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And suddenly it didn’t matter that she was blonde, or wore the sort of clothes Lily had pushed to the back of her wardrobe. ‘No,’ she agreed. ‘She really isn’t.’
* * * *
‘Friends, I ask you!’ Cora shook her head as she recounted Lily and Alex’s latest attempt at denial the night before. ‘As if the two of them are ever going to manage that.’
Across the bedroom, Rhys pulled on a shirt over his jeans, and Cora was forced to stop ogling his naked chest. She really was marrying a very attractive man.
‘Maybe friends is what they want,’ Rhys said mildly. ‘And it’s none of our business anyway.’
‘They’re my friends!’ Cora said, sitting up straighter on the bed. ‘Of course it’s my business. I want to see them happy and any idiot can see they’re happiest together.’
‘A few weeks ago, you wanted Lily back together with Edward,’ Rhys pointed out. ‘Look how that worked out. Just stay out of it, Cora.’
Cora blinked at him. ‘Why are you cross with me?’
‘I’m not cross,’ Rhys said, but since he spoke through gritted teeth Cora didn’t believe him.
‘Yes, you are. What have I done?’
Rhys shook his head. ‘Nothing.’
Irritation rose up in Cora’s throat. ‘No, really, I want to know. I mean, other than caring about our friends. Or organizing our perfect wedding.’
‘Your perfect wedding.’
‘Oh yes, because you won’t be there or anything.’ She meant it sarcastically, but a sudden fear made her shake at the idea. What if he didn’t turn up? What if he decided not to marry her?
Ridiculous. Of course he was going to show up. They were in love. They were going to live happily ever after. That was the plan.
‘Would you really notice if I wasn’t?’ Rhys asked, his tone bitter. ‘I mean, if the flowers weren’t quite the right shade of pink, sure. Or if the band were ten minutes late. But we’re getting married the day after tomorrow, and I’m starting to think I might be incidental to the whole thing.’
‘Don’t be stupid,’ Cora snapped. ‘What’s the point of all this, if we don’t get married at the end of it?’
Rhys’s smile was sad. ‘I’m not sure that is the point any more. That’s the problem.’
Cora stared at him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean, it’s my stag night tonight. I’m going out in a minute, and then tomorrow is going to be chaos, and before we know it, the next time we’ll see each other is at the altar in the church. And all you’ve spoken about since I got home is whether the flowers will be ready on time, to not forget the cheque for the band, whether my speech is too long, and even whether Alex and Lily will still be friends tomorrow. Not a word about us, or the fact that this time on Saturday, we’ll be a married couple.’
Cora blinked at him. ‘There’s just… There’s a lot to do. And I’ve had to do it all.’
‘You wanted to do it all. I tried to help.’
‘When? You half-heartedly folded one invitation. That doesn’t count.’
‘Because I couldn’t do it perfectly enough for you.’ Rhys shook his head. ‘Look, I love you. I’m always going to love you. But to be honest, I really can’t wait for this whole circus to be over and done with. Maybe then I’ll get my Cora back.’
Cora stared after him as he left the room, and it wasn’t until the front door slammed that she realized he’d really gone.
And she had to make things better with him. Before they got married.
* * * *
‘Damn it!’ Lily smacked her hand against her work desk as the pearls she was stringing slipped from her grasp, again, scattering across the wood, a few dropping to the floor. This should be easy, something she’d done a thousand times, but for some reason she just couldn’t get it right today.
Maybe it was because the necklace, earrings and bracelet set were for Cora. Her bridal jewellery. The things she’d chosen to wear on the most important day of her life, and she’d trusted Lily to make them. And with everything that was going on, Lily had left it to the last moment, and now she was on a deadline. Maybe that was making her nervous.
Except she’d kept a steady hand all through the moulding, heating, setting, and finishing of Cora’s engagement ring, and the wedding rings for her and Rhys,’ which were sitting securely in her office safe. So why would a few pearls and crystals be defeating her now?
More likely, it was the wine at the pub last night. Or seeing Edward. Or the idea of being friends with Alex again, when the dreams that had kept her tossing and turning half the night told her she wanted more. She wondered if he was having trouble focusing the camera, tonight. He was at his studio, just across the way, taking engagement shots for another of her clients. She could pop over and see how he was getting on. If he was going to be done in time to make Rhys’s stag do.
