“Of course not! Why would you say that?”
She shoots me a look. “Because I know you. You’d say yes because you’d think it was the right thing to do. And you hate turning down wedding invitations. You can’t say no.”
Cara is wrong. I haven’t been thinking about saying yes to Daniel’s. I’ve actually been trying not to think about it.
“You need to be more… sassy,” Cara continues.
“I can be sassy!” I argue. “Just this morning I said no when someone messaged asking if I could pick up the cheddar today for their five-tiered cheesecake. I told them I was at my friend’s baby shower and it would have to be tomorrow. They got a bit shirty but I stood my ground.”
“Wow.” She purses her lips, trying not to laugh. “You’re right. Youaresassy.”
“Hey, you don’t understand. It’s quite hard to track down a cheddar encased in the color of wax they’re after. I hope it’s still in stock tomorrow.” I bite my lip. “Maybe I should try to pick it up today, on my way home.”
“As long as afterward you reply to Daniel’s invitation, telling him no. Otherwise, I’m going to come over and tick that RSVP box for you.”
I let out a sigh as we reach Jen’s house. “Fine. I promise I’ll do it tonight, OK?”
“Good.” She marches up to Jen’s door and rings the bell. “Oh, and by the way, if Jen makes us play that baby shower game where you have to lick melted chocolate out of a nappy, I’m going to kill myself.”
The door swings open and Jen squeals when she sees us.
“Hey, Mumma-to-be!” Cara gives her a big hug, then heads in. “Grab your nipple cream, girls! Let’s get this party started!”
The next day I feel nervous heading to Leslie Thompson’s house. The first time I met her it went well but it wasn’t the most pleasant experience. I consider myself a bit of an expert when it comes to handling parents in the run-up to a wedding, having been in a variety of high-stress situations, but Leslie Thompson was on another level. She fired questions at me, and was so intense, she made my palms all sweaty.
“Geez, Mum,” Bella said, interrupting her when she’d been grilling me on budget. “This isn’t one of your board meetings. Would you take it down a notch?”
I guess that Bella isn’t going to be at this meeting, considering it’s about someone else’s wedding, and I hope Leslie’s friend will be a little more relaxed. Then again, Leslie had laughed when I said I was looking forward to this meeting.
Which doesn’t seem like a good sign.
“I knew you’d be a few minutes early,” Leslie says, opening the door before I’ve had a chance to ring the bell. “Come on in, Sophie.”
I take great care to wipe my feet on the doormat before I walk into Leslie’s pristine house. I’ve been here several times, but it doesn’t get less impressive. The hallway is very modern in its simplicity. Everything is white and clean, with shiny marble floors, huge mirrors that line one wall, and a black stone table with gold legs that has one item on it: a tall, elegant crystal vase that’salways bursting with fresh flowers. Her house is all sharp angles and unique architecture.
“Beautiful flowers,” I say. “I love delphiniums.”
“They’re one of my favorites.” She gestures for me to go into the sitting room. “My friend isn’t here yet, so let’s go on through while we wait.”
“Wow!” I exclaim, seeing an amazing spread of tea cakes, macaroons, and finger sandwiches laid out on the stone coffee table in the middle of the sparse room.
“It’s a bit much,” Leslie says, with an apologetic smile, revealing a softer side that originally took me months to find. “But you’ll understand when you meet my friend.”
“Is she a big macaroon fan or something?”
“She’s… particular. She likes tradition.”
“Noted.” I perch on the edge of the sofa, terrified to move anything out of place. “Thanks so much for recommending me to her. I’m honored.”
“I wouldn’t thank me quite yet.” She sits on the sofa opposite me. “Have you had a nice weekend? Did you have a wedding?”
“On Saturday. It went really well.”
“Where was it?”
“Kent.” I shift slightly. “Is there anything I should know about your friend before she arrives?”
“She’s quite self-explanatory and, to be honest, I’ve only got to know her recently so I’m not sure I can be of much help,” Leslie replies, brushing off my question with a wave of her hand. “Tell me, whereabouts in Kent was the wedding?”
