Wedding Belles (17 page)

Me and Clover in the kitchen wearing swimming goggles, making funny faces for the camera (Clover always wears goggles while cutting up onions); me and Clover wearing Santa hats last Christmas; me and Clover swimming on Killiney beach with Granny before she died; me, Clover, and Mum at Mum’s
Sex and the City
bachelorette party in our costumes. . . . It’s amazing. It must have taken her ages to pull all the images together.

“I love it, Clover!” I say, grinning up at her.

“Coola boola,” she says. “Now let’s eat, I’m starving. You promised me scrambled eggs with posh smoked salmon, Sylvie. Not to mention Buck’s Fizz. And a wee taste for Beanie too — bridesmaid’s privilege.”

“OK,” Mum says, “but just a tiny sip. I’ve got enough to be worrying about today without a tipsy teenager on my hands.”

“I bet Dave and Russ aren’t breaking out the bubbly and the smoked salmon,” Clover says. “Greasy fry-up for them, I’d say. Men!” She rolls her eyes. “No sense of occasion.”

The phone rings as I’m sitting in the living room, our wedding-planning headquarters for the morning, checking our to-do list.

“Amy, can you hear me?” It’s Dave. Ah, the groom himself.

“Hi, Dave. Just about, the line’s very bad. Where are you?”

“In a lift at the Dublin Airport Hotel.”

“What?”

“Look, it’s a long story. I’m meeting . . .” The line goes all crackly.

“Say again?”

“I can’t get through to Clover. Can you give her a message?”

“OK, sure. Go ahead.”

“If I’m a little bit late for the service, don’t panic. I’ll definitely be there. I’m finally meeting Rolf Grant. His PA rang first thing this morning, said that he had a cancellation. I know it’s terrible timing. . . .” I lose him again. “Once-in-a-lifetime chance, Amy, and I’m sure Sylvie . . .” The line goes dead.

I try ringing him back, but there’s no answer.

Luckily Clover walks into the living room then, clicking her own phone off. “OK, Sue and Mills are in the tent. Sue’s already dropped off Sylvie’s bouquet. It’s in the kitchen. You all right, Beanie? You look pale.”

“I just had a call from Dave. He wanted to give you a message. He said he might be a bit late for the service. But he said not to worry — he’d definitely be there.”

“Where is he exactly? He’s supposed to go straight to the ceremony from Russ’s house.”

“Now, don’t shoot the messenger, but he’s at the Dublin Airport Hotel, meeting Rolf Grant.”

“What? How could he? It’s his wedding day. Is he crazy?”

“It wasn’t planned, Clover. He’s been trying to get a meeting for ages and Rolf had a cancellation today, apparently. Dave said it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“So is marrying my sister!” Clover gives a strangled scream. “I could kill him. After we managed to salvage the wedding, he could ruin everything. We have the town hall for an hour only. If he’s late, there will be no ceremony — it’s as simple as that.”

“He promised he’d make the wedding. And Dave always keeps his promises. He’s a good guy, Clover. He’s doing all this Dinoduck stuff for Mum too.”

Clover sighs. “I know. It’s just such horrible timing. And my nerves are shattered as it is.”

“He’ll be there,” I assure her. But I hope I’m right. And I thought the sun this morning was a good omen. How wrong can you be?

“You’re very quiet, you two,” Mum says. We’re all in an ultra-smart black limo — Mum, Clover, Monique, and me: the bride and her bridesmaids. We’re on our way to the town hall for the wedding ceremony. If Dave turns up in time, that is!

“Just having a little time out,” Clover says, giving Mum a big smile. “It’s been a busy morning.” She squeezes Mum’s hand. “I know I’ve said it before, but you look beautiful, sis.”

“Thanks,” Mum says happily and then goes back to chatting to Monique about Monique’s latest acting job.

My eyes meet Clover’s and she gives me a gentle “It’s going to be OK” smile. I nod back at her, but I’m so worried I can barely breathe. My iPhone is clutched in my sweaty palm. It’s on silent, and every few seconds I swear I feel it vibrate against my skin, but when I look down, the screen is always dark, dead.
Come on, Dave. Contact me or Clover. Please
. We’ve tried ringing him and Russ dozens of times, but both their phones are going straight to messages.

