On the other hand, there can be advantages to fast-tracking. I can’t say I’d recommend the kind of endless engagement that Ben and I had, where years went by and he always found another excuse not to set a date. Looking back, I’m sure the only reason we bought the flat was so he had yet another reason to avoid the wedding.
‘Impossible’s not an attitude we ever have in this shop, Milla.’ Jess is snapping and wagging her finger, then she’s back to a purr. ‘It’s wonderful to have uptake for our Special Request service so soon. And better still, he’s willing to pay top money for a top job.’
‘It’s a big responsibility! I hadn’t planned on this length of commitment.’ The sound of my wail tells me how much I don’t want to be here for so long. As for working so closely on a real-life wedding, that’s another thing that has those horribly familiar, invisible steel fingers closing around my gut.
‘This would work wonders for putting you on the map, Milla. We both know you can deliver on this.’ She pulls a crystal-covered pen and pad out of her pocket, scribbles, and pushes the paper towards me. ‘See if this estimate of earnings sweetens it any.’
As I take in the long row of figures after the pound sign, my wide eyes stretch. ‘But that’s an enormous amount!’ Ridiculous even. The calculator in my brain is clicking. If I added in other jobs alongside, a lump like that would go a long way towards paying off my brothers. But cash isn’t everything.
She nods. ‘It’s only in line with the demands of the job. But just think, after this you’d be a fully proven solo wedding planner, and a lot less beholden to Phoebe. It’s worth taking on, if only for that.’ Her eyes are gleaming, then her face lights up even more. ‘And here he is now. Such a shame it turns out he’s spoken-for after all, but he’s going to be a dream for you to work with all the same.’
As I turn my jaw drops and my stomach follows it. The shirt and jeans coming towards me are very familiar, but at least the Calvin’s are covered this time around.
If there’s a stab in my chest as the implications hit me, I’m not admitting to it. It doesn’t matter a jot to me if he’s taken or not when I’ve got no interest in him or anyone else in a romantic way. In fact, him being off the market makes life a whole lot easier – at least it’ll get Poppy off my case.
At the same time, I want the ground to open up and swallow me, because if he’s this spoken-for I can’t imagine what Poppy can have said to bully him into that kiss last week. I mean, what kind of engaged guy gives out Valentine’s kisses to anyone who asks? Although I may have answered my own question earlier. Up in the flat he certainly acted like he was God’s gift to women. And I have to take some responsibility for how long that kiss went on; if I hadn’t had a year’s drought and pulled him in, it might have been over in a nanosecond.
And that’s before we get to all the over-exposure that just happened in the attic. As for Poppy and me crushing him onto the loveseat …! If the bride sees that photo of the three of us, the wedding could be over before it began. Then, as he walks the whole length of the room, I’m desperately trying to ditch the version of myself who just flashed him and find the one who’s up to the job.
‘Good morning, Mr Trendell … again.’ Apart from my strangled hedgehog impression, I just about nail it.
Jess ups her purr from kitten to tiger. ‘Come and sit down, Nic. We’ve found you the perfect person to guide you all the way from now until the big day.’ She nods at me. ‘You and Milla have already met, haven’t you?’
I’m straight in behind her to cover that one up. ‘AndDon’t Tell the Bride!too … how much fun is that?’ My whoop is so loud, I’m definitely overcompensating. ‘Not much time, but don’t worry, we’ll nail it.’
Nic’s pulling a face. ‘I’d call it anything but fun myself.’ He shakes his head. ‘People entrust me with multi-million-pound vessels every day of the week at my boat piloting agency, but I have no idea where to start with this.’ It’s hard to believe that the long-faced groom who’s turned up here is the same jokey guy I saw way too much of barely ten minutes ago. He must have switched to his getting-married persona on his way down the stairs, because one thing’s for sure; this version of Mr Trendell wouldn’t have been dishing out snogs willy-nilly.
Jess’s nostrils flare. ‘I’m afraid it takes a lot more knowledge to put on a wedding than to drive a yacht, Nic!’ She’s looking at him as if she’d like to eat him. ‘But if you’re looking for expert help you won’t find better than Milla.’
I have zero idea about boats, but Jess is right about the size of this; more importantly, as it’s sinking in how much time I’ll have to spend with the groom, my body’s getting sweatier and my feet are getting colder.
Nic’s clearing his throat. ‘What I do know is, this is the most important day of two people’s lives. There’s absolutely no room for error.’
Last time he saw me in the shop I was pouring out love potions – or more probably spilling them. I’ve got ten seconds to convince him I can up my game from that. ‘Weddings are our business. I promise we’re trained to deliver excellence in high-stakes situations.’ At least that’s given me a few minutes’ leeway to decide if I can actually face this. And big mistake number one is that I didn’t even think about putting my Spanx on. If I’d known this was coming, I’d have trussed myself up to be more impressive and less wobbly.
As Jess narrows her eyes, I can see she’s as aware of Nic’s doubtful expression as I am. ‘And that’s exactly why we’ve chosen Milla for you. Her appreciation of the latest trends is second to none, she knows weddings and suppliers inside-out.’
It would be easier for Jess if she was pulling me out of a bag all fresh and new but Nic Trendell’s already seen a lot more of me than she realises. Begging for kisses in a car park. Prancing around in a mini-jumpsuit and wings. Stuffing my arm up his jumper after I accidentally stabbed him. I can hardly blame him for thinking twice – it’s a big ask for me to move on from that lot and reinvent myself as a shiny professional who commands shedloads of cash.
Nic’s wrinkling his nose. ‘I always employ top-flight personnel for the agency.’
Jess’s jaw is clenched. ‘As we do here.’
Sometimes it pays to get things out into the open rather than trying to hide them. As I turn to Nic, I make my smile extra bright. ‘I know I missed with my arrow, and my pyjama bottoms didn’t go with my top. And I appreciate fewer sequins and longer skirts would be classier on a daily basis …’
He stops to give a shrug. ‘If I’m being brutally honest, I’m worried about much bigger issues here than kittens chasing pompoms.’
So he did see my pants. Damn!
Which means he also saw my legs all the way up to my bottom and possibly beyond. And I know I didn’t stint on the similar view of him. But how can I ever come back from that? And that’s before we even get to the bit where I tried to eat his face off.
‘I fail to see the relevance of sleepwear!’ Jess’s eyebrows are somewhere around her hairline.
I’m almost squeaking. ‘On the upside, I’m really strong on the fun elements, which are the bits the guests will remember and talk about forever.’
Nic pulls in a breath. ‘Okay, let’s take this back to a more professional place. In the day job I employ hard-hitting, practical people, and I’d like to do the same here.’ The way he’s frowning at my feet it seems he’s not impressed by the lack of heels. ‘So how about courses or certificates? Put my mind at rest, Milla, tell me about those.’
My heart plummets because he couldn’t have asked me a worse question. As for my shoes, I knew I should have gone for the super-high ones that really make me look like I can kick ass as well as Phoebe does. If it hadn’t been for four flights of stairs I would have. I’m so totally sunk here that I’m opening and closing my mouth and nothing’s coming out. But Jess is staring at Nic like he’s about two inches tall.
