by Melissa Hill
“Yes.” He rolled his eyes.
“Oh dear.”
“Well, look – I really shouldn’t – ”
“Of course you should.” Nicola put her empty mug on the table. “Dan, it was nice seeing you again.”
Dan hesitated for a second and looked directly at her. “Nic, I really am so sorry.”
The way he said it, she knew he wasn’t just talking about having to rush off.
She gave him a small smile. “We’ll talk again sometime.”
“It was really good seeing you again.”
“You too,” Nicola said quietly, and let the man who had once been the love of her life rush away to meet another woman.
36
Nicola had suspected from the very beginning that Shannon Fogarty was after her husband. She and Dan had worked at the same accountancy practice long before Nicola came on the scene, and before Dan and John went into partnership. The trio were close friends, and Shannon made no secret of her dislike of Dan’s new girlfriend.
Dan had invited Nicola to a company dinner, and John’s wife had tipped her off about Shannon beforehand. Nicola had always liked John’s wife, and the two women clicked immediately upon their first meeting. Carolyn was chatty, bubbly and well able to handle John.
She had described Shannon in her typical succinct fashion.
“She’s a cow,” she said. “Very possessive of her ‘boys’, and she’ll talk to you only if she feels like it. The first time I met her – a year or two ago now – I didn’t know what I had done to offend. ” Carolyn smacked her lips together. “So, I doubt she’ll make you feel very welcome.”
Nicola grimaced. “Great. We’ve only being going out a few weeks, I don’t know half the people there and already one of them hates me.”
Carolyn gave a little smile. “Oh, something tells me you’ll be more than a match for our Ms Fogarty. And I for one can’t wait for the sparks to fly.”
By the time they reached the restaurant where everyone was meeting, Nicola and Carolyn were a little on the late side. John was seated at the table, but the chair beside him was empty and Nicola deduced that Dan must be either at the bar, or in the bathroom.
“Hi, everyone,” Carolyn beamed. “Nice to see you all again. This is Nicola – the main reason Dan’s been going around with a big fat grin on his face lately.”
Nicola knew instantly that the tall, but surprisingly young redhead looking daggers at them was the famous Shannon.Talk about winding the woman up. John’s wife obviously took a sadistic pleasure in unsettling Shannon and while the people Nicola didn’t already know shook hands with her and introduced themselves, Shannon sat button-lipped and completely ignored her.
“Hey, girls,” Dan appeared at the table, and put a protective hand on Nicola’s back. “Sorry … I was talking to a guy in the gents’.” Then he stood back and looked her up and down. “Wow, you look amazing.”
Nicola was wearing a white, knee-length silk dress with tiny gold butterflies running diagonally across the bias-cut skirt. The neckline plunged to a sharp ‘v’ emphasising her deep cleavage, and the white looked stunning against her dark colouring.
“I know – she looks so stylish. I’d kill for a figure like that.” Carolyn, who was considered the epitome of glamour, and was also dressed to the nines, gave Nicola an almost imperceptible wink. “And I’ve never met anyone with such curves.”
Nicola smiled self-consciously, and took a seat beside Dan.
Shannon peered across the table at her. “I must be mixing you up with someone else. You’re not the aerobics girl, are you?”
“Not exactly. I’m a fitness instructor but we do a lot more at the centre than just aerobics.”
“Oh?” Shannon took a sip from her wine. “You seem very different from Dan’s usual type,” she added.
All throughout dinner the other woman ignored her to the point of extreme rudeness. Twice Nicola asked her to pass the parmesan, and twice Shannon paid no attention. The younger girl tried a number of times to engage Dan in conversation about past experiences, mutual friends, work – anything, it seemed, that would prevent Nicola from participating. At one stage, when Nicola vacated her seat alongside Dan to visit the ladies’, she returned to find Shannon happily ensconced in her place, her arm linked possessively through her boyfriend’s.
