Date with Destiny

Chapter Sixteen

It’s been a week since we got back from our kinda-life-changing trip, which means three months of living back at Celeste’s house. And still – every day – I wake up baffled by where I am and how this could’ve happened.

Getting ready for work, I take it all in again, surveying my old bedroom, in my old bed with my old bedsheets; old curtains hanging from the windows, and surrounded on all sides by old teddy bears and a bookshelf full of old Simpsons DVDs.

I know I should change things up a bit. Like, at least take down that old Twilight poster of Robert Pattinson? But that would mean I live here. It would mean admitting defeat, conceding that I now really do co-habit with my mother in the house I grew up in.

And I can’t do that.

So far it is definitely meeting – exceeding – all my worst expectations.

Celeste has been on me the whole time. She immediately assumed the old mother–child dynamic I was so eager to escape at eighteen by running away to uni. She’s been hovering around me ever since I moved back in – fussing, haranguing, asking at all hours if I need her to ‘put on a wash’.

She follows me from room to room, telling me off for putting on the overhead light and leaving the sofa cushions at the wrong angle. Last night, when I announced I was going to bed, she chased me in here and I swear to god, she was this close to tucking me in. Every boundary I’ve spent the last fifteen years erecting is crumbling down around my ears.

I pull on a blouse, tucking it into my pencil skirt and smoothing out the creases with my hands. One nice thing about this situation, I think cheerfully to myself, is being able to commute to work with Toni!

I pad my way softly down the hall and knock lightly on Toni’s door.

‘You ready?’ I ask, peering around the door.

‘Yep!’ She lays down her hairbrush, beaming at me and I step out of the way as she joins me on the landing.

‘We’re off,’ Toni announces to Celeste as we pass the kitchen and she turns quickly, bouncing up from her seat.

‘I’ll take you! I’m going in today!’ She grabs her car keys and Toni and I glance at each other in surprise. Celeste so rarely comes to the store, especially for opening hour! She is not really a morning person, a fact the studio have had to get used to around filming Engage! But maybe this is my chance to put those manifestations I made on the trip into practice. I’ve brought up my engagement concierge idea with Celeste a couple of times, but only in passing and she’s given me the brush-off. If she’s working in the store today, I can sit her down properly and talk her through my plan, I know she’d be excited. Christmas is coming up in a couple of months, which means an influx of clients looking for rings. If we can implement the service soon, it could be a huge boon for the business.

Zach’s waiting in front of the store when we get there, pacing up and down a little impatiently. I feel myself turning red as we approach, thinking of the last time we saw each other at the wake. I’ve avoided him the last couple of times he’s been due in the shop, rearranging my shifts so Toni could liaise with him instead. Then, of course, I was away on the trip with Myfe and Toni. All of it means, I realize now, that it’s been a month since I’ve seen him. I also realize in a rush that the time apart has only increased my embarrassment.

‘Hiya!’ I call awkwardly and he turns, that actor smile spreading across his face. He opens his mouth to reply, then spots Toni and Celeste right behind me.

‘Oh!’ he says, his face falling. ‘Hi, everyone.’ He falters, gesturing behind him at the store. ‘Sorry to be so early. I was going to get everyone a coffee and then forgot and ended up… here…’ he finishes lamely and I breathe out. At least he seems as nervous and humiliated as me.

‘We’ll have to get you your own key!’ Toni trills happily, completely oblivious, as she passes by, opening the front door and gesturing at him to head in.

Inside, he points towards the office and I nod, ‘I’ll be right behind you, one sec!’

My heart is pounding as I make us coffee. I know how he likes it now: black with two sugars. Just like a good mate would know. Heading in with the cups, I immediately understand coffee was a mistake; my hands are shaking but he pretends not to notice.

‘Thanks!’ he says faux-brightly.

‘No problem!’ I match his tone, dying inside. ‘So, coming in this morning is lovely Joey Addiman.’ Zach nods enthusiastically, picking up the bag at his feet.

‘I’ve got the ring here. I hope he likes it.’

‘I hope Hannah likes it!’ I add, half laughing.

