Chapter 18
18
JOEL
I was about to return to the Juniper Lounge and get back into the wedding spirit, but my teeth had that furry feeling, and my mouth had the dryness that came with afternoon drinking so I headed up to my room. My family suite came with a mini-bar so, after freshening up, I grabbed a bottle of cold water and took a couple of welcome glugs. I was going to sprawl out on the sofa but fatigue suddenly gripped me and I feared that, if I sat down, I might fall asleep. Instead, I wandered over to the window and opened it to let in some fresh air.
My room was at the front of Fennington Hall overlooking the gravel car park and the grounds beyond, including a second lake and an arboretum. A shout drew my attention towards the hotel entrance. Lorna was running down the steps with Chez racing after her. He grabbed the handle of her overnight bag, evidently trying to stop her leaving, but she snatched it from his grasp and he stumbled down the last couple of steps. I wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying but the volume of their voices, the gesticulating and the body language left me in no doubt that they were having a blazing row. She stormed a few paces across the car park, he caught her, there was more shouting and gesticulating and she set off once more. I felt guilty watching them, but they were arguing in a well-lit public place with evening guests arriving and having to dodge past them. I’d always thought that Lorna was the one with the fiery temper but it seemed my brother could give as good as he got, although the amount of alcohol he’d consumed across the afternoon was likely a contributory factor.
Lorna was striding along the middle of the car park, coming closer. Lights flashed on a blue hatchback – the car Lorna occasionally borrowed from her mum. Lorna tossed her bag onto the passenger seat, got in and slammed the door behind her, ignoring Chez banging on the window as she started the engine. Seconds later, she’d reversed with a wheelspin and sped out of the car park.
Chez cut such a sorrowful figure staring after her. I pushed the window open wider and shouted his name. He looked around him, clearly confused as to where the voice had come from.
‘Up here! First floor.’
He looked up. ‘Joel?’
‘Are you okay?’
‘Did you see that?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then why ask? Of course I’m not okay.’
‘Wait there. I’ll come down.’
‘To give me another fatherly talk. No, thanks.’ He took a couple of paces towards the hall then turned and gave me the finger. I closed the window and sank down onto one of the chairs with a heavy sigh. Sarcastic and snarky were Chester’s default modes, but the aggression was new. I had enough hostility to deal with from Tilly and I’d put up with it so far because I wanted to see my daughter, but I wasn’t prepared to take it from my brother too.
I took another glug of water and found Harry’s number on my phone.
To Harry
I know this is none of my business but Chez is in a really bad place right now and I think he could use a friend
I stopped typing and shook my head, deleting the message. My first few words said it all and I was fairly sure that sticking my nose in would backfire on me. It could also make things worse between Chez and Harry. After all, I didn’t know the full story. All I had were my brother’s moans that Harry sided with Deana over him but there’d be three sides to this story – Chez’s, Harry’s and the truth.
I sent Dad a message instead.
To Dad
Don’t know if you’ll pick this up but I’ve just seen Chez and Lorna have a big bust-up and she’s gone. He refuses to speak to me, but he might listen to you. No idea where he is now and I’m not suggesting you go on a wild goose chase around the building but, if you do encounter him, can you see if you can get through to him?
From Dad
We’ll be coming back down in 10 mins so will watch out for him then. Enjoy your evening and don’t worry about Chez. We’ll sort it!
Dad was seemingly incapable of adding just one emoji to make a point and had gone crazy with the party-themed emojis adding people dancing, music notes, party poppers and all the drinks ones, which helped defuse the tension inside me. I hated passing the buck as they’d come a long way to be at the wedding and I wanted them to enjoy themselves, but they were Chez’s parents and it felt like he needed them right now.
I finished my water and pushed the incident with Chez and the exchange of words with Tilly out of my head before going downstairs to join in the festivities. The laughter emanating from the Juniper Lounge immediately lifted my spirits.
The bar was busy and, despite an hour still to go until the evening do, I spotted several evening guests who were obviously keen to make the most of their night out. A large patio ran the full length of the bar and was illuminated with fairy lights, spotlights and the glow from several patio heaters so a number of guests had spilled outside.
I ordered a pint and worked my way round the room, joining in various conversations. I’d been down for about twenty minutes and there was no sign of my parents or Chez which either meant they’d found him and were having a chat or they hadn’t found him and were relaxing in the snug.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a streak of orange and turned to see Amber introducing Poppy to her dad. I had a clear view of her, and she looked exceptionally nervous which appeared to amuse her partner. Cole gave her a hug and Poppy’s partner took several photos of them. After a brief chat during which Poppy appeared to relax, Jules, Sophie and her boyfriend, Devon, joined them, quickly followed by Brad and Tabs. Soon Poppy was having her photo taken with the whole of Amber’s celebrity family. I couldn’t take my eyes off her captivating smile. Her partner was taking all the photos. Why wouldn’t he be in them too? Maybe he was camera shy.