She had known instantly that Shannon was little competition. If Dan was interested in her, she was sure he would have done something about it long before now.
Soonafter, she and Dan were married and by the time they moved into their apartment in Bray, Nicola had almost forgotten about Shannon. Dan and John had been making plans to set up a partnership and go out on their own.
Then, a few months after their wedding, Shannon began phoning Dan at the apartment at all hours of the morning, whining and crying over this guy and that, expecting him to comfort her.
“She’s getting desperate,” Carolyn had said, when Nicola complained to her about it. “She knows that Dan’s leaving the company, and she’s pulling out all the stops.”
“He’s married and no longer a free agent. Shouldn’t that scupper her plans a little?”
Carolyn shrugged. “That one’s imbalanced, there’s no other word for it. Who knows what goes on in her head?”
For the time being, Nicola had held her counsel and said nothing to Dan. She kept up her good intentions for as long as she could – until one evening Shannon appeared at her front door looking for her husband.
“He’s still at work,” Nicola said shortly from the doorway.
The younger woman looked pointedly at her watch. “You mean he’s not here?” she looked surprised. “He left the office early this afternoon. I wonder what he’s up to?”
But Nicola refused to rise to the bait. “Shannon, is there anything else?” she asked in a bored voice.
“No, not at the moment. But,” she added with, Nicola thought, a scheming smirk, “tell Dan I was looking for him and I’ll be at home later if he wants me.” She put particular emphasis on the word ‘want’, apparently for Nicola’s benefit.
Still Nicola kept her counsel and refused to rise to the woman’s bait. And not long after she and Dan had a different kind of interruption to worry about.
She remembered Dan’s nervousness while waiting for the little blue line to change colour.
“I feel like Homer Simpson,” he had said. “Purple means ‘doh!’, red means ‘wohoo!’.”
Nicola was so fraught with anticipation that she was unable to answer. When finally the line began to change colour, and continued to darken until it was clearly red, Dan picked her up and spun her around the room.
“Wohoo! Woohoo!” he shouted.
“Stop it, you idiot,” Nicola was laughing through her tears, as then Dan laid her on the bed and the two of them made love, both exhilarated by the fact that an extra link was soon to be added to their almost unreal bond.
Nicola couldn’t remember ever feeling so elated. You’d think that it would be enough that a most wonderful man had out of nowhere walked into her life and swept her off her feet. And now, just when she thought things couldn’t get any better, she was about to become a mother.
She tried to get her head around it, tried to abandon herself to the pure unadulterated elation she felt; yet deep down inside she couldn’t help feeling afraid. She was afraid that all of this could come crashing down on top of her. What had she done to deserve this bliss?
Dan had by now fallen asleep at her side and, as she studied his peaceful expression, Nicola felt a tiny sliver of fear. What would she do if anything ever happened to him? Dan was her life.
She had always laughed at those silly stories and films about that ‘special person’ out there for everyone, had always scoffed at Laura’s notion of a ‘better half’. But Dan was without doubt her better half – and a considerably better one at that. It sounded corny, and she wouldn’t dare say it loud, but her husband was a ‘good’ person by its absolute definition. Nicola co
uldn’t help feeling afraid that maybe his parents were right. Perhaps Dan was way too good for her and one day, eventually, he might realise it. She gave a mental shrug as she tried to suppress her unease. They had a wonderful relationship and their happiness had just been completed.
She really shouldn’t worry so much. Perhaps it was perfectly natural for a new mother to be having feelings like this.
Or maybe, Nicola thought, a slight grin on her face, just maybe she had done something wonderful in a past life, and was getting her rewards in this one.
Ken, who had a key to Nicola’s house, was waiting for her when she returned to Lakeview that evening. As she pulled into the driveway, she saw Barney and him standing together in the doorway – the Labrador’s tail wagging so hard she thought there was a danger it might fall off.
“Well, how did it go?” he asked when they were inside, his expression completely unreadable.
