by Sophie Hart
Julia hurried through the crowds of Christmas shoppers as they ambled along Haymarket, their arms laden with bags full of presents. The atmosphere was festive; traditional Christmas songs drifted out from shop doorways, whilst the windows were filled with gift sets and fake snow and tinsel. Against the darkening late-afternoon sky, snowmen and stars and Santas were lit brightly atop lampposts, strings of illuminated baubles criss-crossing the street.
It was freezing cold, but Julia was wrapped up cosily in her hooded parka and thick woollen scarf. She’d left Jack at Two Trees for the afternoon, and was relishing this precious ‘me time’, as she picked out presents for him and Nick. Julia was all too aware that this would be her son’s first Christmas, and she wanted to make it as special as she possibly could – even if there was very little chance he’d remember it. Both Julia and Nick’s parents were coming down from Derbyshire over the festive season, and Julia knew she’d be run off her feet, so they’d agreed to spend New Year alone, just the three of them.
Julia hastily checked her phone, aware that she was running late, and quickened her pace, finally coming across the old-fashioned little tearooms, tucked away in the backstreets. The windows were steamed up, with the promise of warmth inside. Julia pushed open the door and set the bell jangling, the delicious smell of freshly baked cakes hitting her nostrils.
She spotted who she was looking for straight away.
‘Annie!’ Julia cried excitedly, weaving her way through the cramped tables to where her friend was sitting.
‘Julia!’ Annie stood up as she saw her, and the two women hugged.
‘How are you?’ Julia demanded, taking a step back to look at her. ‘Wow, you look great. Seriously, Annie, really amazing.’
‘Thanks,’ Annie smiled back, looking faintly embarrassed by all the praise.
Annie was a professional relationship therapist, and the two women had met when Julia and Nick had gone to her for counselling. Julia had struggled to fall pregnant, and their marriage had seriously suffered as a result. Surprisingly, Nick had been the one to first suggest therapy, whilst Julia had been fiercely resistant. In fact, when she thought about how rude she’d been to Annie in those first few sessions, she felt incredibly guilty. But that was all behind them now. Annie had been hugely helpful to Julia and Nick, and they’d kept in touch ever since.
‘Have you had your hair done?’ Julia wondered, as she shrugged off her coat and draped it over the back of her chair, trying to find room for her shopping bags in the confined space.
‘Yeah, I had a little colour put in it,’ Annie admitted, running her hands through her soft, shiny bob, which was now a rich mahogany colour. She was wearing a black polo neck with slim-fitting jeans and knee-length boots and, as Julia had observed, she cut a striking figure. Her skin was glowing, her eyes sparkling.
‘Life’s obviously treating you well,’ Julia grinned.
‘Yeah, everything is pretty good,’ Annie nodded, as she flicked through the menu. ‘Shall we order? I’m dying to hear all your news.’
‘Mmm, let’s,’ Julia agreed, glancing round at the other customers, her mouth watering at the sight of clotted cream scones and delicious-looking slices of fluffy Victoria sponge. She quickly scanned the selection, and within minutes a waitress was at their table.
‘What can I get you?’ she smiled.
‘I’ll have the coffee and walnut cake, with a latte,’ Annie requested.
‘I’ll go for the breakfast tea, with a strawberry tart, please.’
The waitress jotted down their order and walked away, as Julia sat forward in her seat and grinned at Annie. ‘So, tell me all the gossip! How’s Jamie?’
Jamie was Annie’s boyfriend. He was a software designer, and the two of them had met when they rented offices in the same building.
Annie’s face lit up once again, the faintest blush stealing over her cheeks. ‘He’s good,’ she said bashfully. ‘We’re both really busy – you know he’s working over near Cambridge now? But we moved in together in the summer, so that’s great ’cos at least we get to fall asleep in the same bed – even if we’re too tired to do anything while we’re there.’
‘That doesn’t sound good,’ Julia frowned. ‘Sounds like you need to start taking some of your own advice.’
‘Oh, don’t worry, we always make time for that,’ Annie grinned.
‘So no wedding bells yet?’
‘Not yet. We have talked about it,’ Annie admitted. ‘But there’s no rush for now. We’re just enjoying being together for the moment, and I’m getting to know Olivia.’
