Lara then walked the jetty, Fay following. She was here now; she might as well check everything out, including the river. One thing she hadn’t asked Chloe was how many children might be attending, and she made a mental note to find out. If there were lots of little ones running about, it might be as well to find out what safety precautions the venue had in place, though the River Dee in this part was grand and sedate, winding its way through Chester itself and on over the border to Wales.
Lara looked out over the water; sunlight was sprinkled over the surface, the heavy branched willow trees fringing the banks and shimmering dragonflies racing overhead.
‘I can see why Chloe’s chosen it,’ Lara said.
‘Oh, me too!’ Fay said. ‘How come you haven’t used the venue before?’
‘I’ll be honest, I knew about it, but I hadn’t realised just how lovely it is. Although, I am still a little concerned about access. The lane we’ve just driven down to get here is very narrow and the only way in as far as I know. I worry about bigger vehicles or a large volume of traffic on it.’
‘They must be able to do it or people wouldn’t hire the place,’ Fay said sagely.
‘I suppose so,’ Lara said. ‘It’s a shame I can’t get inside, but it seems as if it’s all shut up.’
‘Didn’t you phone ahead?’
‘I left a message on a machine for someone to get back to me but nobody did so I thought I might as well at least have a drive up and get a rough idea of the layout. Time is of the essence with this one and I don’t have enough to wait around for people to give me permission.’
‘Oh!’ Fay said, suddenly looking fearful now. ‘You don’t think we’re trespassing, do you? Will we get into trouble?’
‘There are no signs saying it’s private land,’ Lara said. ‘I don’t see that we would be.’
‘Oh, but perhaps we ought to go,’ Fay insisted. ‘We could come back when someone tells you it’s alright.’
‘Well, if I’m going to be working here then it’s going to have to be alright, isn’t it?’
‘I know but… if someone comes now, they won’t know you from Adam. What if they call the police and we’re arrested?’
‘I don’t think that’s going to happen,’ Lara said, almost laughing. But then she saw how genuinely worried her mum was and thought better of making light of her concerns.
‘Come on, then,’ she said, leading the way back along the jetty. ‘Let’s go.’
She looked back at the river once more with a faint twinge of regret. It really was beautiful here – the sort of place she could see herself getting married one day. A day that she was seriously beginning to doubt would ever come. Perhaps this was the best she could hope for; if she couldn’t have it herself, at least she was able make the dreams of others come true. There was a lot to be said for the feeling of satisfaction she got from seeing others happy, if nothing else.
Eight
She’d had no time to get to the gym that week, so Lara laced up her old running shoes and headed out for a quick turn around the block. Betsy had packed up and left half an hour before, and Fluffy the troublemaking cat was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps Lara would spot him stalking the streets during her run, and perhaps seeing her he’d be reminded of home and follow her back. It wasn’t very likely, but she couldn’t deny she’d be pleased if it happened. Even better if that Theo guy was around somewhere to witness it.
Ugh, why did he have to keep popping into her mind? She’d had a lovely, productive day and then she had to go and ruin it by thinking of that loser. As she picked up the pace, the sun sliding down the sky but still hot enough to fry bacon on the pavement, she tried to empty her mind and concentrate on her breathing and the sound of her footsteps as they beat a steady rhythm on the concrete. Exercise was usually her happy place, when all she had to think about was technique and improvement, and she could forget for a short while about all the other worries that plagued her days. When she’d finished her session, she loved the sense of achievement and strength it gave her.
As she turned into the next street, she saw nurse Selina getting out of her car. She held up a hand in a cheery wave.
‘Oh, Lara!’ Selina said, gesturing for her to stop. ‘Just the woman!’
Lara jogged over to her. ‘Me?’
‘I thought you ought to know – your cat came darting out onto the road a minute ago; I nearly hit him! You might want to see about that.’
‘Right,’ Lara said. ‘Thanks for letting me know.’
‘It’s OK – he just scared me to death. I’ve never hit anything and I’d be absolutely devastated if I ever did – wouldn’t be able to live with myself, especially if it was your adorable little cat.’
Lara nodded. ‘I’m sorry, Selina. I’ll see what I can do.’
‘I’m not saying it’s your fault – I just wanted you to know. Anyway… I’ll let you get on.’
‘Thanks, Selina.’
Lara waved goodbye as she began to run again. She’d told Selina she’d look into it, but if Fluffy was playing silly beggars on the roads then even though it was a worrying notion, there was hardly anything she could do about it. A dog maybe she could train and instil a bit of road sense into, but as far as her cat was concerned… well, she couldn’t even get him to return to her house on a regular basis, let alone train him in any way whatsoever. As much as she might dislike it, Fluffy did what he wanted and there wasn’t a thing Lara could do about it.
As she picked up the pace once again, the day’s workload came back to her. Somehow, whenever her job presented problems, the time when she wasn’t trying to solve them was when solutions often presented themselves. So, as she ran and emptied her mind, there seemed to be space, suddenly, for the conundrums that she hadn’t been able to solve to work themselves out with very little effort from her conscious brain. It was just another reason she loved to exercise and why, when she came back from a long run, she felt completely relaxed and happy. Not about everything, of course, because no amount of running could work out the problem of her love life (or lack of it), but you couldn’t have everything.
