Snow White looks at the Head Dwarf. ‘What do you say, Darren?Now That’s What I Call Christmaswould make a change. Those singing seven-year-olds are getting right on my nips.’ She barely waits for his nod before she rushes off, and then the music starts up again.
Rory listens to the first couple of bars, then lets out a groan. ‘Just my luck to get Mariah frigging Carey.’
I perk up. ‘Ooooh, I love this one.All I want for Christmas is yoooooooooooou.’ Freya and I used to go wild singing along to this in the mirror with our hairbrushes. Although obviously I won’t be doing that this year, due to my festive ban.
Rory gives a snort of disgust at me, then turns back to the dwarf. As he gestures towards Gracie he seems to have slipped into courtroom speak. ‘We were actually locating a lost toy, like the one the little girl is holding. You might like to keep an eye out for it when you next do a ball wash.’
The dwarf winces. Then he bobs down behind the pushchair. ‘There’s a snowman here. Is this the one you’re looking for?’
There’s a ripple along our line. ‘Crap … shit … jeez … what the frig?’ How the hell did we end up in the ball pit when the snowman was under the pushchair the whole time?
As the dwarf holds out the snowman to Gracie her lips twist. I have to comment, because it’s the first time I’ve seen it. ‘That’s a lovely smile, Gracie.’ It might only be tiny, but it’s definitely there, if only fleetingly. ‘Are you going to say “thank you” to the dwarf, then?’
Her serious frown’s already back as she hugs both snowmen close to her chest. ‘Actually he’s not a dwarf. ’Cos his beard’s falling off.’ She wrinkles her nose in distaste. ‘And he’s not little enough. Or happy, even.’
Rory looks delighted by her candour. ‘Okay, how about you say thanks to the big guy in the fake beard, then? And maybe hold onto the snowmen tighter next time.’
She’s mumbling, ‘Thank you’ when I hear a phone ping.
Poppy picks up my bag from the pile and passes it across to me. ‘Might as well make the most of the pub’s wifi hotspot. It doesn’t happen very often round here.’
I’m pleased to have an excuse to retreat from the front line so I can take cover next to Poppy behind the buggy. ‘Just an email from Nate and Becky. They’re probably sending me their list of groups for the photos.’ Hard to believe that at one time I was dreading this list arriving, but now there’s a million things to worry about before we even get to it. ‘Weird, it looks like she’s forgotten the attachment.’
Even as I read the first line of text in the inbox window my throat feels like someone’s put a tourniquet around it.
Hi Holly, just to let you know the fab news, Luc’s flying in for the wedding.
Poppy’s leaning towards me. ‘Everything alright there, Hols?’
I open my mouth, but all that comes out is a rasp. ‘E-rrr …’ For a few seconds it feels like my heart’s dropped through the floor. When it bounces back into place, it’s clattering against my ribs so hard I feel like I could run out of the pub, onto the beach and only stop when I reached Australia.
Rory crashes down on the bench next to me and leans in for a look. ‘Ewww, is that Luc with a “c” not a “k”? I knew that guy was a no-good poseur.’
Immie’s over like a shot. ‘The same Luc who thought you were pregnant, but didn’t get back to you?’
Poppy scowls at Immie. ‘Or even better, the Luc who Hols once went out with but has now moved on from. Are you sure you’re okay, Hols? You’ve gone very pale.’
Rory chimes in. ‘What kind of a shit would behave likethat? Nothing red about those cheeks of yours now, HB. You’re whiter than you were on toothpaste day.’
Which is a shame as I’m not going to make the most of it. But just this once, there’s something I’m more bothered about than the colour of my face.
‘So Luc’s coming to the beach wedding after all?’ Poppy’s probing, very gently.
Immie’s not giving up, either. ‘Did you two ever have closure? At least you might get a chance for that now. It’s very beneficial to have a proper full stop at the end.’
I open the email and skim down it. ‘He’s flying in …in just over a week’s time.’ My voice is like sandpaper scraping on wood, but my mind’s racing. Not that there’s any chance of getting him back at all. But at least I want to give it my best shot. ‘How am I ever going to be ready? I need to lose two stone and have a complete make-over.’ Luc always preferred me to skip carbs and puddings. How many of those have I eaten in the last year that I wouldn’t have had if I’d stayed with him? My mouth’s watering at the thought.
Immie’s got her ‘disgusted of St Aidan’ face on. ‘You’re not seriously wanting him back, are you?’
I ignore the voice in my head yelling ‘yes, yes, yes!’ and try to steady my voice. ‘Totally not.’
Immie shakes her head. ‘If you need to show the tosser you’ve moved on, you could always borrow Rory as your fabulous new “boyfriend”.’ Her face splits into a grin as she adds the inverted commas with her fingers.
If my stomach was squishing before, this finishes the job. Horrifying doesn’t begin to cover it. ‘Thanks, but Rory’s already got his hands full enough.’ Even if Immie’s only joking, the old cliché of frying pans and fires springs to mind. I don’t want to make a difficult situation horrendous.
Poppy sends me an ‘Oh My God’ eye roll that moves into a bright smile. ‘What weactuallyneed to show the world is that you’ve bounced back as a strong, independent woman, who’s got her shit together. Any decent guy will find thatveryattractive.’ Her voice is firm and calming. ‘There’s a lot we can do in a week. We’ll make sure you’re as prepared as you can be in the time. We’ll all help, won’t we?’
Rory’s rubbing the ragged denim on his thigh. ‘Good thinking on that, Pops. You and Immie can concentrate on the pretty stuff and I’ll take charge of your motivational development and self-esteem. In ten days, I promise, you’ll be so kick-ass the guy won’t recognise you. You might want to order that Pocahontas onesie now.’
