Because of course he did. Why would he do the courteous thing and pretend like he hadn’t seen her come out of the bathroom? Why would he respect the idea that really, it was none of his business what she was doing there?
Angie closed her eyes. Then, not for the first time that day, and not for the first time with this man, she fixed a smile onto her face. ‘Bathroom.’
‘I thought you’d already gone—’ he lifted his arm to look at his wrist ‘—almost forty-five minutes ago?’
‘You’re keeping track?’
There was a beat during which he had the grace to look embarrassed. ‘Just looking out for Jenny, dear.’
Jenny must have been the bride, she thought, and huffed out a breath. ‘I appreciate that, sir, but everything is fine.’ When he opened his mouth to reply, she said, ‘I’m not a part of the wedding.’
Because she was tired. The farce was becoming more annoying the longer it went on.
‘I saw you in the crowd outside of the church.’
‘I got caught in it when I stopped to come to the café.’
‘But... Your dress?’
Clearly the man wasn’t going to let things go easily. She glanced over at Ezra, but he was looking at his papers intently. Apparently, he wasn’t going to be much help... Unless she could get his attention.
She put her foot behind her tentatively. When she didn’t feel anything alarming, she shifted her weight back on it.
‘A happy coincidence,’ she told the man, before repeating the action. She smiled brightly and hoped that the glare of it—because sadly, she couldn’t actually glare at this frustrating man—would blind him to the fact that she was moving. Slowly, yes, but she was making progress.
But so was he. When he took a step forward, his trusting gaze still on her, it seemed as if he didn’t even know he was moving.
Damn it.
* * *
‘A coincidence? That can’t be it.’
‘Except I assure you it is.’
Ezra heard the words before his mind told him the voice was familiar. His eyes settled on Angie at the same time he recognised it was her voice he’d heard. She was holding herself up stiffy and he braced, preparing to defend her, though he had no idea from what.
Then Ezra saw the older man speaking with her. The man had a kind though intense expression on his face, and Ezra waited.
‘Darling, look.’ The man paused. ‘I know that this has been an emotional wedding. Jenny and Dave are happy, and perhaps that’s reminded you that you’d like to be happy in that way, too.’ He lifted Angie’s left hand up and stared pointedly at the empty ring finger, before gently letting her hand fall. ‘You’ve told me you have a boyfriend here. Do you want me to talk with him? Maybe convince him to think about making things official between you two? Because I’ll do it,’ he said graciously. ‘I’ll do it so you don’t abandon my Jenny on her wedding day.’
Something inside Ezra stilled, and he didn’t quite hear Angie’s flat reply. But the reprieve was brief before his mind started spinning, picking information out of what the older man had just told Angie to form a narrative that sent nausea swirling around his stomach.
The first was confirmation that this was Jenny and Dave’s wedding.
He wasn’t sure why he needed the confirmation. He’d brought his invitation with him, hadn’t he? Hadn’t he stared at it before making the phone call to book his room as soon as he realised he’d be moving back to Cape Town? Hadn’t he crushed the invitation in his hand and thrown it into the bin? Hadn’t he then taken it out again, minutes later, painstakingly smoothing it out?
Though the invitation hardly mattered. Apart from confirming that his former students were getting married there, it meant nothing to him. Nor would it to them, he thought. He hadn’t told them he’d be attending. He hadn’t known he’d be attending.
He probably would have spent more time stewing in that if it weren’t for the second piece of information Angie’s companion had revealed.
She had a boyfriend?
‘I’m not abandoning anyone, sir,’ Angie said with a forced patience he imagined she used with unruly students. ‘I don’t know Jenny or Dave, so—’
‘You don’t know them as a married couple,’ the man interrupted helpfully. ‘Things aren’t the way they used to be, you know. Young women these days still spend time with their friends when they’re married. Even when those friends are unmarried.’
‘Oh, how lovely,’ Angie said. She angled her body so he could now see her face.
