by Dani Atkins
Was I the only one who’d heard Jamie’s momentary hesitation as he hastily changed what had started like ‘our’ and ended up as ‘your’? I looked across at the armchair where my father was wearing a look not dissimilar to the one rabbits have just as the car headlights are bearing down on them. We’d come a long way in the weeks since Gran’s wedding, but clearly we still had a way to go.
‘I’ll just keep relisting it. The right person will find the dress, or the dress will find the right person.’ I waited to see which of the people I loved most in the world would laugh at such romantic nonsense. None of them did.
‘How long left, babe?’ asked Jamie, his attention torn between the big screen with the speeding Ferraris and the small one, which still hadn’t shown a single bid.
‘Fifteen seconds,’ I said, a small tinge of disappointment lacing my words. ‘Ten, nine, eight…’ I could feel a tension thrumming through me, which was crazy. If the Fleurs gown didn’t sell, all I had to do was list it again.
‘Seven, six…’ The countdown was beginning to feel as tense as a NASA launch.
‘Five, four… three…’
The Formula 1 cars faded away; I could hear nothing except the thudding of my heart as I watched my phone. And then, with only two seconds to go, the screen finally changed. I gave a totally out-of-proportion jubilant cry and looked up with an enormous grin.
‘Sold,’ I declared happily.
*
And so it began, all over again…
Acknowledgements
I’d like to start by thanking the TV planners and programmers for bringing so many weddings shows to the small screen. Without my fascination for Don’t Tell the Bride, I Found the Gown and Say Yes to the Dress I might never have had the idea for this book. But once it was in my head, it definitely stuck. One dress, three brides. I was already planning the weddings, and couldn’t wait to invite you all to join me.
A huge thank you to my publishers for allowing me to stray a little off-piste with this one. I am very fortunate to have Laura Palmer as my editor, who fell in love with this story. Her support and that of the creative and enthusiastic team at Head of Zeus was, as ever, amazing.
Heartfelt thanks goes to my incredible agent Kate Burke and to the talented and tirelessly hardworking team at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency.
The last year or so has been a strange and lonely time to write and publish a book. And as great as our Zoom chats have been, there are some people who I’ve missed dreadfully. I am incredibly lucky to call these talented, funny, and loyal women my friends. Fair warning, Kate Thompson, Fiona Ford, Sasha Wagstaff and Faith Bleasdale, once the hugging begins it may never stop.
There are so many author pals I can’t wait to reconnect with, and far too many prosecco-fuelled lunches that we’ve missed. I hope we get to rectify that very soon. Paige Toon, Kate Riordan, Holly Hepburn, Catherine Isaac, Heidi Swain, Milly Johnson, Alice Peterson, Kate Furnivall, Juliet Ashton, Penny Parkes, Anstey Harris, Iona Grey, Isabelle Broom, Gill Paul. I am really looking forward to seeing you all again.
Debbie Keyworth and Hazel Davies, thank you both for always replying with an enthusiastic ‘yes’ each time I ask you to read one of my books before the rest of the world gets to see it. I always breathe a little easier when I know that you have enjoyed it.
I raise a virtual glass to my very good friends for their love and support, and I’m looking forward to the day when we can sub it out for a real one. Thank you for always being in my corner, Sheila, Kim, Christine, Barb and Annette.
Finally, thank you to my family. To Kimberley for her advice and inspiration and for having the best ideas, and to Luke for almost managing not to roll his eyes whenever the conversation comes back to the world of books (it does that a lot, I must admit). And lastly to Ralph, who provides me with endless cups of tea, cooked meals, and more patience and love than I deserve. He was the reason I bought my own wedding dress thirty-six years ago… and it remains the best decision I ever made.
About the author
DANI ATKINS is an award-winning novelist. Her 2013 debut Fractured (published as Then and Always in North America) has been translated into 18 languages and has sold more than half a million copies since first publication in the UK. Dani is the author of several other bestselling novels, one of which, This Love, won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award in 2018. Dani lives in a small village in Hertfordshire with her husband, one Siamese cat and a very soppy Border Collie.
Follow Dani on Twitter @AtkinsDani.
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