WARM WINTER KISSES a feel good Christmas romance novel (19 page)

Chapter 26

. . . Though not as long as I would have liked. The sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs roused me from my slumber a little while later. Thinking Rocco had had a change of heart and wanted to ravish me after all, I poked my head up from under the duvet.

The door flew open, but it wasn’t Rocco standing in the doorway, but a furious-looking Pandora, her feline eyes searching out the bedroom. ‘He’s not here at the moment, I’m afraid,’ I said, adopting my best personal assistant voice, as if I might just whip out a diary from beneath the goose down.

‘Oh, Beth!’ Her lip wobbled as she grabbed two handfuls of the luscious locks at her temples.

Oh shit!
I echoed silently. What the hell was going on? My mind did a quick recap. Pandora and Rocco were not a couple. Check. Pandora was marrying Zak. Check. Pandora had no reason to be upset with me. Check. Even if she had found me naked in Rocco’s bed. Check. Phew. So why then was she standing in Rocco’s bedroom glaring at me and sobbing her heart out? I hoped she hadn’t had a change of heart and come back to claim her prize.

‘Did Sylvia tell you to come up?’ I asked lightly.

‘What?’ She plonked herself on the end of the bed. ‘Oh no. She’s not here. I let myself in with the spare key.’

Of course. She would have done, wouldn’t she?

‘I’m sorry barging in like this, but theez iz an emergency.’ She tossed the key she’d been holding in her hand onto the bed. ‘Everything is gone wrong.’ She stretched her arms out behind her, lifting her long legs off the end of the bed and examining her heels. She sighed, looking at me, one love-upped woman to another.

‘Men, they are impossible. Don’t you agree?’

I smiled wryly. ‘They can be I suppose,’ I said, feeling relieved that Pandora’s sharp edges were softening. ‘What’s happened, then? What’s Zak been doing to upset you?’

‘Nothing. That’s exactly it! I don’t why I agreed to this stupid engagement party so soon. But Zak insisted. The sooner the better he said and of course now he’s busied himself with the band and some gigs, leaving me to sort everything. No one will come. It will be a disaster!’

‘Rocco and I will be there, if that makes you feel better?’

Pandora’s face suggested it didn’t even come close.

‘But it’s not enough. I have had no replies. Why are ze English so bad at replying? It drives me mad.’

Relief filtered through my body. This was my kind of territory, something I could cope with. My mind switched from nicely chilled sex goddess awaiting sex god’s arrival in bedroom to super-efficient admin. person, who ought to get on and get things sorted as no one else was likely to do it. A role, I admit, I was much more comfortable with.

‘When did you send the invitations out?’ I asked, shuffling from beneath the covers to grab the dressing gown from the floor, wrapping it around me. Pandora may have been happy baring her all in front of me, but the feeling was definitely not mutual.

‘Oh I don’t know. A few days ago,’ she said, waving her arms with an air of vagueness.

‘Hmmm, well, I suppose with it being this close to Christmas you’re probably not going to hear now, but if you want to give me a copy of your invitation list with contact details I’ll give a few people a ring round this morning, see if we can get some idea of numbers.’

‘Oh would you, Beth?’ Pandora exclaimed, as if the idea had never even entered her head. ‘That would be brilliant. Then maybe we could discuss a few of the other details too, like the food and drink etc. I’m hopeless at that kind of thing, but I know how good you are at arranging functions. I’ve got some paperwork downstairs; I’ll just go and grab it, shall I?’

Pandora swanned out, leaving me smiling. I felt it was the least I could do, especially after waltzing into her shoes and taking over her role at Whitefriars. Despite Rocco’s protestations that they were only ever mates, I somehow suspected Pandora thought of their relationship in slightly different terms.

Ten minutes later Pandora and I were settled at the big kitchen table going through her extensive guest list.

‘Do you think I’ve invited enough people?’ Her dark eyes darkened further with concern as her painted fingernails drummed on the oak top.

‘More than enough,’ I said quickly, trying to quash any ideas she may have had of inviting any more people at the eleventh hour. ‘I’m not sure where you’re going to put them all as it is.’

‘Oh well, there’s plenty of room at the Rectory and I suppose we could always put a few people up here too if we needed to.’ She looked at me, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow. I smiled wryly, reminded again that it might take Pandora a little while to relinquish her ladyship of Whitefriars. ‘That’s if you wouldn’t mind?’ Her long delicate hands touched my arm in a gesture of friendship, as if she could read my thoughts.

‘Oh, you know Rocco, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind at all.’

‘But I was thinking of you, Beth. I don’t want you thinking, how is it you say, I am staying over my welcome?’

I grinned. ‘No, Pandora, you wouldn’t be overstaying your welcome at all.’

‘With you helping me here and organising my wedding, I am very grateful. Zak he is hopeless. He says I can have whatever I like as long as I sort everything out. I know what I like, the dress, the flowers, but making sure everything happens right; it is not really my thing.’

‘Don’t worry, I’m sure that between us, we can make certain your engagement party and then your wedding day are both occasions to remember.’

