To the Moon and Back

by Jill Mansell

Twenty minutes later, Paul’s main course had grown cold on his plate and everyone else had demolished theirs.

  Strawberry pavlovas arrived. The talk around the table was lively and punctuated with laughter. Ellie had to protect Paul’s dessert from being taken hostage by Steph’s friend Tara.

  Finally, over forty minutes later and just as the speeches were about to start, he reappeared. Trying hard not to look like the cat that got the cream, the prawns, and the Loch Fyne salmon.

  ‘Well.’ He shook his head and sat down.

  ‘Couldn’t think of anything to say?’ Zack offered him a top-up of wine.

  ‘No thanks, I mean, yes.’ In a daze, Paul covered his glass. ‘No wine. That was amazing. What a woman… yes, thanks, take it away.’ He waved at his untouched plate and flashed a distracted smile at the waitress. ‘Sorry, I’m sure it was delicious… wow, who’d have thought something like this could happen out of nowhere? We couldn’t stop talking. No, not for me.’ Now the waitress was attempting to refill his wine glass. ‘Just water, thanks. She’s staying in Exeter, did you know that?’

  ‘Yes.’ Ellie nodded. ‘Her sister has a bungalow not far from the university.’

  ‘It’s only seventy miles from here. Geraldine’s invited me to stay.’ He was checking his watch. ‘I can be there in an hour.’

  ‘You’re leaving now?’

  ‘I’m fine to drive. I’ve only had half a glass of wine. Gareth won’t mind if I leave early. God, just hearing her voice again was incredible.’ His hand went up to smooth his silver-streaked hair. ‘Do I look OK?’

  He was dazed, happy, as besotted as a teenager.

  ‘You look great.’ Ellie smiled; there was a Christmas-morning quality to his excitement.

  At the top table, the best man rose to his feet and dinged a glass with a spoon to attract everyone’s attention.

  ‘Speeches,’ said Paul. ‘I’ll wait until they’re over.’ He sounded as if he’d quite like them to be over in the next five minutes. ‘Then I’ll head off.’

  He was as good as his word. Half an hour later, when the speeches had been concluded and the dancing was about to begin again in earnest, he made his excuses to Gareth and Steph. Finally, he shook Zack’s hand and kissed Ellie on the cheek.

  ‘Am I glad they put me at your table.’

  ‘Drive carefully.’ She hugged him in return. How amazing that he was doing this.

  ‘I will.’

  When he’d left the marquee, one of Steph’s friends on the other side of the table said, ‘Wow, old people don’t hang about, do they!’

  Tara, next to her, said, ‘They can’t afford to. Why waste time when you might be about to die?’ She turned to Zack. ‘You’ll have to tell us what happens. We need to know if there’s a happy ending.’

  ‘We will.’ Zack rested his arm across the back of Ellie’s chair and tilted his head. ‘Well? Are we getting out onto that dance floor now?’

  ‘Oh yes, we definitely are.’ But the wine was taking its toll; Ellie needed the loo. She pushed back her chair and said, ‘Just give me two minutes.’

  Outside the marquee, the trees glittered with twinkle lights and the air was fresh and cool. Ellie made her way across to the house. The downstairs loo was occupied so she waited in the hallway for it to become free. There were people chatting in the kitchen. Idly half-listening, she recognized Mya’s voice, then realized they were discussing her and began to pay attention.

  ‘I mean, she’s nice and everything. I really like her. But the twins told me they’re sleeping in separate rooms! Now, is it just me or is that weird?’

  ‘Her husband died, though.’ Ellie didn’t recognize the second voice and the door was only slightly ajar; another of Steph’s girlfriends, presumably. ‘Maybe it’s something to do with that.’

  ‘Yes, except I’ve been watching them. They look like they’re crazy about each other,’ said Mya, ‘but he hasn’t actually kissed her. Not once, not on the lips. And you have to admit, that is seriously weird.’

  The cloakroom door was unlocked and Gareth’s mother emerged. She smiled at Ellie in that way women always smile at whoever’s next in line for the loo.

  A minute later, Ellie pulled the flush and washed her hands. It was a beautiful cloakroom, spacious and decorated in silver and white, with a black and white diamond-patterned marble floor and a Venetian mirror above the sink.

