Chapter 24
That night was Italian night at the hotel, and as they happily scoffed down the most delicious lemon risotto in the plush restaurant, the sea air still tingling in their cheeks, Felicity’s phone buzzed.
Valerie: Donkey settling in well. She’s starving, poor thing. Rang round and can’t find anyone willing to claim her. Come see her anytime.
Felicity: Is tomorrow too soon? *smiley face*
Valerie: Not at all.
Felicity: Great, thank you, we’ll just pop in.
Valerie: That’s fine, about 11 would be best.
Felicity: 11 it is. We won’t stay long.
Valerie: No problem.
Her phone buzzed again.
‘That Valerie’s a chatty one,’ said James absently, already perusing the dessert menu in front of him while he was still eating his main.
But it wasn’t Valerie this time.
Bex: Hi, Fliss, hope you are okay. How are the plans for the hen do coming? I keep getting asked.
Not even a kiss at the end. Felicity’s heart bumped faster in her chest.
‘I swear this wedding will be the death of me,’ she said. Her tone was light but in truth, with every mention of the wedding she could feel her blood pressure rising.
‘Trouble?’ said James, taking a sip of his enormous gin and tonic.
‘It’s just Bex. She wants to know what’s happening with the hen do. And truth be told I haven’t even thought about it.’
James shrugged. ‘Bar. Cocktails. Dancing. How hard can it be? You just go out in town and let your hair down, surely? Not too much, mind,’ he added, waving his fork at her.
Felicity laughed. ‘Is that what you think Bex would be satisfied with? A night out in town?’
‘Why, what does she want?’
‘I can tell you it’s not that. She wants to be whisked away somewhere for a weekend. And not just any “somewhere”. It has to be “Bex-worthy”. I have no idea how I’m even going to afford it, let alone organise it.’
She let out a small wail and James covered her hand with his.
‘You know what you need?’
‘An enormous gin?’
‘Well, yes, definitely, but also… Sophie. You need Sophie.’
Felicity’s eyes widened.
‘I do need Sophie. She will make it all all right. She’ll know what to do. If I play my cards right, she’ll even take it off my hands. She loves all the admin and that. Why Bex didn’t make her the maid of honour is totally beyond me.’
‘You really don’t know why?’ said James, his perfect brow line wrinkling.
‘Do you?’
‘I have a theory.’
Felicity’s stomach twisted. She took a deep breath. ‘Go on then, let’s hear it.’
James hesitated for a second, then spoke, with pain in his voice.
‘Well, Bex obviously just wants to torture you, doesn’t she?’
‘Does she?’ said Felicity, eyes widening.
‘I think so. She’s known you for years and years. She knows you’re not a… natural organiser, let’s say.’
‘Hey…’
‘Sorry.’ He winced.
In spite of the sinking feeling in her gut, Felicity laughed. ‘It’s okay. You’re quite right of course. Go on.’
‘Well, has it ever occurred to you that this is her way of making you pay for Adam being in love with you, for all those years? She’s keeping her enemies close, for one thing, always a good strategy.
And she gets to watch you try and organise all this stuff, being as exacting as she can be, knowing you’ll be hating every second.
’ He lifted his glass and took a sip of wine, letting Felicity absorb his words. ‘She’s an evil genius, basically.’
‘Well, we knew that already, didn’t we?’
‘True.’
Felicity swallowed. ‘But surely she must think there’s a risk I’ll sabotage the whole thing. It’s a gamble.’
James nodded. ‘It is, but it’s a calculated one. She’s banking on the fact that you’re far too lovely, not to mention intimidated by her to mess with her wedding. I kind of admire it in a weird way. Bex is calling your bluff.’
‘Don’t you dare say you admire her.’
‘Okay, sorry, poor choice of words. But it’s kind of impressive how much gall she has, given everything.’
‘She can take her bluff and stick it up her arse.’
At that very moment, a waiter hovered into view. He gave a small cough when he heard the last line but to his credit he kept a straight face.
‘Can I offer you any desserts, madam? Sir?’
‘Oh yes, please,’ said Felicity. ‘I’ll have whatever is the largest dessert you can find, with the biggest gin to go with it please.’
‘Ooh. Same for me please,’ said James. His cheeks were already flushed after the first gin. Felicity was feeling a bit tipsy herself but one more couldn’t hurt, could it?
When the waiter had backed away, a bemused look on his face, James raised his eyebrows at Felicity.
‘You okay?’
‘Yup. I worked out a way to get my own back. I’m going to get enormously fat. Then she’ll have to buy me a new dress and new shoes to fit my big fat maid of honour cankles.’
James laughed. Despite what she put away on a regular basis, Felicity was titchy by anyone’s standards. ‘Sounds like a fun challenge.’
‘And that’s why I love you,’ said Felicity, suddenly filled with a rush of affection for this man who always managed to make her laugh, no matter the situation.
As the waiter put two gargantuan ice-cream sundaes in front of them, along with gin glasses the size of fish bowls, Felicity was conscious all eyes in the restaurant were on them, but she didn’t care. Ice cream was always the answer, after all.
They ate in silence for a few blissful moments.
Then, ‘What’s a cankle?’ said James.
Felicity snort-laughed into her gin glass. ‘Trust me, you do not want to know.’