Along with the chastisement, she adds the stink eye in my direction, and I find myself frowning at the used napkins crushed in my hand. I have eaten quite a few in the last half hour—that’s canapes, not napkins—but my appetite this past week has gone wild. For meat, too. I think I might’ve ingested a bit of ham in the wee morsel I devoured. And what’s worse is I went back for another, just to be sure.
Just as delicious the second time.
‘No, seriously, what for?’ deadpans Nat.
‘This is a momentous occasion in my boyfriend’s life. And I want to hear what Kit has to say.’
‘Blah, blah, blah. Thanks for coming, now bugger off and eat some grub,’ Nat gripes. ‘Those trays look full of grubs, anyway. I’ll probably need to order room service later.’
Grubs. Yeah, small morsels. My grip loosens a touch on the wad of napkins. See, I haven’t eaten that much, after all. And a burger... yum. I don’t think I’ve had anything but the tofu kind since I turned twelve.
‘This place looks great, though. Veryavant-garde,’ I pipe up, my eyes scanning the room for a member of the wait staff to take these soiled napkins. And bring me a new one. Concealing more canapes.
‘She means a bit mad,’ says Nat.
She’s not exactly wrong. This room is quite tasteful with lots of exposed stone and glass. It’s a newly built extension to the house in a sort of orangery effect. The glass walls at the far side of the room allow for views over a stone terrace and lawn, past sand dunes, and to the ocean beyond. It’s a gorgeous space and will lend itself wonderfully to wedding receptions, parties, and the like. There’s even an outside fireplace, which would be lovely to sit around on a cool evening. Though I’m not sure what use they’ll get from the croquet lawn.
While this space is very elegant, the main house—beyond its traditional façade—is a bit out there. Lots of colour and contemporary art. The interior designer was obviously very talented. Yes, my lovely friend, even if she seems to have developed a thing for stag heads—both the ancient taxidermy and manufactured kind.
‘Have you seen the bedrooms?’ Natasha asks.
‘Not since they’ve been finished,’ Fin answers, her gaze unable to stray from Rory for very long.
It’s so lovely to see them happy. And to think, we—I—could’ve buggered it all up for them. Since they got back together, Fin tells me she’s had a blast hanging out with Rory, and that he’d arranged to take her out on dates. It’s so freakin’ cute, especially as she’d missed out on the earlier and more typical dating stage by getting married so young.
She looks so happy.I’m so pleased Marcus didn’t get to put her through any more pain.
‘When did you see the bedrooms?’ she asks absently.
‘When we arrived. I just popped up for a wee keek. Did you know,’ Nat says, her eyes sparkling with mischief, ‘there’s a room up there called the Master’s Suite.’
‘Yeah,’ replies Fin, frowning a touch. ‘It’s the hotel’s main bedroom.’
‘Well, the name’s pretty apt.’
‘What do you mean?’ The crease between Fin’s brow deepens. ‘Specifically. Because that’s the suite Rory and I are staying in later.’
‘I’m saying nothin’,’ Nat responds, sniggering. ‘Except I saw something lying on the dresser. Something that looked like a cheese board. It wasn’t, by the way, though it was wooden. And long.’ Her brows lift almost into her hairline. ‘I’d say someone might be in for a skelped arse tonight.’
‘Give over,’ I scoff. ‘It’s not that kind of hotel.’ My gaze slides to Fin’s for confirmation. She looks a little pink.Maybe the pair are into that sort of thing?As she opens her mouth to answer, we’re distracted by a sudden round of applause. We’ve missed Kit’s speech, blethering as normal, but at least we haven’t missed Rory’s, and that one’s going to bewaymore interesting.I know.Kit begins to introduce his brother, and the beaming smile Fin sends their way is almost dazzling. As wonderful as it is to watch my bestie almost bursting with love, I turn to face the front of the room.
‘Thank you,’ Rory begins, his voice ringing confidently through the room. ‘If I could just ask my lovely partner in crime to come forward. Fin?’ As his eyes scan the crowd, seeking her out, Fin seems to shrink inwardly. She’s not a fan of any sort of attention; being hounded by tabloid journalists for a time will do that to a girl. For a moment, I think she’s considering using me as a human shield.
‘That is,’ he continues, ‘if she’s not too busy yammering to her friends back there.’
Warm laughter ripples through the crowd, the modest but select group of people turning to find Fin.
I grasp her elbow before she manages to disappear behind my back. ‘Continue, then. Go see your man.’
‘Did you know anything about this?’ She’s the proverbial bunny caught in a pair of powerful full beams, but through herpainted-on-grimace-come-smile,I detect curiosity, which gives me all the feels as I know what’s about to happen. I still have a hard time believing Rory not only forgave me but also included me in his secret project.
Tears of happiness blur my vision as I place my hand at the small of her back, giving her a small push.
She takes one trepidatious step after another, and how can she not? She’s walking towards her man. A man who looks at her like she’s his world. Rory holds out his hand, pulling her off balance and into a hug. Those standing around make murmurs of appreciation as the tears making my vision glassy drip and run down my cheeks. I wonder what he’s whispering in her ear—wonder exactly. Will he confess his eternal devotion, or will he just ask her to simply spend the rest of her life with him?
He cuts such a handsome figure as he steps back, a million miles and almost a broken heart away from when he first appeared in the salon those months ago. Jeans and chequered shirt soaked to his skin, hair plastered to his head, and his trademark cheeky grin undampened by the awful weather as he looked at Fin.
In front, Fin slaps both hands quite suddenly over mouth, and my tears turn into a small, hitching sob. Nat wraps her arm around my shoulder, pulling me into the side of her body as though she doubts I can hold myself up or together.