  And Jamie, reflected in the mirror, wearing his pale gray Superdry polo shirt and pink board shorts.

  Ellie wasn’t surprised to see him. She’d made him appear. Jamie was her conjured-up creation, from his messy sea-salted hair and the smell of his aftershave all the way down to the skinny legs and the dusting of sand on his tanned bare feet.

  ‘It’s a wedding.’ Jamie gestured at himself. ‘If you’re going to bring me here, shouldn’t I be wearing something a bit smarter than this?’

  ‘You don’t like suits. And you’re not leaving the loo either. Now listen, what do you think? Should I kiss Zack or shouldn’t I?’

  ‘Do you want to?’

  ‘Of course I want to! I’m just worried I might not be able to stop! What if it turns into a cartoon and my mouth won’t let go and he has to wrench me off his face like a sink plunger?’

  Jamie looked thoughtful. ‘Do you want me to come with you?’

  ‘No!’ She definitely wasn’t having that.

  ‘So what’s brought this on, all of a sudden?’

  Ellie exhaled. ‘Paul and Geraldine. He isn’t wasting time because they’re in their sixties and who knows how long they have left? But look at us.’ She could feel her heart thudding away like a bass speaker. ‘How long do any of us have left? I could die tomorrow. So that’s it, I’m just going to go ahead. If it all goes horribly wrong, you can have a good laugh about it later. You can come with me on the bus of shame back to London.’

  ‘Hey, remember how we met?’

  He was giving her a playful look. Of course Ellie remembered; how could she forget? They’d each been with their own group of friends at a club in Piccadilly. Having spotted her looking at Jamie, her friend Lisa had given her a nudge and said, ‘Dare you to go over there and kiss him without saying a word. If he tries to talk to you, pretend not to speak any English.’

  So she had.

  The kiss had been amazing. Afterwards, she had talked gobbledygook. ‘Ke, mi andzengo. Vamejski.’

  ‘Vamejskiola!’ Without missing a beat, Jamie had broken into a grin and lightly touched her cheek. ‘Laksadi ja, pelodria. Tibo!’

  And that had been it; in those few miraculous seconds they’d both known this was it; they were in it for the long haul. It had been that instantaneous.

  Till death us do part.

  But that was then. This was now. She was a different person these days.

  ‘Sweetheart, go for it.’ Jamie was remembering that night too; she could tell by the smile on his face. ‘It worked wonders for me.’

  Ellie wished she could reach out and touch him. ‘I know we don’t do this as much as we used to. But I do still miss you.’

  ‘Hey, no need to feel guilty. I’ll always be here if you need me.’ His expression softened. ‘Five, ten, twenty years from now… it doesn’t matter. Well, except for one thing.’

  ‘Which is?’

  The irreverent grin was back. Jamie said, ‘You’re going to get old and wrinkly, sweetheart. But I’m always going to look this good.’

  ***

  Plans, however, didn’t always work out. By the time Ellie returned to the marquee, another determined female had taken advantage of her absence and dragged Zack on to the dance floor.

  So much for the sisterhood.

  She sat down and poured herself more wine. Then she watched as Zack laughed and joked with her rival. And her heart did that crumpled little squeeze of love because really, was there anything more irresistible than a man not caring that he was making a complete fool of himself in front of everyone, because it was making his current dance partner ha
ppy and that was all that mattered?

  Zack and Lily were giving it everything they had, dancing like maniacs to ‘All The Single Ladies’. Joss barreled across the dance floor and joined in. There was Beyoncé-style foot stamping, hip wiggling, hand clapping, and head shaking. Attitude was the key. The three of them were a team. Then the song ended, everyone applauded, and Zack scooped up a twin in each arm. He pretended to stagger with exhaustion. The DJ, taking pity on him, began to play something slow. And Zack, looking across the room to see if she was back from the loo, saw her at the table and broke into a smile.

  Oh heavens, and now here he was, standing in front of her, holding out a hand. ‘Our turn now. Sorry about that. I was kidnapped.’

  ‘I noticed. Don’t worry, we filmed it. You’ll be on YouTube by midnight.’

  They reached the dance floor and Zack drew her into his arms. Heaven. They began to move slowly along with the music. More heaven. Ellie took a breath and said, ‘There’s something we’re going to have to do.’

