Chapter Twelve
‘Here we go.’ Holly plops a flower-patterned tray onto the table and sits down beside Lottie. ‘Four hazelnut cappuccinos, on the house.’
It’s lunchtime, and we bridesmaids are crowded around a table in the Cosy Little Tearoom, poring over the bridal plans.
‘Thanks, Hol.’ Mel sits up straight, flicking through her stripy notebook.
‘Now, the wedding is less than two months away, most things have been taken care of by Lucy and Alex, but we still have a few items on the agenda that need to be taken care of.’ Her fluffy pink pen points across the table.
‘Lottie, how are you getting on with alterations?’
‘Almost done,’ Lottie replies swiftly, pausing to savour a sip of her drink. ‘Lucy has one more fitting in two weeks, and she’d like you all to be there for it, if possible.’
‘I’ll be there!’ I chime in.
‘Okay, I’ll check my schedule at work and make a request if need be.’ Mel looks up from her notepad at me. ‘And Leesh, is the hen party all wrapped up, or do you need anything from us?’
Firmly, I shake my head. ‘All sorted.’
That’s not strictly true; I still have to figure out what I’m going to put in the goodie bags, but all the venues and entertainment are booked and confirmed.
Truth be told, I’m immensely proud of myself for putting it all together, especially after the last event I took control of was a total shambles - I’m still shocked my mum actually forgave me for fumbling her sixtieth birthday!
But this time, I’ve doubled-checked - even triple-checked - every last detail, and Lucy’s hen party is officially disaster-proof.
‘Great!’ She pencils in a tick.
Shifting from buttock to buttock, I try and fail to settle comfortably into my seat.
Although Mel is doing a fantastic job of heading the session, I can’t help but feel a little weird.
As maid of honour, surely I should be taking the lead - and yet, I know I’d be no good at it.
Planning the hen almost took it out of me; if I had to organise a meeting and keep track of four other women’s tasks and schedules, I’d probably suffer an aneurysm.
What can I say, my brain just isn’t built that way, much as I wish it was.
‘So, that just leaves one matter to discuss.’ Mel drops her pen onto an empty plate and draws her eye around the table, giving each of us a warm, sisterly smile. ‘How are things going with you guys?’
Lottie, Ruth, Holly and I pretty much blink in unison, each of us bewildered by the sudden turn in conversation.
‘I thought we were here strictly on wedding business?’ Ruth ventures, her head tilted in puzzlement.
‘Well, we were,’ Mel explains, ‘but we’ve basically covered it all now, so I think it’s time for us bridesmaids to have a good old catch-up. So, tell me - what’s going on?’
‘Not much, to be honest,’ Holly begins, resting against her chair as she clutches her coffee cup in both hands, gazing contemplatively up at the ceiling.
‘Puddles got a thorn stuck between his paw the other day, and I didn’t notice until I spotted the trail of blood all the way down the stairs into the living room. ’
‘Aw, poor baby!’ I gasp, glancing over the dog in question, who is currently napping beneath one of the empty tables.
‘I know, he must have been in so much pain and I hadn’t even realised. God, I freaked out, and not just because he’d left a massive stain on my cream couch! Fortunately, George sorted him out quickly enough, that’s why the poor little pooch has a bandage on him today.’
‘Ah, the perks of having a vet as a boyfriend!’ Mel chuckles. ‘What about you, Ruth?’
‘Me? I’m just knackered from helping Shaun out with the village garden.’ She puffs out her cheeks. ‘I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been stung by nettles in the last few days.’
‘Aw, but it’ll look so beautiful for the outdoor art exhibition when it’s all done,’ Holly consoles.
‘I know, it’s definitely a labour of love. Good thing I love Shaun, or I might have whacked him on the head with his own shovel by now!’
Everyone gets the giggles, including me. I don’t know all the intricate details of these stories - the who, what, when and where’s - but I don’t need to. They tell their tales like I’m a part of the group, already in the know, and I’m inclined to pretend that I am.
‘How’s things with you, Lotts?’
Sighing, Lottie lifts her shoulders. ‘Work has been rather busy lately, what with it being both wedding and prom season, I’ve been up to my eyeballs in taffeta! In fact, I’ve actually been thinking about hiring an assistant.’
We all murmur in collective excitement and agreement, and in that moment, I begin to feel like ‘one of the girls’, as if I’ve been part of this sweet little friendship troupe for years, not weeks.
‘That’s amazing that you’ve got to a place where you can start employing people!’ Holly gives her a little side hug. ‘And in less than a year of your shop being open, I bet your old boss is regretting firing you now.’
