by Sophie Hart
‘It was a good night, wasn’t it?’ she murmured.
‘Almost as good as our wedding… But not quite.’
‘Our wedding was amazing, wasn’t it?’ Julia sighed, remembering how much fun they’d had.
‘It was the second best day of my life – after Jack’s birth.’
‘Hmm, Jack’s birth was kind of mixed emotions for me. Utterly amazing to have Jack, but the most painful experience of my life by a mile.’
‘I’m sure you were exaggerating,’ Nick teased, as he dodged a playful poke from Julia. She let her hand settle back on his knee, running her fingertips teasingly along his thigh.
‘Do you think we’ve changed?’ Nick asked thoughtfully, after a pause. ‘You know, since we got married.’
‘Yeah, I’m sure we have,’ Julia replied, surprised by Nick’s reflective mood. ‘But that’s life, isn’t it? All of these experiences change you, but as long as you’re on the same page, you come through them stronger than ever.’
‘Good. I hoped you’d say that,’ Nick smiled, taking one hand off the steering wheel and lacing his fingers through his wife’s. ‘I might not always say it, and it might get lost in all the everyday rubbish, but I do love you, Jules. More than ever.’
‘I love you too,’ Julia told him, before letting out an enormous yawn.
Nick laughed. ‘Don’t worry, Cinderella. We might not get back before the clock strikes midnight, but we’ll be home soon.’
‘I can think of one or two things I’d like to do when we get there,’ Julia winked suggestively.
Nick looked at her in surprise. ‘Really? Is that a promise?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Then I’d better put my foot down!’
Nick pressed the accelerator and the car leapt forward with a growl, speeding through the quiet night to ferry its precious cargo safely home.
Epilogue
‘A good marriage is like a casserole, only those responsible for it really know what goes in it’ – Unknown
Three months later…
Aimee was sitting at a window table in Mimi’s Cafe, a stack of books piled in front of her beside a forgotten cup of coffee. She was oblivious to the rest of the world, absorbed in a copy of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. She turned the pages eagerly, her head full of the marshes of Kent, the adventures of Pip and the cruelties of Estella.
It was Saturday and, in just two days’ time, Aimee’s degree course would start at the University of Norwich. She was both excited and terrified in equal measure – excited to start her new life and begin doing what she’d dreamed about for so many months now, but terrified in case she couldn’t handle it. She’d be attending lectures with eighteen- and nineteen-year-olds, fresh out of college, or just back from their gap year travels; Aimee hadn’t studied for more than five years now, and wasn’t sure if she could still remember how.
She’d spent the last few weeks trying to prepare herself, burying herself in literature as she ploughed through the recommended reading list, devouring Shakespeare and the Brontës and even attempting Chaucer.
Her newly found studiousness wasn’t the only change taking place in Aimee’s life recently. After that fateful evening at Valerie’s house, she’d moved back in with her parents – something Pauline was delighted about. She’d signed up with a temp agency and got some summertime admin work, so she finally had a (small) income once again, and was saving every penny she could.
And, of course, she’d put in her university application. She was worried she’d be too late for the September start, but she’d been thrilled to be accepted to study English Literature alongside QTS training. It meant that, in three years’ time, she’d be a qualified teacher, Aimee realised, thinking what a different path her life would have taken if she’d become Mrs Jonathan Cunningham.
Looking back on her relationship with Jon, Aimee couldn’t understand what on earth had possessed her to put up with him for as long as she had. Even when the warning signs had become too obvious to ignore, Aimee had stumbled on, naively believing that everything might work out in the end. A desire to please everyone – her parents, her fiancé, and his awful mother – meant that she’d suppressed her feelings of unhappiness and frustration, her own personality gradually subsumed by Jon’s until she was nothing more than an extension of him and what he wanted.
Since their break-up, Aimee had blossomed. She’d reconnected with her old friends, and they’d met for dinner, gone for drinks and danced the night away, having fun the way women her age were supposed to. She’d rediscovered the little things that she loved, simple pleasures like watching EastEnders or reading gossip magazines – things that Jon would never have approved of. Aimee could see now how she’d deferred to him on every decision, from what she should wear to what she should eat for dinner that evening. It was frightening how much control he’d had over her.
Aimee had seen Jon only once since she’d broken off their engagement, when she’d gone round to his flat to collect her things. Jon had been civil, but cold, and he was clearly still hurting badly, however much he tried to hide it. Aimee suspected it was the blow to his ego that had hit him hardest.
She’d made the decision to only take the things that she’d bought herself, and it was almost embarrassing how very few possessions that amounted to. She’d left behind a whole rail of clothes, a dozen boxes of jewellery, endless DVDs and books, not to mention her beloved iPad. There was no doubt that Jon had been extremely generous towards her, but if Aimee was going to move on, she needed to leave all that behind.
The two of them hadn’t been in touch since and Aimee didn’t expect them to be. Their worlds were too different; there was little chance of them salvaging a friendship from their disastrous failed relationship, and they both knew it.
‘Aimee!’
Aimee’s head snapped up as she heard someone call her name, and she looked up to see Julia and Debbie standing there.