It was at this point she thought back to Chloe Rowley’s upcoming wedding at the gorgeous Damson Tree Boathouse. A good look at the place had made her feel a little easier about the logistics, but it was a shame she still hadn’t managed to speak to the owners about the booking. Betsy had told her that she’d managed to get hold of a very uncommunicative Chloe at work, who’d quite dismissively responded to Betsy’s query about there being no sort of entertainment on their list of suppliers. She’d said that her husband-to-be was arranging a disco or something and she really didn’t have time to talk about it because she had to type up notes on the divorce case from hell. Betsy, to her credit, had diplomatically but firmly pushed her on the matter, but Chloe had simply told her that there was no need to stress about it and everything that Lara and Betsy needed to know was on the list they’d been given.
Lara wasn’t particularly happy with this information (or lack thereof) but she’d been left with no choice but to fall back on the old adage that the customer was always right and leave things at that for now.
At the corner of her vision she saw the shape of a cat streak across the road ahead and recognised it instantly as Fluffy. It was tempting to chase him down, but what was the point? He wouldn’t go home with her if he didn’t want to and she could hardly run far with him in her arms anyway.
She tracked his course and saw him head towards the gates of a house, slipping beneath them. A moment later the front door of the house opened, and Lara’s expression hardened as she recognised Theo the Cat-Nabber, letting him in and then shutting the door again. Should she go and knock, get her cat back? It was doubtful he’d give Fluffy up that easily and, as Lara passed, she got a look at the house number. So, now she knew where Fluffy was going when he wasn’t at her house, it might work to her advantage. Perhaps she could be subtle about this, cook up a plan to get her cat back without having to confront Mr Ca
t-Nabber.
With a small smile, Lara continued on her way, her brain now working furiously to take advantage of the new information she’d gleaned.
Nine
Damson Tree Boathouse was undeniably a charming building at any time but, as Lara pulled up on the gravelled car park, the effort that had been put into dressing it for Chloe’s wedding almost took her breath away – and she’d seen plenty of beautiful wedding venues over the past year she’d been in business.
The columns on the old wooden veranda had white ribbon wound along their lengths, with frothing white bowls of rose and gypsophila at their bases. White bows garlanded the eaves of the vast front doors and inside was more of the same, with pristine white cloths and swathes of silk dressing the tables and chairs. Chalked onto a slate board at the entrance was a message welcoming guests to the wedding of Chloe and Gerard – something that seemed strange to Lara, as this was the first time she’d made the connection that Chloe’s husband-to-be hadn’t actually been christened Gez.
The sun was shining in a cloudless sky and the riverside was peaceful, save for the sweet chirping of small birds and the gentle lapping of the water against the wood of the jetty. Lara wasn’t sure, but if someone had asked her what she thought heaven might look like, she’d be inclined to say this was probably pretty close. Not having any input herself in this instance – the venue having responsibility – it was a lovely surprise to see it all done too, without the worry of overseeing it herself.
Chloe was having the entire day there – from the service to the wedding breakfast and on to the evening reception – which made Lara’s life a lot easier because she only had one location to worry about. All she needed to do now was go and find the boathouse’s manager, Regan, to go through some last-minute checks with her before the wedding party began to arrive.
She hadn’t been able to get hold of Regan until after her last visit, when she’d come with her mum in tow, but she’d had telephone conversations with her since and found her to be very pleasant and helpful. She only hoped that Regan would be just as agreeable in person. Not that Chloe had given Lara a massive list of things to oversee today – although Lara had a niggling feeling that Chloe was a bit lax on details and that something unexpected was going to come up and throw a spanner in the works. At least if the venue manager was reliable and approachable, Lara might have an ally if things did go a bit pear-shaped.
As she walked in through the large glass doors, the sun burning into her back, her footsteps echoing on the wood on an, as yet, virtually empty space, Lara saw a small team of young men and women who looked as if they could be the waiting staff. They were dressed in crisp white blouses and black trousers and were being briefed by an older woman in a charcoal trouser suit with dark hair done up in a classic and elegant twist. The woman turned as Lara walked in.
‘Can I help you?’ she asked, stopping her briefing mid-flow.
‘I’m Lara Nightingale… the wedding coordinator. I’m looking for Regan.’
‘Ah!’ the woman exclaimed smartly and with some satisfaction. ‘Give me one more minute and I’ll be with you.’
Lara waited at the doors as the woman – presumably Regan – wound up the meeting and dismissed the members of the team to whatever tasks had been delegated to them. Then she made a beeline for Lara with a brisk smile, hands clapped together as if to congratulate herself on one job well done and ready herself for another. As she drew level, she offered a hand for Lara to shake.
‘Lovely to finally meet you,’ she said.
‘You too,’ Lara replied. ‘And I have to say, you’ve got the boathouse looking incredible.’
Regan tipped her head. ‘Thank you. I’d like to take all the credit but I have an excellent team here. Do you have everything you need for today?’
‘I think so. I just wanted to introduce myself so that, obviously, you’ll know me when you see me wandering around today.’
