‘Hmmm?’ They were already absorbed in the bookshelves.
Once I had her father, Jonah and Lex set up, I led Fiona, her mother, and her daughters down the path from the cellar door to the B&B. ‘This is where my mum lives,’ I explained to the twins. ‘She’s going to help you and your aunts and your grandma out today.’
‘You need to be on your best behaviour, all right, girly-pops?’ Fiona said as I rapped on the open door to let Okasan know we’d arrived. ‘I know it’s very exciting, but don’t get so excited that—’
‘—we’re all tired out by the wedding,’ Georgia replied long-sufferingly. ‘Weknow, Mummy.’
Okasan appeared in the hallway. ‘Okaeri, Sato.’ She patted my arm before turning to everyone else. ‘And welcome.’
‘This is the rest of the bridal party,’ I said. ‘These are the flower girls, Rosie and Georgia. And this is—’
‘—Angela,’ Mrs Fisher said. ‘Mother of the groom. Thank you for hosting us.’
‘My sons did all the work.’ Okasan patted my arm again. ‘And this is…?’
‘I’m Fiona.’ Fiona extended her hand for Okasan to shake. ‘Thank you for so much for all your help, Mrs Tsukamoto. If the girls get too rowdy, please don’t hesitate to call me. My mother has my number.’
‘I also raised three children, honey,’ her mother said. ‘The girls and I are going to be fine.’
‘Let me show you to your room,’ Okasan said. ‘It was nice to meet you, Fiona.’
Her hand was still on my arm, and as she squeezed slightly, it was obvious that she’d put two and two together. My mother knewexactlywho Fiona was.
‘You too,’ Fiona replied, thankfully not reading the subtext.
Mrs Fisher followed Okasan down the hall, Georgia behind her, but Rosie lingered on the doorstep. ‘Mummy?’
‘Yes?’ Fiona asked. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing. It’s just…’
Rosie’s chin was quivering when she finally got the words out, an explosion of a sentence that happened all at once. ‘Would Daddy really ask Nikki to be his flower girl?’
‘Oh, Rosie-girl.’ Fiona knelt down swiftly. ‘That’s not something you need to worry about, okay? Daddy isn’t even planning tohavea wedding, not right now.’
‘But what if he did? He already lives with the other lady and the other kids. And today – and today—’ Rosie gulped. ‘Today is the most important day of my life. And Daddy’s not here.’
For a moment, a shadow of the betrayal Fiona must have felt penetrated the fog in my brain. How could anyone ever walk away from this little girl?
Fiona smoothed Rosie’s hair away from her face. ‘I know you miss him, honeybun. But we’ll take so many pictures and videos for him, okay? He won’t miss a thing.’
‘I’ll tell you what.’ I crouched beside Fiona. ‘How about I take charge of filming? I’ll get there early, and I’ll push everyone out of the way, like this—’ I mimed shoving people aside ‘—and I’ll find the best seat in the wedding, so I can take the greatest flower girl video ever.’
Rosie looked at me for a long moment. My heart thumped in my chest, so loudly she and Fiona could probably hear it.
But then her face crumpled. ‘It’s not thesame!’
Fiona put her arms around her. ‘Go,’ she mouthed, nodding with her head back up towards the main building, as Rosie sobbed into her shoulder.
It was the mildest possible dismissal, and it felt like getting kicked in the stomach.
My feet were heavy every step back up to the cellar door, but even once I’d arrived, I made myself keep moving. If I stopped, the fog would crowd in even heavier, and I might drown.
I’d hauled six cases up from the cellar and started re-organising the fridges for service when Fiona finally reappeared. ‘Hi,’ she said wearily, leaning her elbows against the bar.
‘Hi. Is everything…?’
She nodded. ‘I got her calmed down.’
