Chapter 15 Edith
EDITH
The next day, Edith woke from a long and deep sleep.
After Wyatt had gone, she’d filled a glass with water and gone straight to bed.
Snuggling down in her bed underneath the pretty patchwork quilt she’d bought at a local craft fair, she’d thought she wouldn’t be able to drop off.
But the emotional turmoil combined with the vodka had knocked her out.
She’d woken with swollen eyes and a scratchy throat but felt like a weight had been lifted.
However, as memories of the previous day flooded her brain, she realised that the heaviness still lingered and that she needed to apologise to Finn and Titus as soon as possible.
Her behaviour, while not without a reason, had been awful, and she felt dreadful.
She always behaved professionally, but grief and pain had rocked her yesterday, leading her to lose her composure in front of clients, which was unacceptable.
She showered and washed her hair, dressed in simple black linen trousers and matching blouse with flat black pumps, then drank a mug of Earl Grey tea and ate a banana.
Feeling more human, she donned a large pair of sunglasses and headed out into the sunny morning.
It was still early, not yet nine, and she wanted to get this done before the day got going.
Otherwise, it would haunt her all day and become something she was afraid of rather than something she had to do.
At the grocery shop, she bought a bottle of white wine and a box of luxury truffles, then she walked through the village to Titus and Finn’s home.
She knocked on the door and waited, her heart racing and her palms clammy.
She was glad the bottle of wine was wrapped in paper, or she’d have been worried about dropping it.
The door swung open, and Finn stood there, his sandy hair sticking up and his green eyes widening when he saw Edith. ‘Hello lovely, how are you today?’ he asked gently.
‘I am terribly sorry,’ she said. ‘So terribly sorry. Can you and Titus ever forgive me?’
‘Oh darling, come on inside.’ He took her hand and led her into the hallway.
She handed him the wine and chocolates, and he looked at them with a frown. ‘What are these for?’
‘My apology. Yesterday, I behaved appallingly, and I can’t possibly apologise enough.
Please. If you need to change wedding planners, know that I’ll repay the deposit and I won’t mind at all.
I’ll understand completely.’ Realising she was wringing her hands in front of her, she tucked them into her pockets.
Finn was shaking his head. ‘Don’t be so soft. Come on inside and I’ll make a cuppa.’
She followed him through the house to a large kitchen-diner. Sunlight streamed through the bifold doors into a room that smelt of coffee and freshly baked bread.
‘Have a seat.’ He gestured at the table, so Edith pulled out a chair and sat down, relieved that he hadn’t greeted her with any insults. Insults that she deserved, she thought.
While Finn made tea, she looked around. She’d been in here before, of course, and she liked the cosy space.
The table was made of reclaimed wood, and the chairs were covered with velvet in shades of green and blue that matched the tiles on the splashback behind the range cooker.
On the wall behind the table were photographs taken over the years of Finn and Titus, and Thora and Finn’s children Rosie and Reggie.
It was lovely that they were such a tight-knit group and that the children had got to grow up with both parents around, even though Finn was now with Titus.
‘Here you go.’ Finn set two mugs of tea on the table along with a plate of sliced bread covered with thick golden butter. ‘Freshly baked and delicious, even if I say so myself.’
‘Thanks.’ Edith reached for a mug and wrapped her hands around it.
‘So… yesterday was an eventful one, but neither of us blames you for anything.’
‘But why not?’ she asked.
‘We know, Edith,’ he said, his expression grave.
‘You know what?’
‘That you and Wyatt were together when you were at university. It’s why I didn’t try to message you yesterday after you left the café. I thought you needed some space.’
‘How?’ Her voice squeaked out, so she coughed to clear her throat. ‘How do you know?’
‘Titus and Wyatt are friends. Titus never knew the full story, but he knew there’d been someone in Wyatt’s past…
someone who mattered to him. He also said Wyatt’s been through some difficult times.
’ He held up a hand. ‘Not that Titus knows everything — Wyatt’s a pretty private person — but Wyatt recently admitted he’d been in a relationship that didn’t work out.
When we were in London, Titus had a feeling there was something going on between you and Wyatt.
He asked him about it and Wyatt didn’t deny it.
