Chapter 12
‘Yes, that’s right. August.’ Picking up her pen, Ellie tapped its end against the page of her notebook.
She was beginning to think she should just record these few phrases and play them back down the phone.
She must have repeated herself easily ten times over the past couple of hours, confirming the date of Laura and Jackson’s wedding was indeed in a couple of months’ time. ‘That’s right; this year.’
‘I’m afraid we won’t possibly be able to accommodate your wishes at such short notice,’ the short tone of the woman at the end of the phone barked back.
‘No problem. Thank you anyway.’ Ending the call, Ellie drew a thick black line through the next-to-last name of the caterers on her list. She’d been sure she’d be able to convince one of them to accommodate them.
The planning of Laura and Jackson’s wedding was rapidly beginning to mirror her own life – they were falling apart.
Keeping her eyes fixed on the list in front of her, she tried to block out the noise from outside on the decking, the tapping of a hammer, the scrape of a saw against wood.
She knew he was out there. Fortunately, she’d managed to avoid Murray so far this morning by parking on the road at the front of the inn before racing inside and sitting at the table furthest away from the French doors, with her back to them.
A huge part of her had wanted to stay home, to tell Laura and Jackson she couldn’t plan their wedding any longer, but she knew that wasn’t really an option.
Not only would it be letting her new clients down, but it would also signal the end of her own dream to continue with the wedding planning business.
No, she just had to hope Murray would have the good grace to keep out of her way.
‘Any luck?’ Laura slipped into the chair opposite her and pulled the small pot of sugar cubes towards her before spinning the lid around. ‘Or am I going to have to agree with Jackson and let him cater his own wedding?’
‘No. No groom on my watch is going to be cooking his own wedding breakfast.’ Ellie hoped her voice carried more confidence than she currently felt.
The truth was, August was a popular month for weddings – a super popular month – and at this rate they might well be left with the option of letting Jackson don an apron over his suit and spend his reception in front of the oven or ordering a chippie dinner for all the guests.
‘Okay, okay.’ Laura laid her hands on the table, palms down, and blew a strand of hair from her face. ‘So there’s hope?’
‘Of course there’s hope. There’s always hope.’ Ellie smiled. ‘I’ll find someone.’
‘Thank you.’ Clasping her hands together, Laura breathed out a sigh. ‘I’m so worried we’ve left it all until the last minute.’
Placing the sugar cube pot back in its place at the end of the table, Ellie flicked through her notebook and turned it to face Laura.
She could almost feel the woman’s panic rising, and it was Ellie’s job to worry about the logistics of planning the wedding, not Laura’s.
That’s why her clients hired her. Hopefully, her next question would give her bride something else to focus on and would allay the rising panic.
‘I’ve been gathering the information needed to apply to the local council for permission to hold the ceremony here at Pennycress.
Have you got a couple of minutes to go through the information before I submit it, please? ’
‘Yes, of course.’ Laura’s eyes lit up. ‘I really hope we get approved. Nicola and I have already planned a whole heap of social media posts to advertise the fact that we can host ceremonies here. If we get the licence, of course.’
‘I’ve no reason to think you won’t.’ Ellie grinned.
It was good to see Laura so positive after being so worried moments before.
‘So, in order to submit our application, we need to allocate a room to become the designated space for your ceremony and any others that come after it. You’ll still be able to have the service performed in the gardens, but we need to choose a room to designate for the paperwork. ’
‘Oh, phew! I thought you were going to say we wouldn’t be able to have it outside, then.
’ Laura tapped her fingers against the tabletop.
‘I guess it would need to be the sitting room? I mean, there’s this room, and the view of the decking and garden is pretty back here near the French doors, but it would be a bit weird to get married in the same room the food’s being cooked, wouldn’t it? ’
‘Haha, a little. I assumed you’d choose the sitting room as it’s a large space and beautiful too with the fireplace, but I wanted to check with you first.’
‘Okay, great. Yes, let’s say the sitting room then. Like you say, it’s pretty in there, and if we do have any interest from other people wanting to get married here, then we can use it in the winter.’
‘Exactly. With the fire roaring and chairs set up, it would be perfectly cosy.’ Ellie grinned.
She could just picture it now, aisles set up on either side of the sitting room, fairy lights adorning the walls, flowers displayed in large vases…
yes, it could be really romantic and actually quite lovely.
‘Oh, it would be, wouldn’t it?’ Laura grinned, her eyes shining as she imagined the vision Ellie was creating.
‘Okay, if you’re happy with that, next on the list, one of the rules is that the allocated room won’t be used for food or…
’ Ellie twisted in her chair at the sound of voices as three people entered the kitchen, two adults and an excited young boy, who ran straight into the room, barely sliding to a stop beside the work surface.
‘Sorry, can we carry on in a bit? I promised little Alfie I’d get him a slice of chocolate cake once he and his parents got back from their outing.’ Turning back to Ellie, Laura lowered her voice and giggled. ‘And I don’t think he’s forgotten.’
‘Aw, bless him. The idea of it must have kept him going. I remember one of my cousins always used to have to be bribed with the promise of a hot chocolate when he got home from school. That’s the only way my aunt and uncle would get him there in the first place.
’ Ellie laughed. She’d tried it on her mum once, only to be told she could help with the dusting if she didn’t go to school.
The threat had worked, it had got her out of the door on time.
To this day, the mere thought of dusting still felt like somewhat of a punishment.
‘You go. I have plenty to do here to finish the application off. I’ll catch you later. ’
‘Thanks.’ Laura placed her hand over Ellie’s before standing up and walking across to greet the family.
Looking back down at the application laid out on the table, Ellie picked up her pen.
She did have a little bit of the form left to fill in, but what was more important and was pressing on her mind a little too much at the moment was the issue they had with the catering.
