Chapter 69 Sarah
SARAH
Reluctantly, I headed over to the empty chair and sat down.
‘Hi. You look beautiful,’ Ben said and my traitorous stomach flipped.
‘Thanks. Are you okay?’ I said, deliberately not looking at him.
I couldn’t. If I did, I’d melt into a puddle on the floor.
Turned out I didn’t have to look at him to be affected though, as his scent surrounded me and I groaned internally at how good he smelt.
I missed burying my head in his neck and inhaling his fragrance.
I was going to miss him, so much.
As hard as this was, I had to focus. This was Jess’s big day.
‘I’m good,’ Ben said. ‘But thanks for asking.’
‘Course.’ I nodded. Even though Ben was leaving, I still cared about him. I knew that today would be difficult, so it was important to check how he was doing.
I turned my attention to Edwin as he started the ceremony.
Thankfully, we’d hired a photographer to take pictures so that we could all enjoy the moment, rather than being distracted by our phones. Jess and Theo also said I’d be able to use some photos to share on socials because they knew how invested our followers were in their love story.
As Jess and Theo exchanged the vows they’d written, I teared up. They were so beautiful.
My favourite part was when Theo promised to support Jess’s romance book addiction for eternity and to make all of her favourite fictional fantasies a reality. He really was perfect for her. I couldn’t have wished for a better husband for my bestie.
When Edwin declared that they were now free to kiss, those two didn’t hold back. There was no quick pecking. They devoured each other. So much so that at one point, poor Mrs Gray, another one of Sunshine Bay’s elderly residents, covered her eyes. But the rest of the town were all for it.
‘Get in!’ was the seal of approval that came from one of Theo’s friends.
‘Yes, girl!’ Celeste called out whilst the rest of the guests whooped and cheered.
Jake started singing one of his hit singles. And when Jess and Theo finally pulled themselves apart, they danced their way back up the aisle beaming as they waved and hugged their friends along the way.
‘Reception starts on the beach in one hour!’ Ben announced.
‘Drinks on the house at the pub until then!’ Babs added and a fresh round of cheers came from the happy guests.
An hour of drinking without food was dangerous. Here’s hoping they didn’t turn up shit faced at the reception.
There wasn’t time to worry about that now, though. We had to bring out the wedding favours and make sure everything else was good to go.
Once I’d checked that all was well with Jess, Theo and the photographer, who was using this interval to take snaps of the happy couple, Jane and I took the trolley we’d loaded up with the gifts to the beach.
Normally at weddings, people gave out favours like sugared almonds, chocolates or candles. But this was a bookish wedding, so of course there was only one appropriate choice: books.
The entire library team had picked out personalised romance books for every guest. It’d taken a while, because we had to make sure that we didn’t give residents like Mrs Gray a heart attack by gifting her a spicy book (then again, she might like it), but it’d been really fun.
Seeing the diverse collection of books we’d ordered made me so happy.
The romance genre really did have something for everyone.
Whether the residents were interested in sport, cowboys, aliens, monsters, historical or contemporary stories, romance ticked all the boxes.
I’d never been prouder to be a part of this amazing bookish community.
Just like the library hall, the beach set-up was stunning.
Circular tables dressed in book-themed tablecloths (of course) had been placed on the sand.
There were flowers draped over the back of the chairs and some other small floral displays dotted around the area.
But it was the sea views that made it extra special. We’d been blessed with sunshine, so the beach setting was perfection.
‘Want some help?’ I looked up and saw D.D. Desire.
‘I… er… I…’ I opened my mouth and then closed it so many times anyone would think I was impersonating a goldfish. ‘Sorry! I’m just… you’re like my favourite author of all time! I love Office Delight. I’ve read it about a hundred times and Illicit Delight is just, chef’s kiss. You’re amazing!’
Yep. Like I’d predicted, zero cool.
‘Thank you, Sarah,’ D.D. said.
Wait. Did she just say my name? No way!
‘How did you know who I am?’ I gasped.
‘Jess told me all about you.’ She smiled. ‘You’re writing your first novel, right?’
‘Right! Thanks for the advice you gave. It was so helpful.’
‘You’re welcome! And once you’ve finished your book, let me know and I can put you in touch with some editors and agents.’