I know Clover’s just as frantic to hear from him as I am. She’s just better at hiding her anxiety. Mum thinks I’m waiting for Seth to text me back, to confirm that he won’t be at the wedding. He was invited before we broke up, and he still hasn’t sent an RSVP, which is messing up our table plan. We don’t know whether to set a place for him or not. I sent him a text this morning:
PLEASE CONFIRM THAT YOU’RE NOT COMING TO THE WEDDING. AMY

There’s no way he’s going to turn up. Why would he? We’re not together anymore, and he’s made it quite clear that he has no interest in me other than being friends. I told Clover not to include him on the seating plan, but she has this crazy idea that he’s going to appear at some stage today. She’s still convinced that he loves me and has just been having a major emotional wobble because of Polly’s illness. She’s deranged! I let Mum think that it’s Seth’s text I’m waiting for, though. If she knew the truth, she’d freak out.

I look at Mum again, trying to keep my mind from thinking the worst — that Dave will be so late we’ll have to cancel the whole wedding. It would be such a waste. Clover and I have put so much work into it, and Mum really does look beautiful, all thanks to Saffy. She’s given Mum a lovely natural look: light foundation, a dusting of pink blusher on the apples of her cheeks, warm golden-brown eye shadow on her eyelids and a honey-colored lip stain on her lips, with a slick of gloss on top to make them shine. Her hair is swept back in a loose chignon and fastened with diamanté star clips. She’s holding a simple round posy of the palest pink tea roses (they match her shoes perfectly), bound together with cream ribbon and tied off in a pretty bow. Sue did a brilliant job with the flowers. Mum is thrilled.

We’ve been blown away by how amazingly kind everyone has been since we heard about the hotel going bust. Even Seth’s mum, Polly, is helping out, which makes it really weird that Seth hasn’t replied to my text. Finn told Polly the news — they’ve become friends through the boys. Mills is convinced that they’re secretly dating, but I think they just enjoy each other’s company. Anyway, Polly rang me and offered to do the photography. It had been yet another thing that the hotel had arranged. Both Gramps and Russ had offered to take some photos, but Polly is a professional, and I know Mum and Dave would love some nice images of the day to frame.

“Thanks, Polly, that would be brilliant,” I told her.

“I’d be delighted to help,” she said. “I miss you, Amy. Look, I shouldn’t be saying this, and Seth will kill me, but I’m sorry about you guys breaking up. You were good together. He’s been so down lately. He shouldn’t be worrying about me, though — the new treatment’s going well, and Dr. Shine is really pleased with my progress. I’m going to be fine. Anyway, my mouth is running away with me as usual. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry and I hope you’re OK. I’ll see you at the wedding. Let me know what time suits.”

After the phone call, I sat very still with a big lump in my throat, thinking about what Polly had just said. If she was doing well, Seth had no reason to keep me at arm’s length anymore. And if that was the case, he’d clearly just gone off me. Simple as that. Even though it was hard, I realized it was something that I’d just have to accept. I’d have to move on. At least I had plenty to think about — the wedding, for starters. Mum has been so stressed out about it. Looking after her has been a full-time job for me and Clover — and now Dave’s gone missing! If he doesn’t turn up, I think Mum will self-combust.

We arrive at the Dun Laoghaire town hall at ten to three. As Dave’s family is Jewish and Mum is Church of Ireland, they decided to get married in a neutral setting, somewhere local that means something to both of them. They first met in Dun Laoghaire, when Dave was playing at a music festival in the People’s Park.

The wedding ceremony starts in ten minutes, and wedding guests are piling into the building. I spot Dave’s sister, Prue, carrying baby Bella in her arms. Ollie and Denis are following behind her, looking like kids from a Ralph Lauren ad in chinos and sky-blue shirts, with their hair neatly combed. Denis, who’s ten, is holding Ollie’s hand, and they look so cute.

Clover asks the driver to park down by the sea for a few minutes to wait for everyone to take their seats. Then she excuses herself and steps out of the limo to make a phone call, to Dave, I presume. I follow her.

“Any luck?” I ask, when she takes the phone away from her ear without leaving a message.

She shakes her head. “I’ll try Dan. Maybe he or one of the ushers knows something we don’t. Hi, Dan, it’s Clover . . .”

