Chapter 14
‘Argh, are you sure this is okay to wear? Shouldn’t I be dressing up or something?
Wearing something smarter? What if the organisers take one look at me and think I’m too scruffy to even want a dress and send us away?
’ Laura spun slowly in the hallway of Pennycress Inn, tugging at the sleeves of her flowery chiffon shirt.
‘Honestly, if you’ve got the cash, nobody is going to care what you’re wearing. You could turn up in a pair of pyjama bottoms and a vest top and they’d let you in.’ Ellie shook her head as she laughed. ‘Besides, you look beautiful. The turquoise of your shirt really sets your eyes off nicely.’
‘She’s right. You look lovely, but if we don’t get a wriggle on, we’ll find ourselves at the end of the queue and all the wedding dresses will have been sold by the time we get into the sale.
’ Nicola picked up Laura’s handbag from the reception desk and flung it to her.
‘Now, as my mum would say, stop fussing and catch.’
‘Whoa.’ Throwing her arms out, Laura caught the bag before it plummeted to the floor. ‘Thanks. And yes, I bet she would. In fact, I can just picture her saying that.’
‘Well, you’re lucky she’s not come over to see us off or she’d be pushing us out the door.’ Nicola shook her head fondly.
Picking up her own small handbag from the reception desk, Ellie double-checked she had her trusted notebook before slipping the strap over her shoulder. She’d visited Pennycress a few times when Nicola’s mum, Vivienne, had been running it, and she imagined her doing just what Nicola had suggested.
‘Well, Vivienne might not be here, but I am.’ Jackson’s voice wafted through from the kitchen before he emerged, drying his hands on a tea towel. ‘So, I guess I’ll have to be the one turfing you all out onto the streets.’
Scrunching her nose up, Laura turned to him. ‘I’m scared I won’t find my perfect dress.’
‘You won’t if you don’t leave now. Nicola’s right, all the rails will be empty by the time you get there.
’ Jackson chuckled as he walked across to Laura and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the top of the head.
‘Not that I mind, I’m happy marrying you in your jeans and a T-shirt, but we’ve already established your mum wouldn’t be best pleased with that. ’
Sighing, Laura nodded. ‘Okay, okay. I’m going.’
‘Go then.’ Jackson wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, pulling her towards him.
Laughing, Laura took his face in her hands and kissed him before pulling slightly away. ‘I would if you’d let me.’
‘Fair enough.’ Dropping his arms to his sides, Jackson stepped away, grinning. ‘Have a great time.’
‘Umm, I don’t think we’ll be having a great time somehow. I can’t think of anything more stressful.’ Laura huffed as she walked towards the front door.
‘Try being the ones who are accompanying you.’ Nicola burst out laughing as Laura turned and glared playfully at her. ‘Just being honest.’
‘Yes, I know. And I’ll apologise in advance, and I promise to treat you both to copious amounts of coffee whilst we’re there.’ Laura pulled the front door open and held it as Ellie and Nicola slipped through.
Stepping into the brilliant sunshine, Ellie held her hand up to shield her eyes.
She couldn’t wait to have what Laura and Jackson had.
To be so in love and to feel one hundred per cent loved and accepted in return.
She swallowed as the thought that she’d had that with Murray tried to cloud her mind.
They’d been young, of course their relationship had felt intense, it had been her first proper relationship.
Both of theirs. But that was all. That was the only reason it had felt so special, and she needed to remember that.
She also needed to remember that people did get their happy-ever-afters.
Laura had with Jackson, Nicola had with local farmer Charlie, and countless couples she’d planned weddings for had found their soulmates.
Plus, she was just starting her wedding planning business, this wasn’t the time to start doubting that true love existed.
‘Have we at least got time to grab a coffee first?’ Laura jumped down the steps and caught Ellie and Nicola up.
‘Yes, I should think so. We can stop at a service station and grab one at a drive-through so that way we won’t lose too much time.
’ Ellie rummaged in her bag for her car keys.
She knew Laura was nervous. Even if she’d not told her she was, Ellie would have picked up on her nerves. Anyone would have.
‘Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.’ Laura breathed a sigh of relief. ‘A good coffee and I’ll be ready to face anything.’
‘It’s going to be fun.’ Nicola shook her head as she linked arms with her friend.
