Revenge of the Wedding Planner (31 page)

‘I don’t know, Mags. I wanted to be with Jay more than I ever wanted to be with Gary so maybe I didn’t love Gary enough anyway? I still don’t understand what went wrong between Gary and me. So that’s the end of it, I suppose.’

‘Oh, Julie,’ I said sadly. ‘Never mind. Think of this as a new chapter in your life. A clean slate and you can start all over again. You have your friends, still.’

‘Yes,’ she said then, a familiar smile twitching at the corners of her mouth. ‘Yes, I suppose I do. That’s what I came to tell you, actually. The girls are taking me away for a little holiday. Couple of weeks in the sun somewhere. Bit of shopping, some decent food.’

‘Well, that’s nice. Where are you going, exactly? Italy? Spain?’

‘Oh, I’m not sure,’ she said, and it seemed to me her face was flushing slightly. ‘I think they said something about Paris.’

‘Oh, my God, Julie Sultana!’

‘What?’

‘What do you think? Isn’t Paris where Jay O’Hanlon hangs out these days? With our old mucker, Bigfoot?’

‘I really wouldn’t have a clue, Mags. They could be anywhere, for all I care.’

‘Julie, you are telling me the truth, aren’t you? Because I’d hate for you to get into any more trouble over that guy. He’s so not worth it.’

‘Let me see, Mags. What’s the toy-boy-related tally of damage so far? My beautiful apartment trashed by Gary. Gary’s leg broken and his car written off. Your husband almost killed and his car written off too, you and your kids traumatized, the reputation of Dream Weddings in the balance, me nearly choking that so-called model to death in her own wedding cake. I could have been arrested, never mind that middle-aged pillock in his stupid red coat. And I’ve been banned from the lovely spa in Galway for life. And it was so nice and warm too. I hate a cold spa. But, anyway, I think I’ve caused enough trouble, Mags, and suffered enough for that particular young man. Don’t you?’

‘Okay, I get the message.’

‘Good.’

‘It was a fling, Mags, nothing more. A fling that got out of hand.’

‘Yes, but you did seem awfully upset when you saw them together that day. I’ve never seen you so mad in the entire fourteen years I’ve known you.’

‘Mags, one last word about that little drama and then we really will forget about it: I was under a lot of stress, as you may recall. Our biggest commission ever, we could have been in all the magazines. We could have been world famous and dealing only with millionaires from now on instead of ordinary people.’

‘Julie!’

‘Though, of course, there’s nothing wrong with ordinary people but you know what I mean. I mean, it would have been nice to work without monetary constraints for a change, and we could’ve put our prices up and taken on fewer gigs. But Jay spoilt our big moment with his wandering eye, and the rest of it. No, I’ve learned my lesson. No more mixing business with pleasure for me, Mags.’

‘Okay, okay! So, tell me about this great trip of yours, then,’ I said. ‘When do you leave?’

‘In a couple of days. We’ll see the sights, obviously. Do some shopping, take in a show and, needless to say, we’ll get blind drunk every night.’

‘Be careful, Julie,’ I said. ‘Don’t get too drunk, sure you won’t? And don’t leave your drinks unattended if you’re in a disco or club of any kind. Same rules apply the world over, like I said to Alicia-Rose. Take it in turns to mind the drinks. Tourists are easy pickings for some criminals.’

‘Mags Grimsdale, you never change. Always playing the mother duck.’

‘Mother hen.’

‘Oh, yeah. But don’t be worrying about me, Mags. The Coven will look after me.’

‘Um, we’ll see about that,’ I mumbled doubtfully. Thinking of the military jacket they’d bought for Jay. I wondered where the jacket was now but I didn’t dare ask Julie.

‘I nearly forgot!’ Julie said then. ‘I nearly forgot to give you a little something for your Alexander. For his girlfriend, actually.’

‘Emma?’

‘Yes, Emma. Here it is,’ she said and she took a small box out of her handbag and set it on the counter between us. Gorgeous little pale-blue velvet box, all done up in curly ribbons.

‘Crikey, Julie, that looks like a good-quality jewellery box of some kind. I hope you haven’t spent too much money on it?’

‘Oh, now! Never you mind what it cost. It’s a lovely diamond pendant.’

‘A diamond? Emma will be delighted.’

‘I got a white diamond so it’d match anything she’ll be wearing.’

