***
In the small back office of the bistro where she’d left a change of clothes, Rachel picked up her handbag and rummaged inside it for the gorgeous, sparkling Tiffany diamond that she still couldn’t believe was hers.
Since New York, she couldn’t stop looking at the ring and hated not being able to wear it all the time. Not that she was complaining or would ever say anything to Gary, but it was so big it was actually a bit awkward for someone who worked with her hands so much. Something she hadn’t thought about until she was back in the kitchen and it had promptly gotten caught up in some mushy cookie dough.
Still, it was a teensy inconvenience that Rachel could happily overlook for the privilege of owning such a perfect expression of love and devotion. Then suddenly she put a hand to her forehead. Cookie dough! She’d completely forgotten about Ethan Greene and her promise to send some to London for his little girl.
She had missed a call from him the day she and Gary had gotten home from New York, and what with jet lag and organizing the party, she had neglected to call him back. She made a mental note to remind Gary to phone him soon; her fiancé would no doubt want to thank him too, and they could make arrangements to have the cookies sent over.
Rachel slipped out of her chef’s whites, jeans, and T-shirt and into her red dress, the same one she had worn on Christmas Eve. After all, Gary hadn’t gotten to see it that night, so it seemed fitting that she should wear it now.
She pulled on her thigh-high stockings and fished a pair of dangly, antique earrings that had belonged to her mother out of a pouch tucked safely inside her handbag. Then, pulling her hair back with matching diamanté clips on either side, she left some light tendrils hanging down past her cheekbones to fall just below her jaw.
Having applied just enough makeup to accent her wide eyes and redden her lips, she finally smiled at herself in the mirror of the small adjoining bathroom. The lighting wasn’t great, but she knew she looked the part. How could she not? She had never been so happy.
“Knock, knock,” she heard a voice say from outside the office door.
“Come in. I’m almost ready.”
“I don’t know why you wouldn’t just go upstairs to mine to get changed and—” Terri raised both hands to the sides of her face. “Wow, you look amazing! I love the dress.” Then her friend paused and shook her head. “Look at the two of us and how far we’ve come since traipsing around as a couple of students barely able to make ends meet. We could hardly afford bus tickets back then, and now… With this business and your wedding, suddenly I feel all grown up. Where does the time go?”
Rachel smiled, a lump in her throat. Unlike herself, who got emotional at the drop of a hat, it was very rare for Terri to show her softer side. Rachel hugged her, her own eyes welling up afresh. “Oh, stop with the fuzzy stuff. You’ll ruin my makeup!”
“Actually, I don’t know where the hell that came from,” Terri muttered, sounding much more like herself again. “We both know you’re the sappy one on the team. I dunno. I think maybe the engagement just caught me by surprise and I’m still trying to get my head around the fact that we’re not going to be the terrible twosome anymore.”
“I know exactly what you mean.” As it was, Rachel felt as though her brain was still trying to catch up with her heart, or vice versa. “Are you sure you’re happy to be my bridesmaid?”
Terri’s eyes widened. “Are you joking? Wild horses couldn’t stop me, although I don’t envy you having to find a dress to match this rug,” she added wryly, indicating her riot of red hair. With her pale Irish skin, which contrasted wildly with Rachel’s Mediterranean complexion, the two women couldn’t have looked more different. “So what did Gary’s mum say. Was she thrilled?”
Rachel shrugged. “I think she had pretty much the same reaction as everyone else to be honest—a bit taken aback. Although she’s delighted too of course, and she’s coming along tonight.”
“Great,” Terri said. “Well, I suppose I’d better go home and get changed myself.” She didn’t have far to go, “home” being the little flat above the bistro. “We’re pretty much good to go outside, so you take your time getting ready.” She turned for the door but then paused.
Rachel looked up. “What?”
Her friend shook her head. “It’s nothing. I was just thinking what a brilliant way to end the year. And next year will be even better what with the big day itself, won’t it?”
Well, she and Gary hadn’t actually set a date yet, and in all honesty, they hadn’t really had a chance to discuss it since their return from New York, but yes, like Terri, Rachel automatically presumed the wedding would be in the coming year.
Personally, she hated long, drawn-out engagements—what was the point? And since the proposal had more or less come out of the blue, she was certain Gary felt the same.
“Should be, but lots to sort out yet.”
“And plenty of celebrating to be done too!” her friend said with a wink before going back out to the restaurant.
“You can say that again.” Rachel smiled through happy tears, wondering what she’d ever done to deserve such joy.
Chapter 21
Ethan was sitting in the kitchen of the town house drinking a glass of wine, waiting for Vanessa to arrive. It was New Year’s Eve, and he had arranged for Daisy to spend the night at her friend Tanya’s house as he really felt that he and his girlfriend needed some time alone.
He hoped he could make tonight special. He had champagne on ice and had spent the day preparing a lavish meal in the hope of showing her a good time and making her realize just how committed he was to her.
But he couldn’t help wishing that things could be different and that instead of him secretly fretting about how he was supposed to get the ring back, they could be discussing their impending nuptials tonight. He’d thought yet again about coming straight out and telling Vanessa everything in the hope of clearing up the tension that was rapidly forming between the two of them, but he just couldn’t do it.
The ongoing mess would be a million miles from the proposal he’d intended or indeed how he’d always pictured it. He wanted the moment to be something special, something romantic she would remember forever, rather than a long and confusing story about some bizarre mix-up.
Until he got the ring back, he could at least try to show her how committed he was, that their relationship meant a lot more than a simple silver charm bracelet—thatshemeant much more than that.