‘Fun? I can’t remember the last time I felt so terrified.’ Laura grimaced.
‘You’ve opened an inn by yourself. A little bit of dress shopping will be a doddle.’ Laughing, Nicola rubbed Laura’s forearm. ‘Honestly, let’s enjoy it.’
Ellie clicked her car keys as they approached the garden gate.
She’d parked out the front of the inn rather than in the small car park around the back so they’d have a quick getaway.
‘Remember what we spoke about? About trying to think of this one as a trial run? Let’s just go and keep in mind that all we’re doing is trying a few different dresses on to get an idea of which shape, material and colour of gown you feel comfortable in.
We don’t need to think of this as the be-all and end-all.
In fact, let’s all agree that you won’t be buying a dress today.
That way, hopefully, the pressure will be off. ’
Pausing at the car door, Laura unlinked arms with Nicola and rolled her shoulders back as though she was about to start exercising. ‘You’re right. I can do this. I’m not going to buy a dress today. I’m just going to try a couple on and then we can come home.’
‘Yep, in a few hours you’ll be back at Pennycress, you can have your PJs on and be cradling a mug of Jackson’s famous hot chocolate whilst watching a rerun of your favourite soap on TV.’ Nicola held the passenger door open. ‘Go on, you sit in the front. I’ll take the back seat.’
‘Are you sure?’ Laura frowned.
Pulling her notebook from her bag, Ellie slipped out two leaflets she’d been given about today’s wedding dress fair and passed them across to Laura and Nicola before wafting her notebook in front of her face.
She smiled as the slight breeze from the moving book cooled her.
It might only be June, but today’s sunshine thought it was the midst of summer.
‘Thanks.’ Laura waved her leaflet at the rate of a million wafts a minute, barely a centimetre from her nose.
‘I’m beginning to think that if this is a sign of how hot summer this year is going to be, perhaps I should be looking at moving the wedding to Iceland or somewhere equally cold.
That, or I should just buy a pair of shorts and a crop top to wander down the aisle in. ’
‘Although, if it is hot, you could have some fun with it.’ Nicola tucked a wayward hair, put out of place by the slight breeze her leaflet was creating, behind her ear.
‘I can just imagine water pistols instead of confetti, a huge block of ice cream instead of a wedding cake and sprinklers set up on the dance floor.’
‘Haha. I’d definitely be tempted to try a few of those ideas and just think how much of a cool auntie my nieces and nephews would think I am!’ Laughing, Laura turned to Ellie. ‘We’ve got time to make a few adjustments, haven’t we?’
‘I’ll note them down and pop along to the toy shop to source the water pistols tomorrow.
’ Ellie smiled. Ever since she’d been working out of Pennycress’s kitchen, she, Laura and Nicola had been getting on so well anyone would be forgiven for thinking they’d known each other for years.
The truth was that with Ellie having been working over in Chipping Norton she’d struggled to make friends, or acquaintances, in Meadowfield.
And apart from a polite ‘hello’ from a handful of residents at the village meetings, the only person she’d really spoken to for any length of time from Meadowfield was Mrs Jedd from next door.
If she were honest, she’d forgotten on numerous occasions over the last few days that she was, in fact, working for Laura and not just one of her friends. It felt good.
‘Ooh look, we’ll be going in next.’ Nicola squealed as they inched forward towards the door.
‘Wait! Hold on…’ Lowering the leaflet she’d been using to fan herself, Laura scratched the side of her face.
‘What’s the matter?’ Nicola turned to Laura, cupping her elbows with her hands.
Ellie frowned. She knew exactly what the matter with Laura was.
She was nervous. Despite Ellie telling her to try to just see this sale as a trial for buying her dress, she’d piled on the pressure to believe this was her only hope.
She had to think fast before Laura stepped out of the long queue and they found themselves at the back of the potential buyers.
Stuffing her notebook back inside her bag, she pulled her mobile out and quickly scrolled through to the website she’d been looking at earlier.
Holding it up so the screen was facing Laura, she tapped the image displayed.
‘Here, look, we can go along to this dress sale next, which is being held in a couple of weeks’ time. ’
Taking the mobile from Ellie, Laura squinted at the writing before scrolling down. ‘So, there really are more wedding dress fairs and sales? This isn’t the only one or anything?’