Or was that too relationshippy? Friends wouldn’t do that, would they?
All she really wanted to do was stop by, say hi, and feel his arms around her for a moment. Or even just step out for a drink and chat for a while, about everything and nothing, like they had back when they were just friends.
But that would be too much like a relationship, wouldn’t it? And she’d made it very clear to him that she didn’t want that. And, even if he still thought he loved her, neither did he.
Alex was the forever type. He’d declared love after one month. Nobody lost that kind of romanticism so quickly. And she couldn’t afford to encourage that. Sure, one day, he’d probably meet his perfect complement in some woman, just like it seemed Edward had done, and they’d be married in a matter of days.
But even then, maybe she’d get to keep him as a friend. As long as she didn’t let him get the wrong idea.
Except… she missed him. So damn much.
Sighing, Lily collected the last of the wandering pearls and started to string them again, interspersing them with the tiny crystals Cora had chosen, which would catch every glimmer of sunlight and make her sparkle. If she could ever get the damn thing finished in time.
She was focusing so hard, she didn’t hear the chime above the door go as it opened. In fact, the moment she realized Cora was standing in the shop was when she said, ‘Is that my necklace?’ and Lily jumped so much in surprise that she dropped the whole thing. Again.
She was starting to think this necklace was cursed. Maybe the old superstition about pearls bringing tears was true. Maybe Cora shouldn’t wear it. Actually, if she told Cora the superstition there was no way she’d want pearls for her wedding day, and Lily could get out of making the damn thing.
Except that wasn’t a very best friendly thing to do. So instead, she sighed and started collecting in the beads again as she said, ‘It is. If I can get it finished.’
‘Well, I’m afraid it’s going to have to wait a little longer.’
Lily looked up to see Cora biting her lip, eyes wide and shining. ‘Why?’
Cora held up a small statue of the Virgin Mary. ‘The weather forecast is predicting rain for Saturday, and my Great Aunt Matilda told me months ago that if I buried this in the earth it would be sure to bring sunshine. At this point, I’m thinking in a hanging basket. We’re running out of time, and she’ll be closer to God that way.’ Lily stared at her. ‘Also, I had a fight with Rhys and you have to help me fix it.’
‘Well, okay then.’ Lily put the pearls aside. It seemed there were more urgent things to sort before t
his particular wedding than the bridal jewellery, after all.
Chapter Eighteen
It took almost an hour to find the perfect hanging basket spot for the Virgin Mary, but less than half a bottle of wine for Cora to spill the full details of the argument. And she still looked utterly miserable, even with deity-guaranteed good weather and alcohol in hand.
‘He thinks he’s less important to me than the wedding,’ Cora said. ‘How could I let that happen?’
‘Well, you have been kind of…’ Lily tried to find a way to put it tactfully, then gave up, ‘…obsessed, lately.’
‘Weddings take a lot of planning!’ Cora objected, wine sloshing over the side of her glass as she sat suddenly upright.
‘And relationships take a lot of work if you want them to last, I guess,’ Lily said. ‘Not that I’d know, obviously.’
Cora’s eyes narrowed. ‘Seriously. What’s going on with you and Alex?’
‘We’ve decided to be friends,’ Lily said, as unemotionally as she could. ‘We agreed that things moved too far and too fast between us, and given that we both want very different things out of a relationship, it was better to just stay friends.’
‘That’s utter bollocks,’ Cora said. ‘Sorry.’
‘Well, it’s what’s happening.’ Lily looked down into her glass of wine and wished it didn’t make her feel so bloody miserable.
Cora shifted closer, their knees touching, and made Lily look up at her. ‘In that case, tell me honestly. If you could be sitting here with anyone in the world at this moment, who would you pick? And don’t say me because, quite honestly, I’d rather be with my husband-to-be right now.’
Lily wanted to lie. Wanted to make a joke and pick a celebrity, or even shut Cora up by saying Edward, or her mum, or anyone except the truth.
But Cora had been her best friend her whole life, and she’d know. She always did.
‘It’s not as easy as that,’ Lily said, but Cora didn’t let her finish.
‘Yes. Yes it is.’ Putting her wine glass down on the coffee table between them, Cora took Lily’s hands in her own. ‘I get that you’re scared, and that you feel you lost the real you when you were with Edward. But the real you is in love with Alex, whether you want to admit it or not.’