That’s a relief. At least he’s answering his phone. Dan is Prue’s husband and Dave’s other best man — he’s a really nice guy; dark-haired and smiley. “Any sign of Dave or Russ?” Clover asks him. There’s a pause and then she sighs. “Roger that! We’ll stay in a holding pattern.” She clicks off her phone and frowns. “No sign of them, Beanie. I’m starting to get mega-, mega-anxious.”

I check my watch. Five past three. Dave’s now over half an hour late — he was supposed to be at the town hall at two thirty. This isn’t looking good. I brush down the pink-chiffon ballerina-style skirt of my bridesmaid’s dress nervously and adjust my lime-green cropped jacket. Clover’s dress is mint-green, with a contrasting pink jacket, and Monique is wearing a full-length dark-green dress. They’re not exactly traditional bridesmaids’ dresses, but we all love them, Mum included, and that’s the most important thing. A Parisian friend of Monique’s designed them, and the trip to Paris to choose them was truly ooh-la-la!

The car door opens and Monique steps out. Saffy gave us all natural-looking makeup to match Mum’s, but Monique insisted on her signature slash of poppy-red lipstick. She looks like the star she is.

“Any sign of Dave?” she whispers. Clover pulled her aside earlier and filled her in.

Clover shakes her head glumly.

“Merde,”
Monique says. “I think Sylvie’s starting to get suspicious. I’ll try to distract her.”

As soon as Monique is back inside the car, Clover lets out an almighty moan.
“Siúcra
, Beanie, tell me this isn’t happening.”

The passenger window buzzes down and Mum’s head appears. “Is everything all right, girls? What’s the delay?” She looks from me to Clover and then gasps. “Something’s wrong, isn’t it? Oh, God, please no! No! Tell me he hasn’t gotten cold feet.” Her eyes start to well up.

“Mum, stop!” I say. “He’s on the way, he just got stuck in traffic. Don’t cry, you’ll ruin your makeup.”

“From Killiney?” Mum asks.

“He had to collect something in town,” I improvise. “A special surprise for you. A wedding day present.”

“But we said we weren’t doing gifts for each other.”

“You know guys,” Clover says, waving her hand in the air. “Never listen.”

Mum sighs, but thankfully her tears seem to have stopped. I think she’s bought our story. “Men! So how much longer will he be?”

“Five minutes,” I say at the exact same time that Clover says, “Ten minutes.” Oops.

“I’ve known you both all your lives,” Mum says, “and I can tell when you’re lying. He’s not coming, is he? And you’re both trying to cover for him. I knew this was all too good to be true. Finally I find a nice man, someone kind and decent, and what happens? He can’t commit.” Her eyes go all blurry again. “I want to go home. I feel such a fool. How could he do this to me?”

“He’s coming, Mum,” I say urgently. “He promised. Just give him five more minutes. Please, Mum? I’m begging you. Don’t give up on him.” I swallow and blink hard, trying not to cry.

“Oh, Amy,” Mum says. “I’m so sorry. I know this must be hard for you too. But we have to face facts. Dave’s — ”

My iPhone vibrates. It’s a text — from Dave!
ON THE WAY. TELL SYLVIE SORRY AND NOT TO PANIC AND THAT I LOVE HER. I HAVE GOOD NEWS, FANTASTIC NEWS. I’LL BE AT THE TOWN HALL IN TEN MINUTES. RUSS ALREADY HAS ONE TICKET FOR DRIVING IN THE BUS LANE, BUT HE SAYS IT’S WORTH IT. MEET YOU THERE! DAVE XXX

As I hand Mum the phone to read, I really do burst into tears — tears of relief.

“I’m sorry for doubting you, Amy,” she says. “And for doubting Dave too. You must never, ever tell him what happened just now and what I said, girls. Do you understand? It has to be our secret. He’d be terribly upset. I was just really worried. . . .” She breaks off, sucking her breath in noisily and trying desperately not to cry again.

“You can trust us, Sylvie,” Clover says. “Always.”

“I know,” Mum says. “That’s why I love you both such a lot.” And then she gets so emotional that we have to rush back into the limo for the tissues to save Saffy’s beautiful makeup from running down her face.