“Yes, please,” Mum replied, her voice suddenly strained.
I crammed another forkful of pancake into my mouth just as Leo whipped my plate away. My shoulders dropped as I watched him scrape my breakfast into Otis’s bowl, while the dog’s tail wagged in frantic anticipation. As soon as his bowl hit the floor, Otis dived straight in.
“I came to apologise.” Mum took a seat at the table. “For my reaction the other day.”
Leo placed her cup in front of her, while I narrowed my eyes. As genuine as the woman appeared, saying sorry was something else Mum never did.
“No apology necessary,” Leo said. “It’s great that you’re so happy for us. Isn’t it, Tess?”
“Mmm,” I said, not yet ready to commit one way or the other.
“Still. I did go a bit overboard,” Mum said.
Talk about an understatement.“We all know how much you love a good wedding,” I said.
“Oh, I do,” Mum replied. “But it’s not only that. I’m just so pleased for you both, I can’t tell you.”
I took in Mum’s smile, unable to deny her sincerity.
“You two getting married is the most exciting thing to happen to this family in years. Apart from the usual birthdays and Christmases, the last time we had real cause for celebration was when India was born.”
Recalling Mum’s pure joy at becoming a grandmother, I felt humbled. Mum had never been the warm and fuzzy type and the thought of her experiencing the same degree of delight over mine and Leo’s engagement was heart-warming. A pang of remorse hit me for all the moaning I’d done about the woman.
“And I’m here to help in any way I can. You do know that, don’t you?”
“Thanks, Mum,” I said.
Mum looked from me to Leo, her eyebrows raised in anticipation. “All you have to do is say.”
Despite Mum’s heart being in the right place, I couldn’t believe she expected a job list there and then. “Well, we’ve not really decided on any details yet. Have we, Leo?”
“But it’ll be good to have you on hand when we do,” he said to Mum. “We haven’t a clue where to start.”
I watched Mum’s eagerness turn to glee and realising we still needed to be cautious I looked to Leo. As he opened his mouth to continue, I stared at the man, wide-eyed, willing him to please shut up. However, telepathy clearly wasn’t my strong point.
“It’s not like either of us have done this before, is it, Tess?” he said.
Mum put a hand to her chest. “I’m so pleased you’ve said that.” She jumped from her seat. “Because I’ve put together some ideas.” She hastily headed out of the room.
“What happened to us treading carefully?” I asked Leo, keeping my voice low. “How could you not see she was looking for an in?”
“Tess, she’s your mum. It’s only natural that she wants to be involved.”
“Involved I can cope with. It’s the takeover bid that worries me.”
Leo chuckled, yet again failing to share my concern.
“I’m telling you, she won’t be able to help herself.”
Mum reappeared with a huge A1 art folder and an even bigger smile. Unzipping her wares, she pulled out a huge collage made up of magazine cut-outs, fabric samples and colour charts.
Dumbfounded, I stared at her handiwork. “You’ve put together a mood board?” I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, unlike Leo, who looked impressed.
“It’s just a little something to get you started.”
Littlewas not the word I’d have used.
I took in the numerous images before me – pictures of ice sculptures, humongous wedding cakes, and brides wearing white feathered capes. Mum had even stuck fronds of fir and eucalyptus to the ensemble. She obviously had a winter wedding in mind. “Is that a photo of Saint George’s Chapel?” I asked, hoping against all hope that I was wrong. “Surely you’re not suggesting we get married at Windsor Castle?”
