Page 64 of A Wedding in Tuscany

‘Coffee?’ asks Jean-Luc brightly. I have a vague awareness of the replies as I try to come to terms with what’s just happened.

‘Chérie, coffee?’ Jean-Luc’s eyes are so filled with kindness?he just knows?but his empathy makes me feel even worse.

‘Uh, sorry … I, uh, think I’ll make myself a cup of tea.’ I push past Jaelee and go into the kitchen and flick on the kettle. What the fuck is going on with my sister? I still have half a biscuit in my hand but my mouth is now bone dry and I toss it in the bin.

I feel his presence beside me, then those arms wrap around me and his chin rests on my head. ‘Désolé, chérie,’ he whispers and I let the tears roll down my face.

‘What do you think?’ asks Sarah. She and Jaelee have brought us to a part of the castle we haven’t seen before and I’ve shoved aside my hurt feelings to focus on our impending decision?the wedding venue. I look about the dusty space, an airy loft with high ceilings, archways demarcating ‘rooms’, and openings in the rendered brick walls where windows would ordinarily be. The floorboards look a thousand years old?that may be close to the truth?and it’s directly above the apartment we’re staying in.

‘This is where they dry the grapes for their fortified wines,’ says Sarah. That would explain the large wooden racks tucked away into a corner and the wine barrels and other wine making accoutrement scattered about.

God, the light is incredible.

‘Catherine?’ Jean-Luc reaches for my hand and tilts his head silently asking, ‘What do you think?’

‘Mmm,’ I utter noncommittally. ‘So, how are you thinking we’d set it up?’ I ask my wedding planners.

Jaelee immediately snaps into work mode?it’s like a switch was flicked on her back. ‘So, this space we’re standing in would be for arrivals, pre-ceremony drinks, that kind of thing …’ She walks through an archway into the next ‘room’. ‘We’d set up this space with an aisle and chairs either side facing the window and you’d get married here.’ She walks over to one of the windows, which has a similar view to the one we see from our balcony. ‘Ceremony, I do, I do, blah, blah, blah,’ she says, then she’s off again through another archway. The three of us rush to catch up.

‘Then in here, we’d set up for the reception. Use the wine barrels as tables?stand, have a drink, eat?along that wall, two wine barrels and some planks of wood becomes the bar, along that wall, we do the same for the buffet, we bring in the chairs from the ceremony and put them in groups around the perimeter so people can sit if they want and the whole place is pretty much one big dance floor. Bianca also said there’s some portable lighting we can bring in.’

She stops moving and talking and pins us with an expectant look. ‘Questions?’

‘I have one. How on earth did you plan everything out already?’ I ask.

She breaks into her trademarked million-watt smile. ‘I’m a savant.’

‘Clearly.’

‘What do you think?’ asks Sarah. ‘It’s perfect, isn’t it?’ I’m not sure it’s perfect but it’s certainly better than our other two options. ‘And you did say “rustic”, Cat,’ adds Sarah. She’s right about that, though …

‘Catherine?’ I look up at Jean-Luc, then around the cavernous space, picturing everything that Jae has laid out for us. Actually, it could be quite beautiful.

‘What do you think, darling?’ I ask Jean-Luc.

‘I am happy if you are.’

I turn to Jaelee. ‘From what you said before, you don’t like it much.’

‘Yeah, true, but I think we can make it work. Besides, it’s not my wedding.’

‘Sarah?’

‘I think it will be beautiful, Cat. And no dead animals.’ We grin at each other and I momentarily forget the hurt hanging between us.

I look back at Jean-Luc. ‘I think we should have it here.’ Out of the corner of my eye, I catch Sarah exhaling with relief. I suppose with the wedding only two days away we’ve been cutting it close. And I’ve (selfishly) relied on my two planners to bear that burden.

‘Thank you, you two,’ I say. ‘Really.’

‘No problem,’ say Jaelee, matter-of-factly. ‘Sarah, let’s go tell Bianca. She’s gonna need to get that cleaning crew in here tomorrow morning so we can set up in the afternoon.’ Jaelee is efficient, I’ll give her that.

Sarah smiles at me as she passes, grabbing my arm and giving it a squeeze. ‘I’m so glad you like it, Cat. It’s gonna be amazing.’ When they leave, it’s just me and my love.

I turn to him and he wraps his arms around my waist and I latch my hands behind his neck. ‘Tout va bien, chérie?’ I nod. ‘Not long now and you will be my wife.’

‘And you will be mon mari.’ He smiles down at me, his beautiful green eyes creasing at the corners.

‘Are you going to talk to Sarah?’ he asks, breaking the spell of our mutual adoration. ‘About the pearls?’ he adds.

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