Olivia was Jamie’s daughter from a previous relationship. It had been a shock to Annie to find out that she existed, but the two of them got on brilliantly, and Annie enjoyed spending time with her.
‘Well you know where to come when he does finally pop the question,’ Julia couldn’t resist adding. ‘I could plan an amazing wedding for you two. I can picture it already,’ she sighed. ‘All vintage romance, with beautiful pastel flowers and lots of pearls and lace. Or maybe something more modern, with a black and white theme and a funky band in the evening?’
‘I don’t exactly know that I’m a big wedding kind of girl,’ Annie demurred, promising, ‘But you’ll definitely be my first port of call when it happens. If it happens.’
‘It will,’ Julia replied confidently, her eyes dancing.
The waitress arrived, placing the drinks and cakes on the table, and Julia and Annie tucked in.
‘So how is the wedding business? You mentioned in your last email that you’d gone back to work,’ Annie said, before taking a bite of her coffee and walnut cake. It crumbled on her lips, and her face dissolved into an expression of delight. ‘Mmm, this is delicious.’
‘Ooh, let me try a bit,’ Julia grinned, leaning across to scoop up a spoonful, before offering her strawberry tart. ‘Here, have some of this. Yeah, work’s good. I took on one job, and before I knew it I suddenly had three on my hands. I’m not quite sure how that happened!’
‘Three?’ Annie exclaimed.
‘Well, two of them are more small scale, and I’m doing them more as favours, just to get me back into the swing of things. The bigger one is proving to be a bit tricky.’
‘Bridezilla?’
‘No, the opposite. The bride’s lovely. It’s the mother-in-law that’s the problem. Worships the ground her son walks on, and thinks nothing is good enough for him. They’re having a do for three hundred people at Southwark Castle.’
‘Southwark Castle? Isn’t that the enormous stately home where they filmed Pride and Prejudice?’
‘Exactly. I mean, it’s beautiful, but that’s not the point. And three hundred guests. Who has three hundred friends? Like I said, the bride’s a sweetheart, and she seems mortified by all the hoopla. I think she’d have preferred something intimate and low-key, but there’s no way the mother-in-law will stand for that.’
‘She sounds like a nightmare!’
‘She is. And I just know that the closer we get to the wedding, the worse she’ll become. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Aimee – the bride – I’d have thought about quitting.’
‘I’m sure you can cope with it,’ Annie grinned. ‘I have faith in your skills. Seriously though, do you ever get time to see Jack amongst all the craziness? Or Nick for that matter?’
‘Of course,’ Julia’s face softened. ‘It’s working out pretty well actually. Jack seems settled in a local nursery, and I’m only ever away for a few hours at a time. I can pretty much dictate when I want to work, so it’s really convenient.’
‘How is Jack? I haven’t seen him since he was born. He must be huge.’
‘He’s nearly nine months. Here, have a look at these pictures.’ Julia pulled out her iPhone, handing it across to Annie who began scrolling through.
‘Oh, he’s gorgeous,’ she exclaimed. ‘Look at those cheeks! Wow, he looks like Nick, doesn’t he?’
‘Everyone says that.’
‘But he’s go
t your eyes. He really is so cute. You’ll have to bring him with you next time we meet up.’
‘Yes, definitely. I just thought it would be easier to get the Christmas shopping done without him today.’
‘I don’t blame you. Did you get some good stuff?’ Annie asked, leaning over to peek into the heap of bags.
‘Too much,’ Julia bit her lip guiltily. ‘But it’s Jack’s first Christmas so we want to spoil him. I think I might have gone a bit overboard.’
‘No such thing,’ Annie assured her. ‘Here, I brought a little something for him,’ she continued, reaching into her bag and handing over a brightly wrapped parcel with a red bow.
‘Oh Annie, you didn’t have to do that.’
‘It’s fine. Make sure you save it until Christmas Day,’ she grinned, taking the last mouthful of her cake. ‘And how’s everything with Nick? Are you two still making time for each other?’
‘Yeeaah…’ Julia said slowly, a guilty expression appearing on her face. ‘It’s just hard, with Jack and everything. Honestly, Annie, I never realised having a baby could be so exhausting. And then with going back to work, I’m run off my feet. Whenever I do get time to slow down all I want to do is sleep.’
