Voilá. Just like that, the memory melted my heart like ice cream in the sun.
‘At least give us one of those salty seafarer kisses before you go,’ I said softly, feeling my brow relax.
‘Allow me to be a little moody, now and then,’ he replied, eyes twinkling.
We exchanged looks. His shoulders dipped and we both smiled. Seconds later, his tender lips found mine. ‘Okay,’ he murmured, ‘tonight my wife-to-be will travel in style.’ He then went ahead to the reception, but his body moved kind of stiffly as he disappeared out of the room. Was I being unreasonable? Selfish, even? Refusing to answer this question, I reapplied lip gloss.
I slipped the make-up into my handbag, staring first at its label. I’d tried really hard over the last few months, not ordering my designer face creams, and letting Sophia trim my hair instead of going into a chic Kos Town salon. At the beginning, it had been easy, living on a budget and making do with far less. Being with Niko again reminded me of our carefree youth. I’d revelled in that, discarding the tools of adulthood I’d acquired, like hair straighteners and high shoes. The simple life…wasn’t it everyone’s dream? To shed the stresses and strains of the rat-race?
However, as the weeks wore on, I missed things I’d always taken for granted, like trips to the theatre and food shopping without a concern for the cost. Henrik had insisted on buying our coffees at the airport and I wondered if he’d seen Niko’s eyebrows shoot up when he saw the prices. I zipped up the bag, recalling an argument last week. Uncle Christos’ boiler broke and the family pulled together to buy him a new one. Niko used our joint account without even asking me. And of course it would have been fine – family came first – but we’d agreed to always discuss prospective cash withdrawals. I’d accused Niko of being hypocritical.
However, the ups and downs of the last few weeks disappeared from my mind for a moment, as we eventually entered Hamilton Lodge. I gasped. Just being back in London – travelling in a black cab again and seeing the illuminated London skyline, had been exciting enough…but this? It was set on the Embankment, overlooking the River Thames. A man in a burgundy uniform took my shrug. Silence hung over Niko like one of the low snow clouds. The taxi journey had taken over an hour in the slushy weather. And yes, it would be unwise to ask about the cost.
I shook myself. Enough thoughts about money – I for one was determined to enjoy this evening.
Oh the chandeliers, I’d never seen so much glass. In front of us a mahogany staircase swept upstairs, gilt edging the banisters. At its side stood the biggest Christmas tree I’d ever seen, with black, chocolate and gold baubles that spoke opulence. Shiny oak laminate stretched across the floor and the walls were punctuated with wildlife oil paintings.
We followed the manager into a large room, to the right. I stopped to digest the scene for a moment, now wishing I’d had a manicure and booked a professional blow dry. Single platinum balloons rose from the centre of round tables. Champagne bottle shaped glitter had been scattered across burgundy tablecloths. Seats filled up with people bursting with laughter and chat. Silver fairy lights hung across the pelmets of black curtains. In the far corner, a mellow jazz band played Frank Sinatra. The overhead lights were dimmed and each table also bore an ornate tea-light decoration. Cut-glass champagne flutes full of honey-coloured fizz circulated the room, being carried by waitresses whose uniforms looked as if they’d only been laundered a few seconds before.
Something sharp jabbed my chest as I took in the expense. Whilst we’d been together, Henrik had not shown one frivolous, romantic bone in his body and would never have spent money on so many pretty decorations. Don’t get me wrong, we never skimped on the day-to-day essentials, nor leisure treats, and he bought designer accessories and clothes. Plus Henrik loved arranging surprise parties for people. However, he never overdid the sentimental frills. I surveyed the room. Clearly Olivia had changed that down-to-earth side of him as well.
‘Pippa!’ Henrik strode over. I gazed up at his gelled back hair and broad shoulders. Head and shoulders above everyone else, to other women I suspected he looked more like a Hollywood heartbreaker than ever. He bent down and kissed my cheek gently, then shook Niko’s hand.
‘Great to see you guys. Come on over and meet Olivia’s sister, Lisette. And mother is around somewhere.’
‘Is she wearing anything?’ I muttered. Henrik caught my eye and the two of us laughed. Niko raised one eyebrow. I would have explained, but his lips were still set in a firm line after the expensive taxi ride.
