Eighteen
LucywasthrilledwhenI told her Jasper had kissed me, but not so much when I said it had only lasted for a matter of seconds.
‘Even so,’ she said. ‘Did he ask you out?’
‘No. He didn’t. But there were a couple of times today when I felt he might say, ‘to hell with waiting,’ swallow a packet of painkillers, and go all out on the whole contact sport thing no matter how much it hurt.’
‘Really? So it’s not all bad then?’
‘It’s bloody frustrating, that’s what it is. But I’d already told him we had to concentrate on dealing with whatever’s going on with Marcus and Adele, and that we could, effectively, continue what we’d started once that was sorted, and once we knew his nose has healed. So I guess it’s just a matter of time. Unless he meets someone else. Or changes his mind.’
Lucy laughed at that. ‘Now you’re sounding like Adele. Wait. What’s going on with Marcus and Adele?’
‘That’s the million-dollar question. And it’s why I left you those messages last night.’
She had called me earlier that morning, but I’d been in the shower at the time and she’d left a message for me saying things were a bit hectic and she’d try me again later. When I tried to call her back, it had gone straight to voicemail. But, although she’d sounded slightly stressed in the message she’d left, she hadn’t said it was anything serious, so I wasn’t overly concerned. I knew how busy she was what with the online side of the business she ran with her mum, and this being the wedding season, plus now she’d taken on Fairlight Brides, she had a lot on her plate.
She let out a long sigh. ‘Yeah. Sorry about that. We had a wedding dress go missing and it’s taken me, Mum, and Chris, until about an hour ago to find out where it was. And you’ll never guess where.’
‘Shanghai?’
‘How did you know that?’
‘Haha. Where is it?’
‘Shanghai,’ she said.
‘No, Lucy. Where?’
‘Shanghai!’ She shouted it this time.
‘Are you serious?’
‘Yes. That’s why I was so surprised when you said it. What made you think of Shanghai of all places?’
I laughed in disbelief. ‘Because of that old saying about taking a slow boat to China. Is it really in Shanghai?’
‘Yep. And the wedding’s a week on Saturday.’
‘That’s a bit late to leave getting your wedding dress, isn’t it? When I get married, I’ll order mine – designed by you, of course – months in advance, and I’ll be constantly trying it on every day until the wedding.’
‘You’re already planning your wedding to Japer then I take it?’
‘I might be.’
‘Well give me plenty of notice because I’m inundated right now. Anyway, this bride did order her dress months in advance. Except she hasn’t tried it on since, and guess what?’
‘She’s put on weight. Or lost weight.’
‘No. She’d ordered the wrong dress. She only realised last week. She said she’s certain it was the right dress when it arrived months ago and she checked it. So it’s obviously magically transformed into a dress she doesn’t like, since then. She insisted we send her another dress – therightdress, which we did. It should’ve arrived two days ago, and I’ve been chasing it up. Then yesterday afternoon the delivery company told me they’d ‘lost’ the parcel. I was on the phone virtually all afternoon trying to find out where it was, only to eventually be told they’d found it – in Shanghai. Can you believe it? It was put into the wrong consignment. That was the last one we had, so I had to search for one from somewhere else, because if we wait for the parcel to get here from Shanghai, the bride would be celebrating her first wedding anniversary. That’s a slight exaggeration, obviously, but it’d probably take weeks because it’s not just the flight time of thirteen hours from Shanghai to London, it’s the fact it’ll probably have to go through customs, as it’s now arriving from China. Anyway, I found another one, in the UK and I got them to send it out immediately via a reliable courier. I’ve just heard it’s arrived with the bride and she loves it, so it’s all sorted now, I hope. But it was one thing after another yesterday afternoon and I was up half the night. It was just as bad this morning. It’s almost two now and I haven’t had lunch. I can’t wait to get home this evening, have a long soak in the bath, and then do absolutely nothing and have an early night. Sorry. You still haven’t told me what’s going on with Marcus and Adele.’
‘Ah yes. About that. I’ve asked Adele, and also Noelle, round this evening for a takeaway and to discuss the wedding, and I hoped you’d come too.’
This time her sigh was much louder. ‘Does it have to be tonight?’
I told her about Marcus popping round the night before, and everything he’d said.
She couldn’t believe it at first. Neither had Noelle when I’d told her earlier. But Lucy sighed for a third time, and then agreed to come.