In the space of half an hour, having offered to help out on the ringing round front, I seemed to have acquired the job of overseeing the arrangements for Pandora and Zak’s engagement party and wedding. I couldn’t remember Pandora actually asking me if I minded taking on what was the huge responsibility of organising a Rock Star’s Wedding, but there it was at the bottom of my not inconsiderable to-do list. Heaven forbid I should get something wrong, omit someone from the invitation list, forget the flowers or mess up the catering requirements, although with Rocco overseeing that department there wasn’t much chance of that. But if anything else were to go wrong I knew I’d be hung up to dry. There’d be no room for error at all.

‘I hope so. Who do you think we should get to do the photos,
Hello
or
OK
?’

I grimaced.

‘Oh, do you really want your special day taken over by a celebrity magazine? I know they would pay a huge sum to cover something of this magnitude, but wouldn’t you like to keep it private, special, just between your family and friends?’

She pondered a moment, her beautiful profile uplifted to the oak beams of the kitchen,

‘I don’t think so, Beth. I think I’d like as many people as possible to see how bloody fantastic me and Zak will look together.’

I grinned. ‘Okay then.’ I scribbled a note on my pad to put out a few feelers to the magazines in the new year.

‘So what about you then, Beth? What sort of wedding would you like to have? Not one like mine, I think.’ She tipped back her head and laughed.

‘Oh I don’t know. I haven’t really thought about it.’ My gaze drifted out of the window, taking in the winter scene outside. ‘Something quiet and low-key, I suppose, with all my friends and family around me. That sounds about right.’ I stared dreamily into the gardens as an image of Rocco in a white linen suit standing at an ivy-clad arbour in the grounds waiting for his bride to join him sprang into my mind. His expression was contented and loving as he stood among his family and friends, looking adoringly as I wafted up the carpeted strip in my cream organza silk dress to take his hand. It was ridiculous really. Unlike most girls, I’d never indulged in my own perfect wedding fantasy. And now as a grown woman here I was having all sorts of fanciful thoughts.

‘So, how many are we up to now?’ asked Pandora, interrupting my reverie with a jolt.

‘Erm.’ I ran my pencil down the list of guests, ‘seventy-two definites at the moment. There’s still about thirty people we haven’t been able to get hold of and I would imagine a good half of those will turn up, so I don’t think you’ve anything to worry about on that front.’

‘Thank goodness.’ Pandora took a sip of her strong black coffee. ‘I can’t tell you what a relief it is to get that done.’ She sighed, stretching out her black cashmere-clad arms above her head. She was like a panther, mysterious, guarded and sophisticated, but despite her initial frostiness she was definitely making a huge effort to be nice to me, and I’m sure it wasn’t all down to the fact that I was now her chief wedding planner.

A couple of hours later when we’d talked through all the possibilities for Pandora’s big day, tossed a few suggestions for my own dim and distant nuptials into the pot and even considered a few ideas for Lexi, we heard the wheels of Rocco’s jeep scrunch into the drive.

He stormed into the kitchen, his cheeks flushed with cold, a sombre expression on his face.

‘Oh, Pandora,’ he said, unable to hide his obvious disapproval at finding her there. His earlier playful mood had obviously been mislaid on his shopping trip.

‘We’ve just been going through the arrangements for New Year’s Eve,’ I said brightly, trying to elicit a smile from him.

‘Huh?’

‘The engagement party?’

‘Oh right, yeah. So are you done now, then?’ And will you be leaving shortly, he might have added, judging by his tone and expression.

‘Yes, Rocco, I am all finished with your lovely Beth. She has been marvellous. I can have a happy Christmas now knowing everything is sorted for the party. I will leave you two alone to spend some time together.’

I glared at Rocco, wishing he’d say something friendly.

‘Do you want to stay for a drink?’ If he wasn’t going to make the effort, then I would.

Pandora stood up, shaking her head.

‘Thank you, no. I must get back to see my husband-to-be. Hopefully he’ll have crawled out of bed by now after his heavy session last night. I’m expecting he’ll have a huge headache, but I will have no sympathy.’ She grinned indulgently, her love for Zak clearly visible on her face. ‘Oh, and for future reference, Rocco,’ a wicked smile hovered over her lips, ‘Beth’s ideal wedding would be a small and intimate affair with just family and friends.’

He looked at me nonplussed and shook his head.

‘Thanks for the tip. I’ll remember that. Now would you please go, Pandora?’ I gasped at Rocco’s rudeness. ‘I need to talk to Beth about something.’

My heart sank as my head did a rapid recall of the last couple of weeks’ events. With all the emotional turmoil, had I messed up something on the work front that had only just come to light? Or had Rocco had time to consider my re-appearance and decided he didn’t want me back in his life after all?

‘I’m going, I’m going. But I’ll see you both on Boxing Day, won’t I?’

My gaze went from Pandora to Rocco.

‘Oh, the boys always go clay-pigeon shooting on Boxing Day. That’s their idea of fun. Maybe you and I could hit the sales while they play at being cavemen. What do you think, Beth?’

