Page 4 of Second Chance with Seth

“Is she better?” Laurel asks.

“Much better, thanks. How did the wedding go? Did the rain cause any problems?”

“Not at all. Peony had allowed for the weather, and everything was set up so no-one would get wet… no-one important, anyway.”

“Where have they gone for their honeymoon?” I ask.

“They haven’t. Not yet. My understanding is they’ve booked to go away next month.”

“And where are they going?”

“No-one knows… not even Mallory. And if Brady knows, he’s not telling.”

“What a lovely surprise.”

“Hmm… I wouldn’t have thought Cooper could be such a romantic, but he is. He’s absolutely besotted.”

“Good for him,” I whisper, and she smiles. It’s a sympathetic smile, one that touches her eyes and shows so much understanding, which is typical of Laurel.

“It was good to see Tanner and Zara looking so happy and relaxed, too,” she says, keeping our conversation going, although what she’s just said comes as a surprise.

“Why wouldn’t they be? They’ve only been married for a few weeks.”

She tilts her head, looking confused. “Didn’t you know?”

“Know what?”

“They’ve just come back from Barbados.”

“Seriously? I didn’t even know they’d gone.” How did I miss that? Lack of sleep, probably. “Was that a last-minute vacation?”

She looks even more puzzled. “No. It was their honeymoon.”

I must be more sleep deprived than I thought. “Honeymoon? I thought they weren’t having one. That was what everyone was saying, anyway. I remember a few people mentioned it at their wedding.”

“And they were right. They weren’t having one. Dawson arranged for them to spend their wedding night at the hotel as a last-minute surprise, but a honeymoon was completely off the cards… until Ryan got to hear about it, and that Tanner’s ex had tried to sabotage their plans.”

“What did he do?”

“He offered them a honeymoon of their choice.”

“Wow… that’s generous.”

“He’s a generous kind of guy.”

“So, they went to Barbados?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

“Yeah… just for a few days. Tanner didn’t want to be away from Noah over a weekend, and didn’t like asking Katie to mind the bookstore for too long, but just that brief time away clearly did them good. They looked so happy at Cooper’s wedding.”

“I’ll bet they did,” I say, smiling, and we both turn as the door opens and Peony comes through, carrying Rory in her arms, her eyes fixing straight onto Laurel.

“I’m so sorry we’re late,” she says, giving me a smile, which I return before I look back at Laurel.

“If you wanna find a table, I’ll get Owen to take your order. I’d better check on River.”

Laurel nods her head, but then reaches out, placing her hand on my arm. “Thanks for the peppermint tea.”

I smile. “You’re welcome.”

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