Well, he tried, but Titus said it was too obvious. ’
Finn picked up a piece of bread, took a bite, and chewed. ‘Mmm. Have a piece.’
‘Thanks.’ Edith took a piece even though she wasn’t hungry and bit into it. Her mouth watered as the butter melted on her tongue and the taste of bread teased her senses. ‘Mmm… mmm.’
‘I know, right? Proper Cornish butter and fresh bread are the perfect combination. Good job you got a slice now because when Reggie stops by, he’ll eat a whole loaf on his own before I can try to save a piece for Titus.’
‘Really?’
Finn nodded. ‘Proper hollow legs my son has got, I can tell you.’
‘He’s so tall now,’ she said with a smile.
They fell silent while they ate and drank and then Edith said, ‘So… you know that Wyatt and I were together?’
‘That’s right. Seeing him after ten years must’ve been a shock, although you did a great job of hiding your feelings. It was mainly the fact that there was electricity between you that alerted Titus, but then he knows Wyatt quite well, and he picked up on the sparks flying around.’
‘I’m sorry.’ Edith looked down at the bread and then took another bite. It was the ultimate comfort food.
‘Don’t be sorry, doll.’ Finn shook his head.
‘It’s not your fault you fell in love in the past. Just like it’s not your fault that Titus chose Wyatt to be his best man and we asked you to be our wedding planner.
It’s a strange one for sure and what we could call a cosmic coincidence, but these things happen.
’ He held up his hands. ‘What can you do?’
‘Not flip out when you’re at a cake tasting.’
‘It’s fine.’ Finn waved a hand. ‘All is well, sweetheart.’
‘Really? Did you decide about the cake?’
‘We’re going to have three cakes of different sizes — elderflower and lemon, chocolate fudge cake and a gluten-free fruit cake for whoever wants, or rather needs, it.’
She smiled. ‘That’s an excellent plan.’
‘Ellie said she’s happy to do it, and so we have that item ticked off our to-do list.’
‘Wonderful.’ Edith finished the piece of bread then reached for her tea again.
‘Want another slice?’ Finn pointed at the plate of bread.
‘Oh… no thanks. That was delicious though.’
‘You’re very welcome.’ He sipped his tea. ‘So… Do you want to talk about it?’
‘About yesterday?’
He nodded.
‘I thought I was fine, that I was managing it all, but then I don’t know…
Something just tilted inside me and I lost it.
I… I really loved Wyatt when we were together, and when he went back to New York without me and then barely contacted me at all, I was heartbroken.
It was like he didn’t have the guts to tell me he didn’t want to be with me anymore, and so he let it die a sad, lonely death.
I got the message when he stopped contacting me, and to be honest, it was completely heartbreaking and humiliating. ’
‘I can only imagine,’ he said. ‘And he never told you why?’
‘No, he just left me wondering for ten years. Not that I spent my life hankering after him, but I did wonder from time to time why he didn’t care enough to explain things to me.
I mean… I saw him with women in photographs online, and so I guessed someone else had come along and he preferred her to me.
It seemed like the obvious explanation for his behaviour.
But I grieved for the first few years. He was my best friend and my world, and I thought…
’ She pushed her hair behind her ears and sighed.
‘I thought that we’d get married one day and start a family.
It was that serious between us. Except for the fact that he never took me home to meet his mother or any family.
I should have known from that, really. I was an idiot, but then many people are idiots for love, right? ’
‘Oh absolutely!’ Finn nodded. ‘It’s why there are so many songs, movies, and books about it.’
‘Of course.’ She drained her tea. ‘Thanks for that. It helped.’
‘Tea and bread are the staples for mending a broken heart,’ Finn said. ‘Or at least for helping you start healing.’
‘Where’s Titus?’ Edith asked, realising she hadn’t seen him.
‘At work. Got the house to myself.’ Finn laughed. ‘I love that man, but I also love some alone time. It’s my chance to reset.’
‘We all need time alone.’
‘It’s true.’ He tapped his mug. ‘Want another?’
‘Oh no, I don’t want to intrude.’
‘Don’t be so soft, woman. I love your company, and I think you need to finish what you were telling me.’