‘I’ll give you a ring and we’ll sort something out,’ I said, now feeling as desperate as Rocco to wave her goodbye. Besides, I’d planned to visit Lexi on Boxing Day although I hadn’t yet mentioned it to Rocco.

‘You do that, Beth. Happy Christmas to you both!’ She waggled her fingers at me across the kitchen and threw her arms around Rocco, who was ushering her to the back door, and planted a big kiss on his lips. I was relieved to discover that I didn’t feel in the least bit jealous, only immensely happy to be part of this crazy new world I’d found myself immersed in.

Chapter 27

‘Blimey, I thought she’d never go.’ As soon as Rocco had closed the door on Pandora, he let out a huge sigh of relief, before turning to me, his arms held wide open. I walked into his embrace, feeling tiny against his broad chest, wallowing in the strength of his arms around me as he pulled me closer. I sighed as his lips found my neck and nuzzled into my skin. ‘It’s good to have you here, Beth.’

Well, that was one worry out of the way. I smiled, looking up into his eyes, not really believing they could be observing me with such tenderness and warmth.

‘I hope Pandora didn’t give you too hard a time.’ He stroked my cheek with a finger, his eyes troubled.

‘No, she just needed a bit of help on the organising front. We had quite a good time, surprisingly. I know we didn’t really hit it off when we first met . . .’ I grimaced remembering how obnoxious I’d found her on that first meeting, ‘but I am, despite myself, beginning to warm to her.’

He laughed, a knowing expression on his face. ‘She rubs most people up the wrong way, but to be honest with you, I don’t think she realises she’s doing it most of the time. Basically she means well; you just have to get over that brash exterior. I admit I’ve got some sympathy with her. She’s a lot like me in some respects.’

It hadn’t occurred to me before, but he was right. They were extremely similar. Both fiery, dynamic characters with a mesmeric appeal. Prickly, but vulnerable and misunderstood. I could understand why they were drawn to each other in the first place, but equally unsurprised that they wouldn’t have lasted any length of time together as a couple.

A silence fell over us as his hands combed my hair.

‘Are you sure you’re okay?’ I asked him, feeling the tautness in the muscles of his arms and face.

He pulled away and walked across to the sink, arching his back slightly to look at the view out of the window. He let out a huge breath.

‘You know that letter, the one from my mum?’

Ah, so that’s what had been playing on his mind.

‘Yes.’

‘I know now why she sent it. After all these years.’ His voice was tight with emotion.

‘Why? What’s happened?’ I asked, wandering over to put a hand up to his shoulder. A black cloud hung ominously overhead.

‘She was in hospital,’ he said, quietly. ‘Cancer, apparently.’ His head fell back onto his shoulders, his gaze on the ceiling. ‘I left it too late, Beth. She died. Last night.’

‘No!’ I gasped, a wave of sadness filling my chest. It was only a matter of weeks since that first letter had turned up, stirring up all his buried emotions, and now this. ‘Oh Rocco, I’m so sorry.’

I wrapped my arms around him, resting my head against his chest. Selfishly, thoughts of how this might affect our relationship flooded into my mind. Just as quickly I banished them, returning my attention to Rocco. I pulled back to examine his face. Abruptly, he turned away, but not before I’d noticed the moistening of his eyes.

‘Ted, her husband, rang to tell me.’ He shrugged, a wry expression on his face. ‘It’s stupid really. I mean, I grieved for my mother years ago. It’s not as if I even knew her. It’s just a shock, that’s all.’

‘Of course, it is.’ I fell silent, wondering how I’d feel in the same position. I couldn’t bear to think about it. Tears filled my eyes. ‘She was still your mum, despite everything that happened.’

‘Yeah.’ He looked wistful. ‘I suppose that’s it. You only get one mum, don’t you? And now I’ll never get to know her. Selfish, really. I’m thinking of that young kid she walked out on. He didn’t deserve that. I wanted some answers for him.’

I nodded, my heart stung. The hurt he’d felt as a child was still locked away inside and now the raw edges had been picked open and left bleeding again.

‘I mean, could you have done that?’ His eyes looked at me for answers.

I shrugged, feeling utterly helpless just wanting to find the right words to comfort him.

‘Walked out on your child without so much as an explanation? What kind of a woman does that?’

‘I don’t know,’ I said, not really understanding how any woman could be driven to such behaviour. ‘But it was a different time. We don’t know what your mum went through. What her reasons were. But you can bet your life it wasn’t an easy decision for her. And at least you know she was trying to make amends. She did get in touch. Even if it was a bit late.’

Rocco looked unimpressed.

‘You’ll come with me?’

I turned my face up to his, not understanding.

‘To the funeral. It’ll be in the New Year now.’

‘Of course,’ I said. I took his hand and my fingers interlaced with his. ‘Of course I’ll come with you.’

‘Good,’ he said. ‘I’d really appreciate it. I don’t think I could face it on my own.’

We sat there for a moment in silence, as he looked at me intently. He smiled, the sadness lifting from his eyes.

‘I don’t know about you, but I’m shattered. Shall we go up to bed?’

He took me by the hand and led me up the stairs. We fell into bed and almost immediately Rocco fell asleep as we lay wrapped in each other’s arms.