Phoebe’s looking from Nic to me and back again. ‘But she can’t be engaged. She’s barely been here five minutes.’
Nic gives one of his famous shrugs. ‘When cupid’s arrow hits, you can’t fight it. Especially when you’re as smitten as Milla and I are.’ He’s going to fall flat on his face any minute, and it won’t be so funny when he does. But he’s still not stopping. ‘Working as closely together as we do, we were bound to be on fast-forward. But when you’re as certain as we are, why wait?’
I can’t believe how much he’s going for this. He did seem to have taken an irrationally large dislike to Phoebe before he even met her, but even so.
When Phoebe’s left eyebrow shoots up she doesn’t look funny like Poppy does, she’s just plain scary. ‘So where’s the ring?’
Nic turns to me with a frown. ‘That’s a good question. Why aren’t you wearing your ring today, Milla Vanilla?’
I’m about to fall flat on my face, but I can’t resist playing along. ‘You know me and early mornings – I left it in the bathroom.’
Nic’s staring me straight in the eye. ‘I’m sorry, that’s going to cost you a kiss.’ He has to be kidding. And crazy.
I’m so panicked the only voice I find is my squeaky hedgehog impression. ‘With so many people around?’ Knowing Phoebe’s feelings on PDA she’d be appalled.
Nic’s laugh is low and husky. ‘Don’t worry, our audience will be way smaller than the one we kissed in front of at the Valentine’s fireworks display. Anyway, aren’t wedding fairs all about the romance?’ His grin spreads wider. ‘We’re hardly likely to get thrown out when you’re the one in charge here.’
With each of Nic’s statements, Phoebe’s face is pinching tighter. My mistake is, I’m so busy watching the size of her final grimace that I take my eyes of Nic. So by the time I realise what’s happening, he’s already spun to face me, taken away my plate and balanced it on the little wall behind me.
As his arm slides around my back and his mouth dips towards me, I’m opening mine to protest but before the words come out his lips are melting into mine. And that’s the funny thing – it’s not jerky and awkward like it’s only our second ever time. It’s as smooth and natural and delicious as if we did it a hundred times a day. As my hips slide against his, the fit is perfect enough to leave me in no doubt how much he’s enjoying this and to confirm that the size of what he’s waved in front of me quite a few times already is totally genuine.
As every bit of breath leaves my body, I sag against him; the only thing that saves my collapsing knees is his arms tightening around me. And who knows how, but my hand’s already behind his head pulling him in further, my fingers entwined in his hair. Then there’s the heat of his body and his whole dark velvet cocoa taste making me bury myself deeper. And the thump of my heart, the rush in my ears as loud as the tide crashing up the beach on a stormy day, and warm rainbow shivers flowing all the way from my scalp to my toes.
When we finally break apart, I’m blinking away the X-rated images, and pressing my hand to my mouth to hide the fact that any all-day gloss I had left from this morning is probably smeared all over my face now. Then, as I catch Nic’s eye to warn him that the bad-boy behaviour has to stop here, I spot a smear of toffee-coloured gloss on his upper lip. I know I intended to stay away from him for the rest of time, but the only thing for it is to dive across with my hanky to wipe it off. And then I lean in for one last brush of his lips, simply because I can’t resist it.
As I leap away again, I grin at Phoebe. It’s not like I can hide what just happened, so the next best thing is to come out and own it. ‘As you can see, they’re quite good kissers in Cornwall.’
She snorts. ‘Well, I’ve just spent three months tied to a newborn; there’s no need to ask what you’ve been up to when you should have been holding the business together. And I know your geography’s abysmal, but even you should know this is Devon.’
Nic jumps in. ‘Milla’s been working her butt off for your company. And over the past three months I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect navigator.’
Thinking of the day I ended up driving into a field, we both know that’s not true.
Phoebe sniffs. ‘You really must be blinded by love if you think that, Nicolas.’
Nic holds up a finger. ‘If you insist on being formal, it’s Nicolson.’ His lips are twisting as he holds back his smile. ‘I also answer to Captain Kirk.
I flash him another look, this time to properly say shut the eff up. ‘And moving this on, how great that you’ve brought Ben too.’ As he’s doing his best to hide behind Phoebe and the pram, it’s especially pleasurable to give him a name check and watch him squirm. I’m also wondering how I ever actually looked at that blond stubble mixed with a touch of shaving rash every day for all those years without realising dark beards are so much sexier.
Phoebe’s purring like a cat who got a strawberry sponge cake as well as the cream. ‘This is a family outing; we have them all the time.’ She stretches out the fingers on her left hand and lets her huge engagement diamond catch the sunlight. ‘We’re paring down the shortlist for our wedding day. My own Brides Go West wedding fair at the most talked-about new venue in the area was enough to tempt me away from the nursery and it’s certainly paid off – we’ll be making a booking before we go.’
The strangled choke coming from behind the pram has to be Ben. I’ve heard it too many times at too many venues not to recognise those first throes of an oncoming panic attack. And do you know what? All I feel is a rush of sheer relief that this time around I’m not the one trying to make him sign ‘I do’ on the deposit cheque.
I’m still smiling at Nic. ‘Well, good luck with that one, Phoebe.’ As for her, it’s a stunning venue, but other than it being bang on-trend, it’s not what she goes for at all. She’s much more of a wall-to-wall-marble-with-hot-and-cold-running-doormen kind of a person than a cart-shed-and-cow-parsley girl.
‘Which brings me round to the next topic.’ Phoebe’s pulling herself up to her full height, which is approximately seven feet ten. ‘What the hell are you wearing, Milla?’
‘Before you start, it’s not from Primark.’ If I tell her it came from St Aidan Cat Protection she may just expire on the spot.
Her eyes are flashing. ‘Truly, I’ve seen wrung-out dishcloths with more quality. You’re completely letting our corporate side down! How have you gone so far downhill so fast? Toenails on show too! That’s a complete betrayal of our brand.’
With every word I’m shrivelling in front of her. By the end I’m feeling slightly less significant than a worm. Then, in the distance, in the space beyond her elbow, I spot Poppy and Immie powering across the lawn. Nic’s grinning at me from the side. And suddenly I remember that I’m not on my own here. And I’m not the same, meek, do-as-I’m-told person that Phoebe used to batter down and boss around. Surrounded by good, loyal, supportive friends, who’d do anything to fight my corner, I’m strong. More than that, I feel loved. And the love of my friends isn’t just wrapping me up and protecting me, it’s making me powerful too. More important still, I don’t have to take Phoebe’s taunts. In the last three months, I’ve learned it’s okay to stand up for myself. One look at Immie – as wide as she’s tall, pumping the air with her hands, her short legs stomping – and my courage gets a reboot. Instead of diving for cover under the nearest rhubarb leaf, I’m re-inflating. And with no apparent input from me, I’m answering back, in Phoebe-speak too.
‘Our customer base has a very different vibe here, Phoebe. It’s more about the wind off the sea and the salt in our hair than ladies who lunch at other people’s expense.’ I have no idea where the hell that came from, but for the first time in my life I’ve thought on my feet. And you’ve no idea how good that feels.
Phoebe’s snort explodes from her nose. ‘I don’t give a damn if you’ve got sand blowing out of your ears, Milla, you look like the old woman who crawled out of the sea.’
Nic’s opening his mouth, but I’m too quick for him. ‘Forget what I’m wearing, Phoebe, at least I’m not trying to make myself look better than I am by undermining people. And unlike you, I try not to be mean or to bully people. And I won’t be letting you do that to me anymore.’