Nicola grimaced and rubbed Barney’s glossy coat. “The only word I can think of at the moment to describe it is – strange.”
“Strange?”
“Yes. I don’t know what I had expected exactly, but he’s still the same old Dan.”
“But how did it go?” Ken repeated, an anxious edge to his tone. “I mean, what did you two talk about?”
Nicola sat back in her chair. “Well, seeing him face to face after all this time felt very odd – it was quite tense at the beginning. Still, after a while, I think we both began to relax. I’d imagine it was weird for Dan too.”
Ken’s facial muscles twitched slightly, but he said nothing.
“But somehow, it wasn’t the big deal I thought it would be. I mean, what could we say to one another? So much time had passed and – ”
“Surely he must have at least asked how you were?” Ken interjected. “Didn’t he say anything?”
She grimaced. “Well, we didn’t get much of a chance to talk, actually. The ice had been broken, we were laughing over something stupid and then, the fiancée rang.”
“Oh. And did she know he was meeting you?”
Nicola shook her head. “I don’t think so – he went shortly afterwards. But he showed me a photograph of her.”
“He what?”
She grinned at his reaction. “Yep, she’s blonde, petite, and obviously well off – a typical trade-in model, really.”
“Jeez, he showed you a picture of his new fiancée,” Ken was amazed. He gave her a sideways glance. “And did it … did that bother you?”
“No, it didn’t.” There was a slight pause, and then she smiled. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
Ken finally sat down beside her. “I wasn’t sure whether or not you wanted me here, considering. I mean, I haven’t been exactly supportive about your seeing him again and I didn’t know if you wanted some time alone after –”
“Of course I want you here.” Nicola looked at him. “Ken, as I told you before, my meeting Dan today wasn’t going to change anything between us. I love you – there’s never been any doubt about that.” She sat forward. “Actually, I think today really brought it all home to me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well – and you might think this is silly – but when I pulled up in the car just now, and saw you and Barney at the doorway, I felt like … I don’t know … like I had come home, or something.”
Ken was smiling. “Are you sure you’re all right? Nothing happened to you on the way back – like a blow to the head, or anything?”
“Stop laughing, you know what I mean,” she said lightly, pleased that he had relaxed a little. “Here I am, trying to be nice to you.”
“You’re being nice to me now?” Ken said, eyes twinkling. “When did that change of heart come about?”
She fixed him with a hard glare.
“OK, OK, I’m sorry,” he chuckled. “Go on with what you were saying – about ‘coming home’ and all that.”
“Ken … ”
“No, seriously, go on.”
“Well, on my way home, I got to thinking about everything that had gone wrong between Dan and me, especially in the later stages, and I came to the conclusion …” she paused, and blushed a little, “I suppose I’ve always known that if it had been you I married – if you had been my husband back then, things would have turned out differently.” She felt him lightly squeeze her hand. “And then, turning into the driveway tonight and seeing you and Barney standing together like that, I felt a kind of –” she searched for the right word, “clarity, I suppose. Like I said before, I felt like this was exactly where I belonged – with you.”
“So, that’s it then?” he asked softly. “You and Dan – there’s nothing left between you now – no unfinished business, or anything?”
Nicola reached across and kissed him. “That’s it,” she said decisively.
37
Was there anything more mortifying than having to postpone a wedding? Chloe didn’t think so.
It had been so embarrassing having to ring each and every guest on the guest list, explaining that their wedding would have to be postponed until early next year. She could almost sense the sniggers behind the masked sympathy. She’d never get over this.
Last week, and with only a month to go until the big day, Chloe had called the hotel to confirm the arrangements for their wedding on September 25th. She should have guessed that something was wrong when the receptionist first sounded confused, and then nervous, quickly promising that she would ‘check the arrangements and have someone phone back’.
Minutes later, the hotel manager phoned, and in smooth tones informed Chloe that yes, there was a wedding booked for September 25th – in the name of Collins/Moran. “I’ve examined our records, and it appears that a Fallon/Hunt wedding is scheduled at this hotel for September 25th next year.” He spoke slowly, as if Chloe was some kind of simpleton.
