Independent Jenny (24 page)

Chapter Fifty-Five

As soon as we got in the car, Shane asked about Will’s wife.

“Apparently it’s over.”

“Since when?”

“A few weeks.”

“So that’d explain why he hasn’t contacted you, then – he hasn’t had much chance.”

“He also didn’t know if I was still with Ross.”

“Ah, of course.”

“And maybe he’s not interested,” I pointed out.

“Oh come on, the way you two look at each other makes even me feel gooey inside.”

My insides almost turned to goo on hearing this.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. He better move down to Bath though because I’m not travelling up to Glasgow to visit your skinny arse.”

“I wish it was skinny!” I said, hiccupping from my wine.

“Okay, your medium-sized arse.”

It wasn’t medium either, but I knew better than to argue.

We pulled up outside the hotel and got out of the car.

“Hayley said I should move up here, seeing as I love it so much.”

“Oh no you don’t, young lady.”

“You were considering moving to Maidstone.”

“And you were one of my main reasons for not going.”

“Really? Shane you shouldn’t stay in Bath because of me.”

“Well, I admit that you were one of the main reasons. Then I realised that wasn’t right, that Andrew should be my main concern. And lately, I’ve realised that he’s not. So, I think we might break up.”

“Oh my god, Shane.”

I’d just yanked my luggage out of his car and was standing, jaw hanging open as he got his own.

“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I don’t know, I guess I’ve been procrastinating.”

“Does he know?”

“I think he knows something’s not right, yes.”

“I’m sorry I’ve been so caught up in my own life, I hadn’t even realised what you were going through.”

“Don’t be silly, I didn’t even mention it, so how were you to know?”

We checked into the hotel and I gave him a quick hug before saying goodnight and settling in my room. I couldn’t believe they might break up; they were my model couple.

The hotel was a nice place, with stylish modern wallpaper and large mahogany furniture. I hung up my dress and flopped down onto the bed. My phone beeped. My eyes felt more awake when I saw it was Will.

You left your camera bag here. I’ll bring it tomorrow. Nice to see you today and I’m sorry again, about not keeping in touch and ignoring you. See you in the morning x

Me: Oops.
Thank you. Nice to see you too and no worries re not keeping in touch. See you tomorrow. Sleep well x

Will:
I’ll try but this cold lumpy bed is awful. I should buy them a decent spare as a wedding present :) x

Me:
You’re not hinting for an invite to come and crash with me again are you? Xx

He didn’t reply. Oh dear, how much wine had I had? That text was truly awful and just plain embarrassing. I wished I could un-send it. I got up off the bed and found my nightdress, then slipped under the covers.

Me:
Sorry, what a silly thing to say. Night night x

Will:
Not at all, I was just chatting to Hayley outside the bathroom sorry. I wasn’t hinting although the thought is very appealing, bet you’ve got a nice big comfy bed with plenty of room, too. But I’ve been drinking so even if you invited me, I can’t get there x

Darn the wine, I hadn’t thought about that. I considered calling down to reception to see if they could get a taxi this late but decided it probably wasn’t likely.

Me:
Tomorrow night then? If you want. Just as friends, of course x

Will:
Sounds good. I’ll keep my clothes on. Night night xx

Me:
See you tomorrow then xx

Will:
What are you wearing? Xx

Me:
Now?! My nightdress. You? Xx

Will:
Nothing, right now. But I meant tomorrow. Has Hayley got you some hideous bridesmaid dress? Xx

He was wearing nothing? Oh my goodness. How I wished he was here.

Me:
Oh I see! She did pick me a dress but it’s not hideous, it’s lovely. You got a tux? Xx

Will:
Yeah. Guy’s got a kilt! Xx

Me:
Bet you’re going to look spiffing xx

Will:
Spiffing? That’s not a real word is it? But thanks, I bet you look lovely too x

Me:
It is! It means splendid. I think xx

Will:
Well, thank you xx

I put my phone down. I was really tired. I closed my eyes and then it beeped again.

Will:
Good night Jenny xx

Me:
Good night Will xx

Chapter Fifty-Six

It took me a few seconds to remember where I was the next morning. The bed was so comfortable I knew I could quite easily lie there all day. I turned over onto my back and stared up at the ceiling, then closed my eyes again. Then I remembered Will would be arriving soon in his tux and I sat up, grinning. I checked my phone but the only message was from Shane suggesting we meet for breakfast in an hour. I got up and showered, blow-dried my hair and pulled on jeans and a t-shirt. Hayley would be getting here at 11 am to get ready with me in my room. I was really rather excited at the thought of it all. It’d be nice to be a guest at a wedding instead of just the one melting into the background, trying to capture it all on my camera. Although I was still in charge of that, I was going to enjoy it more when I cared about the couple getting married.

As I walked into the lobby, Hayley’s parents were checking in.

“Hello!” I said happily.

