearing her hair out and the competition hasn’t even been finalised yet. It’s the end of March, the wedding’s on the thirty-first of July; that’s just four months away. I predict a confetti-infused nightmare!’

‘Well, it’s just as well she did, isn’t it, Scarlet?’ smiled Sophie, tucking the sharply angled sides of her ebony bob behind her ears. She blew her fringe away from tickling at her eyelashes as she finished the last embellishment, then snipped the thread like a ceremonial ribbon.

‘Why?’

Sophie rolled her eyes. Scarlet was her clear-headed second-in-command, but sometimes she seemed to inhabit a galaxy far, far away. ‘Because, Scarlet darling, in case you haven’t noticed, Sophie-Louise Bridal Couture has been shortlisted through to the final stages.’

‘Oh, yes. And your design will win, Sophie, I know it will. It’s a heavenly creation! I’m so proud of what you’ve done.’

‘What we’vealldone. This has been a real team effort. Even Flora has had an input.’

‘Sure.’ Scarlet’s perfectly outlined Cupid’s bow stretched to reveal her white, even teeth.

Sophie stood up, stretched her back, then smiled at her colleague. It was difficult not to adore Scarlet, with her signature red lips and nail polish chosen to clash violently with her auburn hair. She had, without a murmur of complaint, hand-sewn the tiniest of crystals onto the ivory silk until her fingers bled and she was banished from the studio for fear of jeopardising the pristine fabric. After that, she had assumed the mantle of caring friend, force-feeding Sophie a diet of chocolate digestives and toast – the extent of her culinary knowledge – for which Sophie had been immensely grateful. Some days it was the only sustenance to pass her lips and had kept the hunger pangs at bay.

Never one to hold back when delicacy was required, Scarlet would regularly burst forth with gems of her own brand of wisdom. “You need to get out more” was a regular refrain delivered to Sophie’s ears, along with the ubiquitous “all work and no play”, before she went on to dispense a dose of friendly criticism of her failure to frequent the capital’s bars and restaurants. She would end with a demand that Sophie join her and Flora for a night on the town when Sophie could no longer focus her eyes on the wedding dress of the decade.

Sophie had watched from her seat in the Grand Circle as Scarlet took her own advice and lurched from one romantic encounter to the next, leaving her heart-broken conquests littering her fragrant slipstream.

‘So, what’s new on the relationship front, Scarlet?’

‘Well, now that I’m about to be freed from the shackles of my workaholic boss, I intend to make up for my enforced dating celibacy by hitting the bars in the West End and sampling a different cocktail in every single one of them, starting with yourpersonal favourite – a vodka martini. And you will be perched on the stool next to me, Sophie. You haven’t had a date in months. In fact, when was the last time you agreed to go out with a guy?’

‘Oh, you know me. I don’t have time to date. I’m just too busy with…’

‘We’re all busy, Sophie. But that’s not it. You always seem to come up with a convenient diagnosis of a fatal flaw in every guy you date. You seem to perform the dating equivalent of an archaeological dig in order to unearth any perceived imperfection that you can hone in on as an excuse not to take things further. Remember Marcus? He was gorgeous – a model, for God’s sake! He could make a bin liner look sexy. He was perfect!’

‘And didn’t he know it,’ muttered Sophie.

Scarlet ignored her. ‘And Andrew? The paediatrician? The guy who sent you flowers every day for a month?’

‘Too attentive, too studious, and he talked about having kids the whole time!’ Sophie averted her eyes from Scarlet’s stony glare.

‘What about Carter? He was an American footballer! What’s not to like? He flew you to New York for the weekend! You stayed at the Waldorf Astoria!’

‘And it rained the whole time.’

‘You know, Sophie, I wish I’d had half your opportunities to find “the one”. You’ve got to relax, give someone the chance to get to know you. But there’s something else going on here, isn’t there? Something you’re not telling me. What exactly are you searching for?’

Scarlet shook her head slowly, then fixed her eyes on Sophie and lowered her voice to a whisper. ‘It’s Noah, isn’t it?’

Chapter Two

Sophie was too exhausted to disguise her emotions from her friend and she could feel heat seep into her face. The look of sadness that washed across Scarlet’s pretty features sent a spasm of irritation into her chest at being sussed so easily.

‘I knew it. You still love Noah, don’t you? After all this time?’

‘No I don’t…’

‘It’s understandable that you still have feelings for him, Soph. You dated him right through high school and university. Hey, and wasn’t he the first guy you kissed when you were, like, twelve or something? But I thought you said you’d moved on?’

‘I have.’

‘So why is your face the same shade as my nail polish?’

‘It’s not. Anyway, Scarlet…’

‘And isn’t Noah’s band playing at Lilac and Finn’s reception? It was a real coup when Finn announced he’d pulled that one off. Apparently, the Razorclaws will be on tour in Germany at the end of July, and they’ve agreed to interrupt their schedule as a special favour to Finn. Wasn’t he at music school with Noah?’

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