It was twisted with annoyance—and, he imagined, exasperation at the man’s backward thinking—and her eyes fluttered over to him. Her brows lifted. When he shook his head, a grin claiming his lips despite the uneasiness fluttering around in his body at the news of her relationship status, she narrowed her eyes.
He couldn’t blame her; he’d made no move to save her. Even though it had reminded him of the messiness of his mind since his breakup, he’d enjoyed finally witnessing what she was talking about. He understood now why she’d been so desperate to escape being dragged into the wedding. And he could enjoy it because he had confirmation that Angie wasn’t available.
Not that it mattered, a firm voice said in his head. He almost nodded before he realised that that would be a sure sign he’d lost his mind. Instead, he just told himself to listen to the damn voice.
He’d silenced it too many times in the past. It had started when he’d been a stupid teenager eager for freedom. It had continued when he’d moved hundreds of kilometres away from his home. From his family, his career, his life.
When he’d spent years in a relationship he now saw had been lukewarm at best; downright chilly at worst. When he’d bought a ring and proposed. When he’d waited with bated breath for an answer...
He’d silenced his gut instinct too many times before; he’d suffered for it as many times. So he’d listen to the voice cautioning him about the woman he’d only known for an hour. Even if she made him laugh when he couldn’t quite remember the last time he had.
‘You know what?’ Angie said, her eyes back on the older man. ‘I think you’re right. I’m probably just making up these very detailed lies—’ her tone was so heavy with sarcasm Ezra was surprised it didn’t drag her down to the floor ‘—because I’d like my boyfriend to propose.’
The tone had changed quickly, into something syrupy that matched the small smile she was aiming at the man.
‘I think... Maybe I was hoping coming out here and spending time alone together would push him into doing it. Especially with the wedding and it being Christmas and all of that.’
She shrugged. Somehow her smile turned into a hopeful one. A shy one. If he weren’t so stunned at her words, he might have laughed.
‘Oh, darling.’ The man’s voice went soft, and Ezra struggled to hear what came next. The next thing he knew, Angie’s head was tilting his way and the man was turning toward Ezra, face beaming.
They exchanged a few more words and with a wink, the man went off. Angie returned to her seat, an innocent expression on her face.
‘You missed your calling,’ he said, his voice steady, though his heart didn’t feel that way.
‘What? Oh, that?’ She waved a hand. ‘It was just a little something I picked up in acting class.’
‘You went to acting class?’
‘No.’ She smiled. ‘But considering your reaction and his—’ she tilted her head toward where she had the conversation with the man ‘—I should have.’ She drank the last of her whiskey, then frowned. ‘Are you okay? You look...pale.’
‘I’m fine,’ he managed, and wondered if he could wish his heart calm. Or whether he’d ever be faced with the prospect of marriage or a wedding again and not feel as if he were falling into the hole he’d dug for himself with Liesel.
He’d hoped coming to where his students were
getting married would help him get over it. Evidently not.
‘Maybe you’re picking up on your own guilt at throwing me under the bus like that,’ he said, forcing himself to act like a normal human being again.
‘Oh, I don’t feel bad about that,’ she answered. ‘You did leave me there to fend for myself.’
‘But you did it so well.’
‘I didn’t say I didn’t enjoy it,’ she said with a wink. ‘Why didn’t you come to my rescue though? I thought we were together in this whole “weddings are the worst” thing.’
He struggled for the ease to tease her when her words had his heart racing again. ‘It was entertaining.’ He paused. ‘And maybe I was waiting for your boyfriend to show up.’
‘You heard that?’ She winced. ‘I’ve had the worst luck when it comes to that man. He caught me after I made my escape through the shrubs.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘I was on my way here and I walked right into him.’
‘That still doesn’t explain the boyfriend?’
