I blink at her in disbelief. “You know him?”
“Yeah, he’s good friends with Freddie. We met him through Isabelle and Ryan, and now those boys hang out quite a lot.” She gives me a strange look. “I would have thought you two would get on quite well.”
I assure her we don’t and then wander through the hotel ballroom to find our table, trying not to feel a little put out that “those boys” didn’t include Matthew as part of their crew. Oh well, I suppose it doesn’t matter now. And anyway, I’m pleased I haven’t had to spend any more time with this Jamie character than is absolutely necessary.
At the BBQ yesterday, we purposefully didn’t cross paths, although I didn’t really have many people to speak to—thanks to the trains being canceled in the morning, the afternoon andevening ones were delayed and overcrowded, so Niamh didn’t make it until late. It was nice to catch up with some of the girls I’d met on the hen do, but I did feel a bit distracted by Jamie, who was right in the middle of things, apparently having a great time with Ryan and all his friends.
Whatever. I didn’t evenwantto be at the hotel bar all night, which it looks like most of them were. I was very happy to sneak away to my room, have a bath, and then get to bed early before the big day today.
The wedding is elegant and stylish, just like Isabelle. Each table features a striking centerpiece of hydrangeas, roses, and greenery in tall, thin glass vases with tea lights dotted around the bottom. The earlier ceremony was outside, the bride and groom saying their vows on the terrace of the hotel prettily decorated with displays of white roses, matching the bouquets of Isabelle and her bridesmaids. We stayed there for the champagne reception before being ushered into the ballroom, complete with modern chandeliers hanging from the high ceilings and full-length windows that reveal beautiful views of the Devon countryside. I was very much looking forward to sitting down to eat, but now I’ve seen the seating chart, it seems distinctly less exciting.
Niamh and I get to our table, which is quite near the dance floor, and I seek out my place.
“Bollocks!” I mutter again on finding that Jamie isright next to meand Niamh is all the way on the other side.
“Ah.” He comes up behind me and puts his bottled beer down at his place. “We meet again.”
Without saying anything, I take my seat, hoping to chat to the person on my left side for the whole meal. Unfortunately, that person is one of Ryan’s friends, who is really into Dungeons & Dragons and, after discovering that the person on their left is, too, pretty much turns their back to me for the time being.
“How is your meal?” Jamie asks, having also found himself with no one else to talk to.
“Great, thank you,” I reply curtly, finishing my smoked salmon starter. “Yours?”
“Great.”
We fall silent again. He takes a sip of his beer. I try to hold my tongue, but find myself unable to do so.
“Interesting drink choice,” I blurt out smugly.
“Sorry?”
“Very mainstream.” I nod to his bottle. “I think that’s a Suttworth brand, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” he grumbles. “It is.”
“I thought you were too good to drink something like that.”
“Nothing I can do about what drink selection is served at a wedding.”
“I’m sure you’ll inform Isabelle and Ryan about their poor choice.”
“Maybe they would have had more options if Suttworth didn’t destroy the rest of the market with their low prices. That’s not really an option for a small, independent company.”
“You’re against affordable drinks?”
He sighs, shaking his head. “Maybe we should change the topic. Clearly we disagree on this one and I’m not sure it’s worth going on about.”
“Fine by me. You were the one who attacked me yesterday.”
“Yes, well I feel a bit bad about that actually.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yes. I blame it on the raging headache I was suffering under. I already apologized for that.” He clears his throat and takes a deep breath, plastering on a smile. “So! Have you had a good day? Enjoying the wedding so far?”
“Yes, it’s been really nice. They look very happy.”
He glances over to Isabelle and Ryan, who are getting up from their table to go round and say hi to guests. “They do.”
