Chapter 16
Brides by the Sea, St Aidan, Cornwall
Lace, bows and whistleblowers
Thursday
The next afternoon the bridal room is free so Tia and I shut ourselves away to work on a new reel we’re calling ‘Incarnations’. Tia is wearing a plain strapless silk sheath, and our idea is to show how a bride can create a dress that’s completely unique by customising it with her own extras.
To start with I film Tia walking towards me in the plain dress, then with each successive transformation we make I film her again. Once I merge the clips, the reel will show Tia in an endless walk across the screen with the same dress restyled in lots of different ways.
An hour in Tia is reading down the list, ticking off the ones we’ve covered.
‘Okay, so we’ve done the spaghetti straps, the ruched straps, and the straps from gathered tulle tied in bows on the shoulders, and all the different bows on the back.’
I carry on. ‘We’ve done the sleeve variations, and the long gloves too.’
Tia takes a sheer chiffon top off a hanger and slips it over her head. ‘So while you’re doing up the buttons on this top for me, tell me properly what happened with Lando yesterday.’
I shake my head. ‘I’m still struggling to believe it myself. He’s convinced himself Nemmie has nothing to do with him.’ I’m trying to put my finger on what was strange. ‘He’s far too polite to talk over people, but yesterday I couldn’t get a word in.’
Tia’s shaking her head. ‘And you ended up running along the beach shouting after him?’
‘I didn’t catch him. I even knocked on his door on the way home, too, but he wasn’t there, and his car had gone.’
Tia considers. ‘At least you know where you stand now.’
I blow out a breath. ‘I can’t grumble; I had nine years to say my piece, and I chose not to. But it is very Lando to turn up and rewrite every assumption I’ve ever made.’ I pat her back. ‘You’re all done. If you’re ready to do your walk, I’ll get my phone.’
Tia pulls me into a hug. ‘Looking at it another way, he’s just handed you your “get out of jail free” card.’
I watch her walking under the sparkle of the chandelier. ‘I won’t be taking it. Whether he accepts it or not, he’s got to know the truth.’ I smile. ‘For the next shot, a really long floaty veil would look amazing.’
‘Good thinking.’ She lets me film her as she is, then adds a veil, shakes it out behind her and heads off again. ‘What time are the girls coming?’
I look at my phone as I start to film. ‘Any time now. Mum’s dropping them straight from school. It’s so good of Jess to let them have bridesmaids’ dresses from here for your wedding.’
Tia smiles. ‘You know Jess. She’s insisting it’ll be great publicity for the kids’ department.
She also said it’s never too early to check out future staff.
’ She laughs. ‘Time flies in the wedding industry, and Jess is always on the lookout for new potential.’ She passes the veil across to me, then heads for the changing room.
I sigh and start to clear up. ‘I still think of Nemmie as my baby, but she’s halfway to eighteen already.’
We’ve heard the shop doorbell in the distance during the afternoon, but this time, when it rings, I open the door to the hallway, and Nemmie and Zara are standing there in front of Mum with the little ones in their buggy.
I shepherd them into the hall. ‘Come in, you two, before you burst! The bridesmaids’ area is up on the next floor.’ I look at Mum. ‘You’re welcome to join us?’
She laughs. ‘I’ll have my turn when it’s your wedding.’
I laugh back. ‘It never will be.’
She reverses the buggy out of the main door. ‘See you back at home then.’
A few seconds later Tia joins us, back in her chinos and leopard print shirt. She points to the staircase that winds up from the hallway. ‘This way, ladies, all the way up, menswear is off to the left, bridesmaids are on the right.’
We clatter up the flight of stairs, cross an uneven landing and emerge into an area where the pink and blue gingham of the changing room curtains echo the pastel velvet cushions on the chairs and sofas.
The rooms upstairs run into each other, and Tia goes through into the next space along and comes back pushing a rail of dresses. ‘I’ve picked out my favourites. Try as many as you like and then we’ll decide which we like best.’
I have to add, ‘Just so you know, bridesmaids don’t always have this much input.’
Tia holds up the prettiest tulle, but Nemmie is staring beyond it and when I see she’s spotted a close-up of me and Lando propped up beyond the doorway, my heart hits my cowboy boots. It’s my own fault; I should have done a sweep of the building to clear them away.
‘Is that you, Mum?’ Nemmie’s eyes are wide. ‘That photo is huge!’
Tia steps in. ‘That’s because it’s been enlarged to make it pop.’
I’m going to own this. ‘Tia and I film ourselves in wedding dresses for the shop publicity. That’s part of my new job.’
Nemmie is staring. ‘Is that man your husband?’
My heart skips a beat at that. ‘Of course not! Jess made him pretend to be the groom because it’s her shop and she’s his auntie.
’ Hopefully that’s cut him down to size.
‘You might have seen him around town. He came to help Salvador out. He’s staying by the harbour.
’ Parade him in plain sight, like there’s nothing to hide.
The only thing that might give me away is the hammering on my chest wall.
She frowns. ‘Is he you-know-who?’
It’s one of those times when I’m willing the floor to open up and swallow me. ‘His name is Lando and we’ve known him since we were small. Haven’t we, Tia?’ I deflect.
Tia nods at the girls. ‘Since we were a lot younger than you.’
