by Shari Low
Verity lifted her chin, determined to show he didn’t intimidate her. ‘You think?’
The most attractive man in the room got ugly real quick.
‘You’re doing this because I didn’t fuck you. You couldn’t handle the rejection. Do you think I didn’t know? Didn’t see what you wanted? Even after Zoe and I got together, there you were, hanging around, begging for it. How do you think Zoe would feel about that? So here’s what I suggest we do, Verity. You don’t mention the message, and I won’t mention that you were still there, practically gagging for it, and I could have had you all day long if I’d wanted you.’
The wind was thumped out of her chest, she felt dizzy, her legs turned to jelly and she just wanted to check out before any more blows were inflicted. It was almost a knockout.
Then he spoke again.
‘If it’s any consolation, you weren’t the only one. Yvie. Marina. Could have had you all if I’d wanted. The full set of Danton sisters.’
Almost a knockout, but not quite. It was like the moment in Rocky when he climbed back off the canvas. If the canvas was a very expensive Canadian walnut floor in a luxury hotel. A year ago, she was so disconnected from her sisters that she might not have reacted the way that she did. Not now.
She inhaled. Exhaled. Ding ding.
‘Let me tell you something, you spineless prick. If you think you could have any of us, then you’re deluded. But if you want to tell Zoe that, then on you go. See if she believes you. Because here’s the thing. I’m not going to say anything to her about the message or any of the things you’ve just said…’
His eyebrows lifted in surprise.
‘At least not yet. I’m going to give you the chance to tell her first and you can dress it up any way you want. You’re going to do your own dirty work and bail out of this sham of a marriage because my sister deserves so much better than you. But if you don’t do it, then I’m telling her everything – my part in it too – because I’d rather lose a sister than have her live her life with a duplicitous prick like you. Oh, and this…’ she turned her phone so he could see the flashing red button that showed the phone was recording every word that had been said. ‘I’ll play it for her too, so she can hear what a scumbag you really are. See you in school, Edward.’
And with that, she spun on the Jimmy Choos she’d borrowed from Marina and strutted out of the bar.
39
Yvie – Tom’s Wedding
‘Are you crying again? You’ll ruin your gorgeous make-up and that would be a travesty.’
Yvie wasn’t lying. Kay had pushed the boat out for today. She’d had her hair done so it fell in loose coppery waves, she was wearing false eyelashes so thick they could sweep the floors later, and her frock was a dramatic, one-shouldered, red sheath that clung to her curves in the most flattering way. When they’d chosen it, Kay had put it on her credit card with her eyes squeezed shut because she knew she’d be paying for it forever. It was worth it though. For someone who, like Yvie, spent her whole life in hospital scrubs with no make-up on, it felt great to be glamorous and sexy for a change.
‘Jesus, you should have an endorsement deal with Kleenex,’ Yvie teased, handing yet another tissue over to her friend, who took it and, instead of blowing her nose, just waved it about as she spoke, staring at Tom and Chrissie the whole time. The couple were on the dance floor again, smooching to ‘At Last’ by Etta James. They were staring into each other’s eyes, no words needing to be said, just so in love that Yvie could see why Kay was weeping.
‘It’s just that they look so… perfect. Honestly, I’m not bitter that someone else has found love while I’m going to be single until the end of fricking time. I’m happy for them. These are happy tears.’
Yvie knew differently. After a few drinks, Kay sometimes got a bit maudlin, especially at events like this. It was a Catch-22 situation. She’d brought her along as her plus-one for a night of food, drinks and dancing – all of which they’d thoroughly enjoyed, mostly thanks to the table of absolute characters they’d been placed on. As soon as they’d arrived, one of the women, a platinum blonde with a beehive hairdo the size of a small hedge, had stood up and hugged them in turn. ‘I’m Chrissie’s next-door neighbour, Val,’ she’d announced, ‘and this is my man, Don. I know he’s gorgeous, but don’t be getting ideas, because at his age his heart couldn’t take it.’
Yvie and Kay had still been laughing when Val had moved aside to introduce the woman behind her.
‘And this is my niece…’
‘Liv!’ Kay exclaimed, with obvious delight.
