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“We could have lunch down there,” I suggest. “Before we drive back. It’s open to everyone—it’s separate from the wedding. My treat.”

“Fuck that. You’re making my dinner tomorrow. Lunch is on me.”

“No, Ryan. Lunch is to thank you for all your⁠—”

Another swat to my backside.

“You’re a slow learner, flower girl.” He leans close to me, his mouth warm against my ear. “I’m starting to hope you never learn your lesson. I like smacking your pert little arse. My cock likes it too. It’s half hard already.”

Heat rushes up my neck. He steps back and smiles at me while I try to remember what I was just saying. My brain is frazzled. This is the biggest job I’ve ever taken on. I ought to be thinking about how good the photographs will look in my portfolio or how thrilled Lizzie was with her bouquet. Instead, my gaze drops to Ryan’s crotch to see if he’s telling the truth, and oh my God, he is bulgier down there than usual. We’re at a posh hotel for a wedding, he’s got a semi, and he doesn’t seem to care in the slightest.

I should be appalled, but I’m not. In fact, I’m seriously considering thanking him once more to see if I can turn that semi into a full-blown erection.

Behave, Briony. What’s getting into you? You’re sensible. You’ve always been sensible.

“Right.” I clear my throat. “Lunch.”

“Oh, there she is!” The woman at the next table puts down her fork and points.

Up on the lawn, the wedding guests get to their feet as Lizzie appears with her dad.

Conversations in the boathouse brasserie falter. A server pauses with a water jug in his hand, and somebody behind us shifts their chair for a better view through the window. I take Ryan’s hand and squeeze it. I made him sit beside me so we could both see the ceremony.

Lizzie’s dress trails behind her as she walks between the rows of chairs. She’s holding the bouquet low, just the way I showed her, so it won’t hide the detail on her bodice. At the end of the aisle, Darren is waiting beneath the arch. It is, thank God, still standing, every flower exactly where I left it.

“Look at those flowers,” the woman at the next table says to her companion. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

Ryan nudges my shoulder with his and gives me a wink.

I grin back. Can’t help it. All the work, all the worry, all those hours on my feet. It was worth it to be part of this special moment.

As I watch Lizzie make her way up the aisle, I find myself thinking about what I’d carry. Parrot tulips, probably, which would mean a spring wedding. They’re what I put in the basket Ryan paid me to make for myself. I was so cross with him at the time. Now the thought of it makes me smile.

Somewhere between one step and the next, Lizzie disappears from the picture, and now it’s me walking between the chairs. My hands around the stems. My dress brushing the grass.

The man waiting at the end turns to me. It’s Ryan.

Shiitake mushrooms. I give my head a small, sharp shake. Where did that image come from? We’re not even calling each other boyfriend and girlfriend yet. He helps me with a wedding, and I start imagining ours? Talk about getting ahead of myself.

Sleep deprivation. It does funny things to the brain.

I sneak a glance at Ryan, genuinely worried he might somehow be able to tell what I was just thinking, but his eyes are on the ceremony. He watches as Lizzie’s dad hands her over to Darren.

On Wednesday, Ryan told me about his mum, but he’s never mentioned a dad.

“Ryan?” I keep my voice low. “Can I ask you something? Your dad…?”

It’s not much of a question, but Ryan knows what I mean. “He was never on the scene. There were various boyfriends over the years, though. One in particular came and went a lot.” He turns his glass on the table. “He could be pretty…volatile.”

Volatile? I don’t like the sound of that, but Ryan doesn’t offer more, and I decide not to pry further. I think a bit at a time is the best way with Ryan Sloan. I do, however, rest my hand on his knee under the table.

“Was everything all right with your meals?” our server asks, coming over and smiling at us.

We both cleared our plates. I had a bagel with kimchi, aubergine, and whipped butter beans, while Ryan had what was basically a cheeseburger, though the menu managed to make it sound much posher than that.

“It was delicious, thank you,” I say.

Ryan nods. “Aye. Lovely, cheers.”