Ghosted: Wicked Wedding Planners Series

by Alyssa Parsons

  ‘I know, I mean obviously I’m not happy about how he ran away from the situation. And I did tell him that I was angry that he didn’t feel he could come to me and tell me what had happened.’

  ‘Good, I’m pleased you did tell him off.’

  ‘He was so apologetic and we just talked things through and we both agreed that there are still feelings between us so we are giving things a go.’

  ‘Hopefully he has changed this time.’

  ‘That’s what I said to him. I do feel he has really grown up though. Anyway, enough about me. How is it all going with you and Luke?’ I divert the subject away from me.

  ‘It’s all so lovely and romantic,’ Gemma gushes. ‘We are so happy. I honestly never thought anything would ever happen between us.’

  ‘So what happened between him and his wife then?’ I asks I had only heard snippets from Gemma via text

  ‘You won’t believe this. He finished work early and when he got home it was dead quiet in the house but he knew his wife was in. Anyway, he goes into the lounge and she is at it with the neighbour.’

  ‘That’s awful.’

  ‘I know. It was all fifty shades with candles, handcuffs, whips, all sorts,’ Gemma stifles a giggle. ‘Sorry I shouldn’t laugh but it’s so cringy. They were so busy re-enacting a scene, shall we say that they didn’t hear him coming in.’

  ‘You are joking. Poor Luke, what did he do?’

  ‘Not poor Luke at all. Is it bad to say that he was ecstatic as he finally had a reason to leave her?’

  ‘No not at all, he has been desperate to leave her,’ I say.

  ‘You won’t believe this and I really shouldn’t say,’ Gemma lowers her voice.

  ‘Go on, you can’t say that and not tell me.’

  ‘He got his phone out and took some pictures so he has evidence. He’s never left her before because she threatened to make his life hell. She told him she would never willingly sign any divorce papers if he left her.’

  ‘She sounds vile.’

  ‘She is, but he has pictures now as proof in case she tries to blame him for the divorce. She always said she would make stuff up to make him look bad and take him to the cleaners.’

  ‘That’s crazy.’

  I end my call with Gemma promising to arrange a double date for us soon.

  Leanna has text to see how I am. I don’t know if I should tell her that Caspar and I are fully together yet. I know she said she would stand by me but I don’t know if I can be bothered to get into things with her. I feel bad because she has been my main support and it’s not fair if Gemma knows and she doesn’t.

  I text back and tell her I had a nice weekend and I’ve been with Caspar on a date. I send the text and wait for a reply. It doesn’t take long before my phone pings and I check it.

  WTF? Ring me now!!

  I might as well get it over and done with.

  ‘How have you not told me any of this sooner? Spill the beans,’ Leanna demands as soon as she answers my call.

  So I tell her what happened on our gym date and the rest of the weekend.

  ‘I have to say I am very surprised you let him off the hook so easy,’ she says when I have told her everything.

  ‘Leanna, don’t be like that. We talked through things and I feel he has changed.’

  ‘He has always had this crazy hold over you.’

  ‘I can’t help it Leanna, I love him. And I do understand the reasons behind what he did, even though it is not the way I would have handled it.’

  ‘I don’t think many people would do have handled things that way,’ Leanna interjects.

  ‘I know and I’ve had it out with him big time,’ I tell her. ‘I want to try again. I know I will regret if I don’t.’

  ‘Watch out though, I think you are moving way too fast,’ Leanna says begrudgingly. ‘I would be cautious if I were you.’

  ‘Please Leanna, I have thought through all this. Please try and be happy for me. You did tell me to go with how I feel.’

  ‘I know but I didn’t think you would jump into bed with him and start a full blown relationship straight away. Wait until your Auntie Jo hears about this.’

  I get ready for bed and think of how to break this news to Auntie Jo. I know it won’t go down well and I am dreading telling her. I decide to put it off for as long as I can.

  My phone pings and I see I have a text from Caspar.

  Had a great weekend with you.

  Sleep tight Sammi.