I dive in with some detail. ‘He and Uncle Sav were a right pain when we were kids.’
Tia backs me up. ‘They used to tease us without mercy.’
I raise my eyebrows. ‘He’s mostly grown out of that now, but we’d never be close friends.’
Nemmie frowns. ‘But you tell us not to hold grudges.’
She’s got me there. ‘I also tell you that for every rule there are special cases, and this is one of those.’
Nemmie is squinting at the image. ‘His eyes are quite crinkly. Why are you laughing so much if you don’t get on?’
I need to put this in context. ‘I was freezing so it was less fun than it looks, but we were eating strawberry tarts.’
She grins. ‘That figures. Will we have snacks when we give out our shells for you, Tia?’
I think of my catastrophic stains. ‘Definitely not red ones.’
Tia considers. ‘We’ll have a wedding cake, but mini meringues with whatever colour theme we decide on would be cool too.’
Nemmie looks worried. ‘You’ll have to make up your mind soon or it’ll be too late!’
Tia laughs. ‘Thanks for reminding me. Once we decide on your dresses and mine, I’ll take my inspiration from them.’
Nemmie is studying the rail. ‘Come and help, Zara. Nothing net, because we wear that most days, sequins are more for the disco, and we’d be sure to mess up those plain ones if we’re on the beach.’
Tia is used to their strong opinions. ‘We have lots of different colours and patterns for the cotton print dresses. We can make those up in any style and any fabric.’ The one she pulls out has layers of frills in pinks and blue flowers, with alternating frills in a darker yellow colourway.
‘This one has practicality and the wow factor!’
Nemmie wrinkles her nose. ‘It’s too fancy for the beach though.’ She purses her lips. ‘The skirt with the separate top looks comfy, but a shorts-skirt would be even better. We could zhoosh it up with sequinned Converse, and have fabric bows in our hair.’
Tia’s staring at me in disbelief. ‘So that’s it?’
I’m nodding at Nemmie. ‘Can you see a print you like and then you can try things on.’
She goes straight to a dress on the rail with a sludgy green background and pale blue, white and pink flowers, then pulls on a pale taupe with large white spots a couple of dresses along. ‘These two are cool. Which do you think, Zara?’
Zara rolls her eyes. ‘The flowery one. With extra frills everywhere you can for me please.’
Tia jots in her notebook and pulls a tape measure out of a drawer by the changing rooms and takes a handful of outfits from the rail. I’m about to herd the girls across to her when I hear the creak of the landing floorboards, and turn to see Jess coming through the door, waving her arms.
‘Excellent judgement, very forward-thinking choices, girls! Our designer Sera will get to work on the variations straightaway.’ Jess beams down at Nemmie and Zara. ‘It’s wonderful to see young minds in action. I confess, we all listened in from across the landing in menswear.’
Tia frowns at me as she asks, ‘Oliver didn’t mention he had a booking?’
Jess beams. ‘It was a last-minute “friends and family”. I’ve been advising our groom of the year on his future outfits, and he’s been offering us his tipis for our next photo shoot!’
My stomach drops and hits the floor. ‘He’s here now?’
Of all the days and all the places for Lando and Nemmie to accidentally come face to face, it can’t be here. It can’t be today! I know I need to do something major, but I’m so appalled my legs won’t actually move.
Then Tia steps forward and a second later the girls disappear behind the changing room curtain.
Tia reappears and turns to me calmly. ‘Whenever you’re ready, we’ll take the dresses in to them!’ She turns to Jess. ‘Anything else we can help with before we get on?’
There’s another creak and Lando appears behind Jess on the landing.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on … whatever it is you’re doing.’
His mortified expression gives me the strength to smile. ‘Just Nemmie and Zara looking at dresses for Tia’s beach hut wedding.’ I make sure I get that one in.
‘Zara?’ His eyes narrow. ‘You have two daughters?’
I take pity on his confusion. ‘Zara is my much younger half-sister. Nemmie is ten months older, but she’s Zara’s niece.’
He shakes his head. ‘You may have lost me there.’
‘No one said gatecrashing was easy.’ I laugh. ‘Thanks for the offer of your tipis. The first sunny day, we’ll look forward to sizing up the competition.’
Another instance where I’m sounding like honey and tasting vinegar.
His voice rises in surprise. ‘What happened to local venues pulling together?’
I look at the ceiling. ‘You get the ice creams, I’ll bring Angel, and we’ll take it from there.’
I turn to see Tia looking at the changing room. ‘Sorry, we’d better get back to the bridesmaids.’
I listen to the sound of their feet clattering down the stairs, then I turn to Tia.
‘No knowledge of weddings, and he’s already got his tipis up! Right on the beach! I may as well give up now!’
Tia laughs. ‘In case you’ve forgotten, Windflowers is on the beach too.’ She gives my elbow a nudge. ‘A few damp tents, or an exclusive-use beach hut? I know which I’d rather have!’
My more pressing problem is actually closer to home.
‘Well done for your quick thinking back there, Tia.’ I lower my voice. ‘Now Lando’s here for good, I have to let him see Nemmie before he runs into her by accident.’
In terms of priority, it’s just leapfrogged over telling him she’s his. I’ll have to think very carefully how I’m going to handle both of those.