With more tea in front of them, Edith met Finn’s eyes.
‘Seeing Wyatt again was tough, especially because I didn’t know why he’d dumped me.
He can sometimes come across as arrogant, but yesterday, after I left the café, he came after me and we talked for hours.
We drank some vodka, it loosened my tongue, and I was finally able to be honest and tell him how he made me feel. ’
‘But he didn’t tell you why he left you?’ Finn tilted his head.
‘He said he couldn’t tell me everything because he couldn’t stand to have me look at him differently.
I don’t know what could do that now after everything that’s happened, but I understand that he has his reasons.
For the first time, I believe that whatever made him leave, it wasn’t to hurt me, but because he thought he had to. And so here we are.’ She shrugged.
‘And where is that?’
‘We both have roles to play in your wedding, and we’ll do that without causing any upset, I promise. As long as you still want my services, that is because—’
‘Of course we do, so no more of that talk!’ Finn wagged a finger at her.
‘Thank you. That’s more than I deserve after how I behaved yesterday.’
‘Edith, we’re all humans just trying to make it through. We understand that, and no one is judging you.’
‘I’m very grateful for your understanding.’ She took a deep breath. ‘As far as Wyatt goes… I’ll always have feelings for him, but I know that it’s done between us. He can’t tell me exactly why, but I must make my peace with that. Or go mad!’
Finn chuckled. ‘I guess we can’t have everything explained to us in life, although I have to admit it is intriguing.’
‘Perhaps he found someone better and just didn’t want to hurt me by telling me that,’ she said.
But Finn shook his head. ‘I don’t think it’s that.
I mean, first, how could he possibly find someone better than you?
And second, I suspect there’s something he can’t explain because it’s hard for him.
None of us knows what people have been through, but I get the impression that it’s something to do with his mother.
Titus doesn’t know exactly what it is, but said she may be some kind of cantankerous busybody who wants her son all to herself. ’
Edith nodded. ‘I think you could be right there.’
‘What are you going to do? Are you sure you can be around him without getting hurt?’
‘I have no choice. He’s here. I’m here. And to be honest, yesterday ended up being quite nice.
We talked, I cried and he almost did. He held me.
Not at my house, but as we were walking back from the café.
I felt weak, and he supported me, and that part of it was like old times.
It reminded me how much I cared for him back then.
It was lovely to feel his arms around me.
’ Edith’s cheeks burnt at the memory and at the confession.
‘How embarrassing. Am I a complete sad case?’
‘Not at all. Wyatt is gorgeous, and you two have a history. Being close to him again, especially seeing as how you still have feelings for him, is bound to cause a physical reaction.’
‘Oh I love you, Finn. You always understand and never judge.’
‘I know what it’s like to be judged, and growing up I swore I wouldn’t do it to anyone else.
It’s not nice, and I think we should all be far more supportive of each other.
It’s one of the things I love about Thora.
How many women would be so supportive of their ex-husband falling in love with someone else and getting married to him?
But Thora is a best friend to me, and I’ll always love her. ’
‘I adore how close you two are,’ Edith said.
‘Me too. Thora is one of life’s special people. Just like you.’
‘Oh, thank you.’ She smiled. ‘You’re too kind.’
‘Anyway… Now that we’ve established that Wyatt is hot but not relationship material, what does the future look like for you?’
‘It will all be fine.’ Edith sat back in her chair. ‘Seeing him more will hopefully help me get past these old feelings and move on.’
‘Let’s hope that’s how it works.’ Finn winked at her. ‘Now come on, doll, have another slice of bread and butter and then you can help me plan our stag night.’
‘OK then, twist my arm.’ Edith helped herself to some more bread, and Finn grabbed his iPad so he could show her some of the stag party ideas he fancied.
As they looked at some photos of other people having fun and Finn talked Edith through what he and Titus would like, she felt herself relaxing.
She was with a dear friend in his lovely home eating the best bread she’d ever tasted.
Wyatt had apologised at last, and even if she didn’t know the full story, it was better than the limbo he’d left her in last time.
She had a wedding to plan for the two loveliest people she knew, and she was very much looking forward to making their big day the very best it could be.