  C xxx

  Chapter 22

  I can’t believe it is only 2 weeks until the Pineapple Wedding. There are lots of little loose ends to tie up this week. Amelie and James had their food tasting and I will be meeting up with her later in the week to book everything in at Darlington Manor.

  Nic is full of beans this morning. Her social media advertising is continuing to exceed all expectations. We had 10 new bookings last week and 2 potential bookings already this morning.

  ‘We may have to think about hiring another wedding planner if it keeps getting this busy,’ Nic says excitedly.

  ‘That would great,’ I am totally on board with this idea. ‘We can pass off the more high maintenance brides to the newbie.’

  The next few days pass and Caspar has suggested we go for a hot tub and a steam at the gym followed by a take-away at his place. I can’t wait for Wednesday evening. I hit the gym a bit earlier so that I can fit in a run before the hot tub. I have to keep super fit if I am going to be parading around in swimwear.

  Caspar is in the hot tub already when I get there. I am a bit miffed to see a couple of older ladies in the tub too. It’s only because I wanted the hot tub for ourselves which I know is unreasonable considering this is a public place.

  They are talking quite loudly and are obnoxiously opinionated which is super annoying and distracting. It kills the relaxing atmosphere of the pool area. We cut the session short and go to the steam room. It is nice and quiet in there as there is only one man lying in there.

  We start to catch up on each other’s week so far. Within a couple of minutes, the annoying ladies enter the steam room. It only takes a few seconds for the man who was peacefully enjoying his steam to leave. After a while we leave too. I bet it’s their ploy to be loud and irritating just so they can clear out the spa area.

  I get changed and meet Caspar out on reception. He is chatting to Luke but he stops and smiles when he sees me.

  ‘Hi Sammi,’ Luke says, ‘I hear you are having a take-away tonight.’

  ‘Yup and I am starving,’ I reply with a smile.

  Caspar laughs and we leave the gym after saying goodbye to Luke.

  ‘So what do you fancy,’ he asks once we are outside.

  ‘Some Indian?’ I ask tentatively hoping he is on the same wavelength.

  ‘Great, I was hoping you would say that. I know an amazing place, The Lime Coriander. We can order from there if you like.’

  ‘Perfect,’ I smile and he leans down to give me a little kiss on the nose.

  I follow him back to his place in my car. I haven’t been there yet and I am curious to see what it looks like. Caspar lives in my estate but at the complete opposite end. He is in one of the luxury apartment developments. I’ve always wanted to see what they look like inside.

  We park up and enter the building. It’s really fancy, complete with swipe cards to enter the building. We wait for the lift. The entrance is all glass, granite, modern lighting and fancy artwork on the walls. Caspar’s apartment is on the top floor and he tells me he has a really cool view from his balcony.

  ‘Here we are,’ he says as he opens the door.

  It is a stunning apartment with walnut brown wooden floorboards, white walls and lots of floor to ceiling glass windows in the lounge area. His kitchen has granite worktops, glossy grey cupboards and amazing lighting …. uplighting and down lighting I think it’s called.

  He has a super comfy and cool looking dark grey sofa and armchairs in the lounge. We both love grey wh
en it comes to décor, I am pleased to see.

  Caspar pulls out a menu from a drawer in the kitchen.

  ‘Have a look and see what you want,’ he opens the fridge and pulls out a beer.

  I scan the menu.

  ‘What do you normally get?’ I ask him.

  ‘I feel like a chicken biryani.’

  ‘Cool, I think I will go for the lamb shashlik,’ I decide.

  Caspar phones our order through and hands me a beer.

  ‘This place is awesome,’ I walk over to the big glass doors that open out to the balcony.

  ‘Yeah, it’s not bad,’ he comes over next to me and we enjoy the view.

  It’s warm enough to sit outside, so we set the table on the balcony and wait for our food to arrive. It’s so chilled sitting out here with our drinks, just watching the world. Our takeaway finally arrives and we stuff ourselves on rice, naan breads and curry. After we eat, we go back to the lounge and cuddle on the sofa, kissing for ages like love-struck teenagers.