‘Is anyone else from your family here?’ I asked.
Henrik shook his head.
‘And what about Olivia’s parents?’
‘They are somewhere around,’ he said, with a surprising tone of disinterest.
For a moment, my chest twinged with affection for Taxos. Okay, so it hadn’t got the equivalent of Covent Garden or The Shard, but family meant everything and my mind overflowed with images from mine and Niko’s engagement party. I’d given up counting the number of his cousins and aunts and uncles who’d made the effort to turn up.
Henrik flicked his fingers and a waitress hurried over. Niko passed me a drink and then helped himself to a glass. With the other hand he once more loosened his collar.
‘Great venue,’ he said to Henrik but my ex hardly heard, due to someone shrieking my name.
‘Isabelle!’ I called back and grinned. She hadn’t changed, still boasting a razor-sharp bob and ridiculously high heels. She flung her arms around my neck. ‘Super to see you!’ I said.
She stood back, cheeks all shiny. ‘Work just hasn’t been the same without your hardworking face. Did Henrik tell you about the insider trading? Fraud of the highest order?’
I nodded, not surprised to see ex-colleagues of mine here. Henrik had got to know them well during the time we’d dated. ‘Did you get out in time?’
‘Too right. Got myself a great position at Morgan Chase. You know, they reckon Paul will go down for ten years and…’
Wow. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How could I have worked with these people for so many months and not guessed they were involved with an undercurrent of corruption? Guilt pinched my chest as I realised, about twenty minutes later, that we’d ignored Niko, but all this news about my former employer – about the English banking industry – overwhelmed me. Plus, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Henrik guide him over to Olivia. Absorbed as I was in lovely Isabelle’s revelations, I registered how stunning she looked in a backless emerald number.
As Isabelle and I chatted, intermittently I gazed over at Niko. He and Olivia had soon sunk into serious conversation and were still at it, over half an hour later. Another colleague pulled me over to one of the tables, to tell me about a great job opportunity in the City. Discreetly I gazed around the room – Niko and Olivia had been joined by another couple. Then they were on their own again, now with fancy cocktails. Niko threw his hands in the air…shook his head…eventually Olivia patted his arm. What on earth could they have been talking about?
My former supervisor, Miles, came over and handed me a cocktail. ‘Great to see you, Pattinson! Looking good. A life by the sea clearly suits you.’
‘Cheers!’ I raised my glass. ‘How’s, um, the family?’ I didn’t even know the name of his wife, nor the ages of his kids. It just wasn’t something we used to talk about and this seemed odd now, after living in Taxos where everyone knew each other’s personal business.
‘Ace thanks – despite the brief period of unemployment I suffered.’ He pulled a face. ‘Lucky you weren’t here. Very unpleasant it all was, what with threats of gagging orders and the tabloids sniffing around.’
Miles told me about his new job with an investment company. He became less animated when I talked about my teashop. It was hard to convey the paradise that Taxos was – or had been in the summer months.
‘Pippa!’ A small hand cupped my elbow and I turned around to face Olivia. ‘Isn’t this weather terrific? So Christmassy and
romantic! Is it the first time Niko has seen snow?’
‘No – they get it in Kos very occasionally.’ I glanced around. ‘I seem to have lost track of him.’
Olivia linked her arm through mine. ‘Come on – let’s rescue him from my sister, Lisette. Niko and I were having a lovely chat when she interrupted. Lisette can be a bit full-on after a couple of these Bolly cocktails.’
‘Bollinger?’ I gasped for the second time that evening. ‘How did you persuade Henrik to fork out for that? I mean…um, huge apologies, Olivia.’ Heat surged into my cheeks. ‘That must have sounded rude, but—’
She smiled. ‘Is that out of character? He is always giving me flamboyant gifts.’
‘Really? He must have changed,’ I said. ‘I mean, he was never stingy but just ultra practical.’
