Chapter Nine
Genevieve poured her remaining prosecco into a nearby bush and held out her empty glass. Finlay sloshed some champagne into it, then did the same in his own glass. Some of it spilled down the sides. And he looked a little uncoordinated. Unsurprising, as they’d packed away quite a lot already. Maybe champagne on top wasn’t a great idea, but hey, life was short and this was a party.
‘Here’s to us.’ She held her glass high.
‘Who’s like us?’ He took a mouthful. ‘Damn few and they’re aw deid.’ He added in a much broader accent than usual.
‘What are you talking about?’ Genevieve chuckled.
‘It’s a toast my dad always makes. It starts with “here’s to us”. I couldn’t help saying it.’
‘I’ve never heard that before. It sounds a bit morbid.’
‘Yeah. Let’s not be morbid and spoil the evening.’
‘You know what?’ Genevieve took another sip, then let out a long sigh. ‘I’m really sorry for what Elise did to you. All her friends, including me and your sister, thought it was very strange when she started dating you. We all wanted to believe she was doing it for the right motives.’
‘Yup. Me too. Shows how easily duped I am. Honestly, my friends, colleagues, even some of my students, look at me with pitying faces. They think I’m a gullible idiot.’
‘But you’re not, are you? You’re a really sweet and sensitive guy.’ She traced a finger over his adorable, closely trimmed beard.
‘Thanks.’ He shook his head at his glass.
‘I told you I always fancied you.’ Of course he didn’t believe her, so why the hell was she telling him? The prosecco had loosened her tongue to level dangerous. ‘Elise was stupid. If she’d stuck it out, she’d have had herself a great guy.’
‘Hey, you told me to quit with the mushy stuff. What’s got into you? Where’s the serene vlogging The Vieve face gone?’
She slugged back more champagne. ‘She’s not really me. I’m just a normal person really. I want the same things as you. Two point four kids, a house with a garden and all that jazz. But my public image has made that so hard to find. People see me as this cool single girl who has everything under control. I go on dates and friends like to set me up with people, but whenever I meet guys, it never plays out right.’
‘Why?’
‘I’ve made such a big deal out of finding “the one”, but I have no idea how I’ll know. Will there be a lightning bolt moment or something? Because I have to be bloody sure he’s the right one or I’ll look like a right idiot.’ When she was a teen, she’d wanted Finlay to be the one, but she’d stuck to the friend code and stayed well away. It wasn’t like he’d ever have looked at her anyway; no doubt she was too young and silly in his eyes. And she always got so tongue tied around him. Then he’d got a girlfriend and life got in the way, but she’d never forgotten how it had felt the first time she’d noticed him.
He stared at her. ‘You’ve set yourself up to fail. That’s waiting for some kind of perfection that’s never going to happen.’
‘How do you know? Lots of people meet “the one” and just know. It’s a well-documented fact. That Logan bloke was just talking about it in there. Usually the people who don’t believe it are the people who’ve never experienced it.’
‘I’m not denying things like that happen. Sometimes you make an instant connection with people and other times it takes work. I work with students every day. Every time we get a new class, it’s the same. Some of them I have an instant rapport with, others not so much. The same is true for colleagues and people I meet at clubs. So, of course, I believe it can happen for love as well. But if you’re waiting for it and obsessing over it, then it’s unrealistic.’
‘Why? Like you say, in your class, there’s a few students you have an instant rapport with. Doesn’t it stand to reason if I go on enough dates, then at least a small percentage have the chance of being right?’
‘I’d say a small percentage stands a chance of you liking them and being more comfortable around them – maybe even fancying them more than the others. But you’re talking about finding one person to top all the others. I mean, I’m not sure how that’s even possible.’ He shook his head like he was contemplating climbing a sheer-faced mountain, then frowned and put his hand on his forehead as if settling a dizzy spell.
‘You do realise sometimes people who really like other people act the opposite way?’ she said.
‘How do you mean?’
‘Sometimes when you really like someone but know you can’t have them, it’s easier to act as if you don’t like them.’ She slumped back on the seat.
‘I can see how that might happen.’
‘It’s impossible to meet the right person at the right time, isn’t it?’ She’d tried with James. He was a good enough guy, just not her guy. Playing at love wasn’t the same as being in love.
Finlay shuffled up beside her. ‘Don’t ask me. I’ve tried twice and failed.’
‘Did you really believe they were “the one” both times?’
‘I don’t really know. I’m not sure I’ve ever looked at it like that. They were people I liked and enjoyed being around. But my head and my heart feel so bruised by it all, I can’t remember clearly what I thought. It’s such a mess.’
She leaned on his shoulder and it was so warm. He lifted the champagne bottle from the seat beside him and refilled their glasses. They sipped them in silence for a few minutes.
‘I was that girl, Finlay.’
‘What girl?’
‘The one who pretended to hate the guy she fancied.’
‘Do you mean me?’
‘Yup. I keep telling you. I didn’t want to do anything when I was a teenager. I was too young anyway. If anything had gone wrong, I didn’t want to fall out with Hayley or put her in a difficult position; she was always such a good friend. When Elise started dating you, I couldn’t bear it.’
Was it her imagination or had her words become over dramatic? Oh god. Was she slurring? But she couldn’t stop.
‘How could Elise do that?’ she said. ‘She broke the rule I’d stuck by and took the guy I wanted. The one who never looked at me. The one I got so bloody embarrassed around.’
‘Genevieve, where is this all coming from? Why are you saying this stuff?’
‘Because it’s true. And I hate what she did to you. You’re a good guy. This afternoon has been amazing. I haven’t felt this free around a guy for… Well, I don’t know when. It’s what I always dreamed of.’
