by Fiona Harper
‘Hi, Saffron,’ he said wearily.
‘Hi,’ she said back. ‘Glad I finally caught you.’
He traced a coffee ring on the table with his finger. ‘You can’t keep calling me,’ he said, the softness of his tone taking the edge off the blunt statement, he hoped.
‘Alex, if you’d only let me explain…You’re just being silly!’
‘No. I’m not.’
He could almost hear her pouting down the other end of the line. ‘There’s no reason we can’t still be friends, is there? Why don’t we meet up and have coffee one afternoon?’
If it had been anyone else he might have said yes, but he could see through this as easily as he could see through the rest of Saffron’s schemes—well, most of them. She was hoping she’d be able to nudge friendship along into something more, that maybe they could pick up where they’d left off, and that just wasn’t possible. Stringing her along, giving her hope where there was none. If he got back with her just because she needed a shoulder to cry on, he’d be lying, and that wasn’t fair to either of them.
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ he said firmly. ‘I’m sorry, Saffron.’
The irony that he was giving her the same kind of speech Nicole had just given him didn’t escape him.
He heard her sigh. ‘Really? Not even one tiny espresso?’
‘Sorry.’
There were a few seconds of silence. He wondered if she was going to start getting cross with him, as she usually did when she didn’t get her way, but she surprised him with what she said next.
‘Okay, if that’s how you really feel. But will you do me one favour?’
He knew he sounded suspicious when he answered, but he just couldn’t help it. ‘What’s that?’
‘Come to my Christmas party? I’ll send you an invite.’
‘I’m not coming as your date, Saffron.’
She sighed again. ‘I know. You don’t have to worry—there’s going to be a huge crowd. Just come, will you, Alex? One last night of fun, like we used to have. And I promise after that you can disappear from my life forever, if that’s what you want.’
He rubbed his hand across his forehead. It didn’t sound too unreasonable. And he did feel the teensiest bit guilty for having ended things when she was in such a low place. Perhaps he should do this one thing for her so he could walk away with a clear conscience.
‘Okay,’ he said and braced himself against the ear-splitting squeal that came out of his handset. ‘I’ll come.’
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
Nicole closed her eyes and rested her body against one of the fluted Ionic columns of the Hamilton Hotel’s newly renovated Palm Court. It had been a long, long day, and the most gut-wrenching part was yet to come. She just needed a moment to compose herself, a brief second to shut her lids against the winter wonderland Hopes & Dreams had created for Saffron. All that glitter and bridal white was making her stomach churn.
The venue was beautiful, originally used for tea dances, and had been returned to its former glory during the recent refurbishment. One entered through mirrored doors onto a white marble terrace that ran round three sides of the room. A black-iron-and-polished-brass balustrade guarded the edge, sweeping downwards where three short flights of steps—one at either end of the terrace and one in the middle—dipped to meet the main floor.
Once, this had been the home of potted palms and other exotic plants, string quartets and clinking teacups, but tonight it looked like an ice palace, a magical kingdom.
‘Oh, my God! It’s gorgeous!’ someone squealed beside her, and she opened her eyes and found Saffron standing at the top of the steps, on the verge of jumping up and down.
Nicole stood up and looked again at the scene with fresh eyes. Silver birches wound with tiny white fairy lights stood in pale earthenware pots both on the terrace and on the lower level. The tables that circled the dance floor were flowing with white flowers and silver baubles, and a million silver and white streamers hung from the ceiling like delicate stalactites.
The pale blue and lavender lights placed on the floor around the room created shadows, picking out the decorative trellis plasterwork and reflecting off any one of the mirrored panes that filled the walls. Not only were the entrance doors and those opposite that led to another room filled with mirrors, but arched panels all around the walls were decorated the same way. The original intention must have been to use the reflections of the greenery inside to make it seem as if the Palm Court was a regal glasshouse, like those at Kew, looking out over impressive gardens. Tonight, however, it seemed as if this were just one magical cavern in a network of underground ice caves.
‘It’s stunning!’ Saffron said, giving in to the urge to bob up and down.
‘I know,’ Nicole murmured and sank back against the pillar. It looked as if a snowy wilderness had been imported into the heart of London—with a few little sparkly extras here and there.
What a pity she suspected Alex would have much preferred the real thing. Real snow. Real frost and hard rocks. An icy wind that was both chilling and invigorating. If she had been proposing to him, she wouldn’t have done it this way.
She sighed and pushed herself upright again. But she wasn’t proposing to Alex. She wasn’t even with Alex, and she needed to remember that, or she’d be carted off to the loony bin once this evening was over.
It was all so surreal. She believed what Alex had said about breaking up with Saffron. The truth had been there in his eyes, and he could have taken advantage of the situations they’d found themselves in at the weddings if he’d wanted to run around with two women. But he hadn’t.
Reading between the lines of Saffron’s story, she guessed Saffron, in her usual I-always-get-what-I-want-eventually way, had just refused to believe him, and the fact that she knew her reasons for being less than open with him were legitimate just cemented her determination further.
‘Everything you hoped for?’ she asked Saffron.