‘Bloody hell, it’s a small world,’ Yvie had gasped, loving this turn of events. Liv was the charge nurse on the palliative care ward at Glasgow Central and both Kay and Yvie had worked with her at various times in their careers there. That’s how, instead of two guests at a table of strangers, Yvie and Kay had immediately been welcomed into Val’s fold and, by the time pudding was served (Yvie ate Don’s – Val said he wasn’t allowed it because of his cholesterol), Yvie and Kay had been made honorary members of Val’s family.
And what a hoot they all were. They’d drank far too much, sang, danced their shoes off, and the chat round the table was outrageously funny. There had been a couple of surprises too – especially the bit where Val got Tom’s Aunt Flora up to dance and they did a flawless, utterly jaw-dropping jive that could have been straight out of a Gene Kelly movie.
Now though, at the end of the night, the mood had shifted a little. Val was leaning over the back of her seat, talking to Liv and the guests at the table behind them, leaving Yvie trying to console a sobbing Kay, while Tom and Chrissie were still smooching to Etta on the dance floor.
And the other side of the Catch-22 was kicking in. The wedding had been incredible – but for someone looking for love, it was also a reminder of what they didn’t have.
‘It’ll happen for you, pal,’ Yvie told her, knowing that it was something that kept Kay awake at night. She and Chester were doing great, but it had always just been the two of them and Kay wanted a future that gave Chester more people to love, a family that had more than just two in it. Three, if they counted Yvie, which they always did and Yvie was so grateful for that. If the last few months had taught her anything it was that you could never have too many people to love. Maybe it was time that she thought about being open to meeting someone too. First though, she knew she had to look after herself a bit more, before she could even think about caring for a partner.
‘Do you think?’ Kay asked wearily. ‘How long has it been? I haven’t had sex since… since…’ Yvie saw her eyes dart to Zoe, who was over at the other side of the room talking to Roger Kemp and Verity, then move to Ned, who was propping up the bar, swaying as if he’d had one too many beers. ‘Urgh, I can’t believe I slept with him. How could I have fallen for all his bullshit?’
Yvie didn’t say a word. Kay had liked him a lot and been so hurt after he’d ghosted her. Bastard. Tonight, they’d both given him a wide berth, refusing to even glance at him until now. In fact, Yvie had avoided him since Vegas, when the truth about what he’d done had come out. Just a fuckery of timing that it was the same weekend he’d married her sister.
As if he knew that they were talking about him, Ned Merton turned his head, looked their way and smiled. Yvie shuddered. Fuck him. Since they came back from the trip, she had met up with Marina and Verity a few times to discuss what to do about the Ned situation, but they needed to get in a room with Zoe too, and she’d been too busy at work to fit them in. Yvie hadn’t told Kay anything about what had happened between the sisters in the hotel room that night – Zoe deserved to know everything first.
‘How’s the other love’s young dream?’ Kay asked now, gesturing to Ned and then casting her eyes over to Zoe again. Kay and the rest of the world had seen the video of Zoe and Ned abseiling off the building and it was still being hailed online as one of the most romantic events of the year. If only they knew the truth.
‘They seem�
� fine.’
‘Was it just a publicity stunt?’ Kay asked. ‘It just seemed a bit sudden. And, let’s face it, he didn’t strike me as the marrying type. He’s a serial shagger.’
‘To be honest, my love, I’ve no idea if it was a stunt or real. It’s always hard to tell with Zoe.’ Non-committal. Vague. But the truth was, this wasn’t the time or the place to go into it. She would tell Kay the whole truth about Ned’s behaviour and his Your Next Date activities when it was all sorted, one way or another, and it was just the two of them, a bottle of plonk and a large extra-hot pepperoni pizza.
‘What’s hard to tell with Zoe?’ Verity asked with a slight slur as she slipped – a tad wobbly – into the free chair next to them. She’d been up dancing with Dex and the other guys from Zoe’s office all night. A year ago, Verity would have sat in the corner, judging everyone and living up to her uptight reputation. Now she’d changed and it was all for the better. Although, right now, her liver might not agree.
