Maddy wheeled her suitcase down the corridor as directed, falling into step with Eva.
‘I hope this isn’t… too much,’ Maddy said quietly.
‘For me or for you?’ Eva asked.
Maddy thought for a moment. ‘Yes.’
Eva laughed. Maddy’s shoulders loosened a fraction.
They reached the rooms. Hannah had already flung open her door, squealing at the view. Mary found her room, and Aria swooped behind with the keycard to let her in. Maddy’s mother held open a door. ‘Ooh, look at us! Sharing like sisters. I always wanted to do this when you were young, but you thought it was weird, spoilsport.’
Maddy went where she was told, turning at the door to see Eva leaning casually against the doorframe of the room she was to share with Hannah. ‘You’ll manage?’
‘Manage?’ Maddy half whispered, a humourless laugh escaping. ‘This isfun.’
Eva’s mouth twitched into a half-smile. ‘Of course.’ She went into the room, and the door closed on Hannah saying, ‘I can’t sleep near a window.’
Maddy turned and went in to find her mother holding a towel against her cheek. ‘My towels never feel like this. Why is that, do you think?’
‘I don’t know, Mum,’ Maddy said.
But she was nowhere near as gloomy as she’d been. Eva had come. She’d been invited, and she’dcome. This was it, Maddy’s chance to get to know Eva. They could even come out of this as real friends. By the wedding? Besties.
Maybe the weekend didn’t have to be so dreadful after all. It might even be worth the girl-fun horrors she would have to brave for the chance at having Eva in her life for real.
Twenty
Eva followed the group into the lounge, relieved. There’d been a moment there where she thought her presence had freaked Maddy out, that she’d made a serious mistake.
But Hannah had been right. Maddy did seem to want her here. Then again, Maddy was an exceptional people-pleaser. She might have faked it.
But Eva felt oddly confident that she’d know if that were the case. Because she’d felt, right from the off, that she could read Maddy to an extraordinary degree. It was easy, even. She screamed out if you looked for even a second.
Eva followed Hannah, who was moving from one end of the lounge to the other, pointing out the bar, talking dinner plans, though it wasn’t lunchtime yet, describing the spa menu with the familiarity of a staff member. Eva let her chatter wash over her as they plonked in a seating area. She could handle Hannah. She met ten Hannahs a year. She was your basic maid of honour who was reliving—or rehearsing—her own ‘special day.’
Maddy walked slightly behind. Eva’s eyes flicked to her constantly, scanning for cues. Tension, hesitation, anything that suggested Maddy was uncomfortable or overwhelmed. Shealways was, but in this particular group? Eva could see that it was amplified.
Eva watched Maddy’s mother, Kelly, nodding approvingly at Hannah, delighted, it seemed, with every drop of bullshit pouring from her lips. Kelly seemed well-meaning, but not what you’d call emotionally perceptive. If she were, she’d have been at her daughter’s side. Instead, she was crawling up Hannah’s backside.
Mary was quietly inspecting the place settings on a side table. She didn’t speak much, didn’t laugh much, but her eyes moved with a kind of careful calculation. She was the hardest to pin down.
And Aria. Librarian eccentricity at full power—crooked glasses, jumper too loud, speaking to the waitstaff at full volume. A chaotic element.
The group split naturally around the table of drinks. Hannah swept in front, waving a hand. ‘Champagne for everyone! Or tea, if you’re the sensible type!’
Kelly immediately grabbed a flute, smiling. ‘Got to get in the spirit!’ Mary hesitated, then grabbed two. ‘Just in case.’ Eva couldn’t imagine what emergency necessitated double-fisting. Aria grabbed one of each and poured champagne into her teacup. No one said anything, but Kelly raised an eyebrow.
Maddy went with tea. Eva did the same.
Once everyone had a drink, Hannah was off again, steering the chatter around appropriate wedding topics. Dresses, menus, vows—she knew her way around the block. As someone who spent her life steeped in such details, Eva zoned out. What a busman’s holiday.
Maddy kept her hands folded around her drink, knees pressed together, trying not to attract attention.
‘You’re quiet,’ Eva said softly enough that only Maddy could hear.
‘I… I’m just… I prefer to observe,’ Maddy whispered, almost apologetically.
Eva nodded. ‘Whose idea was the hen weekend?’