‘Hello, you two,’ she beamed, closing her book as she stood up to give them both a hug.
‘It’s so good to see you,’ Julia exclaimed, as she slid into the chair beside her. ‘You look fabulous.’
‘Thanks,’ Aimee grinned. She’d acquired a tan over the summer, and she’d let her hair grow out, the blonde waves already below her shoulder blades. She was dressing far more casually these days too, now that Jon didn’t dictate her wardrobe, relaxing comfortably in cropped jeans and a loose, striped T-shirt.
‘Ooh, Great Expectations,’ Debbie said, sounding awestruck as she noticed Aimee’s choice of reading material. ‘Very impressive.’
‘Yes, well, I’m a student now,’ Aimee explained, looking bashful. ‘Well, almost. I start on Monday.’
‘I’m so proud of you for doing that,’ Julia gushed. ‘It’s great to see you following your dreams.’
‘Well I’m definitely a lot happier now,’ Aimee replied, and Julia knew that she was referring to more than just her decision to study.
‘Has anyone heard from Gill?’ Debbie wondered.
‘Yeah, she should be along soon. I think she was dropping Sammy at a friend’s birthday party. She never stops!’
‘I can’t wait to see her,’ Debbie sighed. ‘I can’t believe we haven’t had a chance for a proper catch-up before now.’
‘I know. The time just flies,’ Julia agreed. ‘Can you believe it’s almost a year ago since we were first sitting here, brainstorming ideas for your wedding? It seems like ages ago.’
‘And now I’ve been married for three whole months,’ Debbie laughed, her eyes widening as the waitress put down a tall glass of hot chocolate in front of her, liberally topped with whipped cream. ‘Ooh, that looks delicious, thank you.’
‘Wow!’ Julia exclaimed, as she poured herself a cup of tea. ‘Looks like you’ve eased up on the diet since the wedding.’
Debbie giggled guiltily. ‘This is a one-off treat, okay? It’s a special occasion! But I’m definitely not obsessively calorie counting like I was befo
re. I’m still trying to keep an eye on what I eat and not let it run out of control, and so far it seems to be working. I have put on a bit of weight,’ she admitted. ‘But I’m staying pretty stable at a size fourteen, and that’s good enough for me.’
‘Well you look great,’ Julia assured her. ‘Positively glowing.’
‘Thanks,’ Debbie grinned. ‘I came off the diet as soon as we got on honeymoon. There was no way I could resist all that gorgeous Greek food – that delicious bread with houmous and tzatziki, the enormous salads with feta cheese drenched in olive oil. Not to mention all the meat and moussaka and… mmm…’ Debbie finished happily, practically dribbling at the memory.
‘Sounds like someone had a good honeymoon,’ Aimee teased.
‘We did other things apart from eat!’ Debbie retorted.
‘I bet you did,’ Julia shot back, which set Debbie off blushing.
‘I meant cultural things and… oh never mind, get your minds out of the gutter!’
They all laughed, as the door swung open and Gill rushed in, wearing her usual harassed expression.
‘Sorry, I’m late,’ she called, as she threw herself into the empty seat. ‘Bit of an emergency. No one bothered telling me until the last minute that Sammy’s party was fancy dress so I had to improvise – we wrapped him in tinfoil and told everyone he was a spaceman. Could I get a latte?’ she asked the waitress, who was dropping off a plate of scones with jam and cream at their table.
‘Mmm, they look incredible,’ Aimee sighed, reaching for one, as the others followed suit. ‘By the way, Julia, I’ve been meaning to ask – did you have any trouble with Valerie after… well, you know.’
Julia rolled her eyes. ‘Oh, she was a nightmare, as you’d expect. Obviously everything was a little bit awkward, but when I sent her my final invoice, she refused to pay a penny!’
‘No!’ Aimee stared at her in shock.
‘She said that she’d hired me to organise a wedding, and as there was no wedding she didn’t see why she should pay me anything.’
‘Oh, Jules, I’m so sorry…’
‘What about all the work you’d done up until then?’ Debbie cut in, looking horrified.
‘Exactly. It all got a bit nasty, really. I had to hire a solicitor, and Valerie was still ignoring the situation, insisting she didn’t owe me anything. I was dreading having to take her to court.’
‘You should have told me,’ Aimee insisted, as Julia shook her head.
‘There was no point getting you involved. Believe me, you were best off out of there.’
‘But I thought she had tons of money,’ Debbie spoke up.
‘She does,’ Aimee agreed. ‘I can’t believe she refused to pay. She knew how much work you’d done, Jules.’
‘Well, anyway, the whole thing was ridiculous and it was getting really stressful. I was at the end of my tether, when Nick had a brilliant idea.’
‘Ooh, what?’
Julia grinned. ‘He suggested we write letters to certain prominent people, who just happened to be Valerie’s friends. So I sent one to the local MP – you know, Nigel Bowles – and another to Mary Moorhouse, who’s the President of the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, and who’d originally recommended me to Valerie. I explained that I’d taken Valerie on as a client as I understood that they were friends, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get any response from Valerie with regards to settling my invoice, and it was now extremely overdue. Could she be of any assistance?’
