Page 55 of Wedding Games
Valentina leapt to her feet, whooping and punching the air.
Zoe giggled as Charlie rolled his eyes and started the timer. It appeared he’d lost money on Zoe’s speech as he was currently taking notes out of the hat and handing them back to Jez.
‘I first met Zoe when we were children,’ Fiona began. ‘She stayed with her great uncle in his cabin for a few months, and Jamie and I spent all our time with her.’
A picture came on the screen of the three of them standing by the edge of the loch. Zoe’s hair was an explosion of frizzy curls, her grin as wide as Fiona’s. Jamie was standing to the side, much younger and smaller, his hand down the front of his shorts.
‘Fi! Fuck’s sake!’ Jamie cried as everyone howled with laughter.
‘Yes,’ said Sam. ‘The one on the right is now my boyfriend.’
Another image appeared of the three of them sitting in a tree. The same tree Zoe got stuck in twenty years later.
‘The Zoe I knew then,’ Fiona continued, ‘is exactly the same as the one I know now. Fearless, brave, loyal, and funny.’
Memories flooded her as Fiona recounted their adventures over that endless summer. Lighting fires and cooking marshmallows, camping, swimming, and running wild till late in the night as the summer sun kept shining.
Sam then took up the story. ‘I met Zoe in Freshers week at Uni. It was the first time I’d ever met anyone as loud as me, and I knew immediately I’d found someone who would understand me in a way so many others hadn’t.’
A picture appeared of Zoe dressed as a tiger and roaring at the camera.
‘This was taken at a “Law of the Jungle” party, and I think it sums her up perfectly,’ Sam continued. ‘Zoe is fiercely loyal and loving, and has always been there for me.’
The next photo was of Sam and Zoe on a beach underneath a palm tree. Sam looked extremely thin, pale, and ill. Zoe’s arms were around her as if protecting her from the world. A lump formed in Zoe’s throat. She remembered how terribly unwell her friend had been back then.
Sam continued telling stories of their adventures over the years followed by how she felt when Zoe left London for Kinloch.
‘When Zoe moved to Scotland, I was desperate for her to come home,’ she said. ‘I thought she’d be back by Christmas and life could go back to normal.’ She smiled at Zoe. ‘But life never stands still, and Zoe’s bravery in sticking it out in her shed—’
‘Cabin!’ Zoe yelled, despite the happy tears in her eyes.
‘—despite what the weather or Thor-squared threw at her, is a testament to her spirit,’ Sam continued. ‘And not only did Zoe meet and fall in love with Rory, but thanks to her, my life changed for the better too. Being friends with Zoe is a gift that keeps on giving. When she moved to Scotland, I didn’t lose a friend, I gained new ones, a new family, and my own happy-ever-after.’
Sam held up her glass.
‘Wait for it,’ Fiona said to her.
Sam switched her attention from Zoe to the clock where Charlie’s hand was suspended over the switch to stop the count.
Charlie frowned. ‘What the—’
‘So, ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you to raise your glasses,’ Sam said, speaking slowly. ‘To the bestest friend anyone could ever hope to have and her very own Prince Charming.’
‘To Zoe and Rory!’ Fiona and Sam said together as Charlie slapped the top of the clock.
‘To Zoe and Rory!’ The room echoed as Valentina punched the air and grabbed Charlie’s hat of money.
‘Fix!’ Charlie yelled. ‘It’s a set-up!’
Valentina pulled his head to hers and whispered something in his ear.
His frown promptly turned upside down.
‘Do we want to know what you just said?’ Sam asked.
Charlie wiggled his eyebrows. ‘Well,’ he began. ‘Valen—’
Valentina slapped her hand over his mouth. ‘Huevón!’