‘Gosh, Julie, that’s so lovely of you. I’m sure she’ll love it. They didn’t buy a diamond engagement ring, you see.’

‘Yes, well, I know they didn’t and we can’t have that! Now, I’m sorry I can’t be there on the day, Mags, but I’ll be in Paris by the time the vows are read out.’

‘Staying out of trouble, I hope?’ I said, pointing my finger at her like a Mother Superior and giving her my sternest expression.

‘Maybe. We’ll have to wait and see,’ said Julie and she laughed her head off.

I couldn’t decide, as we polished off the sandwiches, the rest of the tea and half an almond cake, if she was really back to normal or not. Back to the same old Julie we all knew and loved. Or if she’d ever been normal to begin with. But she did seem to have got a relative grip on things at any rate. She said she was going to enjoy herself in Paris for a bit and then come home to Belfast
all refreshed and ready to begin house-hunting for a place to live. And back to the grindstone at Dream Weddings, of course. We had a lot of ground to gain back.

‘It’ll be you and me once again, sitting at our desks, Mags. Scoffing M&S sarnies and making funny faces at the customers when they’re warbling on, on the telephone.’

I took a deep breath and thought of Bill struggling to stand up in the hospital. He was going to need an awful lot of love and support before he was back on his feet.

‘Listen, Julie,’ I said, ‘I feel it’s only fair to tell you that I’m thinking of going part-time until Bill gets better. Just thinking about it at the moment. But I’m quite serious, all the same.’

‘Oh, now, Mags,’ Julie said slowly, and suddenly I knew why she’d bought me such a whopper of a bouquet. Not to mention the expensive diamond pendant for Emma. ‘I’m sure Bill won’t want you flapping about and fussing over him like he’s some sort of invalid. He’ll be fine, my dear – he’s a very strong man. And I’m relying on you to keep our little ship afloat while I’m away in Paris.’

‘Julie Sultana, you never change! I thought you said I could have some time off?’

‘Yes, but that was before I knew about this trip. Sorry! Oh, it’s not as bad as you think, Mags. Hear me out. First, I’m giving you a pay rise, a big one. And you deserve it, it’s not a bribe.’

‘Keep talking.’

‘
And
I’m giving you authority to make bigger decisions without asking me first.
And
I’m giving you a travel allowance for any taxis you might have to take in the course
of business.
And
I’ve checked our schedule for the next two weeks while I’m away. You won’t have to go to any weddings or clients’ houses on your own.’

‘I’ll think about it.’

‘Terrific! Just answer the phone and start thinking of new ideas for fantasy weddings. ’Tis an ill wind and all that – all the secrecy surrounding that godforsaken wedding has driven the punters wild. They’re all desperate to have an OTT bash in a dramatic location. Maybe the recent bats-in-the-belfry event is going to pay off, after all.’

‘I’ll be lonely in the lighthouse without you, though, Julie. I don’t know if I fancy two weeks with nothing but the seagulls to keep me company. I’m still feeling pretty shaken, you know.’

‘Of course you are. Which is why I’ve patched our phone number through to this house for the time being.’

‘Julie! You’re incorrigible.’

‘Well, isn’t that the best idea? You can answer the phone if you’re not busy or you can switch on the answerphone and get back to them later. Okay? So you can still babysit your gorgeous husband, and everybody’s happy!’

She fished the Dream Weddings’ order book out of her big handbag and laid it gently on the counter.

‘You did say you were bored,’ she reminded me.

‘Did I? Go on, then. I suppose it’ll be all right,’ I sighed.

‘Of course it will, Mags. It’ll be tip-top. Now, I’ve got to go shopping for some new clothes to take away on my trip and I’m sure you’ve got things to do around here
for Bill coming home, so I’ll be off. And do have a super day at Alexander’s wedding. I hope Bill will be able to make it.’

‘Try stopping him!’

‘Okay, great stuff! Love to all! Cheerio!’

And she was gone out of the front door. Leaving a trail of spicy perfume behind her. I looked at the exotic pink flowers sitting majestically in the good room, and I thought of my father and reminded myself that life was very short and we should all make the most of it.

‘Have a ball in Paris, Julie Sultana,’ I said to the pink flowers.

And she did.

That’s where she met Henri.

