Chapter 42
Forty-Two
Eva was leaning against a far wall in the banquet hall, eyes scanning the room like a general surveying a battlefield with no hope of victory.
The guests had been corralled in here after the second attempt. And they had begun to raid the bar.
Glasses clinked. Laughter rang out. DJ Vortex was playing techno and swigging from a hip flask.
Ralph had vanished somewhere, talking about ‘Plan C.’ He had promised a new location where Maddy and Adam could finally say vows without interference from the weather, or the arch, or whatever cosmic joke the universe had queued up next.
But the woman in question wasn’t anywhere in sight. Eva wasn’t sure what had become of her.
Adam didn’t seem too worried. He was drinking beer with some guys who looked exactly like him.
‘This wedding is going feral,’ Jen said, sidling up, her eyes flicking nervously towards the situation. Kelly’s hat was totally askew. Mary’s dress was slipping down over one shoulder while Hannah tried to correct it, only to give up.
Eva looked at her assistant. ‘You’re right. I’ve completely fucked up this job.’
Jen’s brow furrowed. ‘What are you talking about? None of this is your fault. You’ve done everything you can to satisfy the bride.’
God, if only.
Eva shook her head. ‘I did something bad, Jen… I kissed her.’
‘Kissed who?’ Jen asked, looking around.
The words came out in a rush. ‘Maddy. The bride. Before the wedding.’ Eva’s heart thudded at her confession. ‘And now she’s missing, and everyone else is just drinking as if nothing happened, and I don’t know what to do.’
Jen’s mouth opened, then closed. ‘Eva… Oh, Christ. What the hell has happened to you?’
‘I don’t know,’ Eva said. Her fingers dug into her palms. ‘I didn’t plan it. I didn’t want it to happen. But it did. I did it. And now she’s out there somewhere, maybe freaking out.’
Jen rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. ‘It’s okay. I mean, obviously, it’s not. But it will be, probably.’
Eva sighed dryly. ‘Thanks, Jen, I’m so glad we had this chat.’
Jen tutted. ‘I don’t know what you expected. Did you think I’d say what you did was all right?’
Eva shook her head. ‘I know it’s not.’
She glanced around at champagne flutes being refilled. The absurdity of it all made her want to cry and laugh at the same time.
‘You’re the wedding planner,’ Jen said. ‘It’s your job to fix problems. And you’re the problem. So, find her and fix what you’ve done and get that bloody woman married, would you?’
Eva nodded. This was what she needed. Someone to put her in her place and tell her to get on with her job and stop being chaotic and uncontrolled. She needed to get her shit together.
And that started with finding Maddy.