AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He was teasing her, but she couldn’t take it, and looked at him reproachfully. Over his shoulder, she could see Adam out of the window.
‘Shit. It’s Adam. I’ll have to tell him the party’s off.’
‘You are not cancelling,’ said Woody, clamping his hand on her shoulder, his voice firm. ‘You’re guilty of nothing except being human.’
She sighed as she headed to answer the door. If only that were true. She loved Woody for being so supportive and staunch. And now here was Adam, ready to help her with the catering for tonight. She didn’t deserve either of them. But Woody was right. She couldn’t cancel now. She’d have to put on a brave face and smile her way through it.
43
By six o’clock, the paper lanterns Woody had put up were spinning gently in the breeze from the open front door. Dozens of pinprick fairy lights were hung around the walls, with a few extra strings balled up and put in the fireplace. There were chunky pillar candles on the mantelpiece and windowsills, to be lit later, and terracotta pots planted up with marguerites.
Nikki did her best to take a breath and put her anxiety to one side. She was so proud of her little house, and how she had turned it around, with everyone’s help, to be a place filled with light. And hopefully love and laughter. Next week, the rest of her furniture would arrive and she could start to nest, letting her home evolve as she moved things around from room to room, put up pictures and hung curtains. But for now, the house was ready to throw open its doors and let everyone in. She felt a little stronger, as if she could face the evening.
In the kitchen, the taco bar was laid out on a trestle table, and next to it were metal dustbins full of ice – one containing Sol, the other bottles of white wine. There were pitchers of Palomas chilling in the fridge.
‘Hey!’ Adam was standing over a vat of chilli on the Everhot. He was in a tight white T-shirt and jeans, with a full-length apron, and she could see the toned muscles in his arms as he stirred. He’d completely taken over the catering and she wasn’t going to complain. That was the part of entertaining that stressed her out the most. He was quite happy in her kitchen, though he had brought round most of his own equipment – knives and chopping boards and a huge casserole dish.
‘Taste,’ he ordered, holding out a spoon. She blew on it for a moment, then tried it. It was deep, rich and smoky, with a sweetness to it.
‘Oh my God,’ she said. ‘That’s out of this world.’
‘Lots of different chillis,’ he said, ‘and a few squares of dark chocolate.’
‘It’s sublime. Thank you.’
He just smiled. ‘Right. Guacamole time.’ He picked up two avocados, threw them in the air and caught them deftly. ‘And don’t worry – I’ll put lime juice on top so it doesn’t go brown.’
‘That’s why I’m useless with food,’ said Nikki. ‘I’d never have thought to do that. I’d have ended up with a bowl of brown muck.’
He picked up a knife and began to slice the mound of avocados she’d bought.
Nikki went and stood at the back door for a moment, taking in several calming breaths, reminding herself that she had earned this party, that all the people she loved and who loved her – well, except Bill – were coming, and she mustn’t let one twisted person ruin her moment.
The sun was drifting down, nearly touching the horizon, throwing a wide band of light across the sea, like a silvery gold carpet. She felt as if she could step straight onto it and walk towards the edge of the world.
‘Isn’t it beautiful?’
She jumped to find Adam at her elbow.
‘It’s called a glitter path,’ she told him. ‘The rougher the sea, the wider the path. So although you might think it looks calm out there, it’s not.’
‘A glitter path. I’ve never heard of that before.’
They stood for a moment, lost in their thoughts, watching the sea sparkle and shimmer until a single cloud drifted over the sun and the glitter path disappeared.
‘I’d better go and get ready.’ Nikki looked at her watch. ‘People are going to start arriving in half an hour. I don’t think I’ve given myself long enough.’
‘You’ll look great whatever,’ Adam told her, and she thought how nice he was to say that, even if he didn’t mean it.
Upstairs, she dithered over what to wear. She wasn’t sure she was confident enough to wear her new dress. Were her legs thin enough? Brown enough? Was it too attention seeking? Her instinct was to put on her denim shirt dress instead. It was safe. But when she tried the new dress on, out of curiosity, the chiffon glided over her limbs, and shimmered when she moved, and she looked … absolutely fabulous.
It was her party. Why shouldn’t she look like the belle of the ball? If anything was going to give her confidence, it was this dress. She pulled on her cowboy boots, put on emerald-green eyeliner, hot-pink lipstick and dangly earrings. She was ready for anything.
An hour later, family and friends were pouring in through the door. Graham and Suzanne with the M and Ms, who were allowed to stay until ten, when Helen was going to take them back to Mariners for the night. Woody and Katya. Tamsin, in an actual dress, the first time she’d seen her out of wellies and jodhpurs this year, with Andrew. Joel, who blinked in amazement at the transformation, hardly recognising it as the house he’d sold her. Mike and Jason, accepting congratulations whenever she pointed out that the hard work had been done by them. Other people would be turning up later – Gloria and Belle, hopefully, after they’d escaped from the Neptune. The house was full of all the people she loved.
‘You didn’t tell me Stanley Tucci was catering,’ Jess hissed at her, her eyes wide, clocking Adam in the kitchen. ‘Where did you find him?’
‘Right next door.’ Nikki laughed at the expression on her sister’s face. ‘You saw him, remember? On the beach? He probably won’t recognise you with your clothes on.’
