It was out in the open now and Libby couldn’t hold on to her emotions anymore. A tsunami of tears began to roll down her cheeks. Guy had made such an impact on her life in such a short time and she’d just risked it all by being honest, but there was no other way.
‘Oh Lib,’ Guy said, holding her tight as she sobbed.
ChapterSeventeen
Libby had a very full day ahead. She was meeting with Miranda to fit her dress and finalise the cake design; David and his best man had their final suit fitting at the tailors in Glensheil and Libby had spent the last hour sourcing black chair covers and tablecloths for the wedding day.
Overnight there had been fresh snowfall and thankfully Drew had delivered a pile of logs to the lodges to keep the fires burning. Now sitting in front of the roaring log burner with a tray balanced on her knees, she tucked into her breakfast of scrambled eggs on buttery granary toast.
The past few days had been extremely busy and Libby had spent most of her free time with Guy. They were getting closer by the second. He’d been everything that she’d imagined he would be and his warm heart had blown her away. Libby felt that sharing her past had lifted a huge weight from her shoulders. There were no secrets between them now.
Placing the tray on the table, she finished her morning coffee. She had a couple of hours before she needed to be in the studio to meet Miranda, which would give her plenty of time to finish Julia’s wedding outfit. Hearing the crunch of snow on the path outside, she swung her gaze towards the window and saw Guy walking to her front door. She jumped up to answer his knock.
‘You’re early. We have another two hours before we meet the bride.’ Libby leaned forward and kissed him on his lips but then noticed the serious look on Guy’s face. ‘What’s up? What’s happened?’ She opened the door wide and Guy stepped inside. He handed her the newspaper.
‘I think you should see this. Have a look at page four and be warned, you might not like it.’
Walking into the living room, Libby took the newspaper from him and sat down on the settee. She read the headline.
Starcross Manor’s Wedding Planner makes a huge blunder.
‘Blooming heck. Flynn is going to lose his mind,’ Libby exclaimed.
‘The first line is brutal.’
Libby read out loud, ‘After staff walked out of Starcross Manor leaving Flynn Carter floundering to organise the wedding of competition winners Miranda Jones and David Mellor, he roped in his sister whose blunder has cost Starcross Manor a small fortune after wedding guests were issued invitations with the wrong day listed.’ Her jaw seemed to have fallen past her knees. ‘Oh my God. This is terrible.’
‘Isn’t it just. I take it Flynn hasn’t seen it yet?’
Libby picked up her phone. ‘It appears not. I have no messages or missed calls.’
They both stared at the newspaper article, which was now lying on the table. ‘I suppose with over a hundred guests turning up, one of them has thought it was newsworthy,’ added Guy.
‘It certainly looks that way but…’ Libby tapped the article. ‘It says here that ex-wedding planner Jenny Hughes has commented: “This is a huge blunder for Starcross Manor and future brides and grooms will question whether they have full trust in the wedding service they offer.” Why would Jenny say something like that? All Flynn has ever done is sing her praises. This feels like a right stab in the back.’
‘I agree with you.’
Libby checked her watch. ‘What are you doing now?’
‘Nothing, I’m just hanging around until we have to film the fitting of Miranda’s wedding dress.’
‘Do you fancy a walk into town? We could grab a coffee and catch the boat back.’
‘Sounds like the perfect plan.’
Libby closed down her laptop and zipped up her coat. ‘A brisk walk will do us good. I’ll ring Flynn on the way out to warn him about the article.’
Walking down the path, Libby tried Flynn three times but there was no answer. She left him a voicemail and hoped he’d pick it up before he heard about the article from anyone else.
‘He really isn’t going to be happy,’ she said, sliding her phone back in her bag.
‘There’s nothing you can do about it now,’ Guy reassured her.
‘It just seems so unfair. Yes, a mistake was made, but we’re all human. I just feel like I’ve let Flynn down. He asked me to help and now look.’ Guy slipped his hand into hers and gave it a squeeze. ‘Something isn’t sitting right with me. I’d still swear the information on the invites was correct.’
As they walked over Heartcross Bridge into the town, Guy slowed down and looked out across the water. ‘Look at that view. I can already picture Holly enjoying the summer, learning how to kayak, taking picnics by the river and hikes up the mountain. This is going to be a good place to live.’
‘It is a beautiful place.’