Annie said nothing, taking a sip of her coffee and giving Julia a stern look.
‘I know, I know,’ Julia said, burying her face. ‘It’s just so difficult¸ this concept of “having it all” – husband, baby, career. It’s really hard to juggle everything, and you constantly feel that something has to give. That you’re going to drop one of the balls. Plus Nick’s been kind of… distant, lately.’
‘Do you think he feels pushed out? I know how easy it is for Mum to get all consumed with the new baby, and Dad ends up feeling like a spare part.’
‘Maybe.’ Julia wrinkled her nose thoughtfully. ‘But even when I try to get him involved he never seems that interested. Granted, it’s only boring stuff like changing nappies or giving Jack his feed but sometimes I get the impression he’s trying to avoid it.’
‘Avoiding changing dirty nappies? Sounds sensible to me,’ Annie chuckled.
Julia smiled weakly. ‘I know it sounds silly. I mean, I know Nick loves Jack like crazy, but it’s like there’s part of him that’s detached somehow. It’s hard to explain.’
‘Maybe you need a top-up session with me?’ Annie suggested, only half joking.
‘It might not be a bad idea – just to keep us on track. Speaking of which, do you ever see Zoe and Simon? We keep up through Facebook, but I’m a bit out of the loop recently. Oh, and what about Linda and Ray? I used Linda’s florist for quite a few events, but of course I haven’t worked for a while so haven’t seen her. She sent me a lovely card after Jack was born though.’
‘Nice subject change,’ Annie teased. But she knew that Julia was genuinely interested to find out how their mutual friends were getting on. As well as the couples’ therapy sessions, Annie also ran group meetings which were much more fun and light-hearted, and could consist of anything from salsa lessons to ‘Mr and Mrs’ style quizzes. The sessions Nick and Julia had attended saw them riding tandem through the Norfolk countryside, and enjoying a day trip to Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach, amongst other things, and they’d become close to some of the other couples they’d met.
‘I think Linda’s fully retired now,’ Annie went on. ‘So if you do want to use her for events it’s her daughter, Rose, that’s running Expressions now. Linda and Ray spend most of their time travelling, I think. Every time I do speak to them, they’re about to go off on another trip. And when they’re here, they’re mostly with their grandkids.
‘Zoe and Simon are still as crazy as ever, and crazy about each other still. I get emails from Zoe every now and again. She mentioned you last time actually, wondering if I’d heard from you.’
‘I really need to get in touch with her,’ Julia admitted. ‘There’s just been so much going on recently. We all need to meet up for a coffee – I should have asked her to come today, actually.’
‘Next time,’ Annie promised.
The waitress appeared, clearing away their empty cups and crumb-covered plates.
‘Would you like the bill?’ she asked politely.
‘Yes, please,’ Julia replied, reaching for her purse. She turned to Annie, ‘I’d love to stay longer, but I need to get back.’
‘No problem,’ Annie said easily. ‘It was great seeing you, Julia. We need to do this more often – if you ever get a spare minute.’
‘Oh Annie, it’s been so lovely to see you too,’ Julia said genuinely. ‘I’d forgotten how easy it was to talk to you.’
‘That’s my job,’ Annie laughed.
‘I know. And you’ve really made me think about Nick. I do need to start making an effort, and get him to open up to me more. I don’t want us to go back to how we used to be – you know, before we came to see you.’
‘You won’t, I’m sure. I know you’ve both got a lot on your plate, and having Jack means you need to make a massive adjustment, but don’t let one another drop to the bottom of your priority list. It’s so easy to concentrate on work and baby, and take your relationship for granted, but that needs as much effort as everything else.’
‘Yes, oh wise one,’ Julia teased, getting up from the table and putting on her coat.
Annie grinned. ‘Okay, lecture over. Say hi to Nick for me, and give Jack a huge cuddle.’
‘Will do. Send my love to Jamie. And call me as soon as he proposes so I can start the planning.’
Annie rolled her eyes, as Julia picked up her bags, and the two women hugged warmly.
‘Have a great Christmas, Annie.’
‘You too, Julia. You too.’
