‘Thomas!’ Rita shouted in annoyance. ‘Leave that for a second, can you?’ She grabbed herself a glass of tap water. ‘Sorry, sorry, darling. I don’t feel so great myself, but can you just wait five minutes, please.’
‘I told you, you should have been taking more water with your wine last night.’ Thom smirked, standing up and squeezing his mum’s shoulder lovingly.
‘Stop being such a dick.’ Sennen blew her nose loudly on the tissue Rita had offered her.
Thom had a sudden thought. ‘Wait a second… we can do it here, can’t we? The setting is wedding perfect, in fact.’ He gestured towards the outside. ‘The barn’s big enough for a whole bunch of stuff. They could have the ceremony under the Singing Tree, even. That view up at High Meadow is the best in Seahaven Bay. We could decorate it with fairy lights, make it feel just as special. If not more so. Rosecliff Barnswho, I say. We’ll show them, Sen.’
Sennen looked at her brother incredulously, still sniffling. ‘It’s a thought, I guess.’
‘It’s a complete win in my eyes, sis.’ Thom thickly buttered a slice of fresh bread and ate it hungrily. ‘You know who owns that place, don’t you, Mum? The Brimbles.’
‘Oh.’ Rita grimaced.
‘Yeah, old Seth Brimble converted their biggest barn and renamed the place Rosecliff Barns.’ Thom thought back to his dad moaning about the not-so-straight Seahaven Bay family and how they never did anything by the book. ‘He’s been dodging planning officers for years. One minute it was full of sheep, next minute it had fairy lights, a dance floor and a bar. Nobody’s quite sure how it ever got signed off.’ He shrugged. ‘Jago reckons backhanders to a council officer, but nothing you could ever prove.’
‘Maybe you’re better off out of it, then.’ Rita bit her lip anxiously. ‘When is the wedding, darling?’
‘June the fourth.’
Rita nodded slowly. ‘Ah. OK.’
Sennen’s voice rose again. ‘No, no, so we can’t have it here. That’s your birthday. It’s not fair.’
‘You jolly well can,’ Rita said firmly. ‘We’ll steal the champagne, if there’s any left at the end of the night.’ She flicked on the kettle and reached into the fridge for bacon and sausages.
‘What about the summer retreat you’ve got coming up?’ Sennen quizzed.
‘It’s in July, so that’s fine,’ Rita reassured. ‘And it’s just a day, isn’t it?’
‘And a set-up day the day before,’ Sennen said, but her voice softened. ‘It… it could work. Really nicely. Maybe even better than Rosecliff.’ She shot Thom a grateful look. ‘You always know the sensible answer, don’t you?’
Thom shrugged. ‘See, Dad drilled it into us, there’s always a solution.’
Sennen’s eyes widened again, a fresh panic bubbling up. ‘But… what about the wedding licence?’
Rita took her hands. ‘Darling, that’s just paperwork. We can sort it.’
Thom was scrolling. ‘OK, I’ve got it here. We need to get a move on if we are going ahead with it. It says eight weeks minimum to sort a licence. Jago may well have to use his charm as I know he’s had dealings with one or two at the council offices before. It will cost as well, Sen.’
Sennen took a breath to settle herself. ‘That’s fine. I’ve got money in my business account.’
Thom leaned back, thinking. ‘And imagine the publicity. Say “I do” with the best view on earth. It’ll have couples lining up to book weddings here, whatever the season.’
‘Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,’ Rita said. She took another sip of water and Thom noticed she was looking a bit peaky.
‘It’s going to be all right, isn’t it?’ Sennen said, smiling now.
Rita nodded. ‘Of course it is, darling.’ She clapped her hands together. ‘Right! The only hurdle is hoping that your bride is up for this venue change.’
‘She’ll be fine,’ Sennen dismissed. ‘I haven’t actually met her yet, but she told me she’s just turned sixty, so I expect she’s grateful to be getting married.’
‘Sennen! Don’t be so ageist.’ Rita shook her head in disbelief. ‘I’ve clearly raised monsters here.’
‘Yes, and hungry ones at that,’ Thom groaned.
Rita hit her son on the head gently with the empty frying pan. ‘OK, OK, a farmhouse special breakfast coming up.’
‘At last.’ Thom smirked. ‘It’s nearly bloody lunchtime!’