‘I wish he wouldn’t,’ she said as we walked past the dance floor. ‘Despite my requests, he wouldn’t donate to Games for Gains to celebrate my birthday last month. Instead he shopped at Tiffany’s.’ Her fingers touched the exquisite double heart necklace around her neck. ‘It’s as if…I don’t know.’ She stopped and those green eyes gave me a stare. ‘Sometimes he looks at me when I open a present as if to gauge my reaction…as if he is running some sort of experiment.’ She stared at me for a moment longer, before her face broke into a smile again. ‘The opposite sex, eh? Do you think we’ll ever work them out?’
‘I think that would pose a greater challenge to Stephen Hawking than seeking answers to the mysteries of the universe.’
We smiled and moved on to the more comfortable subject of Christmas.
‘On the twenty-fifth we’ll eat out with Greta,’ said Olivia. ‘Then visit my parents and sister on Boxing Day. Talking of Lisette…’ We stopped at one of the tables where Niko and Olivia’s sister were deep in conversation about…pensions? That was a surprise, seeing as Henrik had implied this woman was something of a flighty party animal.
Niko looked up, caught my eye and his mouth quirked into a smile and then…oh…carried on talking. Well, I suppose he had to be polite. Lisette had a posh London accent and her hair, as black as Olivia’s, was pinned up, apart from a couple of flirtatious ringlets. She wore a metallic grey dress and must have used fashion tape to hold the low-cut cleavage in place. To the right of one breast was a sparkly brooch of mistletoe. Pungent floral perfume hung in the air – and Niko, charming as ever, hung on her every word.
Olivia cleared her throat. ‘Lisette – may I introduce Niko’s fiancée, Pippa.’
Lisette stopped talking and looked up. Discreetly she eyed me up and down. ‘Great to see you, Pippa – I can see why you moved to Greece. Gorgeous Niko has just been telling me all about Taxos. I’m sharing some ideas with him on how you could invest any earnings, to consolidate your future.’ She grinned at him. ‘And it’s my absolute pleasure, by the way.’
‘You have been very helpful,’ said Niko who had taken off his jacket.
‘I bet you never tire of that sexy accent, Pippa,’ said Lisette and squeezed his arm. ‘And as for those muscles. I need to find me a fisherman. Niko, have you got any brothers?’
‘Sis, just behave!’ said Olivia and mouthed “sorry” to me. However Niko burst out laughing and winked at me, before flexing his arm. The music beat revved up and Lisette got to her feet.
‘You don’t mind if Niko and I dance, do you, Pippa?’ she said and turned to the dance floor for a moment, swaying from side to side.
Niko stood up. ‘Unless you would like to partner me, sweet Pippa?’ he murmured.
Lisette swung around. ‘You two lovebirds have all those nights ahead of you in Greece, dancing to that cute string music. Surely, Pippa, I can borrow your fiancé for a couple of songs? You must have friends to catch up with anyway.’
‘Of course,’ I said in a bright voice.
Niko glanced at me, finally nodded and followed Lisette.
‘My sister is irrepressible,’ said Olivia. ‘I doubt you’ll get Niko back before the buffet now, and that’s not for another hour.’
I smiled. Lisette didn’t bother me. Niko was gorgeous. Who could blame her for finding him irresistible?
Although as I watched them dance, for a fleeting second I was transported back to the first time I’d seen him last summer, having not seen him since we were teenagers. How he’d grown into a bit of a hunk, with his teasing looks that had enticed me into getting to know him better.
After another sip of champagne, I glanced across the room at Henrik. He was laughing with Greta who caught my eye. Her smile dropped for a second and she gave me a brief, limp wave.
‘Henrik said that you…didn’t always get on with his mum?’ said Olivia. She’d obviously been watching me stare at her fiancé and for the first time that night her pretty seaweed eyes looked dull.
I shifted in my seat. ‘We tolerated each other, I suppose. Being best friends was never on the cards. Yet from what Henrik says, she clearly loves you.’
‘Since I moved next door she’s been ever so helpful. Mind you…’ The light returned her face for a second. ‘I believe her previous neighbour trimmed her trees without asking and threw stones at her cat, so I suspect I’m a welcome relief. Greta’s been trying to persuade Henrik to move into my house if…I mean when we get married, instead of me selling up.’
‘And is he going to?’ Why did she say “if”?