She’d checked in with all but one of the catering companies on her list, who she’d always turned to when planning a wedding, and not one of them was available.
Ellie chewed the end of her pen as a thought hit her.
What if Melissa was behind the lack of cooperation from the catering companies?
What if she’d had words with them and bad-mouthed Ellie?
Told them not to work with her anymore? Or worse?
What if Melissa had given them an ultimatum?
Threatened to pull all of her business if they assisted Ellie, now she had set up her own company?
She wouldn’t. Would she?
Pulling the pen from her lips, Ellie tapped it against her teeth. Melissa had blamed her for almost ruining the celebrity wedding, so was it really too much of a stretch to think she may have had a hand to play here?
Placing the pen carefully on the table next to the application form, Ellie watched as Laura ushered the young family back out of the kitchen with the promise of showing them ‘some super cool board games’ in the sitting room.
With Laura out of earshot, she’d be able to continue the search for the elusive unicorn – a catering company which had availability on the day of Laura and Jackson’s wedding.
And that was probably the only issue. Melissa likely wouldn’t have warned off their contacts from working with her, it would just be a case of availability.
She knew from past experience how quickly and how far in advance anything to do with weddings got booked up.
And the companies she’d been ringing were professional catering companies.
Of course, they’d have had weddings, conferences, parties booked up months, if not years, in advance.
Plus, everyone knew summer was a busy season in the wedding circuit.
She’d been asking for too much. She needed to pivot her focus.
But where? She picked up the pen again and began chewing the worn end as she booted up her laptop.
She’d find somewhere. She had to. There was absolutely no chance Jackson would be cooking his own wedding breakfast, not as long as she was their wedding planner.
‘That habit is still going strong then, I see.’
Jumping in her chair, Ellie turned, letting the pen clatter to the floor as she did so. She supposed she should be grateful she’d managed this long without crossing paths with him. ‘You’re sneaking up on me now?’
‘Nope, not sneaking up, just coming in search of coffee.’ Murray shrugged before bending and retrieving the pen. Straightening his back, he inspected the end, twisting it round in his fingers. ‘What’s this ever done to you?’
‘Oi!’ Snatching the pen back from him, Ellie tucked it in her notebook and closed the book firmly, crossing her arms over the top. What gave him the right to comment on her habits or belongings, for that matter? He’d lost that right years ago.
‘Have you got a couple of minutes? We could have that chat now?’ Murray locked eyes with her.
Sighing, Ellie turned away and pointed towards her laptop, the screen blinking back at her as it awoke.
That was the first thing she needed to buy with her first profits – a new laptop.
She’d had to leave her new fast one with Melissa when she’d left All Things Love as it had been owned by the company, and this one must be at least seven years old. If not older. ‘I’m just about to—’
‘Damn.’ Murray cursed under his breath as his mobile rang out. Rolling his eyes, he mouthed an apology before heading back outside.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Ellie leaned back against her chair.
When was he going to get the hint that she didn’t want to speak to him?
What did he want her to even say? That she forgave him for running out on her?
That she understood why he chose to move countries to help his dad when his dad had never even sent him a birthday card, let alone made the journey across the ocean to see him?
The only times Murray had ever even seen his father had been when his own mum and stepdad had made the trip across the ocean to see him.
And yet, Murray had made Ellie’s relationship with him feel so inconsequential, so small, that it had taken her months to get to the point of being able to face the world, to even think that finding love again might be quite nice.
And now here he was, wanting ‘to talk’ as though nothing had happened, as though he hadn’t broken her heart?
Twisting in her chair, she watched as he leaned against the railings of the decking and chuckled down the phone. It was a stark contrast to the Murray she’d run into when she’d got the flat tyre. What was going on with him?
One thing was certain, however, it didn’t appear as though he was going to give up trying to have this chat with her anytime soon. And now that Laura had kindly insisted she should work out of Pennycress’s kitchen, Ellie had the distinct feeling she was going to run out of excuses to talk with him.
Pushing her chair back, she stood up and walked the few short steps to the kitchen area before switching the kettle on and filling the cafetière.
If she took him out a coffee and spoke with him for ten minutes, then perhaps they’d both be able to get on with their own jobs rather than her trying to hide from him.
Yes, and there was no time like the present.
She glanced behind her out of the French doors and watched as Murray tapped his toe against a stack of decking planks, a wide grin spread across his face.
It was good to see him smiling. She wasn’t sure she had since she’d first laid eyes on him a few days ago.
From the little she’d seen of him, he’d been chatty enough to Laura, Jackson and Nicola, but in general he’d had a sullen, withdrawn look about him, much like she’d first seen when he’d taken that call after yelling at her for parking in front of his gate.
She felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach, and she resisted the urge to wonder who was making him smile like that. It didn’t matter. It was of no concern to her. At all.
Pulling two mugs from the mug tree at the back of the work surface, she poured the coffee, watching the dark bitter liquid fill one mug after the other. Was she ready for this? Was she ready to have a frank conversation with the man who had broken her heart, spun her very world?
No, but she never would be. She needed to, though.
For her own sake, and probably Murray’s too, she needed to talk to him, to clear the air, if that was possible.
And now that Laura knew about her and Murray’s history, she’d likely begin picking up on the animosity between them, the sidelong glances, the awkward silences, and that wouldn’t be fair on Laura.
Especially when they were planning what would be the best day of her life.
Ellie owed it to her career and her new business to talk to Murray. Yes, it was just one of those pesky tasks you had to get over and done with before moving on. For the good of her business.
Not being able to delay any further, she picked up the mugs and carried them through the kitchen, grateful she could now see Murray had ended his call and was tucking his mobile back into his carpenter’s belt.