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Changed, indeed. Her mother had had a personality transplant, and it didn’t bode well. She was clearly up to something, and Beth could only imagine the dire consequences for her entire family when they discovered what that was. But victories were hard to come by, and if her mum had changed her mind about attending the wedding then that was to be celebrated, not questioned.
In the meantime, she had Matt Hardy to deal with. A man who no doubt wanted to run a mile from her outrageous family. If he’d disliked Beth before, heaven only knew what he thought of her now.
True enough, his alarmed expression indicated he’d rather be anywhere else than stuck in an office with her and her bonkers parents. ‘I’d better be off,’ he said, edging his way over to the door. ‘You’re clearly busy, and I don’t want to take up any more of your precious time.’ He turned to her dad. ‘If you could have a think about the suit situation, I’d be very grateful, sir.’
But her father wasn’t listening. He was lost in his own thoughts. No doubt wondering what substances his former wife had resorted to taking to make her act like a crazy person.
Beth followed Matt out of the office and caught up with him by the main exit onto the High Street. ‘I’m so sorry about that,’ she said, embarrassed at the way her father had ignored him. ‘They’re not normally so rude. They’re going through a divorce and things are a little strained between them.’
Why she felt the need to give him more details, she had no idea. It wasn’t like she owed him an explanation, but for some reason she didn’t want him to judge them too harshly. They were her parents, after all.
‘I guessed it must be something like that,’ he said, his voice deep, but surprisingly soft. ‘It must be tough for you, being caught in the middle. I imagine it’s not easy.’
For some strange reason, this passing comment, delivered with such sincerity and kindness, threatened to undo her. Tears pricked at her eyes, as she considered the stress of Megan’s secret marriage, a lack of caffeine and her parents’ latest exchange. ‘I’ll speak to my dad about the suit,’ she said, struggling to remain composed.
‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ His hand came out to touch her arm.
The sudden intimacy startled her, especially as she could feel the heat of him through the sleeve of her jacket. ‘I’m fine, really.’
‘Okay, but call me if you change your mind. I’m not as organised at planning things as you are, but task me with anything that needs doing, I don’t mind.’ His brow was furrowed with concern, his eyes locked on hers, and for a second all her troubles disappeared.
Until a car horn blasted and broke the moment.
He squeezed her arm. ‘Take care, Beth.’
She watched him walk off down the Hight Street and experienced a sudden sense of longing. For what, she wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like she wanted Matt Hardy. She wasn’t attracted to him or interested in him. So why was she fighting an inexplicable urge to run after him?
Clearly, her parents weren’t the only ones losing their mind.
Chapter Eleven
Saturday, 18thMay – 3 weeks till the wedding
After a hard week at work and several miserable incidents to deal with, including a double fatality when a lorry had collided with a stationary car on the hard shoulder, Matt wasn’t overly enthusiastic about spending another precious day off dealing with wedding stuff, especially when he had a prison visit booked for the afternoon. Conversations with his dad left him exhausted and slightly depressed, and he was feeling especially downcast on this occasion, as after the visit he would be heading over to his half-brother’s house in a feeble effort to get Chris enthused about his son’s wedding.
Three times Matt had booked an appointment for Chris to visit the suit hire shop, and three times Chris had failed to show up. His half-brother seemed to think his actions would result in Zac cancelling the wedding. A more realistic outcome would be Zac getting married anyway and Chris missing the event – or at the very least, not having a decent suit to wear.
To add insult to injury, Matt was now standing inside a bespoke cake shop, surrounded by samples of sugary decadence that he desperately wanted to eat, but couldn’t, not if he wanted to avoid bloating into the size of an elephant. It was torment of the worst kind.
The owner had gone to great lengths to create a magical place where customers would be enticed by the confectionery on offer. The walls were covered in floral wallpaper, the woodwork was painted rose-pink and the small boutique was filled with decorative tables displaying multi-tiered cakes balancing precariously on top.
The odds of him knocking into something and bringing the whole display crashing down were giving him the shakes. He was not built for quaint boutiques.
Feeling conspicuous, he was about to head outside into the sunshine to wait for Beth, when the bell above the door tinkled and she appeared.
‘Hi,’ she said, coming over, the darkened lenses in her glasses clearing as they adjusted to the electric lighting. ‘You found the place okay then?’
‘There aren’t many pink buildings in Chobham High Street,’ he said, gesturing to the pastel decor. ‘It wasn’t exactly hard to miss.’
She smiled, and he was hit by two realisations. Firstly, she’d greeted him with a friendly tone and hadn’t sarcastically referred to him as ‘Mr Hardy’. Secondly, it was the first time he’d seen her properly smile. Not a forced grimace, or a placating stretch of the lips, but a genuine smile that brightened her whole face. For a moment he just stared, struck by how lovely her eyes were when she wasn’t glaring at him. Was it a trick? Lulling him into a false sense of security? Whatever it was, he wasn’t about to let his guard down just yet.
‘You look a little out of place,’ she said, casting a glance over the fragile displays.
‘You think?’ He quirked an eyebrow. ‘I’m scared to move, in case I knock anything over.’ It was only then that he noticed the shadows still visible beneath her eyes. Things obviously hadn’t improved then.
‘Let’s head to the back,’ she said, nodding to an area behind. ‘There’s more space there.’
Grateful, he followed her lead, tucking in his elbows as he slalomed his way past the numerous display stands. There was something very different about Beth today. Her usual assertive bluster was absent, and she seemed less agitated than she had been during their previous encounters. Not that he was complaining – he just wasn’t sure whether it was safe to relax, or whether it was the calm before the storm.