‘No!’ Olivia laughed. ‘Pippa, much as I’m fond of Greta, Henrik and I would want some space.’
I studied her face. Why did she say “would” and not “will”?
She coughed, fiddled with her bracelet-style watch and then glugged back the rest of her cocktail. A waitress walked past and she grabbed another glass. ‘Henrik missed you terribly, at the beginning, you know. I met him just a couple of weeks after he got back from Taxos.’
No doubt amiable Olivia let him talk about the break-up, even though their relationship would have been new. Having just spent a short time with her – having seen Niko deep in conversation with her earlier – she seemed easy to trust.
‘Seeing someone so physically strong look so vulnerable…’ She gave a nervous laugh. ‘It’s such a cliché, isn’t it, falling for a hero with a heart? Like the super-strong vampire who heroically struggles not to bite his sweetheart.’ She stared into the distance. ‘I…I still think Henrik is fighting his feelings for you.’
Was she mad? I put down my glass, not knowing quite where to look. My cheeks flushed and I wished my phone would ring suddenly with an excuse for me to run from the room. Henrik, still harbour feelings for me? But all he’d talked about in Taxos was this amazing charity fundraiser who’d turned him into someone who cared about turtles and cats.
‘Olivia, you couldn’t be more wrong.’ I shrugged and finally met her gaze. ‘You know what it’s like when you first break up with someone – if it’s not bitterly acrimonious then, for a while, your memory holds onto the good times. But really – you should have heard Henrik talk about you whilst in Greece a few weeks ago. How he admires your work. It’s obvious to me how much you’ve changed him in ways I never could.’
‘Really?’ She bit her lip.
‘Absolutely. And he has asked you to be his wife!’
‘True.’ She swallowed.’ I’m surprised he never proposed to you.’
What? Why hadn’t he told her that he had? I’d have to track down Niko as quickly as possible and warn him not to mention my previous engagement.
‘And clearly you’ve moved on from the break-up, what with Niko,’ she said and her eyebrows raised, as if seeking reassurance.
I smiled and looked across the room at my Greek lover. Take everything else out of the equation – where we lived, our jobs, our aspirations – then yes, I could spend an eternity with that man. He played every nerve-ending in my body like an expert. Yet my brow furrowed. Was that enough? I’d doubted Henrik was the right partner, a few months ago, because the sparkle had gone. However now I was asking myself, how important was that sparkle in the l
ong run?
‘Yes, strange to think I’ll be a fisherman’s wife next week,’ I said, glad to move away from the ridiculous subject of Henrik still loving me. ‘And talking of weddings, I haven’t taken a look at your ring yet.’ I took her left hand and heat surged up my neck and into my cheeks. Thankfully, due to the dim lighting, she probably wouldn’t see. I stared at the slim silver band with three small diamonds embedded within. It was the same ring he’d proposed to me with, in the summer. I looked across the room at Henrik. Even careful spender Niko wouldn’t do that, recession or no recession.
‘It’s gorgeous. Very classy,’ I mumbled. ‘You must be thrilled.’
Olivia grinned. ‘Yes. I’m glad it’s not too showy. Mind you, he did buy me a huge bouquet of red roses to go with it.’
I forced my lips to upturn. Time to talk of something else before I let something slip that might ruin her smile. ‘So, Olivia, tell me all about Games for Gains, so that I can hear for myself why Henrik admires you so much.’
Dimples formed in her cheeks as she sat up straighter and explained. I found it fascinating – how she targeted donation sources and organised events within the community to raise funds.
‘It sounds really challenging,’ I said.
‘Yes. You need a wide set of skills. You need to be able to manage a budget, keep account of donation schemes, enjoy marketing and…’ I cocked my head and listened intently and was just about to ask her how her career started, when Henrik clapped his hands and we looked over to the dance floor.
‘The buffet will be served in five minutes, people,’ he said and headed over to me and Olivia. Gently his hand rested on my shoulder. ‘Are you two ladies enjoying the evening?’
‘Very much. Olivia’s told me all about her job.’
‘And now I really ought to mingle with our other guests,’ said Olivia. ‘Where are Lisette and Niko?’
My Big Fat Christmas Wedding Page 8