‘I enjoyed it too,’ he said, putting his arm around her shoulder and squeezing it. ‘And I’m sure I never meant to upset you when we were younger. You were so much younger at that point it would have been weird. But you know what? I wish it had been you and not Elise. You’re much more my kind of girl. Elise was always a lot more tense. You’ve been more open with me in one afternoon than she ever was.’
They fell silent and Genevieve stared into the water dripping from the fountain into the pond until her eyes glazed over. She wanted to cry. A pain rose in her chest. Why hadn’t she been the one he’d found? Why did it have to be Elise? The tinkling of the fountain and the gentle breeze in the roses were the only sounds. The early evening fragrance from the flowers was heady and enough to induce drowsiness.
‘You know what I think?’ Finlay said a little hoarsely, and Genevieve blinked. Had she fallen asleep?
‘No.’
‘This is fate.’
‘What is?’
‘You and me. This is it. This is the lightning bolt moment. I am “the one”.’
She turned slowly to face him, her eyes widening. ‘I know. That’s what I’ve been telling you. It was always you.’
‘Then, let’s do it.’
‘Do what?’
‘Get married.’
‘Just like that? Vegas style?’
‘Yeah. That’s what we both want. You said so just now. We’ve both been waiting for the right moment and it’s finally arrived.’
She blinked, and something on the edge of her brain signalled a warning, but she couldn’t be bothered examining it. ‘So, what are you going to do?’
‘I propose that I propose.’
‘Oh my god.’ He couldn’t be serious, could he?
‘I mean, I am the expert at proposals, after all. Look at the experience I have.’
‘Then hang on. Let’s do it properly. Here.’ She pulled out her phone from her little clutch bag and propped it on the wall beside the seat. It took her uncoordinated fingers several attempts to get it in the right place. ‘I want to make sure I don’t forget this momentous momentum… moment… thingy.’ She hit the red button and smiled. ‘Can you believe this?’ she said to the camera. ‘I’ve found “the one”. He’s here.’ She clenched her fists and squeed.
‘Does that red light mean this is live?’ Finlay muttered.
‘Just recording.’ She turned back and smiled at him.
‘Well…’ He adjusted the collar on his shirt. ‘Let’s make this third time lucky.’ He dropped to one knee in front of the seat and took her hand in his.
Genevieve held her breath at the sight. It was too sexy and adorable for words. He really was the most handsome man; the one she’d always wanted.
‘Genevieve,’ he said. ‘I can’t believe I found you when I’d almost given up hope, but here you are. I think you’re wonderful… and beautiful. And… I love you.’
She bit her lip, holding on to a laugh that could easily become tears. ‘I love you too,’ she blurted. ‘You’re the sweetest, funniest guy ever.’
‘Would you make me the happiest man alive and do me the great honour of marrying me?’
She unleashed a smile and gripped his hands. ‘Yes, yes, yes.’
‘Oh… And I almost forgot.’ He let go of one of her hands and fished around in his pocket. He pulled out a small black box. ‘For you.’
‘Oh my god. You have a ring?’
‘It’s a very special ring for a very special woman.’
She took the box from him and flipped it open to reveal the gorgeous ring she’d seen earlier. Somewhere in a deep chasm in the back of her mind, the warning voice asked, ‘why did he have this ring in the first place?’ But she was drunk and too caught up in the moment to pay it any attention. Still on one knee, he prised the ring from its resting place on a silk cushion. Genevieve waggled the fingers on her left hand and Finlay slipped it on. How did it fit so perfectly? And look so beautiful? Like it had been made for her. She stared at it.
Finlay got up off the ground and sat beside her. ‘It looks gorgeous. Just like you.’ He dipped in and kissed her. She returned it, moaning as his tongue touched hers along with the taste of champagne.
Suddenly she remembered she was recording and broke away with a smile. She held the ring up to her phone. ‘Check this out. I’m engaged at last.’ She hit the stop button and tossed her phone in the bag. She could edit it all another time. Right now, she was too sky-high to think. Finlay poured more champagne and toasted her.
‘To my fiancée.’
She drank and raised her glass again. ‘To my fiancé.’
They both downed the rest of their champagne and Finlay drained the dregs from the bottle, then kissed her once more.
‘I need the loo again,’ Genevieve said, stifling a yawn with her left hand, then noticing the ring again and smiling.
‘Maybe we should call it a day.’
‘You mean go to bed and consummate our engagement?’ She winked.
‘That kind of thing.’ He put his arm around her and they tottered out of the clearing with the pond. Trellises and hedges seemed to be in the way when they hadn’t been before and it took a long time to find the arch into the garden. They couldn’t stop laughing as they knocked into flower beds or sank into hedges as they stole kisses. The main garden was still full of people. Genevieve had no idea what time it was.
‘This way.’ She led Finlay to the back entrance. ‘Let’s grab our bags from the car and I’ll get us in the back way.’ Singing ‘Stars’ by Simply Red, she made her way to the car parking area. Finlay laughed and joined in by humming the background music like he was an electric guitar.
With a lot of staggering, they had the bags and made their way into the house via the backdoor. The wooden stairs were too high. Genevieve pulled off her heels and Finlay half dragged her up. At the top, they went along the gallery corridor and Genevieve opened her bedroom door.
She was so bursting for the loo she didn’t even close the door on the en suite bathroom. Did it matter? Finlay was her husband-to-be.
Clothes fell off all around the room and Genevieve hit the pillow, smiling. Finlay’s warm body moved in beside her and she nuzzled into his chest.
‘I think I’m too tired to do anything,’ he said.
‘Me too.’
‘Let’s just cuddle.’
‘Cuddle. Yes. That’s good.’ Genevieve closed her eyes and let out a dreamy sigh. Finlay’s hot palms rested on her naked back, keeping her safe from anything and everything. She’d found her happy place and nothing could spoil it.