“Then we’ll put them both out of their misery and maybe get them talking. Who knows?” Karen joked as they wandered back out. “This wedding could be the start of more than one grand romance.”
32
Once dinner ended, the speeches began. Tessa’s visibly nervous dad gave a short but loving account of how proud and happy he was for his eldest and her new husband. Soon after, a red-faced Gerry stood, greeted by whoops and jeers from around the room.
The wedding speech had been a long-standing joke amongst his mates and they all knew that he was petrified at the thought of standing up in front of everyone on the day. Sure enough, his hands trembled as he clutched the microphone.
But by the time he had finished speaking, every single woman in the room including Tessa, was in tears. Even some of the men looked suitably moved by his words. It had been heartfelt and moving and as Jenny watched him sit down and reach for his new bride’s hand, she envied her friend enormously.
“I didn’t think he had it in him,” Shane said, eyeswatering suspiciously. He turned away from the table and feigned blowing his nose. “Every woman in the place will wish they married him after that.”
Karen dabbed at her eyes with a table napkin. “The things he said about her – and the way he looked at her – the room might as well have been empty but for the two of them.”
And that was it in a nutshell, Jenny realised. In all the time she and Roan had been together, he had never once looked at her like that - probably never would’ve.
She found herself studying Tessa at the top table. She had been smiling all day long, and anyone could see how deliriously happy she was. With all her fussing beforehand, they’d expected this to be more of a showy affair, but now Jenny understood that her friend was simply trying to make the most memorable day in her life special.
As she watched the new bride glow with undisguised happiness, she couldn’t help feeling envious. It must be wonderful to be that happy, knowing that the person you loved returned that love, easily and without question. Best feeling in the world, she guessed, suddenly feeling sad, afraid that she might never experience something like it.
“Penny for your thoughts?” she heard Mike ask upon returning from the bar. She looked up and smiled, taking the glass of wine he offered.
“I was just thinking about everything Gerry was saying – how he knew from day one that Tessa was the one for him and still knows without hesitation that she’sthe love of his life. But how can he tell for sure?” she pondered.“How can anyone tell?”
“I don’t think anyone can – really.” Mike sat down and moved his chair closer. “Emotions always run high on days like these. People say a lot of things and make a lot of promises that they might not be able to keep.” He shrugged dismissively.
“What do you mean?”
He took a sip from his pint. “That it’s impossible to know how things will pan out once reality hits.”
“Sounds to me like you’ve got a dim view of marriage,” Jenny said, a little taken aback at his cynicism. “I’m pretty sure Gerry meant every word of what he said today.”
“Of course he meant it all –today,” he replied evenly. “All very well but it’s what happens afterwards that counts and believe me, words can be very easily forgotten.”
He had a distinct edge to his tone so Jenny decided to drop the subject. She took a sip from her wine glass and looked across the table at Rachel and Karen, who were chatting together easily.
“Does Rachel still work in London?”
“No, she moved back a few months ago. Now she works in the Mater hospital and she’s staying with me until she gets a place of her own.” He rolled his eyes. “Can’t come soon enough, I can tell you. Sometimes I find it difficult to believe that we were raised by the same parents. And I truly can’t figure out how my little sister ended up as a nurse. She’s so flighty, how anyone wouldput her in charge of a hospital ward, let alone rely on her to give out medication is beyond me.”
Jenny laughed. “I’ll bet she’s brilliant at her job.” She watched Rachel expressively waving her arms as she chatted with Karen and Shane. “Seems like she’d be excellent with patients, so chatty and down to earth. I’m sure everyone adores her.”
“Maybe. But I can tell you one thing – you won’t ever catch me near that hospital if she’s on duty. I’d rather suffer.”
Jenny chuckled, and as the waitress cleared the last of the food, she slumped back into her seat. “Thank goodness – the sight of all those leftovers was making me feel ill.”
“Fancy a walk?” Mike asked. “I’m stuffed after all that too.”
“Good idea.” She picked up her handbag and pashmina. “I could do with stretching the legs.”
The air had grown colder as the evening began to draw in. Jenny wrapped the flimsy material around her arms and hugged it towards her, shivering.
“It’s a little chilly all the same,” he remarked. “Do you want to leave it?”
“I’ll warm up as we walk,” she said. Freezing or not, to her surprise, Jenny wanted to spend some time alone with him.
They walked together for a bit, chatting amiably about the day’s events and she found herself steering the conversation back to their earlier discussion.
“I’m curious about what you said before – aboutmarriage. What do you have against it?” Jenny asked simply.
