52. Chapter Fifty-Two
Chapter Fifty-Two
May gazed around. The Bayside Café had never looked so magical.
Fairy lights twined around the beams, draped in soft loops that cast golden pools of light over the wooden tables.
Vases of wildflowers left over from the wedding preparations had been dotted along every surface, and the windows were open enough to let in the warm, salty breeze from the sea.
The sun had only just dipped below the horizon, leaving a faint lavender glow over Saffron Bay.
‘Perfect.’ Hands on her hips, Margot surveyed her handiwork. ‘If this doesn’t calm everyone’s nerves, nothing will.’
‘Speak for yourself,’ Daniel muttered, adjusting a stack of plates for the third time. ‘I’ve aged about ten years this week.’
‘You already looked like that,’ Paige said with a grin. ‘How did it go on the beach today? I’m so sorry I couldn’t be there to help, but work was crazy.’
‘It’s all looking wonderful,’ said Margot. ‘I can’t wait for you to see it tomorrow.’ She nodded at May. ‘May and Cillian have done such a good job planning everything.’
‘Thank you—’ May started.
Paige interrupted. ‘They do make a good team,’ she said, with a wink that Margot returned with a knowing nod of her head.
May flushed. ‘Just friends,’ she reminded them, and flushed harder when Paige giggled.
One by one, a familiar crowd filled the room – Solly and Sylvie hand in hand dressed in their Sunday best, Nick and Kitty with Emily holding hands between them, Luke hovering at Alice’s shoulder, Maz surprisingly quiet, eyes flicking around as if absorbing the place she’d once called home.
Daniel greeted Maz warmly, which earned him a nod of approval from Margot.
The café came alive with the sound of laughter.
Whether because of nerves or excitement, there was an electricity among the Saffron Bay residents that was palpable in the air.
Margot flitted around like a whirlwind, placing dishes of roasted vegetables, salads, crusty bread and steaming bowls of seafood stew down the long table.
May kept gazing at the door, and then turned her back on it when Cillian finally appeared. ‘Am I the last to arrive?’ he blurted to the room in general.
May relented, walking towards him to pull him into the crowd. ‘Looks that way,’ she said cheerfully.
Cillian grimaced. ‘I would have been here sooner,’ he said, ‘except I needed to shower away the sand and leaves from all those dried flowers.’
‘Shh!’ May whispered. ‘Not so loud about the sand. And same here.’ She smiled at him. ‘Can you believe we’ve actually pulled this off?’
‘It’s not over yet.’ Cillian gestured at an open window. ‘An unexpected storm could roll in overnight and undo all our hard work.’
‘You and your bad weather.’ May shook her head. ‘When will you have a bit of faith?’ She gave him another smile. ‘Drink?’
‘Of course,’ said Cillian. ‘If nothing else, we’ve earned a drink.’
‘You two look pleased with yourselves.’ Alice had wriggled through the crowd to them, drink in hand. ‘We’re just relieved everything’s finally done,’ said May. Then, turning to Cillian, she added, ‘One more sleep and we can stop living at the mercy of weather reports.’
‘Weather reports?’ Alice asked.
‘You don’t want it to rain on your wedding day, do you?’ May said quickly, kicking herself for her stupid comment.
‘Of course not.’ And Alice threw herself back into the crowd to meet and greet her friends.
Daniel watched her go, and then said, ‘Speak for yourselves, I’ll be up at dawn, panicking until it’s all over.’
‘A man after my own heart,’ said Cillian, slapping Daniel on the back.
Paige rushed up to May and hugged her. ‘You must be exhausted. Come on, let’s find a seat.
’ She took May’s hand, leading her to the long table and grabbing a couple of glasses of wine on the way.
May found herself with Paige on one side, Sylvie on the other, and Cillian directly across the table, a fact Paige made no attempt to hide her satisfaction about.
‘Good view, isn’t it?’ Paige said under her breath, nodding towards Cillian.
‘Paige! What about Ted?’ May hissed.
Paige shrugged. ‘He knows he’s the only man for me and doesn’t mind my looking. It’s no different from admiring a painting in a gallery. Anyway, if you don’t stare, I happily will.’