The other woman nodded. ‘More.’ And then she turned to Nicole and smiled. ‘It’s perfect! And you’re looking pretty snazzy yourself.’
Nicole mumbled her thanks. She was wearing one of three little black dresses she owned. Not the one she’d worn last New Year’s Eve—that would have been too close to the bone. This one had a higher neck and didn’t cling quite so lovingly. Very businesslike while still being smart enough for a party. And the black would help her blend into the shadows.
She needed this front tonight. Needed to be as smart and sophisticated and polished as she knew how to be. This dress was her armour against all that was going to happen.
‘The flash mob are all here and ready and waiting for a final rehearsal,’ she told Saffron. ‘Do you want to run through in what you’re wearing or do you want to change into your dress?’
‘Ooh, the dress! I want to see if the sequins catch the light the way I thought they would.’
‘Come this way, then.’ Nicole led her client through the double doors back into the lobby and indicated a lift with a single button. ‘This takes you all the way up to the penthouse, to the suite we reserved for you…’ She trailed off, finding she was completely unable to add the words ‘and Alex’. ‘For after the main event, so you can have a little privacy. The hair and make-up artists are waiting for you up there already.’
Saffron lurched impulsively forward and gave her a hug. ‘Thank you, Nicole! I don’t know what I’d have done without you, and I’m so glad you’re going to be with me every second of the way, to back me up and make sure I don’t blow it.’
Nicole patted Saffron’s back awkwardly. ‘Just doing my job,’ she said quietly, but her insides felt like a muddy whirlpool, swirling faster and faster, sucking all the usual joy at a job well done out of her.
She stood back and looked at Saffron. ‘And you’re sure you want to go through with this? That this is what you want? It’s not too late to pull the plug and just have a great party if you change your mind, you know.’
&
nbsp; Saffron laughed. ‘Nicole! If I didn’t know better I’d think you were trying to talk me out of it!’
She’d tried to warn Saffron in countless ways over the last week or so, but it had all fallen on deaf ears. Saffron Wolden-Barnes didn’t do subtle, and the other approach just wasn’t an option. Not if she wanted to stay in business past the end of December.
She pushed the button for Saffron and the lift doors purred open. ‘I’ll see you in about half an hour,’ she said, as they closed again and whisked her away up to the love nest Peggy had spent all afternoon decorating with heart-shaped balloons and rose petals. Nicole hadn’t been able to face going up there, and it hadn’t been because of a fear of heights.
She re-entered the Palm Court and searched out her friends for a powwow. Not only was Peggy here, but Mia too. She’d insisted on coming to lend a helping hand, although Nicole suspected she was here for moral support more than anything else.
She found Peggy chatting up the good-looking bartender and signalled for Mia, who was talking with the choir leader, to join her under one of the twinkling silver birches.
‘Okay,’ she said briskly as they came within earshot. ‘Shall we go over the timings again?’
Mia laid a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. ‘How are you holding up?’
Nicole kept her mouth closed and pulled oxygen in through her nostrils. ‘Okay.’ It was a lie, they all knew it, but what else could she say? Admitting she was shrivelling inside would just open the floodgates.
‘I think you should let me and Peggy take over in here,’ Mia added.
Nicole’s eyes grew wide. ‘But I can’t bail now.’
‘No one’s saying you should bail,’ Peggy said in her husky voice. ‘But there’s no reason why you can’t take over liaising with the hotel, with the caterers and whatnot. It’ll keep you away from the Palm Court for great chunks of time. I can swap with you and do all the “front of house” stuff, give the signals to the flash mob and everything, and Mia can keep an eye on Alex, make sure we know where he is when the crucial moment arrives. There’s no need for you to be in here at all once the singing and dancing starts if you don’t want to be.’
Nicole forgot all about prim and professional and pulled both of her best friends towards her, one with each arm, and hugged them hard until they started to complain about squashed ribs and smeared make-up. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.
That, at least, was a tiny silver lining in the evening. She’d been dreading the ringside seat for watching the man she thought she might be falling in love with being proposed to by another woman.
She didn’t want to see the look in his eyes when Saffron asked the question. If he was going to say no, she’d see it, and then she’d feel like the most horrible person in the universe. She didn’t want to see Saffron hurt, even though her own feelings—and sometimes actions—had unwittingly contributed to that.
But part of her was scared. Scared he’d do exactly what Jasper had done and choose the safe option. He’d talked about Saffron being his safety net. What if he needed one of those now? Nicole had pushed him away so many times, hurt him. He couldn’t keep bouncing back to her, could he? So what she was scared of most was not seeing regret in his eyes when Saffron popped the question, that instead she’d see them light up in amusement, that he’d give Saffron a flash of that dimple, the one she was starting to feel quite territorial about.
What if he said yes?
She’d seen it before, a dithering or undecided other half swept along by the sheer romance of what had been created for them. It happened. And it could happen here tonight.
‘Okay,’ she said, releasing her grip on her friends and picking up her clipboard from where she’d left it on a nearby table. ‘Let’s run through this baby just one more time…’
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
Nicole checked her watch and fired off a text to Saffron. It had been more than an hour since she’d seen her last, and the flash mob—thirty singers and almost as many dancers—were starting to get fidgety.
