Chapter 55
Hetherington HQ overlooked Morecambe Bay, emblazoning the landscape with fake turrets.
Aria smiled, remembering how offended Justin had been when she’d nicknamed the family’s pretentious building the breezeblock castle.
Felicity dropped her off, apologising once more that she couldn’t take Tiger as she had a full day of people arriving for their equine therapy.
‘I plan to retire next year but, until then, that roof won’t fix itself,’ she declared, her laugh tickling the air.
No longer finding her stepmother embarrassing, Aria said she wouldn’t dream of keeping her off work to look after the dog.
After a visit to the stables last week, she understood more about how horses were used to explore emotions and communication.
She might even pay for a session herself, as the therapy could apparently help with balance and coordination.
She was also glad the compensation she’d agreed with Nic civilly allowed her to pay Felicity some rent.
She’d be using a chunk of it on a landscaping course next year.
Climbing out of the car she reassured Felicity that Tiger was her official plus one.
‘I met Justin’s little brother in town a couple of days ago.
He was looking for an excuse to hang out on the beach to avoid ‘soppy wedding vows,’ and begged me to bring my dog.
I gave in mostly because I hate to be without Tiger.
I won’t stay long. I’m only going so I can hold my head up high in front of them.
Poor Aria who has been wronged again will rise from the ashes of her fishing cabin!
’ She slammed the car door and made sure her rose-gold suit was covering all the relevant parts of her body.
She had borrowed her stepmother’s heels and had been training herself to walk like a normal person in them.
She knew she’d be the subject of gossip as Sophie said the rumours of their break-up had spread round town like a cat video, but she didn’t want to give people any more ammunition.
On the way in, she passed Cal Lawson, ringing around for temp staff. She said hello and he made a mock gesture of pulling his hair out. ‘Ever tried to cater a wedding with three waitresses? All the others pulled out this morning. It’s a nightmare. Don’t suppose you fancy a shift?’
She ticked off on her fingers the reasons why that wouldn’t work.
‘Not staying long. Have a dog. Need to be on the other side of the bar to get through this ordeal.’ She almost recommended Sophie before remembering her friend despised Cal for being alive.
Pushing her hair over her shoulders, she pretended the furtive looks and glances were because she’d brought a dog as a guest to her ex-fiancé’s wedding.
At least Tiger gave her that excuse. She moved into the body of the room where Justin was enjoying a captive audience.
‘How do you know when you’ve bought a static caravan?
’ Justin nodded at her before waiting for a moment to let the joke sink in and triumphantly producing the punchline.
‘You put the key in the lock and your hair sticks up!’ He boomed out a laugh, prompting Aria and a passing Cal to exchange eye-rolls as Justin’s mother Diane rocked up, dressed from head to toe in an abusive shade of violet.
Meanwhile the groom’s little brother made a beeline for Tiger.
‘When do you want me to dog-sit?’ he asked in a low voice. ‘Please say now?’
Diane looked displeased, but Aria wasn’t sure whether she’d heard him or just generally disapproved of everything. She handed Tiger over, telling the boy she’d collect him after the vows.
‘Aria, can we talk?’ She knew without turning round that it was Nic. She’d rather have a cold sore than a chat with him, but as it was a wedding she couldn’t make a scene. She swung around, finding he looked as handsome as ever, although perhaps a bit less composed.
‘Why are you here?’ she asked, her voice flat.
He fiddled with his shirt sleeve. ‘To see you, really. Seemed like a good idea back in the tailor’s shop, but then so did this jacket.
’ When Aria looked away, he asked her to hear him out.
‘My solicitor assures me the compensation has gone through, and I’m glad.
As I said repeatedly, the demolition was a stupid, indefensible mistake.
It wasn’t my action, but I am willing to own it. And I will always regret it.’
‘It was a mistake that can’t be rectified, no matter how much you grovel,’ Aria replied.
‘So, you might as well not bother doing that again. You overpaid me for the hut, and I accepted it, with some encouragement from Felicity. But what are you expecting? Thanks? While the cabin was an important part of my life, it was obviously a part of your grander plan and now it has gone we have nothing more to discuss.’ People were looking their way as she finished the speech she’d prepared in case he came.
Mercifully Justin stepped in, leaning towards her and breathing whisky fumes. ‘Hey Aria! I did what you said and grew a pair of balls. I told Lu-Lu I’d stand her up at the altar unless she went ahead with a dance we practised.’
A threat of that kind seemed typical Justin behaviour, but she wasn’t sure why he was sharing this with her.
First dances were a normal and frankly quite boring part of a wedding and she wouldn’t be sticking around long enough to see theirs.
‘Well, I’m sure we can all look forward to seeing what you practised,’ she murmured.
‘Oh, you know exactly what we’ve been practising. You’re probably a little rusty these days, though,’ he poked at her.
Now he’d got her attention. ‘The one with the lift?’ When he nodded, she became worried for his bride.
‘We did that over and over again in the water for months and still couldn’t get it right. Lu-Lu’s not even a swimmer.’ The only thing this bride was likely to dive for was bling in a jewellery store sale.
‘She’ll be fine. I’m super-coordinated, and Lu-Lu’s a little less top-heavy, shall we say?’ He slapped her on the back with a laugh as someone came to tell him he should get in place for the ceremony.
***
Everyone gathered in the drawing room of Hetherington HQ. The attendees sat on white chairs with giant pink bows, awaiting the bride’s arrival. When Nic took his place next to her, Aria stared straight ahead.
‘I have nothing to say to you,’ she hissed.
‘Then don’t talk. I’m here to watch the ceremony,’ he insisted.
As they waited for the bride, Aria suspected their awkward silence was fuelling interest, so she put a smile on her face and pointed to the wedding cake – an intricate artwork of edible caravans, sheep and people set in a confectionery version of Inglemere.
‘See those tiny sugarpaste figures? They represent us – the residents of this town – getting on with our little lives, believing Inglemere will be ours forever, or at least a gift to be passed to future generations. And then people like you turn up and populate that lovely green hillside with houses you don’t really want or need.
You pollute the air with emissions as you drive or fly in for a week or two a year, leaving the properties empty the rest of the time.
You push up the property prices as land is more scarce and houses for normal people are less affordable, so the young people depart along with you, to cheaper towns and cities.
And soon, a thriving community starts to die and there are so many new homes in front of the lake no one can see it anymore.
The farmers take the lambs off to market as there’s no green pasture left, while you put pretty pictures of Herdwick sheep on your walls in your primary homes to remind you of the once green and pleasant land you coveted while you moan about not being able to get up to Inglemere because the motorways are clogged or you are too busy paying two mortgages and double taxes.
‘You lied to me from the beginning, Nic Castle. You needed my land for your marina access road. Everyone is a random tiny figure to you, to be repositioned at a whim. All they have to do is get in your way on a bank holiday and boom – they’re history!
Don’t get me wrong – I played my part in our story.
I signed on the metaphorical dotted line willingly.
I mean, you even produced a contract at one point.
And while neither of us expected a fake engagement to lead to a real wedding like this, you didn’t even try to keep it professional and stop something else forming between us.
’ She touched her heart for a second before dropping her hand back to her side.
‘You were the one in the driving seat. You made promises you didn’t keep, took things too far and didn’t uphold your side of the deal.
Here’s Lu-Lu now. I’m moving over there for a better view of marriage,’ she told him, standing and making her way past a row of guests to the far edge of the room.
She’d said her piece, but it didn’t feel as good as she’d expected.