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“Actually,Iwas thinking we’d go with Bella,” I say, finding my voice at last. “Bella does almost all the wedding cakes in the Bay. They’re always delicious, too.”
“Oh my God, they really are,” agrees Rose, through a mouthful of cake from the sample platter Bella’s laid out at the front of her stall. “Mum, you have to try this. It’s amazing.”
“But this isn’t what we discussed at all, Rose,” insists Kathryn, clearly annoyed. “We went over the menu last night. Lobster to start, cake from—”
“Oh, we can’t have lobster,” I interrupt. “I want to invite my friend Lexie, and she’s terrified of crustaceans.”
“That’s the lassie who’s dating Jett Carter,” puts in Mum, who’s been patiently waiting for an opportunity to insert herself into the conversation.
Rose’s eyes light up at this, but Kathryn remains unimpressed.
“Ah,” she says coolly. “The one who set Emerald’s dress on fire, if I recall what you said last night, Ruby? Well, I don’t think we want that sort at our Jack’s wedding.”
“It’smywedding too,” I burst out, my resolve to be polite at all costs suddenly evaporating. “And if I want to invite Lexie, then I will.”
I’m not actually sure Idowant to invite Lexie, to be honest. She can be a bit of a loose cannon sometimes — and that wasbeforeshe went to L.A. and started mixing with the A-list. But this suddenly seems like the hill I’m going to die on: Lexie; cake; and maybe that poodle-shaped cake-topper I spotted on a stall across the room. I have a feelingthatwon’t be Kathryn-approved either, somehow.
“Emerald can invite whoever she wants,” says a voice from behind me, and I turn around, not sure whether to feel relieved or just plain nervous when I see Jack standing behind me, looking as gorgeous and as grumpy as ever.
Does this mean he’s speaking to me again? Or is he frowning like that because he’s still angry about last night?
“Well, of course, she can, darling,” says Kathryn, looking put out. “But—”
“But nothing,” says Jack firmly, putting a reassuring hand on my back. “It’s our wedding, Mum, not yours. And if Emerald wants cupcakes and Lexie, then that’s what she’ll get.”
I smile up at him gratefully.
“And a poodle cake topper?” I ask quickly.
“And… and a poodle cake topper,” he agrees, sounding a little less sure.
Kathryn sniffs, but manages to hold her tongue as we say goodbye to Bella, and move onto the next stall, which is covered with purple heather wedding favors.
“Now these would be perfect,” says Rose. “Heather favors for a Heather Bay wedding! I wonder if Emerald should carry a heather bouquet, too?”
She chatters on, and I take the opportunity to grab Jack by the hand, and pull him away from the rest of the group.
“Thanks for standing up for me like that,” I say quietly. “I don’t really feel like I deserve it after last night, but I do appreciate it. Really.”
“You know I’ll always stand up for you, Emerald,” Jack sighs, looking marginally less grumpy. “Or youshouldknow, anyway. God knows, I’ve tried hard enough to prove it to you. But it hasn’t worked, has it? You still don’t trust me. You still think I’m lying to you about something, and the fact that you’re prepared to believe some faceless coward, who won’t even tell you who they are, over me… it’s just… it hurts me, you know?”
“I know,” I say miserably. “I wish I could explain to you how sorry I am for making you feel like that. Those messages have really got inside my head. They’re making me doubt everything. I even started wondering if it could be Frankie or McTavish sending them. Can you believe that?”
“Maybe it is,” shrugs Jack, surprisingly. “From what you’ve said, McTavish is the one who stands to benefit the most from all this nonsense.Andhe’s always had a thing for you.”
“He hasnot,“ I splutter. “He once told me I’m like a little sister to him. And anyway, he’s with Mary now. He’s definitely not ‘got a thing’ for me.”
Jack looks unconvinced.
“I thought you said he wasn’t getting on with Mary, though?” he says as we follow our families to the next stall,where Jenny, the florist, immediately starts trying to persuade Rose that we need a giant flower arch to say our vows under. “Something to do with mackerel, wasn’t it?”
So he has been paying attention, after all.
“I don’t think McTavish and Mary are going to last,” I admit. “But that doesn’t mean McTavish is interested inme, Jack. And itdefinitelydoesn’t mean I’m interested in him, even if he was.”
I snort with laughter at the thought, but Jack doesn’t smile.
“If you say so,” he says doubtfully. “You spend a lot of time with him, is all. More than you spend with me, sometimes.”
