Chapter 13
Once Eliza had arrived home and made some more toast with Marmite, she lit the fire (she still mentally high-fived herself every time she nailed it) and decided to give Agatha a ring.
Eliza hadn’t asked her yet whether she would do the catering for Fenella’s wedding, and she needed to tick something off her list.
‘Hi, darling,’ Agatha answered. ‘I thought you were never going to ring! Is Farmington so busy that you’ve ditched your family? I tried calling you last night to check you were still alive!’
‘Ah, I popped into London to see Nancy and get a hit of the bright lights!’
‘How’s the hangover?’ joked Agatha.
‘Let’s just say it was a good night!’
‘Did it make you want to move back to the city?’
Eliza considered for a moment. ‘Weirdly not. I like it here. I’m enjoying the peace and quiet, and I like living life differently. Right now, I’m sitting by myself next to a roaring fire, drinking tea. Does it get any better than that?’
‘I suppose that depends how middle-aged you are! As a singleton in her late thirties, maybe you shouldn’t get too stuck in your ways. That’s the kind of thing I like to do to pass the time.’
‘I might not be as single as you think, Agatha. I know you all think I’m over the hill, but it turns out I’m actually still quite fuckable.’
‘You haven’t pulled already, have you? Don’t tell me Dan actually does have a hot gardener you’ve managed to bed?’
Eliza laughed. ‘Not quite, but not far off!’
‘Well, come on, tell me. No wait . . . it can’t be the hot guy we saw at the coffee shop?’
‘Yup, that’s him, my rebound man.’
There was silence, and then a squeal.
‘You are joking! Girls like us don’t get men like him, do we?’
‘Speak for yourself, Agatha!’
‘Okay fine, fine. When can I come and see him again, then? I think I should double-check my eyesight on this one. I could come for coffee tomorrow at Stanley’s?’
‘Well, maybe not tomorrow, it seems he’s away for a few days. How about Monday?’
‘Done! Now, have you shagged him?’
‘Maybe . . .’
‘Eliza! You filthy bitch, I am so proud of you. And I bet it makes you wonder why you stayed with that awful Henry for so long.’
‘Well, it has all turned out better than I expected. But let’s not do another deep dive on Henry.
He was part of the journey that got me here, and I did walk away with a lot of nice wine.
And, as it turns out, an inability to trust anyone male.
’ Eliza pulled herself back on track. ‘But that aside, I do have something I want to ask you. Don’t say no until you know what it is! ’
‘Why would I say no? Are you going to ask me to take Mum and Dad on holiday or something?’
‘No, Agatha, I think this is something you might actually really love doing.’ Taking a deep breath, she launched in. ‘You know how you’ve been muttering about getting back into work, and you know I’m planning this wedding? Well, I was hoping you would do the catering for it.’
‘No,’ replied Agatha immediately.
‘No?’ said Eliza, slightly shocked at the forcefulness of her refusal. ‘What do you mean no?’
‘I mean no, I would be terrified. I haven’t ever done a wedding, and I’m out of practice, and what if I fuck it up?’ The last part was almost said in a whisper, and Eliza nearly smiled at her strong sister showing her insecurity.
‘But what if you nail it? What if you’re bloody amazing? You love catering, and everyone you’ve ever cooked for wants to book more events.’
‘Well true, that’s the other way to look at it, but this all seems like one hell of a risk. Why do you want me to do it?’
‘Because I’m trying to keep the whole thing local, low key, and cool. The wedding is at Stanley’s, but Luke’s kitchen staff aren’t equipped to do wedding catering like this. So, I thought you could commandeer the kitchen and create something fabulous.’
‘I don’t know, Eliza, what if I get it all wrong, and ruin the whole day for Fenella, and for you?’
‘But you won’t, I know you won’t! Get some of your old team back to help you, and I will be there as your wingman.’
‘Eliza, you can barely boil an egg.’
‘I wasn’t offering to cook, obviously, but I can give moral support. And you’ll get paid, earn some cash, and it will stop you being bored!’
‘Okay, I’m warming to the idea. Will Luke be in the kitchen with me?’ asked Agatha. ‘If I have some eye candy it might help.’
Eliza laughed. ‘I can certainly make sure he pops in to say hi every now and then.’
‘Let me talk to Toby tonight. I just want to see what he thinks. And I know you’re going to say I can make my own decisions, and I can, it’s just easier if he’s on board, too.’
‘Of course, I get it,’ responded Eliza, heart thumping with excitement, ‘but will you let me know tomorrow? If you don’t do it, I’m screwed, so your options are limited. Also, this is my first wedding on my own, so I’m terrified, too. I need you by my side!’