‘Super. To be honest though, I’d have probably thought you were a guest. It’s one of the things I find a bit disconcerting about these events – there are so many strangers milling about that I’d be hard-pressed to spot someone up to no good amongst them. It does worry me from time to time – and even with stringent checks, it’s very hard to keep uninvited guests out.’
‘I can imagine, but the one thing you have going for you is that you’re out in the middle of nowhere. I’ve worked at weddings before where they’ve had a gatecrashing issue, but that’s been when the venue was somewhere easily accessible to passing chancers. You know, like in the town centre where the pubs are. Hotels can be a nightmare for that too – random guests deciding to drop in and raid the free bar.’
‘I suppose that’s true enough,’ Regan conceded with a brisk nod and a satisfied smile. She looked at Lara as if she approved of what she saw, which was reassuring for Lara too. It was far easier to work with someone who trusted and liked her – it wouldn’t have been the first time Lara had found herself fighting the manager of a venue rather than working with them to make the clients’ wedding perfect.
‘Well, shall I show you where everything is while we have a minute?’
‘That’d be great,’ Lara said, following Regan as she headed towards a swinging door that Lara guessed might lead to the kitchens. As they went through it she was proved right, and they stepped into a pristine kingdom of stainless steel and ceramic tile, busy with waiting staff and chefs already preparing vegetables for the wedding breakfast.
‘They won’t start cooking yet,’ Regan said, glancing at Lara as she watched one chef with interest. ‘Don’t want the smell to be hanging around during the wedding service, do we? Once the guests are out having photos and champagne by the river, our team will start on the lunch.’
‘Brilliant,’ Lara said. She could have done with a Regan at every wedding venue, but often that wasn’t the case at all.
Regan shot her a brisk, professional smile. ‘Shall we continue to the function room?’
Lara nodded, allowing herself to relax a little as Regan guided her to the next leg of her tour. She was in a beautiful old boathouse by a gorgeous stretch of river; the sun was shining and the birds were singing. Perhaps today wouldn’t be so stressful after all.
As she wasn’t really needed during the actual wedding service, Lara had stayed out of sight, though she’d been able to peek in every now and again to see what was happening. Chloe looked radiant, as all brides did, in an off-the-shoulder cream satin gown that fitted close to her slim figure, the skirt spilling out into a mermaid tail at the base. She wore her hair in a ballerina-style bun dressed with a diamante tiara, so that much of the flawless skin of her deeply tanned neck and shoulders was exposed. It was a very formal look, reminiscent of classic Hollywood glamour, and it suited her perfectly. One of the perks of Lara’s job (in her opinion) was that she got to see all sorts of brides wearing all sorts of wedding outfits, and she always thought that, even if they were wearing something not to her own personal taste, they looked beautiful regardless.
Female guests were dressed for the glorious weather in summer dresses and light trouser suits, but Lara had to feel sorry for the poor men, most of whom were in formal, dark-coloured, heavy three-pieces. Regan had come to check on her once or twice as she went about her own duties, kindly asking Lara if she needed refreshments. Lara took her up on a cold soda water with a twist of lime, a welcome relief in the hot weather. Regan also told Lara to come and find her if she needed anything else, and Lara thanked her, though it was unlikely she’d want to bother her. In fact, Lara would do her utmost to deal with any problems herself – the last impression she wanted to give was one of incompetence.
Then it was time for the marriage register to be signed, followed by champagne on the lawns behind the boatshed and photos around the building and down by the river. While most of the main wedding party was busy with that, Lara noticed the venue staff swinging into action on the wedding breakfast. The guest list for this part of the day was far smaller
than Lara knew it would be come the evening reception, and so it was all fairly quiet and good-natured as they sipped their drinks in the sunshine. Lara knew from experience that the evening, when the bulk of the friends, acquaintances, colleagues and plus ones arrived, would be a lot livelier.
As the guests finally sat down to their meal, Lara went down to the river – again, wanting to stay out of sight and to eat the sandwich she’d brought for herself. As she sat in the sunshine with her lunch, her phone rang. She smiled as she saw the name on the display.
‘No… I don’t need you, Betsy! Why aren’t you enjoying your weekend like any sane person would be?’
‘I was bored,’ Betsy replied in a mildly offended tone. ‘I thought maybe you might need me after all.’
‘Bored? Surely you’ve got better things to do than worry about work?’
‘I’m not worried; I just thought you might want some help.’
‘It’s very sweet of you but I’m fine. There’s really not that much going on here at the moment if I’m honest.’
‘It’s all under control?’ Betsy asked, sounding vaguely disappointed.
‘All under control. There’s a venue manager here who’s amazing – so organised. To be honest – though I wouldn’t say it, of course – I don’t really think Chloe ever needed me. I think it would have gone swimmingly with just Regan in charge.’
‘So, are you going to tell her that and give her money back?’
‘No, I’m not!’ Lara said with a light laugh. ‘I’ve got a business to run and, besides, I’m here now. I’m sure there will be lots for me to do later on.’
‘So, what’s happening now? What does Chloe look like? Does she look gorgeous?’
The Break Up: The perfect heartwarming romantic comedy Page 8
