Page 79 of Something Borrowed

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll help you,” Richard says, leaping out of his seat so quickly that it looks like the springs have ejected him.

They head over to the other side of the room to the coffee machine, and I turn to Stan. “Hello,” I mutter, feeling awkward in a way I’ve never felt with him before.

He cocks his head. “You alright? Your voice sounds funny.”

“Oh, fine, fine,” I say, dialling down the heartiness to less Brian Blessed and more Brian Cranston. "Congratulations.”

“For what?”

I blink. “For your upcoming wedding?” I say in more of a question than a statement.

“Oh. Oh yes. Lovely.” He looks as if he’s bursting to tell me something, so I’m stunned when he sits back and says nothing. I don’t think there’s ever been a moment in our lives when he hasn’t said what was on his mind.

“You, okay?” I finally say almost tentatively.

“Ofcourse,” he says so emphatically that I blink.

“Well, that’s good.” I run my finger along my trouser leg. “It’s just that I didn’t see you after the party.”

“I went back to my mum and dad’s.”

Relief flows through me like a river. He wasn’t with Bennett.

“I bet Rowena and Edward are thrilled,” I say.

“Not the word I’d have chosen.”

“Oh.”

Another awkward silence follows, and when Leo returns, we greet him as though he’s Robbie Williams at a Take That reunion.

He blinks. “I know I’m fabulous, but not quite that much.”

He hands me my coffee, and I cradle the cup, letting it warm my suddenly cold hands. “What’s this meeting in aid of?”

“The commitment ceremony.”

“Didn’t we cover everything yesterday? Has something else happened? And why is Stan here?”

“My sunny personality,” Stan offers. “It seems extraordinarily suited to marital harmony.”

“Yeah, that’s not working.”

He laughs, and for a second, I grin at him before I remember that I’m about to fucking lose him. I swiftly revert to moroseness. “So, why are we here?”

Leo blinks. “Your people skills are second to none. I commend you.”

“Thank you so much.”

Richard clears his throat. “The commitment ceremony is in a couple of days.”

“I am aware. It’s been in my diary for two years.”

Leo says, “And you won’t be at the wedding in Devon because it’s just close family. You’re flying ahead of us to Greece.”

“I also know this. I am a wedding planner, Leo, and in particular,yourwedding planner.”

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