  ‘Why don’t you stay over tonight,’ Caspar laces his fingers through mine.

  ‘Ummm I haven’t brought anything over,’ I say.

  ‘You don’t need to wear anything in bed,’ he gives me a cheeky smile.

  ‘You know what I mean, my make-up, clothes and hair things for work.’

  ‘Just wake up a bit earlier tomorrow. You’ll have time to go home and get ready.’

  ‘But I don’t want you to see me looking all horrible,’ I start protesting.

  ‘You could never look horrible,’ he stands up and pulls me towards his bedroom.

  The next day at work is super busy. I have 3 appointments with new brides. I am drained after seeing them as they all seem to be fairly intense and detail-oriented. Which is fine, until you have loads of them to deal with at the same time. We really do need to get a new wedding planner ASAP.

  Later that afternoon, Amelie comes in to meet me. We are going back to Darlington Manor to finalise the order for the wedding breakfast and evening food. We are also meeting with Darlington’s in-house florist to discuss flowers.

  ‘I haven’t brought Mum today’, she explains. ‘I thought she might get a bit stressed out when we order the buffet for the reception.’

  ‘Yes that’s very thoughtful,’ I try not to look to happy at this news but I am ecstatic.

  We leave the office and walk round the back to our small car park. When we get there, we see that a Black Audi has blocked in both Amelie’s car and my car. This is annoying as we have an appointment with Renata and she runs a very tight ship. Turning up late does not bode well with her. She may even refuse to see us.

  Luckily, I can see a woman in the car and in my haste to rush over and ask her to move, I do not take much notice of her. As I approach the car, I notice a familiar stiff blonde bob. Surely not!

  It’s Linda and she has parked her Audi in a way that blocks both of our cars in. I look at Amelie who has turned visibly pale. ‘Oh goodness,’ I hear her mutter under her breath.

  I look at Amelie. ‘Has your mother changed her mind about coming?’

  ‘Not that I know of,’ she looks as perplexed as me.

  I go up to Linda’s window and wave at her but she doesn’t return the gesture. She looks strangely defiant. I wait for her to step out of the car or roll down the car window but nothing. Linda looks straight ahead without acknowledging either of us. Amelie knocks on the window to get her attention. Eventually after a couple of minutes, Linda rolls down the window a crack.

  ‘Mum, what are you doing here?’ Amelie asks her mother.

  ‘As you don’t seem to be keeping me in the loop with all your wedding preparations, I have had to take matter in my own hands,’ Linda replies. Something does not feel right here.

  ‘Luckily I saw your diary the other day so I made note of this appointment,’ she adds.

  ‘I don’t want to burden you with every tiny detail, Mum.’

  I’ll decide what is and isn’t a burden, thank you very much. This wedding reflects all of us Amelie and I don’t want it to make a mockery of our family.’

  ‘Well if you want to come, then,’ Amelie’s tone is unconvincing.

  Poor thing the one time she tries to be independent, Linda is there pulling back at the apron strings.

  ‘What I want is for you to see sense and drop this whole buffet idea.’

  ‘Mum, James and I have already decided, we don’t want to change it,’ Amelie sounds defiant for once.

  ‘Well in that case, I will have to take matters into my own hands. I am not letting you go and I am happy to sit here and block you in for as long as it takes.’ Linda rolls up the window and turns away.

  I am speechless as I can’t believe that Linda has gone to these lengths. I quickly snap back into action. Right, once again it’s up to me to sort out this situation. Even though we are in a hurry, I don’t want to give this woman what she wants.

  A reaction.

  Oh yes Linda would love nothing more but to see me lose it. I am not going to lose it, though. Cool, calm and collected is my mantra. I repeat it over and over in my head. This whole situation would be hilarious if it wasn’t happening to me.

  I try to work out a solution in my head. Linda thinks she has the upper hand and I know that no amount of pleading, shouting or crying will change her mind. It’s totally what she wants. We will not give her the attention.

  I need to get another car somehow and I need to speak to Renata. Amelie looks distressed but I also know that she is likely to give in to Linda’s demands if I don’t do anything soon.