‘Yes, imagine if you screwed up Luke’s sister’s wedding; that wouldn’t bode well for your blossoming relationship.’
‘I think relationship might be a bit of an exaggeration for a man who’s more commitment-phobic than my cheating ex – after all, I’m realistically only here in Farmington for another two months.
This is my transitional period. Healing heartbreak by drinking tea and shagging a man way out of my league. ’
They both laughed. ‘I don’t want to get it wrong,’ Eliza continued. ‘I want to walk away from this wedding with my head held high, knowing I delivered the best goddamn party I could. And then hopefully it might launch my career as a wedding planner extraordinaire.’
‘Eliza, you were born to party plan. And if we’re being honest, to party. I know you’ll create something wonderful.’ Eliza didn’t know why but her eyes welled up at the words.
‘I love you. And now I have to go. I have a few of the locals coming round for a drink to finalise some of the finer wedding details! We’re only seven weeks away from the big day now, so the pressure is on. Let me know when you can!’
Hanging up the phone, Eliza glanced at her watch.
Only a few hours until her cottage would be transformed into wedding headquarters.
She’d invited Fenella over to finalise details, then thought why not gather everyone involved?
Marjorie would be arriving with cake samples to taste test, Vivi was bringing their latest vintage to check the pairing, and Bella had agreed to ‘discuss’ flowers.
Eliza hadn’t yet broached Bella herself about arranging the flowers. She was saving that particular ambush for tonight, preferably with some witnesses present. Even Bella wouldn’t have the nerve to refuse Fenella’s pleading eyes.
With her hangover finally subsiding into a dull memory, Eliza found herself genuinely excited about the evening ahead.
The unexpected cherry on top had been bumping into Dan that morning at the end of her driveway, who’d promptly appointed himself ‘Director of Parking’ and added his name to the guest list.
As Eliza arranged tortilla chips in a circle around a dollop of shop-bought guacamole, she grimaced.
So much for impressive hosting, she thought.
Moments later, there was a knock at the door, and it was Fenella, arriving just a little bit early as planned.
It was the perfect timing for them to discuss wedding details and, if she was lucky, to extract a few more snippets about Luke’s mysterious past. Since their goodbye last night, her phone had remained stubbornly silent.
Every single ping made her heart leap before crashing back down.
She’d been repeating the mantra ‘just a rebound fling’ to herself like a protective spell, yet she couldn’t stop replaying Luke’s words she’d overheard: ‘if it’s with the right person .
. .’ Could she be that person? Where would she even be in two months?
Eliza wiped her hands on a tea towel and took a steadying breath. Wedding planner mode was activated. And she told herself that if her conversation with Fenella happened to reveal something about Luke’s history – well, that would just be considered efficient multitasking.
‘Fenella, it worked, you’re the first! Come in, come in, the fire is lit and the wine is chilled!’
‘Sounds perfect,’ said Fenella, taking off her burgundy coat and hanging it by the door. ‘Although Dan spotted me arriving from the top window, so you can expect him any moment now. He can’t bear to miss out!’
Eliza laughed. ‘That’s why we love him! What he needs is a good woman. Does he really have no interest in his gaggle of widows?’
Following Eliza into the kitchen to sit at the table, Fenella snagged a chip.
‘I have a theory about Dan! He claims to be such a lothario, but what he really likes, or should I say wants, is a good woman to look after him. Not dissimilar from my brother actually. No one too sexy and troublesome, I think the perfect partner has been staring him right in the face for years. Marjorie.’
‘Marjorie?’ guffawed Eliza, pouring a glass of chilled white. ‘No way! Dan, who can hold a ten-minute plank and probably does headstands before bed, hooking up with Marjorie, the village baking marvel?’
‘You’re looking at this all wrong,’ laughed Fenella, as they cheersed.
‘Often the most unexpected pairings are the best ones. Majorie and Dan have been the best of friends forever. I’m sure they hold a torch for each other, and honestly, I would be so happy to see them get together.
But I think they’re both hesitant about making the first move.
If they did, well, I’d say that would be your next wedding, Eliza! ’
‘Okay, let’s not get carried away, let’s see how this one goes first!’
‘Well, so far so good, I think,’ said Fenella.
‘Mum and I were achieving nothing before you showed up, and now you seem to have nearly everything in place in no time at all! I love that we’re using local people and produce, and I love the idea of finally getting Luke to clear out the big barn at the back of Stanley’s. Inspired.’