Joey met with us a couple of months ago, bringing in his great, great grandmother’s engagement ring that he wanted reworked and personalized for his partner, Hannah. He didn’t know exactly the look he wanted, so Zach and I talked him through options. Zach suggested adding some new feature stones to the design, and we discussed what would suit her personally, as well as her lifestyle. She works with her hands, as a private chef, which means some of the softer stones, like opals and turquoise, can get scratched or broken more easily than others. On the hardness scale, diamonds are the hardest material on earth, which is why they’re so perfect for an engagement ring you wear every day.

Plus, they’re so purty.

So he chose diamonds, but then we had to go through everything like cut, colour, clarity, and carat, plus the size of the band, with Zach working on mock-ups. Now the finished design is finally ready for collection.

Zach looks nervous so I reassure him. ‘I’m sure they’ll both love it. The designs you did were so beautiful.’

‘It’s a lot of pressure, especially when you’re essentially melting down a family heirloom!’ His voice jangles and he tries to laugh, but sighs instead. He looks up, staring at me with a serious expression on his face. ‘Ginny, look, I really need—’

‘Morning!’ Joey greets us excitedly at the door.

‘Joey!’ I exclaim, leaping up to give him a hug. You get overfriendly when you’ve spent weeks talking about the biggest moment of someone’s life.

‘Is it ready?’ the customer asks, nerves plain on his face.

‘It sure is!’ I beam, leading him to the counter.

We all grin at each other nervously as Zach reverently unpackages the box. Our mutual fear is plain on our faces and I hover anxiously as Joey stares at the finished product, the result of so much thought, care and love.

This is my favourite part – and also the scariest.

At last he breathes out heavily. ‘It’s stunning!’ He looks up to meet my eyes – his are wide and damp. ‘It’s exactly what I wanted, I love it.’ Beside me, I feel Zach exhale heavily. Joey pauses, his brow suddenly furrowed. ‘Oh god, do you think Hannah will like it? She’s shown me so many rings she likes over the years and this is definitely in the right area, but it’s also so unique. Do you think she’ll like it, you guys?’

‘I really do,’ I say as reassuringly and warmly as I can. ‘I think she’s going to love it.’

‘I’m so thrilled you’re happy,’ Zach says with genuine delight and I grin over at him.

‘He was so nervous,’ I share teasingly.

‘You were nervous!’ he laughs at Zach. ‘Think how nervous I’ve been!’

We all laugh now, full of relief.

‘Are you popping the question soon?’ I ask as I carefully replace the ring in the velvet box, admiring the satin lining as I close it, and begin the careful process of packaging it back up as beautifully as possible.

Joey is silent for a moment and I look up, concerned.

‘I actually don’t know,’ he admits. ‘I’ve been thinking so long and hard about the ring, I kind of forgot to make a decision about the proposal itself.’ He bites his lip, looking worried again. ‘I know I have to get down on one knee, right? Or is that a bit done now? My knees are a bit dodgy actually.’ He glances down at his legs, his face paling. ‘Should it be at home, with just the two of us, do you think? Or at a really big, fancy hotel? Or should it be in front of all her friends and family?’ His words are coming thicker and faster as the panic takes hold. ‘Or perhaps I should whisk her off abroad somewhere and do it on a beach? Or back to the place we had our first date? Or our first kiss? Or maybe that’s all too cheesy and she’d rather do something fun? Has anyone ever proposed during a session of laser tag? Ughhhh!’

I rest a comforting – and hopefully calming – hand on his arm.

‘Hey, it’s OK!’ I say nicely. ‘You’ll figure this out.’

‘And where am I going to hide that,’ he gestures wildly at the packaged-up ring on the counter, ‘until I decide on this and arrange everything?!’ He looks like he might cry and I fight the urge to hug him. ‘It has to be perfect, y’know? This proposal has to be the most memorable, amazing moment of Hannah’s life – it’s what she deserves – and I have to get it right. I want her to cherish this and for us to tell our grandchildren about it one day. I want her to be wowed!’

