9
The hotelwhere the wedding reception was being held was in a far-flung corner of the South Downs, down a narrow country road and surrounded by rolling chalk hills and verdant wildflower meadows. The converted country house oozed charm and character, with its leaded windows and warm red brick walls and landscaped gardens and was the picture-perfect location for a romantic wedding reception.
After parking the car in the gravelled area to the west of the building, Carole and Tom made their way inside the hotel. They were directed through the lobby to a large function space in the south wing where other guests were already gathering.
The function space comprised an exclusive bar area with floor-to-ceiling windows and doors offering views across the hotel gardens and the countryside beyond, as well as a cordoned-off dining area laid out for the wedding meal and which Carole assumed would remain off-limits until the wedding party arrived.
Waiting staff circulated with trays of drinks and canapes, music played from the house system, and there was a festive feeling in the air as guests chatted and mingled.
Carole accepted a glass of fizz from a passing waiter, and Tom chose a sparkling fruit punch that the waiter explained was the hotel’s signature non-alcoholic beverage mixed specially for those guests who were either designated drivers or who simply preferred alcohol-free options.
“It tastes pretty good,” Tom said after taking a sip of the drink. “Not too sweet and actually quite refreshing.”
“I might switch over and try it later,” Carole said. “It’s easy to get carried away during a long day at a wedding and end up drinking more than you realise.”
Still, the glass of fizz she was drinking was hitting the spot nicely and she savoured the bubbles as she scanned the bar area for any sign of Steven. She’d stopped off at the ladies’ room on her way from the hotel lobby to the function suite to repair her make-up and was now ready for the inevitable encounter with her ex.
The sooner she got it over with, the better—although that might just have been the prosecco giving her false courage.
For the next fifteen minutes, the bar area grew busier as more guests arrived and the chatter and laughter rose in volume. The time passed swiftly, thanks to the easy conversation she struck up with Tom.
She learned more about his job and laughed at a couple of funny stories he shared about his recent work trip to Manchester. It was nice to feel at ease in his company, their conversation flowing freely.
It was nice, too, to get to know the man who was her next-door neighbour and, she hoped, also a new friend.
Beyond the banks of windows overlooking the hotel gardens, Carole caught sight of the bride and groom and the rest of the formal wedding party making their way towards a rose-covered pergola on the far side of the lawn, where the photographer was already setting up his camera. Now that the wedding VIPs werehere, it would only be a matter of time before the new husband and wife arrived in the function suite to be greeted by their guests.
At which point, the wedding reception would begin in earnest.
Carole glanced around the bar area, wondering why she hadn’t spied Steven wandering around in here yet.
Despite her previous anxieties about seeing him, now that she was here at the wedding, she just wanted to get this encounter over and done with, so she could enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening without having the impending moment still hanging over her head.
But no matter how much her gaze scoured the bar area, she saw no sign of Steven anywhere.
“Don’t worry, I’m keeping an eye out for him too,” Tom said with a wry grin.
“Sorry, I don’t mean to seem so distracted,” Carole said, realising she’d been peering around the room while Tom was in the middle of talking to her. “Despite dreading seeing Steven again ever since I found out he’d be at this wedding, now I just want to get it out of the way.”
“That makes perfect sense.” Tom glanced around the room, before stopping a passing waiter to grab two more glasses from his tray and off-load the glasses they’d already emptied. He handed a fresh prosecco to Carole. “Here, drink this and keep your strength up.”
Carole laughed and sipped the sweet fizzy wine. “I’m beginning to wonder if Steven is even coming to this wedding reception. We’ve all been here for a while now, and I doubt there are any stragglers still making their way over from the church. Perhaps the woman he was at the wedding service with could only attend that part of the day?”
Carole knew it was wishful thinking. No one got thoroughly dressed up and groomed to perfection only to attend a thirty-minute church service and then disappear off again. And if a wedding guest was only able to attend the service, there’d be no need to bring a plus-one along.
No, Steven was here, somewhere. He had to be. At any moment he’d pop up, she was sure of it, and…
At that exact moment, she caught sight of him on the other side of the bar, walking through the doors with the woman in the silver sheath dress. The bar area was packed now with well over a hundred guests, and Steven and his companion had to zig and zag their way through the crowds towards what remained of the complementary welcome drinks now lined up on the bar counter.
Steven grabbed two glasses of wine and handed one to the woman at his side. As he turned to take in the room, his gaze landed on Carole.
The smile on his face froze as his eyes held hers. A long beat passed as they looked at one another across the crowded room. Every sound, every chattering voice and peal of laughter, seemed to vanish as she stood rooted to the spot staring at the only man who had ever broken her heart.
Every shard of pain she’d felt fifteen years ago now pierced her soul once more.
Steven’s smile widened and the moment broke. The noise of the wedding guests around her returned like a wave breaking on the shore and washed away the cold ache that had gripped her so suddenly and so thoroughly.
Across the room, she saw Steven lift his head in acknowledgement, then whisper something to the woman at his side before the two of them began making their way across the crowded room towards her.