Saffron had plumped for a full-on musical number for the proposal, with herself as the star. While the music followed a romantic Christmas theme, Nicole had persuaded her to go for tango dancers rather than the ubiquitous streetdance flash mob. It was classy and elegant, sexy…And the Hamilton’s Palm Court had been famous for its tango sessions back when the dance had still been shocking and risqué.
Nicole checked her watch again. It was also only an hour until the party started. If Saffron didn’t get down here and rehearse soon, she’d miss her opportunity.
Thankfully, she arrived ten minutes later, looking resplendent in a short dress covered with large silver sequins. The neckline was sexy without being too revealing, but when she turned round, the back dipped away. The look was finished off with a pair of silver shoes so gorgeous Nicole was tempted to weep. With Saffron’s willowy limbs and long blonde waves, the effect was stunning. No one was going to be looking at anyone else this evening, that was for sure.
‘Ready to go through the routine?’ Nicole asked, eager to get the rehearsal done before the troops got any more restless.
Saffron nodded, but she was frowning. ‘Sure. But I keep forgetting when I need to do my bit. You will be there to give me my cue, won’t you?’
Nicole nodded. She’d been to all the rehearsals in the previous week, knew exactly what Saffron had to do and when. It wasn’t anything too demanding. The choir and dancers would be strategically planted all around the Palm Court, both on the floor and on the terrace. The choir would start with a soloist who’d sing the beginning of ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ a cappella. At the same time a lone pair of tango dancers would start the action on the dance floor during the slow and dramatic opening bars of the song, and then, when the tempo picked up, more of the singers would join in, shaking sleigh bells, and the band would fill in. More dancers would start in their positions around the room, then gradually make their way down to join the opening couple in the centre of the floor.
By the time the song reached its climax, four of the male dancers would split from their partners and come and collect Saffron from where she’d be waiting at the top of the steps to make the grand entrance she’d been so insistent about. They’d pick her up and carry her down the stairs on their shoulders, while she held her arms aloft, and bring her to Alex, wherever he might be standing in the room. If they did a full circuit, so much the better, Saffron had said, liking the elevated position that garnered maximum attention. The dancers would let her down gracefully and, once delivered, she was going to go down on one knee and pop the question.
All she really needed to remember was to step out from where she’d be hidden behind one of the pillars at the right time.
‘I just can’t remember if I come out on the second “Ooh, baby” or the third,’ Saffron said, sighing.
‘The second,’ Nicole said with conviction. ‘We’re just about to run through it so we can double-check. I’ll be right over here…and Peggy knows the cues too. Everything is going to be fine.’
She hurried Saffron into her hiding place as the dancers and singers took their positions and one by one fed into the song at their appointed times. Right on cue, the four male dancers spun away from their partners and surged up the steps.
‘Second!’ Nicole hissed to Saffron as they approached and Saffron popped out, looking somewhat nervous, and lifted her arms in the air. From then on she just had to stay still and remember to keep her legs rigid so the dancers could carry her easily. Peggy was standing in for Alex, and they deposited her at Peggy’s feet.
‘Well, I’m tempted to say yes,’ she quipped and Saffron beamed at her.
Nicole hurried forward. ‘You know what you’re going to say?’ she asked. ‘Do you want to practise it now?’
Saffron looked around nervously. ‘Not in front of all these people…’
Nicole got that. After tonight she’d be able to tell Alex the truth about all her so-called complication
s. She was nervous enough about that, so it was no wonder Saffron didn’t want to freak herself out by getting all tongue-tied before the big moment. Some things were better not rehearsed anyway. Proposals were one of those things that should come straight from the heart.
‘You’re happy with the dance?’ she asked Saffron.
‘Can we go through it one more time?’
Nicole nodded to Peggy, and she signalled for the flash mob to take up their places again. ‘I just need to go and chat to the catering team,’ she told Saffron before she went back up the stairs to her opening position. ‘If you need anything, or want any details about what time everything’s happening, just ask Peggy or Mia.’
Saffron looked forlorn. ‘You’re not going to be here?’
Nicole blinked. ‘Of course I will, but I’ve got some last-minute details to see to.’
She didn’t mention the fact that while she might be in the hotel, she might not be in this very room, but that really shouldn’t be a problem. Both Peggy and Mia were well briefed and ready to step in. As much as she liked Saffron, and as much as she wanted this job to outdo anything else they’d ever done, there was no way she actually wanted to be inside the Palm Court when the proposal went down.
Alex strode through the lobby of the Hamilton and headed for the Palm Court at the back of the building. He’d done a couple of weddings here before it had been refurbished, so he knew exactly where it was. He checked the time on his mobile. Nine-fifteen.
How long did he have to stick this out before he disappeared again? An hour? An hour and a half? He really wasn’t in the mood for a party tonight. The only reason he was here was because of that rash promise he’d made Saffron, a promise born of guilt and confusion. Not the best kind at all.