Apparently, Julie was sitting in a dark and shadowy little café on her own, on the last day of her holiday. Just having a private moment to herself (she was crying, to tell you the truth, and she didn’t want the Coven to see). So there she was, softly weeping behind a newspaper, when she spied this handsome man staring at her from another table. And get this, he was crying too! It was a meeting of minds, Julie said. A meeting of lost souls. So she smiled at him and nodded hello. And this gorgeous guy got up from his seat and came over to join her, and wouldn’t you know it, even though he was French, he spoke perfect English. So they got talking and Julie told him she was getting over a broken heart and that coming to beautiful Par-ee had only reminded her of what she’d lost. And then Henri (he’d introduced himself by then) told Julie he was on his own too. After his girlfriend of five years had left him and gone back to her ex, taking
their two children with her. I mean, the two children she’d had with her ex. So Henri hadn’t just lost his lady-love, he’d lost the two children as well. He was completely devastated, as you can imagine.

And somehow they got chatting and they went for a walk together by the Eiffel tower. And then for a drink in a bar by the river. By the end of the evening they had swapped phone numbers and agreed to keep in touch. And then Julie was only home in Belfast two hours when Henri turned up at the lighthouse and asked her out on a date. She couldn’t believe it. I mean, she was on the only flight to Belfast that morning, but then Henri told her he had rented a private jet. Very romantic, say you choose to forget about wasting aviation fuel and so on. So they went on a date in good old Belfast: out to the Culloden Hotel for a meal and then for a drive to the Giant’s Causeway in Julie’s white Mercedes convertible, and that’s where they had their first kiss. Good old Henri. I don’t know if it’ll last as they were both on the rebound, but he’s given Julie her confidence back and that’s the main thing.

19. True Love

She looked so beautiful on her wedding day, Emma did. Just a few short months after being discharged from a private clinic specializing in eating disorders, and she really did look beautiful. She weighed maybe eight stone, which was fair enough considering her height. Although another few pounds would have left us feeling very relieved. But anyway, she did look gorgeous in a simple evening dress and wearing Julie’s diamond pendant. And it looked amazingly sparkly and bright against Emma’s flawlessly smooth skin. Her sleek black bob was trimmed to perfection and two neat slicks of eyeliner were painted perfectly onto her upper lids. Alexander shed a tear or two when she walked into the marriage room and I didn’t blame him one bit. So much had changed for both of them in the space of a year.

For all of us, really.

Andrew and Christopher had told us the day before that they were definitely going to Manchester to study dentistry when they had finished their exams. So I thought to myself, as Emma and Alexander held hands at the desk, that fragile little girl up there is the only reason I might have one of my precious children still living near me in the years ahead. Still living in this country, in fact. Who’d have thought it? It’d be a few months before my youngest two sons would be off on the next phase of
their lives, but still, I knew that once they got settled in Manchester they would never come back. It happens all the time. Students make new friends, they get to know a new town and put down roots. Next thing you know, they start calling their university town ‘home’ and only thinking of Belfast on St Patrick’s Day, if ever. Bill said we could move to Manchester if I wanted. Just as soon as the boys went over, we’d go too, he said. We didn’t have to live in the same house or anything. The lads would probably want a bit of independence. But we’d buy a house nearby so they could come round for Sunday lunch and a chat. Alexander and Emma might consider moving to England too, Bill suggested, so the family wouldn’t be split up. And I said I would think about it. But in my heart, I wasn’t ready to leave Belfast. I wanted to keep a family base going in case Alicia-Rose grew tired of the sweltering heat and the crocodiles, and my youngest two got tired of asking for ‘a brew’, and even in case Alexander and Emma’s great love story petered out and became just another divorce statistic. I mean, I was almost sure they’d make it but there are no guarantees in this life. Just look at me and my Bill. All the love in the world, and he was nearly killed by a rock star high on drugs.

But that day, I just wanted to be happy and think of nothing except how much wedding cake and chocolate profiterole and chilled champagne I could get down my neck before I went to bed. And I was planning to break all previous records. In fact, I already had half a bottle of fizz inside me before the marriage ceremony kicked off. I drank it in the kitchen of our house before the taxi came. Bill’s leg was still in plaster, don’t forget, so he
couldn’t drive us. And anyway, he was planning to get pretty merry himself at the buffet afterwards. He reckoned he’d be okay in such a small flat because there weren’t any big flights of stairs he could fall down. And the management of the building had agreed to let him use the service lift.