  ‘What’s that?’

  She loved him. Everything she was feeling now, this was it, this was love. ‘I overheard Mya in the kitchen. She’s suspicious.’

  ‘Why?’

  His eyes. The way he looked down at her. His hands, one resting on her waist, the other in the small of her back.

  ‘She’s been watching us. Paying attention. We haven’t kissed.’ There, I said it. Ellie gazed steadily up at him. ‘I think we need to.’

  ‘You do?’ His expression was unreadable but she felt the tension in his shoulders. Oh God, was he horribly shocked?

  ‘Nothing too major. Just… you know, a little one.’ She no longer trusted herself; any more than a peck might be too much to handle.

  ‘A little one. You mean… right, here, right now?’

  ‘Might be best. So we get it over and done with.’ Her heart felt as if it were about to explode out of her chest; no way was she backing down now. ‘Sorry, but we should. Look, Steph and Gareth are doing it.’

  ‘I don’t know…’ He was prevaricating, about to say no and hold her at arm’s length so she couldn’t get to him. No, that was intolerable, he couldn’t duck out, she had to do it…

  ‘Don’t be such a baby. It’s only a kiss, it’ll be over in two seconds.’ Ellie reached up a hand and curled it around the back of his head. Detecting resistance, she murmured with a touch of desperation, ‘Just pretend, OK?’ and lifted herself up on tiptoe, her face tilted up to his. Her mouth brushed his mouth, a shot of electricity zipped through her body, and her lips parted…

  Oh God, was this what heaven felt like? Their mouths were a perfect fit, too much adrenaline was making her dizzy, and what she’d feared might happen was indeed happening, because now she’d started, there was no way in the world she could stop. But somehow it no longer seemed to matter, because Zack didn’t appear to want it to end either. He’d evidently decided not to put up a fight and was going along with the game instead. His left hand was in her hair, his right hand in the small of her back, and their bodies were pressed together… oh wow, this was everything she’d dreamed of happening and more… except they were still standing in the middle of the dance floor.

  ‘OK, we’re on show.’ Tearing himself away, practically causing her to let out a whimper of desolation, Zack seized her hand and propelled her towards the exit. Were people looking at them? Yes they were. Was she managing to walk more or less normally? Well, kind of. Was Mya there? Yes, she was, on the far edge of the dance floor, watching them with a glimmer of disappointment…

  Once they were outside he led her round to the back of the house until they were out of sight of everyone. And then they were kissing again… it was like a drug they couldn’t get enough of and Ellie was so on fire with longing for more she couldn’t even begin to imagine what it meant.

  Except, unbelievably, Zack appeared to be feeling it as intensely as she was. His breathing was uneven, his hands were cupping her face—oh heavens, he was a sensational kisser—and it was carrying on and on, even though there were no longer any suspicious ex-girlfriends around to see them.

  Which might mean…

  No, she couldn’t let herself think it.

  Zack drew back at last and surveyed her. It was dark, but not so dark she couldn’t see his face.

  ‘Well?’ he said. ‘How was that?’

  Talk about a loaded question. Was she panting? ‘It was… good.’

  ‘I suppose that’s better than bad.’

  She could barely swallow. ‘I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘Why not?’ There was a glint in his eye, a definite hint of a smile. ‘You started it.’

  ‘I wasn’t expecting you to join in.’

  ‘Was it just for Mya’s benefit?’

  ‘Slightly. She wasn’t the whole reason.’ OK, just plunge in. ‘I wanted to do it.’ Ellie paused, still struggling to catch her breath. Impulsively, she said, ‘Am I going to get sacked now, for impertinence and sexual harassment?’

  His hands were on her shoulders; his thumbs gently grazed her neck, causing shivers of longing to ripple through her body.

  ‘You have no idea.’ Zack shook his head. ‘No idea how long I’ve wanted this to happen.’

  Was he serious? ‘You haven’t.’

  ‘Oh yes, I have.’

  ‘Really? You can’t have been.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because you just wouldn’t have! You wanted a PA who wasn’t going to get all doofy over you. A proper professional working partnership. No shenanigans.’

  ‘True, that is what I wanted.’ Zack conceded this point. ‘Until you came along and completely got to me.’ He paused. ‘Doofy?’

