“I’ll help you,” Saskia said.
Kivi squinted at her in surprise. To be fair to her, she too looked shocked, as if she hadn’t expected herself to say that.
“Was that another case of no brain-to-mouth filter?” Kivi chuckled, giving her an out. Saskia pursed her lips, and shook her head.
“No,” she said. “I will help you. As much as I can, for the next five weeks while I’m here.”
“You ever planned a wedding before?”
“No. But my mum has just gotten engaged. She and her fiancée were hoping to plan the wedding themselves, but they said they’d wait until I got back, so I and my brother can help them. Neither of us have a clue where to start, but if I got some experience shadowing you… and gave you a helping hand while you were at it…?”
“I see,” Kivi chuckled again. “So… an unofficial unpaid internship? Alongside your writing? Will you manage that?”
“It’s not like I have much else to do down here,” Saskia shrugged. “Got no friends. Got no social life. Why not?”
“You will be nice to them?” Kivi eyed Saskia beadily. “You’ll affix a filter between your brain and your mouth? No… ridiculous comments, or accidentally offensive remarks, or anything like that?”
“What do you take me for?” Saskia narrowed her eyes.
“Someone who nearly called meMiss Weedon her first day here.” Kivi glared right back.
Saskia blinked, then pursed her lips.Caught her.“Fine. I promise to be on my best behaviour. Something I’m not really used to. I got away with murder atChica.They didn’t want to let me go because I produced such fantastic results.”
“Ah. So you were the Scary Miss Berry of the fashion-magazine world. A veritable Miranda Priestly, just with less power.”
“Almost,” Saskia chuckled. “Anyway – enough deliberating. Unlock that phone, and send that text.”
So Kivi did. She typed out a professional, brisk and breezy message, telling the ladies she’d be delighted to plan their wedding, and asking them to arrange a meeting time. And then– with one quick glance at Saskia, who was still smiling – she pressedsend.
Chapter Fifteen
Saskia
At breakfast the next morning, Kivi informed her that Cass and Felicia had called her back.
“Felicia cheered down the phone,” she said with a laugh. “That’s the sort of bubbly, vivacious person she is. Cass is more reserved.”
“I think I’ve met Felicia at the bakery,” Saskia said. “I didn’t getbubblyorvivaciousfrom her. Justprofessional.”
“You probably met a different Felicia,” Kivi said. Saskia’s brain stalled, until she remembered what Kivi had said the night before about Dissociative Identity Disorder. “She has several… personalities. Different people in her. That’s the Dissociative Identity Disorder I said about – also known, I believe, as Multiple Personality Disorder. I don’t know a whole lot about it, but we will soon find out. They’re coming over here at lunchtime. Will you join us?”
“Count me in,” Saskia said. “I wasn’t planning on doing any writing today anyway. Where and when?”
“In here at twelve,” Kivi said. “I’m making toasted sandwiches. Withlotsof cheese. Will you join?”
Cheese,Saskia thought mournfully, but then stopped herself. “Cheese toasties sound great. I would ask if I could bring anything, but…”
“Just your brains,” Kivi said. “Mine aren’t quite up to scratch yet this morning. Something to do with the… beverages I consumed last night.”
Saskia smiled at the memory. By the time Kivi had finished her third can of beer – or more like two and a half, given that half of one had ended up down her top – she’d become significantly more relaxed. They’d had a laugh, because Toto had come out to play and indulged in a session of late-night zoomies. It had been ten-thirty before they’d all gone in for the night.
“Kivi Chadwick with a hangover,” Saskia laughed. “Who’d have thought? I’ll be down at twelve.”
Kivi was clearly about to say something else, but got interrupted by another guest with a question. She fell into conversation with them as easily as she had with Saskia, and Saskia felt a tiny nip of jealousy. She clearly wasn’t that special, if Kivi got on that well with anyone. Perhaps she still was ‘just a guest’ in Kivi’s eyes, after all.
At five to twelve, Saskia descended the stairs, and took a seat at a table in the dining room. This time she chose a table for four, as opposed to the table for one that was always set for her in the corner by the patio doors. She had her phone with her, lest she need to Google something, but she intended to let Kivi lead, for obvious reasons. That was, of course, if she turned up, and wasn’t thinking of backing out.
Just as Kivi entered the dining room via the kitchen, there was a knock at the front door, and she scuttled through to answer it without so much as a wave to Saskia. Three voices started talking loudly, and when Kivi reappeared a few moments later, it waswith two other blonde women. One was indeed the woman from the bakery – Felicia – and the other was taller, willowy, and moved much more sedately. Cass, presumably.
