‘Yeah. We’ve got a spare room. I mean, I have to ask my nan if she doesn’t mind first.’ Ashleigh wasn’t going to make that mistake again. ‘And I warn you now, she isn’t big on Christmas, but if you’re lucky you’ll get to watch an Elvis movie and have a glass of Baileys. Woo-hoo!’ Ashleigh lifted her hands in the air sarcastically like she was raising the roof.
‘You don’t have to offer. Honestly. I wasn’t telling you to make you feel sorry for me. I don’t mind being on my own.’
‘Imind you being on your own. Leave it with me.’ Hell, if Nan copped a stink about the idea – which Ash doubted, but you never knew – she was pretty sure Sylvia and Olivier would have Selina over: or Ro and James.
‘Okay. Thank you,’ Selina said quietly and then cleared her throat. ‘Tell me more about your friend’s wedding. When is it?’
Taking the hint that Selina wanted to change the subject, Ashleigh described what she knew about Beth’s plans for the reception and the ceremony and tried not to have palpitations about the fact that she only had a couple of days and a handful of evenings to get the dress finished.
‘That sounds so romantic… You should ask him to the wedding as your plus-one.’
‘Who?’
‘Your neighbour. The gorgeous French guy.’
‘Did I say he was gorgeous?’
‘You didn’t have to.’ Selina grinned. ‘Every time you mention him your eyes go all misty and your cheeks go pink.’
‘I have red circles painted on my cheeks.’
‘Underneath that. You do like him don’t you?’
Ash just nodded her head because she couldn’t vocalisehowmuch she liked Olivier.
‘It’s not too late is it?’ Selina popped the lid back on her Tupperware tub. ‘To ask him?’
‘No. I don’t think so.’ With everything else going on, Ash had completely forgotten that she was supposed to ask Ro to go with her. It would be too late now. He’d never get the time off work at such short notice, especially with that project he’d been talking about. But asking Olivier? That was a very “coupley” thing to do and they hadn’t even been on a proper date yet.
‘Then you totally should. It’s the perfect opportunity. It’s romantic and you’ll be looking amazing, obviously.’
‘Sure, but I don’t think a wedding would actually make him feel romantic. I mean, he’s divorced.’
‘I don’t think that makes you allergic to weddings. Did he seem bitter at all when you had your friend over at his? I assume there was wedding talk. Did it seem to bother him?’
‘No…but…’ Olivier was so good at hiding the things that upset him. So different to her. ‘I suppose I could always ask him and mention the fact that I understand he might not want to because of his divorce.’ In fact, it would be a perfect way of gauging how over it he was. Of weighing up the probability of him ditching her at the first sign of things turning serious and her being left alone, waiting for calls that would never come.
And how wonderful would it be to have him with her when she showed Beth the dress! He’d been so encouraging about her design work and boosting her up when she wanted to give up on things. And then there was the thought of him in a suit, slow-dancing with him at the reception, staying the night in a plush hotel together…
‘Good idea. You’ll give yourselves both an easy, non-embarrassing way out if he doesn’t want to.’ Selina must have seen Ash’s face fall because she reached out and touched her arm. ‘I’m sure he will though.’
‘Okay. Okay. I think you’re right. I should do it.’
Selina put her elbow on the wooden table and propped her chin on it. ‘Maybe he’ll whisk you off to Paris for Valentine’s Day if you’re still dating then.’
Ash squinted at the smoke curling up from the logs smouldering in the cordoned-off fire pit. It snuck up and laced itself around her, filling her with doubt. ‘No point thinking about that. It really would be getting ahead of myself. We’ve not even kissed yet.’
‘True. What if he’s terrible?’
‘That thought hadneveroccurred to me.’ There was no way that Olivier was going to be a bad kisser. Everything he did was sensual: how he danced, how he cooked, how he talked.
‘He could be. He might be gorgeous but what if he’s all tongue and no tingle?’
Ashleigh laughed at the turn of phrase. ‘He’s French – didn’t they invent kissing with tongues?’
‘Bit of a stereotype but maybe that’s because they are too full on. How do you like to be kissed?’
‘I don’t know. I guess, just…in earnest.’