“Jenny! How well you look my dear,” said her mum, giving me the kiss-on-both-cheeks treatment. Her dad greeted me too.

“I can’t believe Hayley’s getting married, to Guy, too.”

“I know. We were so shocked when she just upped and moved here but she seems so happy.”

“Yes, I saw her last night and she was glowing.”

“Good. I can’t wait to see her. When is she getting here?”

“Eleven.”

“I was so sorry to hear about you and your husband. He seemed such a nice man at your wedding.”

“He is a nice man,” I told her, “but he made some mistakes that aren’t easy to forgive.”

“Well it’s nice to see you looking so well.”

“Thank you. It’s good to see you too. It’s wonderful we can all be here on such short notice.”

“She did surprise us, but that’s our Hayley for you.”

I smiled and nodded, knowing she’d never be the predicable type, never take years to plan a wedding. Hayley made up her mind about Guy that week we came up here and as soon as he proposed, there was no need to wait.

“We’ll go and settle in, then. We stayed at a B&B in Glasgow last night and we’ve been driving since the early hours.”

I said goodbye and went to find Shane already waiting in the dining room.

“Full Scottish breakfast, please,” he said to the waitress as I approached him.

“Sorry couldn’t wait, I’m starving.”

He was always starving.

“Can I have some scrambled eggs with smoked salmon please?” I asked after glancing at the menu. I looked at Shane. He looked worn out.

“You alright?”

“Yep. Why?”

“I don’t know, because you told me for the first time last night that you’re thinking of breaking up with Andrew?”

“I guess I didn’t sleep too well, but I’m alright.”

“Okay,” I said, sensing he didn’t want to talk about it. “Well I’m here if you want to talk.”

“I know, thank you. I feel guilty now that I stopped him moving away.”

“Maybe he can still go.”

“Perhaps. I don’t know for sure if I want him to, yet.”

“You’ll work it out. Skye has a great knack of giving you space to clear your head.”

“I bet it does,” he said, looking out of the window at the view. “I might go for a walk while you and Hayley get dolled up.”

“Good idea.”

I glanced towards the reception and saw Hayley’s sister, and presumably her boyfriend, getting out of a BMW and walking towards the entrance. It was starting to feel real, seeing the guests arrive, and watching the whole shebang come together.

Breakfast came and was rather delicious. Shane and I chatted about the weddings we’d been to together in the past.

“Remember Tina and Ben’s wedding?” Shane asked me. Tina was a friend of ours at uni. “What a big hoo-ha that was. I wonder if they’re still together.”

“Two kids,” I told him.

“How do you know? I haven’t seen them since the wedding, I think. Didn’t they move to London?”

“No, Manchester. And I know because we’re all friends on Facebook, of course.”

“Ah, of course.”

“And then there was my cousin Vince’s wedding,” I reminded him. “When I made you pretend to be my boyfriend because I didn’t want to go alone.”

Shane laughed. “Oh yes! I snogged a bloke in the loos. Can’t remember his name.”

“You cheated on me? I hope none of my relatives saw you, they’ll think I can’t keep a man.”

“It was a fun wedding, that one.”

“They’re divorced now,” I told him. “She ran off with the best man, according to Sadie.”

“Shame. I remember the wedding with fondness.”

“I’ve been to a lot of weddings and that one was definitely boring.”

“What was the best?”

“The fairytale-themed wedding. You remember the photos? With the horse and carriage and all the costumes?”

“Oh yeah. And the most dramatic?”

“Maybe the one where the bridesmaid threw her cocktail over the groom’s sister? I can’t remember much else about that day, but it caused a huge row and a cat fight and the ushers had to pull them apart.”

Shane laughed. “You should’ve taken extra snaps – bet the bride and groom wanted to remember that.”

I shrugged. “Some things don’t need to be caught on camera.”

“I’d have liked to have seen it.”

“My mum’s best wedding was the one in New York. That was nice, not too tacky, just tasteful and elegant.”

“And your wedding was pretty good. We danced a lot.”

I smiled “Yes, we did. I threw a pretty good party, huh?”

“The best. Shame about the groom.”

I laughed. “I’ll try and improve on that next time.”

“So you’re not going to repeat the date, see if you might get back together?”

“I don’t know … I thought I might, but…”

“Are you looking forward to seeing Will today?”

He knew me too well.

“Maybe,” I said, blushing.

“Of course you are. He seems nice.”

“He is.”

We finished up our breakfast and Shane said he was going to go for a long walk while I primped and primed both myself and the bride, so he went off after paying the bill while I waited in the lobby for Hayley. She and Will walked in together, with Guy planning to come along a bit later as he was taking his mum out for lunch.

Will smiled at me and my chest tingled remembering our texts. Was he really going to sleep in my room tonight? Seeing him in the cold, sober light of day, it seemed a bit embarrassing to talk about it now. His hair was scruffy and he had a bit of stubble, which made him look even better than usual. He had a suit carrier slung over his shoulder. I couldn’t wait to see him all dressed up.

