As they reached the rail, Ellie dropped back as Laura and Nicola began riffling through the dresses. Thankfully, Fiona had left shortly after their chat, and although Ellie still felt as though she were being watched and judged, she knew she wasn’t. She knew she was just being paranoid. Taking a deep breath in, she breathed out slowly, trying to relax.
‘How about this one?’ Nicola pulled out a chiffon gown with tiny diamantés cascading across the bodice, which glinted and sparkled in the stark light of the warehouse. ‘It’s stunning.’
Scrunching her nose up, Laura shook her head. ‘It is. It really is, but… I don’t know. It’s just not very me, is it?’
‘So, what is it you’re looking for? I mean, we know you preferred the A-line cut to the other shapes and the satin to the tulle, but what else?’ Squeezing the dress back into its place, Nicola looked at Laura.
‘I don’t know. Just something…’ Pulling a hairband off her wrist, Laura tied up her hair. ‘Something a bit more me. Not overstated, not anything too showy but something with a little detail.’
Something caught Ellie’s eye at the end of the aisle, and she watched as one of the staff members who were ferrying discarded dresses back from the fitting rooms to the floor walked past. She squinted at a flash of ivory fabric. Soft ivory with detail… Just like a dress she’d spotted earlier, which she’d thought would look spectacular on Laura, which had also been grabbed before she’d got to it and sold. Or so she’d assumed.
‘Are you okay, Ellie?’ Nicola glanced at her.
‘One moment…’ If it was the dress in question, Ellie was sure it would be snapped up as soon as it was hung back up. Pushing the dresses on the rail next to her aside, she ducked down and through the swathes of heavy fabric.
As she emerged on the other side, she glimpsed the woman hanging the dress up at the end of the next rail and raced towards it, weaving in and out of pockets of people rummaging through dresses. As soon as she reached it, she gripped the hanger and pulled it off, draping its skirts over her other arm. It was stunning. Subtly so too. And more beautiful up close than she had imagined. Its sweetheart neckline and ruched straps flooded into a cascading skirt, all topped with a soft ivory organza. Delicate embroidered flowers gave a hint of detail and whimsical charm which would look timeless against the backdrop of the inn’s garden. Looking up, she grinned as Laura and Nicola emerged from the end of the aisle, confusion etched across their faces.
She held the dress up and looked at Laura. ‘What do you think?’
Gasping, Laura held her hands against her cheeks. ‘It’s beautiful.’
‘And that’s the reaction I’ve been waiting for.’ Laughing, Ellie headed towards the fitting rooms at the back of the warehouse. ‘Shall we try it on?’
17
Throwing herself down onto her old squishy but faithful sofa, Ellie swung her legs up and laid her head back against the arm. What a day! So much had happened in the last few hours, she was sure it was going to take her a month to unpick, but the main thing was Laura had secured her dress. She’d fallen in love with the soft ivory one with the flower detail and flowing skirt, and both Ellie and Nicola had agreed it looked amazing on her.
And now they were one step closer to organising Laura and Jackson’s big day. Yes, there was the huge problem of the lack of caterers to deal with and they were still waiting for a reply from the council to confirm they had been given permission to hold the ceremony at the inn, but she didn’t even want to think about that now. Any of it.
She was officially wedding-done for the rest of the weekend. Ha, no, that wasn’t true. With all the best will in the world and promises to herself to take a break over the weekend, she knew she wouldn’t. She never had. And there was so much to do to prepare for Laura and Jackson’s upcoming special day that she knew she’d be reaching for her laptop to continue searching for caterers or florists that would have the availability to fit them in.
Or agree to. Melissa had spun her web of lies to Fiona about why she and Ellie had parted ways, and so everyone on the wedding scene, from the other wedding planners in their circle, to the florists, caterers and balloon suppliers, would have heard. And if Ellie’s name had been dragged through the mud as much as she suspected, it was bound to have a knock-on effect with whom would risk working with her.
And she didn’t blame them. Not really. The world of wedding planning was small, and who would want their reputation tarnished by someone like her? The version of her that Melissa had painted, anyway?
Pulling a cushion from her side, she held it over her face, shutting out the light from the stark overhead bulb as well as the world. She could quite happily stay in her little cocoon. Shut herself away from the world for a while at least. And turn her back on the business she had begun to build. But she couldn’t. Not just yet. She had to fulfil her promise to Laura and Jackson and plan their wedding. After that though? Who knew? Perhaps she’d change careers, or try to.
The high-pitched tone of the doorbell echoed through the cottage, and Ellie groaned. A visitor was the last thing she needed right now, after a fully packed day and trying to deal with the emotional turmoil Fiona had unleashed on her.
Pulling the cushion down, she hugged it against her chest and held her breath. If it was Rick, she’d give him ten seconds before he just let himself in with the key he still hadn’t returned. If it was anyone else, then hopefully they’d assume the cottage was empty and retreat.
One, two, three… The playful tune filled the room once more.
Please go away. Just go.Her feet hurt from all the walking, her cheeks hurt from all the smiling, and she could feel a headache coming on from the earlier conversation with Fiona.
A loud clack sounded, loud enough that Ellie worried the doorknocker may have created a permanent dent in the wooden door. Well, that answered one thing. It definitely wasn’t Rick. He wouldn’t have been patient enough to ring twice, let alone knock and wait. That left Mrs Jedd. Mrs Jedd wouldn’t give up. Ellie was shocked that her name wasn’t an entry in the Oxford Dictionary. Right under the definition of ‘persistent’.
Sighing, she threw the cushion to the end of the sofa and stood up. Her neighbour would likely be complaining about Pedro and Purdy again and the fact that Ellie was still feeding them and the other birds who frequented the garden. As she walked towards the small hallway, she glanced back towards the kitchen, wishing she’d thought to run through and put a slice of bread under the grill. The fire alarm sounding as it reached optimum burning potential would have ensured Ellie’s release from whatever conversation awaited her.
Reluctantly, she pulled the door open as potential excuses raced through her mind. A welcome cool breeze filled the hallway as Ellie froze. It wasn’t Mrs Jedd. It was Murray. Murray standing there holding a cardboard box in his hands.
‘Hi. I hope you don’t mind my dropping by like this, but I’ve just come from the grocery store and may have got a little carried away in the reduced section.’ Grimacing, he tilted the box so Ellie could see the abundance of vegetables inside. ‘I can’t eat them all, so I wondered if you’d let me cook for you? We could continue our chat?’
‘Oh, umm…’ What was she supposed to say? Did they have any more to say to each other? They’d cleared the air, so to speak, already, hadn’t they? As much as either of them had been willing to at the time, anyway. ‘Since when can you cook? Because if you’re relying on my chef skills, you’ll be sorely disappointed, I’m afraid.’
Murray chuckled. ‘You’ve not changed then.’
‘No.’ She smiled. ‘But I’m assuming you have? That or you just don’t particularly care what you’ll be putting into your stomach if I accept your offer to come in?’