‘Right,’ I nod decisively and grab both his shoulders. ‘Joey, listen, you need to calm down and stop freaking out, OK?’ He swallows tearfully, shutting up at last, as I nod authoritatively. ‘Good. Now let’s go sit down for another minute and talk this through.’

We spend the next hour going through his options. We talk about Hannah and what she likes and dislikes. We talk about how close she is to her friends and family. We talk about how she feels about surprise parties, cheesiness and romance. He paints a picture of this woman he loves so much, and by the end of the hour, it seems clear to both me and Zach that Hannah is one of those increasingly rare people who will want a public proposal.

We settle on a plan for a surprise party at a hotel they stayed at early on in their courtship for their first minibreak. It’s where Joey said he loved her for the first time. Her friends will surprise her there for a huge celebratory party, where he will get down on his bad knee and propose. I am to hold onto the ring for him until everything is ready. Once it’s all booked, I’m going to personally deliver the ring to the hotel, disguised in some way, and make sure the concierge knows to pass it along subtly to Joey – and only Joey – when they arrive.

He is so grateful for my help that by the end, he is inviting me to come to the proposal party. I’m completely elated, and wave him off, thinking about how this is a moment Joey and Hannah will remember forever. How amazing that I get to be a part of it. I haven’t felt so buzzy and happy with my work in ages.

Zach and I wave Joey off at the door, both a bit drained – but happy.

‘Wow,’ Zach says quietly. ‘That was really cool.’

‘It was,’ I say, turning to him, forgetting the awkwardness for a moment. He suddenly steps closer. ‘Look, Ginny, about what I said at the wake.’ He clears his throat. ‘I really did mean it. About being friends, I mean. Do you think we could hang out as mates sometime? Away from the store?’

Oh fantastic. The rejection speech again. Just what I need.

‘Totally!’ I say, nodding too much. ‘That would be totally, totally great! Totally.’

Celeste bounds in at this moment and I’ve never been so relieved to have her unprofessionalism around.

‘Zach, darling!’ She reaches to air-kiss him and he awkwardly obliges. ‘How did it all go with the client? You two were with him for ages. I was starting to think you were up to no good!’ She giggles flirtily as we both blush beetroot. ‘Was he happy with your ring?’

At this Zach breaks out a genuine smile. ‘I think he loved it!’ He glances at me for reassurance and I nod. ‘And Ginny was amazing. She basically ended up planning his whole proposal for him!’ He laughs, then adds teasingly, ‘She’s a great engagement concierge, isn’t she? You definitely need to make that a proper, official service you offer at Celeste’s Stones.’

‘A what?’ Celeste frowns, peering at me.

‘Um, that idea I’ve had?’ I say nervously. ‘I’ve, er, mentioned it to you a few times?’ I swallow, steeling myself. ‘Actually I was hoping to talk it over with you properly, if you have a few minutes now?’

She shrugs a yes and Zach gives me an encouraging thumbs-up. ‘I’ll leave you to talk. I’d better get off,’ he says nicely, downing his half-drunk, cold coffee and heading to get his stuff.

‘Thanks again,’ I call out after him, relieved that at least some of the tension has gone. Maybe we could really be friends? Maybe it would be nice to have Zach as a friend.

As the store door shuts behind him, I take a deep breath. ‘So, Mum,’ I begin, ‘this engagement concierge idea. I’ve really noticed an uptick in how much more our clients want from us. They don’t just want a ring, they want help with the whole,’ I wave my hand, ‘deal. They want advice on the ideas, the planning, what to do, how to do it – they even want help with delivering the ring to the proposal venue!’

Before I can go any further Celeste turns on me. ‘That was incredibly unprofessional,’ she begins coldly.

‘What?’ I am startled. ‘What was?’

‘Talking about some silly little pet project with,’ she waves her hand at the door, ‘the help.’

‘The help?’ I am horrified. ‘You mean Zach? He’s part of the team now and—’

‘I don’t care.’ She looks furious. ‘Things like this go through me. You are not to try and undermine me or go around me like that.’