‘Oh, nothing,’ Yvie countered, waving her hand as if it were irrelevant trivia, then switching the subject immediately. ‘You having a good time?’
‘Yep, but I’ve been ditched by Mum and Nigel, and Marina and Graham – they all buggered off ages ago – and I have to go home,’ she told them. ‘It’s been great, but it’s time to call it a night. I’ve got a ten mile run with the triathlon team in the morning and I’m going to have a bitch of a hangover.’ It was Verity’s new thing – she’d joined when she came back from Vegas and was planning to compete in her first Iron Woman by the end of the year. Her level of exercise was still high, but it was controlled now, no longer an obsessive reaction to her emotions or stresses. Yvie had told her she’d bring the Mars bars for the finish line. Joking aside, she was beyond proud of Verity for tackling her issues and in the last couple of weeks, she’d made an effort to do the same. It wasn’t easy but she’d been making time to get more sleep, to eat better, to be kinder to herself, and she’d made an appointment to see Verity’s therapist. Small steps but her panic attacks had reduced – only one since they’d returned home. She was absolutely positive that sharing her worries and anxieties with her sisters had been the beginning of the healing process.
‘I’m ready to call it a night too, I’ll come with you.’
‘Noooooo,’ Kay interrupted them. ‘I’m not ready to go home yet. Chester is away with his wee pal until tomorrow afternoon.’
‘I know! But since I’ve volunteered for the early shift tomorrow morning so that my lovely pal and co-worker Kay Gorman can have a long lie-in, I need to get to my bed.’
‘Urgh, you’ve always got to come back with a great point when I’m being a brat,’ Kay pouted. ‘I really need to get a new pal.’
‘Yeah, well, can you get one that’ll do the early shift in future and then I can have a long lie-in too?’ Yvie batted back.
‘Excuse me, everyone! Can I just have a word…’ Miss James had sung her last line and Tom was now on stage with the mike. ‘First of all, thank you again to everyone for coming. I thought I couldn’t get any happier after I married Chrissie, but you lot have made it even more incredible.’
Yvie’s eyes flickered to Zoe, who had stopped speaking to Roger and was now watching Tom, with an inscrutable expression on her face. Yvie’s heart went out to her. This kind of stuff would have crushed other people, but Zoe took it all, powered through everything that was tossed her way and did it with such grace that Yvie was in awe of her. Even if she had just married a tit.
When the applause and cheers died down, Tom went on, ‘I just want to say that I’m the happiest man in the world tonight and I’m not going to make another speech but my wife and I—’ A roaring thunder of cheers made Tom laugh and take a bow. ‘My wife and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts and we love you all. In fact, we love you so much that we’ve persuaded Roger to keep the residents’ bar open for as long as you want, so everyone is welcome to stay and carry on partying. Thank you again and have a great night.’
‘Yes!’ Val exclaimed, across the table. ‘Yvie, pet, you’re with me on the karaoke.’
‘There’s a karaoke in the residents’ bar?’ Yvie asked, surprised that a hotel as upmarket as this had something so rowdy.
Val shook her head and emitted a wicked cackle. ‘Nope, but there will be when my Don gets some Tom Jones on the iPhone.’
Yvie’s giggle came with a bittersweet groan, and Kay stepped in to explain. ‘Val, I want to stay and this bore is going home. I mean, just because she’s got to be at work in six hours…’ Kay teased. ‘She’s a total lightweight.’
‘Not something I’ve ever been called before,’ Yvie retorted with perfect comedic timing.
‘Aw, pet. The NHS should give you lot a medal, they really should. I’m always saying that to our Liv. The work you do… Yer all gems. Yvie, I’m gutted you have to leave – we definitely need to plan another night out. And, Kay, stay with us, lass! We’ll take care of you. It looks like there’s gonna be quite a crowd, and you never know what might happen. Our Isa met her husband at the party after I married my Don.’
‘Yeah, stay, Kay,’ Liv, who had just returned to the table with an elaborate cocktail in hand, begged her.
