11. Chapter 11
Jack leaned against the side of the lift, hands in his pockets, as Lucy stabbed at the buttons to take them down.
‘Okay, you’ve teased me all morning for your own amusement, so I hope you’ve got it out of your system. This is when I need you to be there for me. Be a good friend.’ She glowered at him. ‘And pleeeasse be the best fake boyfriend a girl could wish for.’
Jack looked at her hunched shoulders, and her fingers clutching tightly onto her handbag. There were faint purple shadows under her eyes, not quite disguised by make-up, and she was fidgeting, pulling at her dress and shifting from foot to foot. He took her by the shoulders and turned her towards him for a moment, forcing her to meet his gaze. He wanted the anxious look in her eyes to disappear.
‘Okay, I’m done.’ He held one hand up. ‘Scout’s honour. Nothing but good behaviour from here on out.’
Lucy sighed deeply, and he felt her shoulders relax.
‘Thank you.’
The lift dinged as it announced their arrival on the ground floor.
‘Ready?’ Jack asked and smiled down at her. She looked up at him, a hint of a smile about her mouth.
‘Ready.’ Lucy grimaced. ‘For Round Two.’
He grinned back at her. ‘Let’s have some fun.’
He took her hand in his, squeezed it gently, and they stepped out of the lift.
The smell of fresh coffee, pastries and bacon hit them as they walked into the function room, now transformed for brunch. A waiter marched past carrying plates piled high with eggs benedict, pancakes and crispy bacon, and Jack felt his stomach lurch and rumble in response.
‘Lucy, darling! Jack, over here!’
Her mother’s husky voice floated across the room, and she waved them over to a family table. She clasped Lucy by the shoulders and kissed her on both cheeks, leaving a shimmer of pearlized lipstick in her wake.
‘Darling girl, you look exhausted!’ She rubbed Lucy’s face and peered at her with concern. ‘Is your room all right? Do you need to move?’ Lucy glanced up at Jack. He tried to look contrite, but Valerie was already clasping him to her. ‘Jack, lovely to see you again.’
She kissed him on both cheeks and then took his face in her hands to examine it. He was enveloped in a cloud of Valerie’s flowery perfume.
‘You look well.’
He could feel Lucy’s eyes burrowing into his skull.
‘Now, you two are here,’ she gestured towards two chairs, ‘with me and your father, Nanna, and Heather and Mark. They’ve just arrived and are dropping their bags off at their rooms.’ Valerie threw them both a knowing smile. ‘Heather being a partner now,’ Valerie glanced around to see who might be in earshot, ‘they can’t manage without her for long.”
Jack watched as Lucy nodded at her mother.
‘The staff will come and take your orders in a moment,’ Valerie looked around for the waiting staff, ‘but we’ve got mimosas to start.’
Jack touched Lucy’s shoulder gently. ‘Here.’ He pulled out her chair.
Lucy looked up at him, a flash of surprise on her face as if she’d momentarily forgotten the parts they were playing.
‘Oh yes, thank you.’
She sat down.
Her mother looked on approvingly.
‘Now, darlings, I’ve only had one of these.’ Valerie tapped her mimosa glass, and Jack felt sure from her flushed cheeks she was forgetting at least two other drinks.
‘But I want to know all about how you two ended up together. I mean,’ she took a sip and waved her glass at them, ‘haven’t you been friends for years?’
She covered Jack’s hand with her own and, in a lowered voice, said, ‘Did you wake up one morning and realise what a sweetheart my daughter is?’
‘Mum,’ Lucy protested. ‘Please.’
‘What? I can’t say that I know that my daughter, who gets her looks from her mother, by the way––’ Lucy groaned ‘––is a beautiful woman?’ Valerie shook out her hair. ‘And any man would be lucky to have her.’
‘Okay.’ Lucy was fiddling with her napkin and straining to look around. ‘Where’s the food?’ she mumbled. ‘Is the waiter coming?’
Jack glanced up and saw the nervous-looking boy from the night before. He was clutching a pad and pen and making his way slowly towards the tables with the demeanour of a young man being sent to face a firing squad. Ordering food might take some time. Lucy was folding her napkin into a tiny square.
Valerie smiled and raised her glass to Jack.
‘Lucky you came to your senses, eh?’
‘Actually, Mum, it was mutual,’ Lucy said briskly. ‘We just had a few drinks one evening and talked a lot and realised,’ her napkin wouldn’t fold any further, ‘that our feelings went deeper than just friends.’
Jack slid his arm across the back of Lucy’s chair and rested his hand on her shoulder. He felt her stiffen at the unexpected touch, then relaxed as Jack squeezed her shoulder gently. She smiled up at him and leaned into his side.
Jack nodded and took Lucy’s hand—partly to stop her from attempting to fold another napkin—and kissed it.
‘We did.’
‘Well, darling, if it takes a drink to get you out of your head long enough to see sense, that’s fine. In vino veritas! Whatever did the trick, I am glad you’ve got yourselves sorted now.’
She patted Lucy on the cheek and, in a stage whisper that anyone within twenty yards could hear, whispered, ‘He’s a good-looking boy. You hold on to him.’
Then she took off, mimosa glass in the air, to greet some new arrivals.
Lucy was turning pink and plucking at the edge of the tablecloth as if she were planning to crawl under it.