‘I was getting there,’ she said wryly. ‘I didn’t have to come back through the shrubs because there was a proper pathway a few metres from where I went through them. I know,’ she told him, though he’d said nothing. He tried not to smile. ‘Anyway, I had to make up some reason why I was so clearly not at the photos that were being taken. Somehow I ended up pretending I’d been making out with my boyfriend. He seemed impressed at the time, so you’re welcome.’
He took a moment to process. ‘I’m not sure what I’m supposed to be thanking you for?’
‘For making your reputation a lot edgier than what you likely would have earned on your own.’
‘Hey, I’m edgy.’
‘Sure you are.’
He couldn’t help the smile now, though that feeling spinning inside of him hadn’t settled yet. ‘Fine. But if I’m not, neither are you.’
‘Oh, please,’ she said, throwing up a hand. ‘I’m edgy. I’m so edgy, I live on the edge.’ And immediately pulled her face. ‘I am so sorry you had to hear that.’
He laughed. It made no sense—what she’d said and the fact that he was laughing at all—but he did. He laughed. Those full lips of hers curved and he felt an answering pull in himself.
‘I just hope he believes me,’ she said after a moment.
‘What did you tell him?’
‘That Jenny and Dave were taking their solo photos.’ Her face twisted again. ‘I don’t even know these people and yet I’m calling them by their first names.’
‘Because you’re edgy.’
‘Wiseass,’ she said, but there was no heat in it. ‘You better hope that man believes me, too, or he might be back to find out why I lied to him about—’ She cut herself off, considering. ‘Well, about everything.’
‘Let’s get out of here,’ he said suddenly. ‘Let’s go for a walk and let him and the guests settle in at the reception. By the time we get back, they’ll all be too occupied with celebrating the wedding to bother you. You can finally enjoy a meal in peace.’
‘By the time we get back, I’ll have to leave,’ she replied.
A weight settled in his chest and his mind tried to convince him to stay in the café so they could speak comfortably. So he could find out all the things it suddenly seemed incredibly important to know about her.
But his body, his heart told him he couldn’t. Not when the realisation that he wanted to know more about her made his lungs cry for fresh air, even if the summer’s day didn’t mean that air would be cool.
His momentary dip into the past and the last few minutes—oh, who was he kidding? The last hour—with Angie made him feel...trapped.
He needed to not feel trapped. By his memories of Liesel. By his strange feelings for Angie.
He didn’t know which of those had contributed most to the pressure in his chest. It didn’t change the fact that he couldn’t stay inside anymore.
‘We could still go for a walk.’
She tilted her head, making her curls fall over her forehead, then nodded. ‘Okay.’
He packed up as she settled the bill. She’d refused his offer to pay for their drinks, telling him she owed him one. He hadn’t been able to muster the energy to complain. While she paid, he determined that his memories were the main cause of his need to suddenly go outside.
It was exactly why he avoided thinking about Liesel—about weddings, about relationships, about dating—as far as possible. He always needed time to recuperate after. Not too much time, otherwise he’d end up analysing every stupid decision he’d made since leaving for Grahamstown.
Since before.
He grabbed his bag, annoyed with the direction of his thoughts. He waited for Angie at the door, and they walked out together.
‘I’m going to put this in my car.’ He gestured to his things, nodding to his car ahead of them. ‘Not sure carrying around this much weight is going to make for a relaxing walk.’
‘Could I put my handbag in there, too? My car is further down the way, through those people.’ She grimaced, then shook her shoulders. ‘My subconscious must have known I’d need a quick escape when I parked.’
She smiled and he felt...different. He couldn’t put his finger on how or why. He only figured out it was because of her smile when she sobered and he realised he’d been staring at her. Then he realised that her smile made him feel lighter, less weighed-down by his memories. Suddenly he was determined to make her smile again.
‘You aren’t afraid this is all a ruse to kidnap you?’ He popped open the boot of his car.
