‘Sweetie…’ Tia hands me a bride’s mum’s tissue, and her arms close around me as I bury my face in her shoulder.
‘I felt bad when I hadn’t told him, but the fallout from him knowing has been so much worse.’ I gulp down a sob and dab my eyes. ‘I can’t cry when there’s a bride arriving.’
Tia pats my back and lets me go. She darts away to the office, and comes back and hands me a bun with ivory icing and an ‘I do’ label on the top. ‘Here, Poppy left some cupcakes. If that doesn’t revive you, I’ll bring you some Rescue Remedy.’
I bite into the vanilla sponge and my mood instantly lifts. I know reaching for the cupcakes isn’t always the answer, but a six-hundred-calorie energy boost makes me feel more balanced.
Once done, I lean towards the mirror and scrape the eyeliner smudges from under my lashes. ‘So tell me about the next four brides! What have they chosen?’
Tia wiggles her eyebrows. ‘They found out about the beach hut after seeing our Incarnations reel.’
‘So are they all wearing variations?’
Tia flicks through the dress covers lined up waiting on the rail. ‘Like every other bride, they came in with that in mind and chose something else entirely. One is having a mini version of the silk sheath, another added a full tulle overskirt, one fell in love with a waisted dress sample in cotton lawn from Sera’s seashore range, and the fourth chose a white silk tux and crop trousers.’
I’m already thinking beyond this afternoon, and my chest clamps. ‘How’s the forecast looking for later in the week?’
Tia pulls a face. ‘Less sunny than for Daniella’s, but the next two weddings are walking in so at least we won’t have a helicopter to contend with.’
Which immediately spins me back to thinking about Lando. In any other situation Lando and I could keep our distance, but we’re both tied to Jess. It’s going to be a long, hard summer for both of us.
Having failed so badly with Lando, it’s more important than ever to make the Weddings at Windflowers a success. I’ll just take them one at a time.
33
Windflowers, St Aidan, Cornwall
Seeing double
Thursday
When Tia and I drop our bags on the beach hut verandah on Thursday shortly before the registrars are due to arrive, the loops of white bunting are flapping in the breeze and the sky and the sea are both blue rather than grey.
I sweep straight into action and pull out my lighter. ‘I’ll do the lanterns, look for litter and sweep the verandah, if you sort the cake stacks and check that their bottles are in the ice box.’
Today’s theme is white, and it’s a double wedding with variations. Opal and Song are having a white chocolate blondie stack cake, while Orla and Sienna have opted for snowy meringues stuck together with vanilla butter cream.
Tia glances at her phone. ‘Kip should be along very soon. This could be him now.’
I follow her gaze along the beach and frown. ‘When you said he was like Lando, I didn’t think he’d be a doppelganger.’
Tia bites her lip. ‘There must be a mix-up. That’s not Kip…’
I feel my insides wilt and as the figure approaches, I brace myself. ‘Lando…?’
He shuffles but doesn’t smile. ‘Kip sends his apologies. You’ve got me today instead.’
I look from Lando to Tia. I’ve heard enough stories from Poppy to know every wedding throws up a problem no one ever thought of, which is why we’ve wanted help from someone experienced until we get the hang of it.
With no alternative, I force out a smile. ‘The registrars will nail the main bit, and after that, we’ll cope!’ I hand Lando a rake and make sure our fingers don’t touch. ‘In the meantime, let’s tie up those loose ends!’
When Pen and Brian arrive, I tick off my first worry because we’ve met them already. The brides arrive soon after with a huddle of guests and a photographer and linger outside for pictures. Lando astonishes me by asking which couple is going first and who is giving whom away, and I’m about to ask myself what I was even worrying about when I see a large group of people heading down the beach towards us.
Orla calls from the verandah, ‘I’m afraid word got out, and our teensy secret weddings aren’t as secret or small as we’d hoped.’
I murmur to Tia, ‘Who has thirty friends free at short notice on a Thursday?’
Lando gives a cough. ‘From counting samples, I’d say it’s closer to sixty.’