In a split second, Yvie saw the solution that would make everyone happy. There was a small hitch, but it was easily overcome. Val had got sidetracked by a passing guest, so Yvie leaned into towards Kay, ensuring she was the only one who could hear what she was saying. ‘Babe, why don’t you stay here with Val and Liv – I’m actually totally jealous – and then just get a room in the hotel tonight.’
Kay’s face lit up, then immediately fell again. ‘Don’t be daft. This place costs a fortune. A night here would keep Chester in trainers for a year.’
Yvie had already thought of that. She slipped her hand into her clutch purse, pulled out her credit card and surreptitiously pressed it into Kay’s hand. ‘Take it. Please. I’ll book you a room downstairs and you pay for it with this. My treat. And tomorrow morning, you sleep late, order room service, go to the spa and enjoy every minute of it. Put all of it on this card too. Call it an extra birthday present.’
Kay stared at her, open mouthed but eyes gleaming. ‘But my birthday’s not until October.’
‘Well, you’d better drag it out then,’ Yvie joked, rising from her chair and addressing everyone at the table. ‘Right, Kay’s going to stay and I’m off. Think of me when you’re staggering to your beds at 6 a.m. and I’m already up and on my way to work.’
She almost didn’t get the last word out, because Kay stood up, threw her arms around her, muffling her mouth. ‘Thank you. I fricking love you.’
‘I fricking love you back. Now, behave yourself and don’t let this lot get you drunk or arrested.’
‘Oh, we can’t make promises like that, pet,’ Val quipped.
Yvie worked her way round the table, kissing everyone, saying goodbye, making plans to meet up again for a night out, then took Verity’s hand and finally tore herself away. The look of sheer joy on Kay’s face was worth every penny of the credit card bill that would come her way. At least Roger gave all the sisters a 50 per cent discount after their advertising campaign had been used to launch their Ladies Who Live It Up campaign at his Ibiza hotel.
Scanning the room, she searched for Zoe so that she could say goodbye, but she’d disappeared. No matter. She’d text her on the way home.
Down in the lobby, they exited the lift to see plenty of people still milling around.
‘Give me two minutes – I just need to go book a room for Kay.’ Yvie went to reception, explained the situation and the very efficient receptionist assured her she’d arrange it all and leave a key ready for Miss Kay Gorman to collect. Yvie could barely concentrate on what she was saying, too busy trying not to gape at Roger Kemp’s size zero wife, who was standing nearby, looking faintly irritated. Wow. There was a woman who’d never cheered herself up with a chicken and sweetcorn pizza.
Booking complete, Yvie
made her way back to the lobby sofas, where Verity was waiting. ‘Right, my love, come on. Let’s grab a taxi.’
‘Sounds like a plan,’ Verity replied, managing to rise from the black velvet couch gracefully despite the short dress, the high heels and the consumption of several gins.
They’d almost made it to the door, when Yvie glanced to the left and saw a couple sitting there, the woman’s face a mask of sadness as she brushed tears away from her cheeks.
Yvie immediately froze, put her arm on Verity’s. ‘Look.’
‘Is that Marina?’ Verity whispered. ‘I haven’t got my glasses on and it’s too far.’
‘It’s Marina,’ Yvie confirmed. ‘With Graham. And I’ve no idea what’s happening, but it doesn’t look good.’
40
Marina – Tom’s Wedding
If there was a hell on earth, it was being forced to be at a wedding and celebrate a blissful couple’s happy ever after when your own marriage was crumbling to dust, Marina decided. She’d sat through the ceremony. She’d suffered the speeches and the declarations of everlasting devotion. She’d put a happy face on for the other guests at their table. And then she’d practically punched the air with glee when her phone buzzed in her bag and she pulled it out to see Annabelle’s name flashing on the screen.
‘Excuse me, it’s my daughter. I just need to take this.’
‘Everything okay, darling?’ Graham asked distractedly, liqueur in hand, breaking off the conversation he’d been having for the last two hours with the man next to him, after he’d discovered he was in asset management and they might have some mutual business interests.
Marina had amused herself by talking to Verity, mentally making her to-do list for the week and picturing Tom and Chrissie in twenty years’ time, staring at each other over a dinner table with nothing to say. Yes, her bitch award was still on her mantlepiece.