‘I, I, I didn’t mean to,’ I stutter. ‘I’ve actually tried to talk to you about it before but you—’

She cuts me off again. ‘I know and I thought I’d made it clear that I don’t think it would work.’ Her voice softens a little. ‘Darling, it’s sweet that you’re trying to think of cute little things for the brand, but you need to leave this kind of big picture thing to me.’

‘But… but…’ I want to shout that bringing Zach on board was my idea and point at how successful it’s been. I want to say how dare she talk down to me like this. I want to scream that I’ve been working here for ten years and I know this place! Better than her at this point, since she’s so rarely here.

But I’m too blocked up. I feel clogged and choked by all the things I want to say.

She smiles now, her rage evaporating. ‘We’ve actually got something rather exciting in the works for the brand. I’ve been talking to Daddy about it and it’s time we told you girlies. Go grab Toni and I’ll explain.’

I stand up, following her instructions though my whole body is numb with anger. I am so upset, so furious – mainly with myself. Why do I put up with this?

I beckon Toni into the office, still not able to find my words.

Once we’re seated, Celeste regards her with sparkling eyes. ‘Darlings! I have something big to discuss with you. I’ve been talking to Daddy—’ I gag slightly at Daddy as she continues ‘—and we’ve decided to expand!’ She looks between Toni and I. My surprise is mirrored on my sister’s face. An expansion? What does that mean? ‘We’re going to start doing accessories!’ Celeste continues, ablaze with excitement. ‘And we want to open another store, followed – hopefully – by more later on. We want Celeste’s Stones to take over the world!’

Toni claps, bouncing on the spot a little. ‘That’s brilliant, Mum!’ she says and they hug happily. I paste on a smile, too, feeling wholly blindsided. She’s been talking to Dad? Who’s never in the country? Couldn’t this discussion have included me?

And, god, accessories? What does that mean? Will it be in the new store or here? I’m not sure it’s a good idea. We’ve always traded on being boutique; a unique, one-off store in Central London. People travel to visit us. Yes, for the Celeste Bretherton experience, but also for our personalized, individual service. We’re a family business that can dedicate our time to clients. We genuinely care about what we’re doing for them. If we expand, would we still be able to do that?

Celeste catches my expression. ‘Darling,’ she says breezily. ‘Look, I know you’ve got your heart set on this little proposal butler thingy—’

‘Engagement concierge,’ I correct her weakly, wondering if proposal butler is better.

She waves her hand dismissively. ‘I just can’t really see it taking off.’ My heart crashes into my stomach as she pulls a faux-sympathetic face. ‘I haven’t seen any evidence of our clients wanting that kind of service from us—’

You’re never here to see it!I want to scream but don’t.

‘—and I just think it’ll take you away from your real job. We’ll be keeping you very busy with this new line and the new store. We’re opening the new place in January and I want you running it. You won’t have time for silly little extras like engagement concierging.’ She giggles like it’s nonsense and I swallow hard, feeling crushed.

‘Right…’ I begin, trying to decide whether it’s worth fighting my corner. I really thought I’d come up with something good – something our clients would be excited by! Maybe she’s right that the demand isn’t there. She does know what the people want, doesn’t she? She’s worked with the public long enough.

‘And,’ Celeste is still in presenting mode, ‘we’ve already enlisted a Love Island star to help design our first range of accessories!’ she smoothly changes the subject back. ‘Daddy and I are thrilled!’

I nod, feeling overwhelmed. It’s one thing having a reality star – my mother – as the face of our business, but at least she’s seen as an expert in her field. Doesn’t this dilute the brand?

I suppress a sigh, thinking about everything that’s happened to me in the last few months; thinking of the multiple failures and rejections.

What do I know about anything? Why would I think I’d have anything decent to offer the business? I really thought the concierge service was a good idea, and it felt like a good way to carve out my own niche in the family business, away from my mother, while staying a part of a business I genuinely love.

I feel so locked in. Every time I try to move on with my life, I get blocked. I try to move on from Daniel and get rejected. I try to focus on work and Celeste slaps me down. I try to find the fortune teller so I can finally figure out if these predictions mean anything, and it’s another dead end.

All I want to do now is go home – the home that isn’t even my home – get into bed, and cry. I hate that life is supposed to go on.