11
‘Always get married in the morning. That way, if it doesn’t work out, you haven’t wasted a whole day’ – Mickey Rooney
Gill’s house was warm and welcoming, with the gas fire blazing in the living room and the Christmas tree decorated in the corner. It smelt of cooking, and pine needles, and everywhere there was evidence of what a bustling, busy household it was, with school books and homework and Christmas cards in haphazard piles on the coffee table, toys thrown hastily into brightly coloured storage boxes, and someone’s dirty gym kit bursting out of a carrier bag in the corner. Uncoiling rolls of wrapping paper, haphazard fairy lights, and five different advent calendars propped up on the mantelpiece all added to the general feeling of chaos.
The faces staring back at Julia weren’t quite so warm and welcoming. Instead, they were a mixture of bemusement, disinterest, and outright hostility in one case. All five of Gill and Mike’s children were lined up on the enormous L-shaped sofa that had seen better days, while Julia sat opposite on a dining room chair that Mike had brought through. She was beginning to wonder what she’d got herself into.
‘Now, as I explained, we’ve called this family meeting today to talk about the wedding,’ Gill was saying. ‘We’ve finally booked a date for the summer – the eleventh of July, so seven months to go – and we really want it to happen so that we can all be one big happy family. But to do that, we’re going to need your help.’
‘I can help!’ Freddy volunteered, thrusting his hand in the air as though he was in class.
‘Me too,’ echoed Finlay, copying the action.
‘Thanks boys,’ Gill smiled. ‘I knew I could count on you.’
‘We want all of you to be involved.’ Mike took over. ‘So we thought it’d be helpful to hear any ideas you might have. That way, we can make the wedding about all of us.’
Freddy put on his best thinking face, sticking one finger in his mouth as he concentrated.
‘Can we have balloons?’ Finlay asked hopefully, as he bounced against the sofa cushions. ‘And a big birthday cake?’
‘There’ll definitely be balloons and cake,’ Mike chuckled. ‘Although it’ll be a wedding cake, not a birthday one.’
‘Father Christmas!’ Sam burst out excitedly. ‘Will there be Father Christmas and rei
ndeer?’
‘Not in July, Sammy,’ Gill shook her head. ‘He’ll have gone back to the North Pole by then. It’ll be too hot for him and Rudolf.’
‘Hopefully,’ Mike grinned. ‘You can never tell with the British weather.’
‘This is my friend, Julia, by the way,’ Gill explained to the kids, who were eyeballing her suspiciously. ‘She works as an events planner, which means it’s her job to organise parties and make sure everyone has a brilliant time. She’s got loads of ideas and can help you think of things, or answer any questions you might have.’
Julia took this as her cue to smile and say hi to everyone.
‘That’s cool,’ Paige exclaimed. ‘Have you ever done a party for Justin Bieber?’
‘Sorry to disappoint, but no I haven’t,’ Julia laughed. ‘If he ever comes to Norfolk, then maybe I’ll get the chance.’
‘Mum, is this going to take long?’ Kelly sighed, perfectly nailing her bored teenager tone. ‘Because I really need to wash my hair. That’s not even a joke.’
‘Kelly,’ Gill said sharply. ‘None of that attitude please, I can’t cope with it today. Do you have any ideas for the wedding?’
‘Um, call it off? What’s the point at your age?’
Julia saw Gill’s sharp intake of breath, and hastily cut in before Gill had a chance to speak. ‘Kelly, is it?’ she asked, and Kelly nodded warily. Julia could see the intrigued look on her face, as though challenging Julia to hold her interest. ‘Your mum asked me to come here today because she wants to throw an amazing party after her wedding, but to do that I need to hear what all of you can come up with. So if there’s anything you’ve seen on TV, or something at a friend’s party that you liked, let me know and I’ll see if I can make it happen.’
Kelly didn’t reply, but raised her eyebrows appraisingly, as though considering what Julia had said.
‘One of the first things we need to decide,’ Gill went on, throwing Julia a grateful look, ‘is what kind of wedding to have. There are all different styles you see. We probably won’t get married in a church, but we could choose a registry office, or a hotel, or a country house. Maybe even somewhere unusual like a castle or a museum. But we don’t have a massive budget, so no suggestions of outer space, Freddy,’ she warned, as Freddy grinned.