I was aware of a presence beside me and looked down to see Zara grinning at me.
‘She’s very pretty,’ she said.
‘Who is?’
‘Poppy. The woman in the orange dress who you can’t take your eyes off.’
‘I wasn’t looking at her. I was just…’ I shook my head. Why even bother to deny it? ‘Yes, she’s very pretty and, yes, I was looking at her. Who is she?’
‘A guest at Whisperwood Farmhouse. Mary invited her and she’s lovely. You should ask her to dance when the disco starts.’
‘I can’t do that. She’s with someone.’
‘They’re not together. He’s her ex-husband. Lives between London and Spain and is working in the area next week, so they’re catching up.’
It was great news that they weren’t an item, but could attending a wedding with her ex-husband be a sign of a reconciliation?
‘Sounds like it might be complicated.’
Zara laughed and gave me a gentle punch on the arm. ‘Far from it. They’re just good friends. He’s happily remarried with a new baby girl. And he’s not staying late tonight so, if you like her, don’t leave it too long. She barely knows anyone so, once he’s gone, she might not want to stick around.’
My heart sank at the thought of her leaving.
‘You know her. Can’t you convince her to stay?’
She laughed again. ‘I’ll do my best. And it looks like Amber’s family have adopted her so, if they have anything to do with it, she’ll be on the dance floor until the very end.’
We both watched as Amber took Poppy off to meet some guests.
Zara nudged me. ‘Shouldn’t be me convincing her to stay anyway. It should be you. Do I need to remind you of a conversation we had a couple of years ago about missed opportunities?’
I rolled my eyes at her and she laughed.
‘You said she’s staying at Whisperwood? So she’s not local.’
‘Don’t you dare let that put you off! Have you learned nothing?’
I hadn’t acted on my attraction to Zara a few years back for that exact reason and she was right to challenge me not to make the same mistake again.
‘If you’re feeling something – and I can tell you are – then act on it. Talk to her, ask her to dance and take it from there. Please, Joel.’
Poppy glanced in our direction and, as her eyes met mine, her smile widened. My heart pounded as I smiled back and raised my hand in a small wave.
‘I think she likes you too,’ Zara said.
‘What do you know about her?’
‘Not much. She helped us make the favours the other night and she seems really lovely, but most of the talk was about weddings, which is how I know about her ex. Here’s Mary. She might know more.’
Barney’s grandma stopped. ‘Did I hear my name?’
‘We were trying to work out who all the guests were,’ Zara said. ‘Joel didn’t know Poppy so I told him she’s staying at Whisperwood.’
I smiled at Zara, appreciative of her quick-thinking and discretion. If Mary had a sniff of a suggestion that I was interested in Poppy, she’d have marched me straight over to her and blurted it out.
‘Oh yes, such a sweet girl,’ Mary said. ‘She arrived on Monday for a week. Poor lass needed a break. Her dad’s got late-stage Alzheimer’s. Heartbroken she is. So sad.’
Natasha appeared, needing Zara’s help to set up the photo booth and Mary excused herself, leaving me alone for a moment. I glanced over at Poppy once more. She was with Samantha’s family, crouching down beside Samantha and Josh’s kids, laughing at something one of them had said. They passed her their bride and groom pigs and she moved them around. Whatever she was saying gave Thomas and Lyra the giggles. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. It wasn’t just her looks that captivated me, although I wasn’t blind to how attractive she was. It was that she’d been kind to my daughter and now she was making Samantha’s kids laugh. After what had happened with Marley, I couldn’t even think about being with someone who didn’t love kids. It had to be a dealbreaker if they didn’t understand and accept that I came as a two-for-one package, accompanied by a whole lot of ex-shaped baggage.
I thought about what Mary had said about Poppy’s dad and wondered whether the smiles and laughter were a mask or whether this was a rare moment to escape from the heartbreak for a few hours and let her hair down. Now that I knew about her dad, Poppy suddenly seemed vulnerable and my heart sank. If we did get talking and she opened up about him, I’d listen and empathise and very likely get pushed into the friend zone. I met this really nice bloke at the wedding. Such a sweetie, but we’re just friends.
I sipped on my drink and reprimanded myself for the negative attitude. How about manifesting a different scenario? I met this really nice bloke at the wedding. Such a sweetie and exactly what I’ve been looking for – someone who listens, cares, understands. He might be the one. I liked that scenario a lot. I’d learn from my mistakes and take Zara’s advice not to be put off by Poppy not being local. I wouldn’t worry about the ex-husband either. We all had a past. I had an ex-fiancée and life would have been so much easier if we’d maintained the sort of friendship that Poppy and her ex clearly had. And I wouldn’t place myself in the friend zone. I just needed to find the right moment to approach her.