‘Any rash?’
She checked her arms. ‘No.’
‘Mild allergic reaction then. I’ll get the Benadryl.’
***
‘Okay, hospital time!’ Adam said cheerfully an hour later.
‘Whath? Nooooo! Can’ we juth give ih anover our?’
‘No, babe. We can’t take the chance. You still look crazy.’
Maddy sighed. ‘OK.’
‘Oh, and we can post the save-the-dates en route,’ he said cheerfully. ‘And if we’re out and about, I really need to take back those shoes.’
Maddy sighed again. ‘OK.’
***
Later, Maddy’s face was returning to normal from some prescription-grade antihistamines, Adam had a refund for his oddly fitting Reeboks, and the save-the-dates were out in the wild.
‘And look on the bright side,’ Adam said in the car on the way home.
‘What’s the bright side?’
‘This is going to sound hilarious in my speech!’
Maddy laughed weakly. ‘Good point.’
Ten
Eva sat on the edge of Maddy and Adam’s sofa, a printed copy of the greenhouse contract resting on the coffee table between her and the happy couple.
It was her first time meeting the groom. He hadn’t said much so far. This was standard. Eva would put eight out of ten grooms as pretty checked out. He’d probably look alright in a suit, so that was positive. He was in good shape, had a decent head of hair and a proper jawline. He’d photograph acceptably.
The living room was nice in that impersonal way. Cream and beige, clean and tidy. A strange lack of books, though, given what Eva knew Maddy’s main passion in life was. Perhaps they were kept elsewhere.
Maddy sat opposite her in an armchair, holding onto her knees. Adam hovered near the fireplace, as though undecided whether this was a formal meeting or something he could casually lean through.
‘You’ve sent save-the-dates?’ she asked.
Maddy nodded. ‘They should be arriving now.’
Eva noddy. ‘Then we’ll need to secure the venue quickly if it’s the place you’re happy with.’
‘It did feelgoodthere,’ Maddy admitted.
Eva allowed the faintest hint of warmth into her expression. She withdrew the contract and laid it flat on the coffee table, smoothing the pages.
‘Deposits are non-refundable after forty-eight hours,’ she said evenly.
Adam finally crossed the room and sat on the arm of the sofa, close enough to lean into the conversation without fully committing to it.
‘If it’s what Maddy wants,’ he said easily.
Maddy looked relieved. She reached for the pen Eva had placed beside the contract.