‘You’d…?’ My eyes bulged. ‘You’d do that? For me?’
‘Of course! The Romance Library team are like family. I’d be happy to help.’
‘Thank you!’
‘Now, shall we get going with these wedding favours?’ she asked.
‘Okay!’ I said, grateful for her help.
After placing the gifts on everyone’s plates, we joined Jess and Theo back at the library to take some wedding snaps, and by the time that was done, we had to head back to the beach and get ready to greet the guests.
When they opened their gifts, they all cooed with excitement and everyone wanted to know what book the person next to them had received. It was definitely a hit.
In what felt like the blink of an eye, the fish and chips had been served and inhaled, the speeches were done (I blushed when Jess and Theo gave me a special shout-out for leading the organisation of the wedding at such short notice), the cake was cut and the DJ was declaring the dance floor open.
Jess and Theo, of course, were the first ones to get the party started. Doing their own routine to ‘Crazy in Love’ by Beyoncé, swiftly followed by ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by the Black Eyed Peas.
For the next couple of hours, Jess and Theo didn’t leave the dance floor. Seeing them so happy made me smile.
My eyes flicked to Ben who was on the other side of the beach.
I knew where he was, because I’d been trying and failing all night to avoid looking at him, but my gaze was repeatedly drawn to Ben like a moth to a flame.
I’d seen him turn down all the women who flocked to ask him to dance. Well, almost all of them. Mrs Gray seemed quite insistent, so he’d danced with her twice. I think he had to resist a third dance when her hand wandered too close to his arse. That did make me chuckle.
Glenda had also had a little boogie with him, but otherwise he’d mainly hung out with his brother Tom, who’d introduced himself earlier and seemed lovely.
I’d slipped away from the party briefly to the B&B to get Ben’s surprise and drop it off at his flat along with the key he’d given me. The gift was wrapped in paper and placed in a box, with a note on top which said:
Open when you’re feeling down (if you’re okay when you see this, then maybe wait until AFTER you’ve left Sunshine Bay).
Hope you like it.
Love, Sarah xxx
PS It’s perfectly safe to take through the airport.
When I’d helped Ben unpack, I’d seen how much his childhood teddy, Snuggles, meant to him.
So I’d found it in the box he left unpacked and after doing a lot of research, I’d tracked down the best stuffed toy repair company I could find and taken Snuggles there personally to get a ‘glow up’.
They were fully booked for a while, but it was worth the wait because they’d done a great job.
I hoped Ben liked it. He’d done so much for me and I wanted to do something nice to show how much I appreciated him.
Although I would’ve loved to have seen Ben’s face when I gave it to him, I reasoned it’d be better if I didn’t. It might make saying goodbye even harder.
When the opening bars to Cameo’s ‘Candy’ echoed around the beach, my eyes bulged. My surprise wasn’t because ‘Candy’ was playing. I knew it was popular at parties and weddings. What caught me off guard was the memories that came flooding back.
The last time I heard this was at Adrian’s wedding, where I’d danced with Ben. That seemed like a lifetime ago, but like just yesterday at the same time.
Back then I had no idea how hard I was about to fall for him.
Of course I was attracted to Ben. But I didn’t know that I’d end up madly, deeply, hopelessly in love.
Yep.
There was no point in denying it. I loved Ben.
Not just a little bit. But a worrying amount.
So much that it hurt.
I pulled out my phone. Maybe if I took some photos, it’d distract me.
But just as I was about to point my camera at the crowd, a gorgeous scent surrounded me.
‘Would you do me the honour of joining me on the dance floor whilst I embarrass myself with my feeble attempt to do the electric slide?’ Ben’s voice sounded in front of me.
I looked up and smiled. When he smiled back, butterflies flooded my stomach and goosebumps erupted across my skin.
‘We both know you won’t be embarrassing yourself!’ I laughed. ‘You’re an electric slide supremo.’
‘That’s high praise. Not sure I can live up to that, but I’ll give it a try. Care to join me?’ He held out his hand and I took it.
‘Okay.’
We joined Jess, Theo, Jane, Jackson, Tom and a load of other guests as we attempted to all do the dance in time and I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.
As my eyes met Ben’s, I smiled.
I knew I’d never get over him leaving tomorrow, but at least I’d always have these memories.
And no one could ever take those away from me.