‘Wow, this conversation turned morbid quickly.’ She placed her handbag next to his bag. ‘But yes, I have considered it. I’ve concluded it would be terrible for you if you were a kidnapper. I would talk your ear off. I’d keep talking because that’s the way I deal with weird situations.’
Somehow his determination to make her smile had ended up with him smiling.
‘You’re talking a lot now. Do you think this is a weird situation?’
‘Honestly? Yeah, I kind of do. I mean, I’m a complete stranger who asked you for help so I didn’t have to deal with being mistaken as a bridesmaid. And I pretended you, also a complete stranger, were my boyfriend to an old man who probably means well. All to avoid a wedding,’ she added softly, a frown wrinkling the skin between her eyebrows.
He knew that last part had been for her. He almost opened his mouth to ask what she’d discovered about herself.
‘Then there’s the fact that you’re acting weird.’
He blinked. ‘What?’
‘Ever since that man did what he did inside—and I guess, since I did what I did inside—you’ve been weird.’ She moved away now and made her way down the gravel path. He stared for a moment, then followed.
‘I haven’t been weird.’
She didn’t look at him. ‘Okay.’
‘No, really,’ he insisted. ‘Look, I just don’t deal well with...strangers,’ he finished lamely. Saying ‘weddings’ would have opened a discussion he didn’t really want to have. ‘You can sympathise, right?’
‘I can.’ She paused. ‘Though I can also say that you’re dealing perfectly fine with me.’ The side of her cheek lifted in a smile. ‘For the most part, anyhow.’
His mouth mirrored hers and he almost wished he could shake it off. Because how did any of this make sense? This woman saw what he didn’t want her to—called him out on it, too—and it didn’t make him want to run far away. It didn’t change that he wanted to talk with her, despite what she’d see.
And yet being unwilling to share his feelings had been part of why Liesel had left him. At least according to her. After she’d staggered back and refused his proposal.
‘How could I have known you wanted to get married? You never tell me what you’re thinking. What you’re feeling.’
‘I moved all the way
to Grahamstown for you, Liesel. Away from my family. What did you think that meant?’
‘You didn’t move for me. Not really.’
His foot kicked at the gravel path, his entire body tense, and he forced himself to snap out of it.
‘This is beautiful,’ he commented.
It had been an attempt to distract himself, but as he looked around, he realised it was true. Large trees stood boldly on each side of the gravel path they were walking down, their leaves bright green save for the few with edges wilted from the heat. Christmas lights stretched over the path from the branches of the trees. They were mostly fairy lights and not those pictures of Father Christmas and his reindeers Ezra saw almost everywhere in Cape Town.
Pops of colour came from flower bushes that peeked out around the trees. At the end of the path a pier led out onto the river that surrounded the property. His eyes found the white material waving in the slight summer’s breeze before his mind realised he was looking at Jenny. Something in his chest contracted.
‘Yeah, it’s beautiful,’ Angie agreed, her eyes on Jenny, too.
‘You say that as if you’re surprised.’
‘I am. It wasn’t like this when we stopped here at Christmastime.’
‘This? As in these trees?’
She laughed. It didn’t sound genuine. ‘No, the lights. It’s Christmassy without being tacky.’ She tilted her head. ‘Maybe they added this for the wedding.’ The edges of her mouth tugged down in admiration. ‘If so, it kind of makes me want to go inside the venue and check the décor.’
‘Airtight logic.’
‘Thank you.’ She looked at him, then nodded her head. ‘Ah, you’re making fun of me again.’
‘You make it so easy,’ he teased, stuffing his hands into his pockets. ‘Seriously though, this seems elaborate to add for just one wedding. And expensive.’
‘Maybe Jenny and Dave are millionaires who want elaborate and expensive.’
He laughed. ‘Er, no.’
‘And you say that with such certainty because you know them so well?’
His head whipped in her direction—then he saw her expression. She was teasing him. He swallowed, tried for an easy grin.
A Wedding One Christmas Page 4