‘You were fired?’ I blurt out, my eyes wide as my cappuccino mug. I blush and shrink into my chest as they all turn to me. ‘Sorry, it’s just I can’t imagine someone like you getting let go. You know, someone who’s got it so together.’
Lottie stares at me for a moment, then, to my astonishment, cackles with uncontrollable laughter.
‘Wait, you think I’ve got it together?’ She laughs so hard that she lets out a goofy, adorable little snort.
‘Oh my gosh, you should have seen me two years ago - I’d been booted out of the most prestigious job I’d ever had, moved from Paris to England to live with my dad and had no idea what I was going to do next.
If it wasn’t for the little shop here in Lily Vale coming up for sale and my dad pushing me to go for it - not to mention, helping me out financially - who knows where I’d have ended up? ’
Hanging on her every word, a calming wave of relief ripples through my veins.
This glamorous, successful woman who I’ve been so intimidated by wasn’t always this way; she fell flat on her face and lost everything once upon a time, not so long ago.
If she can pick herself up and change her life around, perhaps I could, too.
I mean, the big difference between us is that I’ve never been a success, not really, but maybe it’s not too late to become one - or at least, become someone I’m somewhat proud of.
‘Wow, I would have never guessed all that happened to you,’ I admit, shaking my head in disbelief. ‘You just seem so confident.’
Lottie smiles sweetly. ‘It’s through years of practice, I think. You kind of have to put on a bit of a bravado working in the fashion industry, especially in Paris. Sure, there are plenty of good people out there, but there’s just as many praying for your downfall, even plotting it. Believe me.’
‘Did something happen at your job, Alicia?’ Mel asks gently, obviously putting two and two together.
I pull a pained face. ‘Oh God, did Lucy say something?’
‘Nope, she didn’t say a word, I just get the impression, that’s all.’ Mel reaches out and softly touches my hand. ‘You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but it might help. We’ve all been through tough times.’
‘You’ve got that right!’ Holly adds.
‘If you fancy sharing, we’re all ears,’ Ruth says gently.
I look at each of the girls in turn, my anxiety levels dropping. Their eyes are sympathetic, but there’s not a smidgen of pity there, rather, they seem to understand. With a deep breath, I open my mouth, not quite sure what’s about to spill out.
‘I worked as a dental nurse in Surbiton, you know, where Lucy worked before she moved here. I’d been there for years before my boss finally got sick of me messing up and fired me on the spot.
’ Sighing, I cast my gaze down into my half-filled mug.
‘I can’t say I blame him for that, I was terrible at my job.
In fact, I’ve been terrible at every job I’ve ever been in. ’
Holly throws a comforting, sisterly arm around my shoulder, and I find myself instinctively leaning into it. ‘Oh Leesh, I’m sure that’s not true.’
‘It is, I’m just so scatterbrained and careless, though I truly don’t mean to be. That’s - that’s why I was so nervous to come here and be Lucy’s maid of honour. I’m terrified I’m going to muck everything up for her.’
The confession comes out of nowhere, and the moment the words pass my lips, I wish that I could steal them out of thin air and shove them back in.
But it’s too late, I’ve spoken my biggest insecurity aloud to these women I barely know.
I brace myself for the mean girl sniggers, the rolling eyes, the thinly veiled mockery …
but it doesn’t come. Suddenly, I’m enveloped in a four-person cuddle, and even more surprisingly, I hug them right back.
‘You’re not going to muck anything up,’ Lottie promises.
‘And if you need any help, we’re just a text message away,’ Mel says as we slowly break apart.
‘Whatever you need, even if it’s just to vent, we’re here for you,’ Holly chimes in.
Ruth gives a staunch nod. ‘We’re your friends.’
That word hits me like a sucker punch to the stomach. Friends. I have loads of friends - girlies I meet for after-work drinks that turn into clubbing, the kind who will play wing woman on the dance floor when you catch the eye of a cute guy you want to go home with.
But they aren’t there the morning after when you regret every decision you made last night and need a lift home from the randomer’s flat, nope, you’ll have to call a taxi.
Those friends aren’t available in the daytime when you want to whinge about your job, pick over your family issues, and just have a natter - and why would they be?
They are fun-time friends and nothing more, the only mate I could ever rely on as an adult is Lucy … and now maybe these guys?
I blink the emotion from my watery eyes away and beam at my fellow bridesmaids. ‘Thanks, you guys. You … you don’t know how much that means to me.’
It’s not easy letting your guard down, especially when it’s been fortified by fear for decades. But little by little, bit by bit, it seems that these extraordinary girls are starting to break it down.