Gerald. Eva’s dad. So it definitely is the bridal party. Excellent. And from the sounds of it, the person talking to me is thevicar. And just now I called the vicar a moron in my head! In a church!
That can’t be good.
“Whoever is in there, please stand back,” they caution in a commanding tone.
Stunned at this instruction, I shuffle back as far as possible, tucking myself into the corner next to the toilet. There’s a moment of silence and I wonder what on earth is going on out there, and then there’s a loud crash. I gasp as something slams hard against the wood, knocking the metal latch up by sheer brute force, and the door swings open, the vicar falling through with it.
He stumbles, regains his balance, and somehow avoids tumbling into the toilet.
I stare at him, openmouthed, astounded by his strength. He shimmies back out of the cubicle, holding the door for me, and runs a hand through his now-tousled hair.
“There you go,” he says, gesturing for me to head out.
“Thank you!” I croak, looking at him in awe. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry!”
“I’m fine,” he tells me kindly, rubbing his arm. “It will just be a little bruise. The ceremony is about to start, so if you could go on in and take your seat, we’ll be with you in a jiffy.”
I shuffle out of the cubicle to find Gerald, the bridesmaids, and Eva staring at me in bewilderment.
“Hi, sorry about that, you all look great,” I whisper, plastering a smile on my face. “Eva, wow. So beautiful. Obi is a lucky lad. Anyway, I’ll see you in there. Sorry again.”
Any hopes for me to get to my seat pronto with no one noticing and without any further embarrassment are swiftly dashed. As I step through the set of doors onto the aisle, the wedding processional music strikes up and the entire congregation swivels round, expecting the bride. Instead, they see me, standing there like a deer caught in headlights.
So, what do I decide to do?
Give everyone an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
Yep. That’s correct.
A thumbs-up.
And here I was thinking that the broom cupboard debacle would be my least favorite moment of the year. It just goes to show, things can always get worse.
CHAPTER TEN
“The vicar broke down the door?” Leo stares at me in amazement. “That is very impressive.”
We’ve taken ourselves off to a secluded corner of the reception, having just arrived here from the church. It’s a very trendy place—an old warehouse turned wedding venue—with festoon lights hanging everywhere and long tables set up for the wedding breakfast lined with flowers arranged in various-size jam jars.
“I think it makes him sexy,” Ruby says.
Leo balks at the suggestion. “What?”
“Come on! A vicar who throws himself against a door to rescue Freya? It’s like a scene in an action movie.”
“What action movies are you watching?” he asks, frowning at her.
“Face the facts, Leo,” she sighs, “the vicar is now sexy in my head. That’s just how it is.”
“It was very embarrassing,” I say, grimacing. “Are you sure no one in the church knew what was happening?”
“We could hear some strange sounds coming from the hall, but I never would have guessed it was you stuck in the toilet,” Leo assures me. “Obviously, when you then came in and gave us a thumbs-up, I guessed that something had happened.”
“The thumbs-up.” I groan, horrified at the recollection. “Why?”
“You looked cool,” Ruby insists, but her voice is just a littletoo high-pitched to be truthful. “And it’s always fun to make an entrance.”
“Not at someone else’s wedding!” I hiss. “Eva must be fuming!”
