‘Nella’s here!’ she announces.
Theo wipes his hands and comes to kiss my cheek.
‘Good to see you again, Nella.’
‘She brought wine,’ says Tig, as if I’ve trailed in dog turd.
He smiles. ‘You shouldn’t have, but thank you.’
I hand him the bottle. ‘Thank you for having me.’
Tig hands Theo a corkscrew, and in one swift choreographed movement, he’s uncorked it.
Tig goes to the table and fills up three glasses. It’s laid for four, I notice.
‘Is Pen coming?’
She frowns. ‘Well, she was until about thirty minutes ago. Now she says she can’t.’
‘Did she give a reason?’
‘Says she’s got a headache.’ From Tig’s tone, it’s obvious she thinks there’s more to it. ‘She should never have chosen to do anaccountancy degree. It’s one exam after another, even after you qualify. She’s constantly stressed and she’s only just started.’
‘She wanted to follow in your footsteps. Take it as a compliment.’
She shrugs off the comment and hands me my wine, Theo comes over and we all say cheers. The way they gaze at each other as they chink glasses makes my throat catch. It’s been a long time since Rich looked at me like that.
Whatever misgivings I have about this hasty engagement, what Tig and Theo have looks a lot like love.
And for a moment, I’m overcome by the pang of loss, because what if I never experience it again?
Tig’s frowning at me, and I force myself to smile. I can’t let her see how much I’m struggling; it’s not fair, not when she’s so happy.
‘Can I have a quick word in the living room, Nell?’
I follow her to the front room and sit on the sofa beside her.
‘Right, I’ll get straight to it,’ she begins. ‘Will you be my Best Lady, Maid of Honour – or whatever you want to call it?’
For a moment, my mind goes blank.
‘Oh,’ is all I can say.
She looks at me, waiting for more.
A front-row seat to a whirlwind wedding right after my break-up with Rich? Nice one, Universe.
No wayis what I want to scream, but I can’t. Maybe I can nudge her in another direction, though.
‘Surely Pen is the obvious choice? You’re closer in age, and she’d make a greatproti koumera.’
From the way Tig grimaces, it’s obvious she disagrees.
‘You must be joking, Nell. I’d have to be holding her hand all the way through. Besides, you’ve done it before, so you know the ropes. You were Niki’s Best Lady.’
‘And look at how that marriage worked out.’ Our cousin Niki in Cyprus got married a couple of years ago, but within six months, her husband had run off with another woman. ‘Are you sure you want me with that track record?’
Tig swallows. ‘I want you to have a reason to hang out with me more. I never see you – this way, I know I will.’