Across the table, Cillian poured water into glasses, his forearm brushing May’s as he handed her one. Her skin still tingled as she took a sip.
‘Are you all right?’ he asked.
‘Yes. Just tired.’
‘You’ve worked so hard,’ he said. ‘I’m in awe, honestly.’
She laughed. ‘You’ve done plenty of work yourself.’
‘Not like you.’
‘It’s been a team effort,’ said May.
Cillian lifted his glass and clinked it against May’s. ‘To us.’
‘To us,’ she toasted, hoping the low lighting would hide her blush.
‘Ooh, toasts,’ said Sylvie, standing and raising her glass. ‘To the brides and grooms!’
‘And to the planners,’ Solly added, standing up beside his wife.
He raised his glass to Nick, Kitty, Alice, and Luke at the far end of the table.
‘You’ll have to wait until tomorrow,’ he said, ‘to see the magic May and Cillian have created for you.’ And to May and Cillian, he said, ‘I honestly don’t know how you’ve pulled it off. ’
Smirks and laughter filled the room as the soon-to-be-married couples shook their heads in apparent wonder.
May was pretty certain they must have been told, or guessed, and loved them all the more for pretending otherwise.
She couldn’t wait to see their faces, especially the grooms’ when they stepped into the boat Cillian had organised.
Cillian’s hand brushed May’s under the table. She didn’t move her hand away.
Halfway through the meal, when Margot’s lemon tart had been devoured, and the café was buzzing with warmth and wine, May slipped outside for a moment of cool air.
She crossed the road and took the path that led to the beach, pausing at the top of the cliff to lean against the wooden railings and allow the cool evening air to revive her.
Footsteps sounded behind her.
‘Thought I might find you out here,’ Cillian said.
She smiled. ‘It was warm in the café and I’m so tired after today I needed fresh air to help me stay awake.’
‘Me too.’
They stood side by side, listening to the brush of waves against the sand and the distant murmur of laughter spilling from the café.
‘We should probably get back,’ said May.
‘We should,’ agreed Cillian.
Still, neither moved to go back in.
‘Do you ever think,’ Cillian said slowly, ‘that we’re going to wake up tomorrow and realise we’ve forgotten something huge? The rings or the flowers or … I don’t know … a whole table of guests?’
‘Probably,’ May said. ‘It won’t matter, though.’
‘No?’
‘No. Because the important bit will still happen. Everything else is decoration.’
He smiled at her. ‘You really believe that?’
‘I do.’
‘You’re amazing,’ he murmured.
‘Cillian …’ she said, because she wasn’t sure what she’d say if she didn’t at least attempt to say something.
‘We should go back in,’ he said gently. He didn’t move.
‘Probably,’ May agreed, not moving either.
Cillian reached across and tentatively placed his hand over hers. May faced him, and the air between them crackled.
The café door swung open, and Kitty’s unmistakable voice rang out. ‘There you two are! We’re taking a group photo, and we’re missing our two wedding planners!’
May laughed as Cillian sighed. ‘Come on,’ she said, taking his hand and leading him to the café.
The group photo was chaos. Luke was shouting instructions, Sylvie laughed so hard she kept falling into Solly, Margot insisted on standing on a chair despite Daniel’s protests, and Maz positioned herself at the edge, unsure whether she belonged, until Alice pulled her beside her.
May stood next to Cillian, and when he put an arm around her waist, her entire body fizzed.
‘Ready?’ Luke asked.
‘No,’ Solly said.
‘Yes,’ everyone else said.
The camera flashed. Cillian’s fingers lightly wrapped around May’s. A rush of warmth so strong swept through her, she thought she might float.
Gradually, dishes were cleared, chairs scraped back, and the group began drifting out into the night.
‘Big day tomorrow!’ Margot called, waving everyone off.
May and Cillian left last, standing on the quiet road outside the café.
‘We did it,’ she whispered.
‘We did. And tomorrow,’ Cillian murmured, leaning over and kissing her cheek, ‘is going to be perfect.’
‘Yes,’ May said, heart pounding, ‘it is.’