‘Oh, she’d have hated that,’ Aimee squealed, her eyes sparkling.
‘What happened?’ Debbie asked breathlessly.
Julia let out a wicked cackle. ‘The money landed in my bank account the next day.’
Gill was shaking her head, looking disgusted. ‘It just shows you, doesn’t it? Honestly, the cheek of the woman.’
‘I think it’s brilliant,’ Debbie grinned. ‘It just shows you how much she cares about her reputation.’
‘That’s pretty much the only thing she does care about,’ Aimee muttered under her breath, thinking once again what a lucky escape she’d had.
‘Anyway, let’s change the subject,’ Julia said brightly, turning to Gill and asking, ‘So how’s married life treating you?’
Gill smiled enigmatically. ‘Well on the surface, nothing’s really changed – everything in our house is still just as manic as ever. But I think the difference is that there’s this feeling of security, which is lovely, really.’
‘Aw, that’s so sweet,’ Debbie sighed.
‘And what about Kelly?’ Julia asked hesitantly. ‘Is everything okay with her?’
‘Seems to be, fingers crossed. She’s been making such an effort recently, getting on with Mike and Paige, helping out around the house. She’s really happy doing her blog, and she’s getting lot of hits, or whatever you call them. I just wish she’d spend as much time on her schoolwork, but you can’t have everything I suppose. Although she’s getting top marks in English.’
‘She’s a great kid,’ Julia smiled. ‘I’m so pleased she’s doing well.’
‘Funnily enough, Paige has been talking about becoming an events planner,’ Gill laughed. ‘When it was Sammy’s birthday, she insisted on picking a colour theme, and buying matching paper plates and napkins.’
‘Tell her not to do it,’ Julia laughed. ‘Tell her to get a proper job instead, this one’s too stressful!’
‘Have you got much on at the moment?’ Debbie wondered.
‘Yeah, it’s been pretty hectic. I’ve had quite a few corporate events over the summer, which are always good fun as they have such large budgets, and now I’m starting to get lots of enquiries about Christmas parties, so I’m scheduling those in. But business is going well, Nick seems happy, and Jack’s amazing.’ Her face softened as she spoke about him. ‘He’s a real little character.’
‘How about you?’ Gill turned to Debbie. ‘Any babies on the horizon?’
‘What do you mean? I’ve already got Scamp, he’s my baby,’ she chuckled. ‘To be honest, we have talked about it and… well, watch this space,’ she grinned.
The women chattered on, discussing love and life and children, and their fears and hopes for the future. They knew that life wasn’t always easy, that it would throw up challenges for all of them, but there would be moments of real happiness and joy too. The past year had only reinforced what was most important to all of them and, with family, friends and love in their lives, they were lucky enough to be blessed with everything they needed.
Letter from Sophie
Hello, lovely readers, and a massive thank you for reading The Girl’s Guide to Getting Hitched – I hope you liked it!
I’m currently planning my own wedding, so taking on three fictional weddings at the same time was so much fun! It meant I got to vicariously experience all different styles of wedding, and for the last few months I’ve been immersed in a world of handsome grooms, diamond rings and beautiful white dresses – what could be better!?
If you’d like to find out more about what I’m up to, or even just say hello, you can find me on Twitter and Facebook. Do pop by for a chat!
To keep right up-to-date with the latest news on my new releases just sign up using the link below:
Sophie Hart New Releases Email
And finally, if you enjoyed The Girl’s Guide to Getting Hitched and would like to tell others about it, I’d be very grateful if you could write a review. It really does make such a difference, and a great one can make an author’s day!
With very best wishes,
Sophie x
@Cafe_Crumb
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Also by Sophie Hart
The Girl’s Guide to Falling in Love
The Girl’s Guide to Falling in Love
A refreshingly open and uplifting romantic comedy about friendship and love. Sometimes you need to step out of your comfort zone in order to give a relationship a good dose of TLC…
Annie Hall helps couples put the fizz back into thei
r relationships. It’s a shame her own love life is non-existent. When Jamie who works next door catches her eye, she can’t ignore the spark of chemistry.
Most men would jump at the chance to skive off work for an afternoon quickie with their gorgeous wife, but Nick knows Julia is after only one thing – a baby. Sex shouldn’t be a chore. Can Annie help Julia see that?
Newly engaged Zoe and Simon can’t keep their hands off each other. They’ve decided to take a vow of celibacy until their wedding night. Will Annie help them stick to it?
Ray and Linda have been married for over thirty years but she’s more interested in the family business than spending time with him. Can Annie convince Linda to rediscover her passion for Ray after all this time?
While Annie begins to work her magic with the three couples, she soon discovers that she’ll need to take some of her own advice if she’s going to let a new man into her life.
Note: previously published as ‘A Girl’s Guide to the Birds and the Bees’.
‘A charming, feel-good novel… packed full of friendship, romance and was simply a really warm read – the equivalent of an uplifting day spent catching up with old friends with lots of laughs and smiles.’ Reviewed the Book
Published by Bookouture - an imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
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Copyright © Sophie Hart 2015
Sophie Hart has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
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