“No, no, that must be a mistake,” Chloe spoke quickly, her heart racing madly. “Our wedding was booked months ago. I signed the booking form myself.”
There was a slight shuffle at the other end of the phone. “Yes, I have the booking here in front of me,” the manager said. “Ms Fallon, next year’s date has indeed been entered here.”
“What?” Chloe tried to keep the shriek out of her voice. “What do you mean ‘next year’s date’? Surely I, of all people, should know when my own bloody wedding is happening! Why would I fill in next year’s date?”
“I’m sorry, Ms Fallon, but this is the information I have here. As I said, we already have another wedding for Friday 25th this year.”
“Well, we’ll see about that,” she said resolutely, before hanging up on the annoyingly placating manager.
That evening, after finally managing to trace Dan, who had been away at a meeting with some client or other, the two of them called to the hotel to personally examine the booking form. To Chloe’s absolute horror, she discovered that next year’s date had indeed been entered – and she had signed for it.
“I don’t believe it,” she said tearfully, putting a hand to her mouth. “How could I have done something so stupid? Why would I have done that? At the end of last year, I phoned specifically enquiring about 25th September, and the receptionist told me it was free.”
Then she recalled a recent conversation with the hotel about the flowers. There had been some confusion as to whether the 25th was a Thursday, or a Friday. She also remembered that the receptionist sounded a little bit strange on the phone. Probably wondering why anyone would be making arrangements for flowers a whole year in advance, Chloe thought glumly.
Damn! She should have realised then that something was up. Now some other couple would be celebrating their wedding here on her wedding day. How could this have happened?
“Isn’t there anything you can do?” Dan asked, frowning. “Maybe accommodate us in a conference room, or something?”
“What?” Chloe cut in before the hotel manager could answer. “I’m not holding my wedding reception – the most important day of m
y life – in some dingy conference room! No way, Dan! We’ll have the banquet hall, or nothing. That’s part of the bloody reason I chose this hotel in the first place!”
The hotel manager intervened. “Ms Fallon, Mr Hunt, unfortunately all our facilities are fully booked on the 25th. Obviously, you have additional arrangements made, and I’m sure you don’t want to wait another year – ”
“We can’t wait another year!” Chloe said, gritting her teeth. “Everything’s arranged, the flowers, the cake, the invitations …” At this, she broke off, remembering the day she went to choose those bloody invitations – the same day she broke that car wing-mirror on Lakeview main street.
That was it! Chloe realised suddenly. All of this had to be her punishment – her seven years’ bad luck. First the mix-up with the invitations, then Dan’s ex coming back into his life – and now this!
“Well, maybe we could try and get a booking somewhere else –” Dan began.
“But where?” Chloe felt as though someone was twisting a knife in her heart. She couldn’t give up on this hotel, not when it was to be the piece de résistance of the entire wedding. She wasn’t going to end up in some kip on her wedding day. No bloody way. It was the one thing that she wouldn’t – she couldn’t – compromise on at the beginning, when she and Dan were planning it. Heaven knows she had fought long and hard enough to convince him.
“Everybody else just picks these ordinary run-of-the-mill hotels,” she had said at the time. “I want something different, something elegant, something –”
“Expensive,” Dan had finished with a groan, but eventually he agreed.
And now after all that, it seemed that Chloe wouldn’t be dancing her first dance as Mrs Hunt in these sumptuous surroundings. What had she done to deserve this?
“Dan, it’s only a few weeks to the wedding,” she said mournfully. “What chance do we have of getting anywhere at such short notice?”
He shrugged. “We hardly have much of a choice.”
No way. No way was Chloe going somewhere else. There had to be other possibilities. She turned to the hotel manager. “Don’t you have any other days free around that time – a Thursday or even a Monday?”