  ‘It just came out. Sometimes only a made-up word will do.’

  Her brain had been attacked by egg beaters; it was a wonder she could speak at all. She clung to him in disbelief. ‘Did I really? Get to you?’

  ‘Oh yes. And that was before you ever saw me. The time you met Tony for lunch at the Ivy, remember?’ Zack’s dark eyes glittered in the dim light. ‘You passed me in the street in your pink coat and I just felt something here.’ He pressed his hand to his chest. ‘Nothing else like it has ever happened to me before. But that day it did.’

  Ellie was trembling. ‘You never said. You never gave any kind of hint.’

  ‘You weren’t ready.’ He touched her face. ‘Not for anyone. Which was fine, I was prepared to wait. Then the Todd thing happened. And that took some coming to terms with, I can tell you. Then you and Todd broke up—’

  ‘But I was too ashamed to tell you. I felt so stupid and hopeless, such a failure.’

  ‘And then along came Joe.’ One eyebrow lifted. ‘I couldn’t believe I’d missed my chance again.’

  The trembling was stepping up a gear. The backs of her knees had gone all juddery and out of control. That these words could be coming out of Zack’s mouth seemed too extraordinary to contemplate.

  ‘And all this time I’ve been desperately trying to hide how I was feeling. I thought you’d be horrified.’ Ellie jumped as a daddy longlegs danced past beneath the lit-up branches of the sycamore tree overhead.

  ‘I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you. One way or another, you were always out of reach.’ He pulled her closer and she felt the heat from his chest. ‘I think I’m in love with you.’

  Was this a dream? ‘Really?’

  ‘Actually, no, that’s not true. I know I am.’

  Ellie’s head was in a complete spin. She’d tried her hardest but things hadn’t been remotely right between her and Todd. Then Joe had come along and they’d been better, although nowhere near good enough.

  And now this. You could never know for sure, but this just might be… perfect.

  ***

  In the marquee, the DJ had taken to the stage in his Status Quo T-shirt. The sound of his favorite band started playing, accompanied by raucous cheers and much stamping of feet as everyone flooded on to the dance floor.

>   ‘ROCKIN’ ALL OVER THE WORLD!’ People with drink inside them were bellowing along at the tops of their voices. In the back garden, Ellie gave herself up to yet another sublime kiss. Zack really was very good at it. The next moment they belatedly sprang apart at the sound of footsteps on the flagstoned path.

  ‘Whoops, sorry…’ Having left the house, Tizz was making her way back to the marquee. She stopped and beamed at them. ‘Well now, don’t you two look happy!’

  Zack looked at Ellie. Ellie looked at Zack, struggling to keep a straight face. The silence lengthened. Mystified, Tizz said, ‘Come on then, spill the beans! What’s up?’

  ‘OK, let me tell her. I told you a bit of a white lie before. Ellie and I weren’t actually together before today.’ Zack’s arm slid around Ellie’s waist. ‘But we are now.’

  ‘You weren’t? You are? Well, that’s marvelous news! But you should have asked me if you were perfect for each other.’ His mother’s eyes danced. ‘I could have told you that.’ A thought occurred to her. ‘Ha, so that’s why you asked for separate rooms!’

  ‘Sorry.’ Ellie grinned. ‘And you thought I was playing hard to get.’

  ‘Oh my darling girl, don’t apologize, that just makes me love you more. Come along then, let’s get back to this party! Don’t you just love Status Quo?’

  That was it then, so much for sloping off. There was to be no early escape. Tizz was insistent and, as it turned out, it didn’t matter a bit. If anything, it only served to heighten the delicious anticipation. For the next three hours Ellie and Zack danced and celebrated and socialized with friends and family, all the while enjoying the sizzle of sexual tension that had existed between them for so long but which had only now, at long last, been acknowledged. Adrenaline was zinging through Ellie’s veins. It was hard to have eyes for anyone other than Zack. Again and again she thanked her lucky stars, because what if they hadn’t found each other?

  Finally, just as she was beginning to wonder how much longer she could hold out, Zack murmured in her ear, ‘OK, we have to go now. This has been great, but I’m only human.’

  Hooray!

  Hand in hand, they slipped discreetly away, out of the marquee and back to the house. In through the creaking back door, across the deserted hall, and up the curved staircase.