‘You’ve never even tried!’ he exclaims. ‘Nathan taught Lucy, why don’t you let me teach you?’
‘No, thanks. When are you thinking of going?’
‘Last weekend in April, if that’s okay with you.’
‘You know that’s Anzac Day Bank Holiday, right?’
‘That’s the plan. Get an extra day in – maybe go camping.’
‘That’s when my dad and everyone arrives.’
‘Oh, shit. No worries. I’ll see if we can do it some other time.’
‘Actually, do you know what? It would be nice to spend some time with my sisters and have a girls’ weekend. You’ll see them the rest of the time they’re here.’
‘Are you sure?’ Richard asks.
‘Definitely.’
I can’t believe Kay has just turned fifteen. Olivia is eleven now and Isabel, my youngest sister, is nine. It’s been two years since I’ve seen them. When Ben moved to England, it effectively crippled my own desire to ever want to return. My dad has been pretty good about bringing the family over here to visit me. I still feel like I’m missing out on so much though. But after all the fuss I made about leaving the UK, I do think of Australia as my home now.
Sam makes everyone laugh with his best man’s speech and Lucy’s stepdad Terry says some lovely things during his, but Nathan’s words bring tears to everyone’s eyes. It’s astounding that all the guys here don’t hate him because you’d better believe the girls are turning to their boyfriends right now and whining, ‘You never say stuff like that to me.’
‘I do so!’ Richard exclaims. ‘I promise I’ll come up with something good for the big day.’ He puts his hand in mine and gives it a squeeze. A shiver goes through me.Holy hell.
‘Do you want a summer wedding?’
‘Erm, I don’t know,’ I reply nervously. ‘I haven’t had time to think about it.’
‘A summer wedding would be nice,’ he decides. ‘Maybe early January so we can take longer for our honeymoon after the Christmas break.’
‘January 2012?’ I ask distractedly as I tuck into my pavlova. Lucy may not have opted for meringue as a wedding dress, but I’m glad she didn’t skimp on it for dessert.
‘No, 2011,’ Richard replies. ‘Next year.’
‘Next year?’ I manage to choke out. ‘What, January as in only nine months or so away?’
‘Why not?’
I shake my head furiously. ‘Too soon. I need time to organise everything.’
‘You’re the most organised person I know.’ He laughs. ‘Nine months isages.’
‘Nathan and Lucy were engaged for two years.’
‘Yeah, but they got engaged almost as soon as they got together. Lucy’s mum would have gone nuts if they’d tied the knot straight away. Anyway, Nathan wanted to save up so he could do it properly. We don’t need to save up; business is great. And we could always do it mid-week like this and still get a great venue for lower rates.’
‘Stop rushing me into it!’ It comes out of my mouth before I have time to think it.
‘Nice.’ He pushes his plate away, disgruntled.
‘Sorry.’ I put my hand on his arm. ‘I don’t mean to be awkward. I’m still getting used to the idea.’ I try to placate him. ‘You know what I’m like about marriage.’
He turns and regards me with hooded eyes. ‘No. I don’t know what you’re like about marriage. Why don’t you enlighten me?’
I remove my hand from his arm. ‘You don’t understand. Your mum and dad have been happily married for thirty-odd years. Mine lasted a few months before they split up and my mum has been running for the hills every time the M word has been spoken ever since.’
Richard lets out a sharp laugh. ‘Your mother is hardly the best role model though, is she?’