  ‘Okay don’t worry,’ I reassure her. ‘Come back to the office.’

  Once we are inside, I sit Amelie on the pink sofa in reception. She looks like she is on the verge of bursting into tears. I look for Nic but she has popped out. I dial the number for Darlington Manor and luck is on my side. Renata is free to talk. I fill her in on the situation and tell her that I really don’t want Linda to win this standoff.

  ‘You are on the high street in town, aren’t you?’ asks Renata.

  ‘Yes next to the post office.’

  I need to check something. I’ll call you back shortly,’ Renata doesn’t seem perturbed by the situation.

  I quickly pop out to reception to check on Amelie. She looks defeated and worn out.

  ‘Look, maybe we should just go with what Mum wants. I don’t want to miss this appointment and it’s just easier to do what she wants.’

  ‘Absolutely not! Listen I just spoke to Renata and I think she is trying to sort something out,’ I tell her.

  ‘Sammi, Renata is on the phone,’ Jodie calls out from her desk.

  I go back to my office to take the call.

  ‘Hi Sammi,’ I hear Renata’s calm and efficient voice on the line. ‘Fortune is on your side today. Graham, our concierge is out in town running a few errands. He can swing by and pick you up in about 5 minutes.’

  ‘Are you sure? I am relieved. ‘You are a lifesaver, Renata.’

  ‘Its fine but you will have to make your own way back to Roseford.’

  ‘That’s perfect, see you soon.’ I am so pleased at this turn of events.

  We will be able to jump into Graham’s car when he arrives. Linda won’t even see us leave as she is at the back of the building. She will be fuming when realises. I stroll out to reception to let Amelie know the good news but she doesn’t look relieved.

  ‘What’s up?’ I ask her.

  ‘I’m just stressing about Mum now,’ she explains. ‘She will go mad when she finds out we have gone without telling her.’

  ‘I know it must be really hard for you but it’s her behaviour that is forcing us to do this.’

  ‘I know but she is my mother.’

  ‘Can I ask why she is being like this?’ I decide to ask Amelie.

  ‘Mum has always liked to control everything. She wants everything to be what she perceives as perfect.’

  We see Graham pull up outside the office, so we he
ad out and get into his car. Just as Graham pulls away, I see Linda walking into Wedding Boss. She hasn’t seen us in the car and Amelie is too busy looking at her phone so she hasn’t clocked Linda either.

  I feel victorious but I don’t want Jodie to tell Linda we have left as she will probably follow us. I won’t have time to call or text Jodie to warn her. I suddenly see Nic driving back to Wedding Boss. Perfect. I send her a quick text telling her to block in the Audi in the carpark. I add one word to the text. Linda!

  Hopefully she will see the message and that will give us some time.

  Chapter 23

  A few days later, I am with Honey for her final dress fitting. Honey took her mother with her last week and they both loved the dress. Honey’s mum is a sweetheart and very easy going. She has been a real help in the whole process.

  Unlike Linda, who I am pleased to say did not make it to Darlington Manor. Amelie went with the buffet choice that she and James had chosen at the food tasting. We also had a successful meeting with the florist.

  Nic came and picked us up from Darlington Manor and after we said good bye to Amelie, she filled me in on what had happened with Linda. Basically, Nic blocked Linda’s car in and put a note on it.

  This is the private car park of Wedding Boss. You have parked in an obstructive manner blocking cars and spaces. I am the owner and I have had no choice but to park behind your car. I am running an errand on the high street and will be back in the office in 30 minutes.

  Nic went off to have a coffee and waited over half an hour to make sure we had enough of a head start at Darlington Manor. Apparently Linda was not a happy bunny but she didn’t really have a leg to stand on. Nic acted all innocent when she returned.

  ‘Oh I didn’t realise it was your car but you can appreciate how frustrating it is for us when unknown cars block the spaces,’ she said in her sweetest voice.

  ‘If you had simply come straight in to the office instead of sloping off to run errands, you would have found out it was my car and this whole situation would have been avoided,’ Linda had retorted back.