“Happy wedding day!” I said, throwing my arms around Hayley.

“Thank you! So excited!” she squealed in my ear. Her family came down the grand staircase and she greeted them with big hugs while Will and I looked on.

“So did you get much sleep?” I asked him.

“No, I really do hate that bed. Just awful. You?”

“Yes, I slept very well on my memory foam mattress in my lovely humongous bed thank you.”

“Rub it in, why don’t you.”

“Offer still stands for tonight,” I said, unable to look at him for embarrassment.

“Well, I might just take you up on that,” he said, not moving his eyes from mine. I looked back at him and the look in his eyes made me catch my breath.

“Come on, Jenny,” Hayley appeared by my side and pulled my arm.

“I’ll see you later,” I told Will as I let Jenny lead me away.

“Have fun getting ready girls.”

Okay, so he seemed interested. In a one night thing tonight at least. But what about tomorrow? What about when he went back to Glasgow and I went back to Bath? I was setting myself up for another fall but I couldn’t help look back at him. He was watching us climb the stairs and he winked at me. I smiled back and concentrated on the task at hand; walking up stairs with a man like that winking at me was no mean feat.

The next three hours were spent getting myself and Hayley ready. Her mother and sister came in a few times to chat to us, and we did our nails, hair, make-up, all the while Hayley chattered away about Guy, how in love they were, how no man had ever compared to him. It was lovely to see the joy on her face.

The dress she’d managed to find only three days ago was beautiful, albeit a tiny bit big for her. It was strapless with a pretty, embroidered bodice, a straight skirt and a short train. I called the front desk and asked if they had any safety pins, and someone brought some up for her. I fastened the dress a little tighter for her at the back.

“No one will notice the pins,” I told her, “and now it fits perfectly.”

“It’s funny, I’d have spent months looking for the perfect designer dress and yet here I am, wearing one that probably cost ten times less, and I still feel like a princess.”

“You are a princess. You look stunning, Hayley.”

She grinned and I set about fitting a tiara in her hair to finish it off. When she was finally ready, I left her in her parent’s room and went downstairs. Will was sitting in the lobby chatting to a man I recognised as working at the hotel. He was showing him something on his iPad, but I didn’t really pay any attention. Way more interesting was how he looked. His hair was still kind of messy and floppy, but he’d shaved and looked really dapper in his suit.

“Hello, handsome,” I said, a little tipsy on the champagne Hayley’s mum had brought up to our room.

“You look amazing,” Will said, standing up to kiss me on the cheek. His lips felt hot.

“I hope you don’t mind, I was just showing Wayne here your photos. From your week here.”

“Oh, thanks,” I said, feeling embarrassed.

“I’d like to buy some from you, if that’s alright?” asked Wayne. “For our hotel website. And I’ve got a friend who runs a tourist website who may be interested. And this one would make a great postcard.”

He turned the iPad towards me and showed me a shot I’d taken at Elgol. The Cuillins were in the distance and there was a sparkle of sunlight on the water.

“Thank you, I’m flattered,” I told him. “Perhaps we can chat more about it tomorrow?”

“That’d be good.”

I held up my camera. “Photo of the best man?”

Will stood up and I directed him to an ornate door leading to the room where the ceremony was taking place. He pulled a smile but looked a bit uncomfortable.

“Just relax. You look handsome.”

Darn it, he was so handsome today, it took all my willpower not to invite him up to my bedroom far earlier than planned.

“You look pretty good yourself. I love the dress,” he said, looking from my eyes to my shoes and back up again. Funnily enough, Hayley had spent more on my outfit than her own.

“Thank you,” I said, feeling my cheeks grow warmer as I took one more shot. Guy appeared in the doorway and I took some of them together.

“Shall I take one of you two together?” Guy asked after I’d blasted a few shots. I didn’t particularly like to be in the photos myself but I knew Hayley wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t appear in a few. I handed Guy my camera, told him what to do, and stood next to Will. He put his arm around my waist and rested his hand on my hip. It felt like it fitted there perfectly.

“You really do look beautiful,” he said, looking at me. “I like your hair like that.”

Hayley had curled it for me.

“Thank you.” I felt myself blush again and a tingling sensation appeared where his hand was. I smiled at Guy and he took the photo.

Hayley’s mum appeared and told us to get to our places. Will winked at me again as he turned and followed her and Guy into the room. He had to stop doing that or I’d explode with the rush of lust he kept leaving me with.

I went into the lobby as Hayley and her dad were coming down the staircase.

“Oh, you look wonderful,” said Wayne, the hotel manager who wanted to buy some of my photos.

“Thank you,” Hayley beamed. “You should join us, there’s plenty of room. Everyone’s welcome.” Wayne and the lady from reception went off to the ceremony room and then it was our turn to walk down the aisle.

“Ready?” Hayley’s dad asked her. “Yes,” she said, looking serene and calm.