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Beth rolled her eyes. ‘Thankfully, no. You weren’t actually married then.’
‘So we go for getting it voided.’
‘But I need the respondent’s name, address and date of birth. All you’ve been able to tell me so far is his name. Do you know how many Freddie Woods there are on Facebook?’
‘I’m guessing a lot?’
‘Hundreds.’ Beth lifted the cushions, searching for her glasses. ‘I’ve filled in the petition form as far as I can, but you need to track down this Freddie bloke and get his details, and fast. The court needs up to thirty days to process the application and your wedding day is exactly one month today.’
‘Maybe one of my old uni friends is still in touch with him?’
‘Then ask around, because unless we can get hold of him, you can’t get married to Zac.’ Beth checked the kitchen, searching for her glasses. ‘Have you told Zac yet?’
‘I was hoping we could get it sorted and I wouldn’t have to.’
‘You don’t think it would be kinder to warn him the wedding might be delayed?’
‘But he’s so happy, I can’t ruin that for him.’
Of course he was happy, he was swanning about in Greece with his fiancée, while Beth was running around like a blue-arsed fly, trying to organise his wedding and simultaneously arranging his bride’s divorce. ‘Has he found his passport yet?’
Beth still wasn’t entirely sure this wasn’t an elaborate fib on Zac’s part to delay returning to the UK and extend his holiday. Zac didn’t seem like the devious type, but then, Megan didn’t either, and she’d kept an eight-year marriage secret, so who knew what people were capable of.
‘He’s reported it to the police, and he’s speaking with the embassy tomorrow about getting a replacement, so hopefully he’ll be home soon. He feels really bad about landing you in it like this.’
Not bad enough to postpone the wedding, though, eh? Somehow she was still expected to perform miracles, and in less than a month.
The doorbell downstairs buzzed. Squinting at her phone, she tried to read the time, praying that her first appointment hadn’t arrived an hour early. Maybe her father had a client booked in? Although these days her dad was rarely in the office before nine thirty a.m.
The buzzer sounded again and she silently cursed. She wasn’t dressed, her hair was wet and she desperately needed a cup of tea. Whoever it was would have to wait.
Having failed to locate her glasses, she marched over to the door and yanked it open, intending to yell down the stairwell, but as she exited onto the landing, she smacked straight into a solid chest.
Her loud yelp was a reaction to the man treading on her foot, causing her to drop her phone, which bounced off the banister and proceeded to disappear down the stairwell. Her already agitated state hurtled straight into full-blown annoyance, especially as the cause of her grief was none other than Matt bloody Hardy.
‘What the hell?’ she yelled, torn between racing after her phone and stopping to rub her squashed foot. ‘How did you get in here?’
‘A man let me in.’
‘What man?’
‘I don’t know.’ He offered her a half-hearted shrug, standing on her landing looking all casual and relaxed in a V-neck T-shirt and jeans. ‘The man who answered the intercom when I pressed the buzzer. I said I was here to see you, and he released the door lock. He told me to head up to the first floor.’
Her hands went to her hips. ‘And you thought it was appropriate to come up to my flat uninvited?’
He tried to take a step back, but the landing wasn’t big enough and he remained too close for comfort. The heat radiating off him was making her eyes mist over. ‘It says Lawrence and Blandy on the door – I didn’t know it was your flat. I had no idea you lived here as well as worked here.’
‘Well, I do.’
‘Evidently.’ His eyes flitted briefly over her loose hair, partially buttoned-up shirt and exposed bare legs. ‘Apologies for intruding. I’ll leave.’
‘Too bloody right.’ She rubbed her sore foot on the back of her calf, not wanting to bend down in case she flashed her knickers. He’d seen far too much of her body already. But as he turned to leave, she felt obliged to ask, ‘What was it you wanted?’
He glanced back. ‘I figured we needed to talk about the wedding.’
‘Couldn’t you have phoned?’
‘I was in the area, I thought I’d drop in,’ he said with a shrug. ‘It’s hard doing everything remotely. I thought it would be easier in person and help speed things along.’
