Outside on the harbour wall, waving the van away, Monty had to hug the emotional groom until he’d recovered himself and announced he’d had the best day ever.
‘How many of those has he had?’ Jude’s dad asked, nodding at Elliot’s empty monkey cup in his hand.
‘He’s had three orange squashes,’ stated Daniel.
The men all agreed it hadn’t been a bad party after all and they might as well head back inside the bar for dinner and some proper drinks now that Monty’s shift was about to begin.
Radia gripped Charley fox and her mum’s hand very tightly as it sank in that it was almost bedtime for her. Joy had to pretend she couldn’t see the tears on her overwhelmed little girl’s cheeks – she’d only have been mortified and insisted she wasn’t exhausted from all the excitement.
Monty may have noticed too because he insisted on walking them a little way up the slope. Daniel and Ekon followed close behind them. They weren’t staying for the meal but going back to Jude’s to help her prepare for her party tomorrow.
‘Are you coming to the hen do?’ Radia asked Monty, sniffing back sleepy tears and trying hard not to yawn.
‘Ah, no,’ he told her. ‘It’s a girl’s party.’
Daniel took over. ‘We’re allowed to go because Jude’s my BFF.’ Radia turned her face up to his and squinted as she trudged up the slope. ‘Best friend forever,’ he added in a dramatic whisper.
‘Bee eff eff,’ Radia echoed dreamily, thinking how she wanted one of those more than anything.
‘You don’t have to walk us all the way up,’ Joy told Monty once it became clear Radia was absorbed in quizzing Daniel about how Jude came to be his friend and whether he and Ekon were going to get married like Jude and Elliot.
‘Wow! Don’tyoulike to know all the details!’ they heard Daniel fluster while Ekon listened in, amused.
Hanging back a little, Monty told Joy, ‘It’s OK, I just feel bad the party had to end so early. Work, you know? But, listen, um, tomorrow night. My shift,’ he blurted. ‘I’ll be finished about ten. If you…’
Joy kept her eyes fixed on the back of Radia’s bouncing bob, but she was definitely smiling at his words.
‘If it’s not too late, I mean, would you…’ he continued, while she flushed pink.
She should tell him she’d be asleep by ten, most likely. She should tell him she couldn’t have a guy coming over to the shop at night, not with Radia there. She also wanted to stop dead and kiss him hard on the lips and make him promise he’d come find her the second he was finished with work. Instead, she shrugged helplessly and shook her head, her lips moving and no words forming. All too soon they reached the turning for the shop.
Ekon called back that he’d see them tomorrow, and Daniel chanted, ‘Girls’ night! Girls’ night! Girls’ night!’ as he walked on up the cobbles, encouraging Radia to join in.
All Monty could do was surrender the two party bags with jelly snake cupcakes inside and bid Joy goodnight.
‘Will I see you tomorrow night?’ he asked again. He seemed not to know what to do with his hands, so they both ended up behind his head.
Joy gripped the bags and told him she didn’t know, before fixing him with a panicked look which she broke off after a second’s indecision. Then she followed after her daughter, down the alleyway and into the bookshop square.
All the next day as she worked on the shop tech, keeping the doors locked against customers or any handsome chefs who might come strolling by, Joy was plagued by the image of Monty booping his nose to the puppy dog’s. The memory made her smile then frown in frustration in equal measure. To fight it off she’d worked as hard as she could, and she’d kept Radia busy with some BBC Bitesize lessons on iPlayer, all the while totally at a loss for how to handle these wholly inconvenient impulses racing through her body, telling her that Monty Bickleigh was the only thing she wanted right now, while a weaker impulse warned her he was the very last thing she needed.
Chapter Nineteen
The first thing that struck Joy as she was hugged and welcomed into Jude’s place was the sight of a wedding cake in clear containers stacked up on the counter, a traditional tiered thing in white fondant icing. Then there was the immediate air of expectation and festivity and a wonderful, warm feeling of family too.
Evidently, Jude had popped the Prosecco long before her guests arrived. Her mum, Mrs Crawley, was also a little flushed when she welcomed them inside. A regal, elderly woman on the sofa was introduced as Jude’s grandmother.
‘Come and sit with me, little one,’ Jude’s gran said to Radia as soon as she came in, producing a bag of toffees from her handbag, telling Radia she ought to help her eat them – even though they played havoc with the teeth.
Radia dived into the spot on the sofa between her and Mrs Crocombe.
Jude was rapidly pressing bubbling glasses into her guests’ hands and asking Joy how the stag do had been yesterday. She’d been in on the petting-zoo surprise.
‘It was lovely,’ Joy confessed, hoping it sounded innocuous and light, feeling very much as though she was being observed. ‘So, how are the wedding plans?’ she asked, trying to deflect Jude and Daniel’s evaluating eyes.
Jude pulled a not very bridal face and said she’d just had Minty on the phone for half an hour asking her how she would go about making a wedding website.
‘A website for her wedding-planning business?’ said Joy.