‘What did I do in a previous life?’ she muttered.
Jack took a sip of his mimosa.
‘So, your mother thinks we should be together,’ he said casually. He leaned in and whispered in Lucy’s ear. ‘In real life.’
Lucy brushed his hand off her shoulder and frowned at him.
‘Oh god, don’t you start!’
‘Hey,’ he batted his eyelashes. ‘I’m a good-looking boy. You’d better hold on to me.’
Lucy giggled and reached for her mimosa. ‘We’re going to need a jug of this….’
‘Hello stranger!’ a male voice said, and arms came from behind and wrapped Lucy in a hug. Jack pulled back and turned to see who was holding Lucy so tight.
‘Mark!’ she exclaimed and turned and jumped up to hug him properly.
Jack had never met Mark, but knew this must be the husband of Lucy’s sister, Heather.
Lucy was grinning ear to ear.
‘It’s so good to see you,’ she said as she hugged him again.
Jack stood and waited beside her.
‘Mark,’ Lucy said. ‘I want you to meet someone.’
She slid her arm through Jack’s and smiled.
‘This is Jack, my...um…my boyfriend.’
She cleared her throat as she stumbled on the lie, and Jack slipped his arm from hers and slid it around her shoulders, pulling her close. There was a pause, and for a beat she stood stock still, a practised smile on her face. Then she softened and wound her arm around his waist and Jack felt her relax into him, a little of the tension in her falling away. He felt protective over her, wanting to plant himself between Lucy and anything and anyone that would cause her pain. He instinctively tightened his arm about her shoulders.
‘Well, very good to meet you, Jack.’ Mark grabbed his hand and shook it vigorously. ‘Very good. Lucy, very pleased for you.’
Jack glanced down at her as Lucy blushed. ‘Thanks.’
‘So,’ Mark rubbed his hands together. ‘Tell me, how did you two meet?’
Jack opened his mouth to give the agreed, we’ve been friends for years and then one evening we had a few drinks, answer, when there was a crash from across the room followed by a cry that built to a wail.
Mark glanced in the direction of the noise and pulled a face. ‘Sorry, better go and see if that’s one of ours.’
A tall, harassed-looking woman wearing perfect make-up and a brittle expression hurried up, hands flapping, looking furious.
‘Mark, Peter just pulled over the seating chart, and I can’t see Thomas. You were supposed to be watching the boys. I wanted one morning to myself––’
The woman, belatedly spotting Lucy and Jack, gave a faint smile and said, ‘Oh. Hello there, Lucy. Good to see you,’ before she spun on her heel, with Mark in hot pursuit to find out what damage their kids had caused and if anyone needed to go to hospital.
As they hurried away, Jack could hear the woman saying, ‘They are getting on my last nerve. I am trying my best to make this wedding….’
As they disappeared, Lucy murmured, ‘So…that’s Mark and, as you can probably guess…that was my sister, Heather.’
Jack could feel the tension creeping back into her shoulders.
She slipped her arm away from him, stepped back and smiled at him gratefully. He missed the feeling of her pressed against him, and his arm felt suddenly useless. He smiled back into her wide eyes and found his hand reaching up to smooth a strand of hair from her face. His fingers slid behind her ear to tuck the hair away. Lucy stood frozen and gazed at him. Jack, suddenly embarrassed, dropped his hand back and took a gulp of mimosa.
Brunch rolled on into lunchtime, and mimosas flowed freely. The guests seemed in no hurry to move, lazing languidly in place in the heat. At some point, the mimosas disappeared and were replaced with just prosecco. Lucy’s nanna dozed off at the table, and James tried to coax her awake while Valerie looked on and huffed, and a toddler was dragged off, kicking and screaming, for an afternoon nap.
The late summer afternoon was the kind that felt strangely still. A haze had fallen over the day, softening the edges of everything and slowing down time, stretching the lazy day out to its very edges. Somewhere before two o’clock, as guests fought the combined soporific effects of daytime drinking and heat, it was time to go boating. Hotel staff shuffled from table to table and advised guests that those who had signed up to go kayaking on the lake should head off now. Everyone else was welcome to go into the garden.
Their mouths said, ‘You’re welcome to go into the gardens or enjoy the library.’ But their eyes said, please leavenow so we can set up for the next stage of this event.
Ollie was beckoning them frantically as Sophie and their friends went off to collect swimming costumes, towels, and hats.
‘Come on,’ Jack said brightly as a young waitress clattered about their table, stripping it of plates and cutlery.
‘Boating,’ Lucy mumbled, shifting in her seat. ‘I don’t know in what moment of madness I signed up for this. I can’t go boating. You can’t be drunk and in charge of a boat.’ She sat back and ran her fingers through her hair. ‘We should just go and lie in the garden in the shade and take a leaf out of Nanna’s book and have an afternoon snooze.’
‘Luce, two mimosas in three hours—I think you’re okay to handle some oars.’ Jack stood and extended his hand. ‘Come on. We agreed we’d have some fun.’
‘I am not sure kayaking with my brother’s uni friends and other strangers meets the definition of fun,’ Lucy said, wrinkling her nose and levering herself to her feet. ‘I might drown,’ she added ominously.
‘That’s the spirit!’ Jack said and set off for their room, Lucy trailing a few steps behind him.