“But Kate, why would you want to be an explorer? That’s just not you. We can go abroad if you like. We’re going to Barbados for our honeymoon.”
“To a five-star hotel. That’s not the same. I don’t actually want to be an explorer, but I want to travel to places. To experience the real place, not just their best hotel. I want to go camping. You hate things like that.” She looked him in the eye. “We’ve been lying to each other, Richard. You didn’t tell me about Vicky, and I didn’t tell you I’d been out for a couple of drinks with an old school friend.”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“An old male school friend. And I didn’t tell him I was engaged. And I didn’t tell you I’d been. And I found I was enjoying his company more than yours. And I let him kiss me. That’s no way to start a marriage. I’m sorry, Richard, but I can’t marry you.” She gently eased her engagement ring off her finger and held it out to him. “Please forgive me. I thought it would be okay, I’d convinced myself it would be okay, but this morning I realised it wouldn’t.”
Richard took the ring from her and held it in his hand. “I understand.” He sighed and ran a hand over his hair. “We’re not as close as we could be. We do have different aims in life. We do want different things. I thought that didn’t matter, but maybe it does. Maybe we are too different. I shouldn’t have lied to you, it was very silly, as was some of my behaviour, and from the sound of it you haven’t been perfect either. I’m sorry it’s come to this, but I think I understand.”
“Thank you.” Kate stepped forward and kissed his cheek. “I’m sorry to do this here, too, but I thought everyone should understand. We can talk more later in private, if you want to.” She turned and faced the open-mouthed, silent congregation, who were watching the scene playing out in front of them. Her mother was sobbing quietly onto Peter’s shoulder, and Jenny and Vicky were both trying to conceal smiles. Kate stared around at them all and was suddenly tongue-tied. A hand on her arm made her jump. Her grandmother had joined her.
“It’s okay, Kate. That was a difficult thing to do, but I think it was the right thing to do. You made the right decision. Go and enjoy your life.”
Kate leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Thanks, Granny. Can you look after Mum and Dad?”
Marion nodded, and Kate turned back to the congregation. “I’m going to go now, but there’s a big party arranged, and paid for—sorry, Dad—over at the hotel, and it would be a huge waste if it didn’t all get eaten, so please all still go and enjoy that. I’m sorry to have wasted everyone’s time, but at least it’s nice for you to have a get-together. Mum, I hope you understand and forgive me. I love you.” She turned to the bridesmaids. “Thanks, girls, you were great, couldn’t have made it this far without you both. Vicky, have you got my phone?” Vicky handed her the phone, and Kate held it tightly in her hand. She had started to walk back up the aisle towards the door when she noticed the astonished face of Holly, her young co-worker. She paused and tossed her bouquet to the girl. “Thank you, Holly, and I hope you find your astronaut one day. Oh, yes, and tell James I quit.” Then, with as much dignity as she could muster, Kate walked back up the aisle and pushed open the heavy oak door at the end.
She emerged into the sunshine and immediately shaded her eyes as it dazzled her. She took a deep breath and stepped onto the path. Sam was sitting cross-legged on a raised stone tomb. They stared at each other.
“You took your time. I was beginning to get worried.”
“Next time you don’t want me to marry someone, please just tell me, don’t make me work it out.” She glared at him. “And you shouldn’t be sitting on that. It’s someone’s grave.”
“That’s okay. It’s my great-granddad’s. He doesn’t mind. He’s dead.” Sam slid down off the stone and walked towards her. His eye had gone a mixture of purple and yellow, and the scratch down his face still looked raw. “You’re not married, then? What did you do with Roderick?”
“Richard is still in the church, with all the rest of my friends and relations. And no, I’m not married, but no thanks to you. Why couldn’t you have just said, ‘Don’t marry Richard’? I would have understood that.”
Sam had reached her and stood looking down at her. “If you worked it out, then you know why. You had to make the decision for yourself.”
“I know that now.” Kate sighed. “But if it hadn’t been for Granny and her story, I might not have done. I was so hung up on not letting everyone down that I was going to go through with it and sort it out afterwards.”
“Which I realised. Hence the warning about temporary jobs.”
“Again, I know that now, but I only worked that one out after I got here! Honestly, Sam, if this is going to work, you’re going to have to stop being so cryptic. It does my head in.”
He moved even closer. “Well, you got there in the end. What do you want to do now?”
She looked up at him. “Finish that kiss we started in the hotel?”
“Sounds good to me.” He smiled down at her. “I love you, Katy Granger. I hope you finally realise that.”
“I love you too, Sam Somerville. I love you too.”
A word about the author…
Rachael Richey writes Women’s Fiction. She lives in Cornwall, England, with her husband, son, and daughter.
You can visit Rachael's website at:
http://rachaelricheybooks.weebly.com/
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