‘Oh, you’ve got it bad,’ Fenella said. ‘But don’t worry, I’ll look after you. How would you like to walk the dogs with me before we head off?’
‘Yeah, sure.’
Taylor didn’t have a jacket warm enough for the wilds; she’d planned to spend the week indoors or viewing the City of Glasgow from the warm interior of a limo. Magnus had helpfully left a polar fleece and she pinched it, despite it being far too wide for her. Fenella took her on a beautiful walk through a woodland of spindly bare trees with the sea on the left, lapping at rocks close to the beach where she’d come with Magnus and the others on her first day.
At first, she listened as Fenella held the conversation, but after a while, she asked questions about what was planned for the day. ‘I know we’re going to a hotel to help set up for the wedding but Magnus was sketchy on the details. He just said I was to go with you and help out.’
Fenella shook her head. ‘He’s a man, arrangements like this go in one ear and out of the other.’
Taylor giggled.
‘So, the wedding is taking place at the Glen Lodge Hotel. The bride’s mother owns it, but Robyn and Carl were heavily involved in doing up the place last year, so it’s special for them. But Maureen, that’s the owner, she’s a bit flaky. After she lost her husband, she struggled a bit with the responsibility. So, we’re all going to pitch in and make sure everything looks wonderful. I might add,’ said Fenella with a frown, ‘Maureen and Robyn haven’t always had the best relationship and I feel duty-bound to make sure Maureen doesn’t skimp on anything. I shouldn’t gossip and it’s a long story, but really, I keep my eye on Maureen. Robyn’s like a daughter to me now and I want to make sure she has the best day tomorrow.’
‘Wow, it sounds complicated.’
‘It is a bit, but don’t worry. Stick with me and you’ll be fine.’
*
With nervous excitement, Taylor got out of Fenella’s car at the Glen Lodge Hotel. This was more the kind of place Skylar would like, as long as the interior had been made over completely. She liked an old building, especially one as grand as this two-storey grey stone mansion, but only if it had ultra-modern interiors. Period-chic was fine, assuming it wasn’t over a year old. Taylor expected a bit of a museum piece inside but she couldn’t have been more wrong. ‘This is gorgeous, it’s so tastefully Scottish.’ She admired the array of wildlife paintings.
‘Yes, it is,’ said Fenella. ‘These pictures were done by a local artist, Georgia Rose. She’s one of the bridesmaids and a close friend of Robyn and Carl.’
‘And a top artist too.’
‘Definitely. She’s a very talented young woman.’
A skinny middle-aged woman with short white hair came out of a back room at the reception desk. ‘Oh, hello,’ she said.
‘Hello, Maureen.’ Fenella pulled off her gloves. ‘This is Taylor, Magnus’s girlfriend. I’ve brought her along to help.’
‘Hi,’ said Taylor.
‘She works in PR so she’s good at organising.’
The door to the backroom lay open and Taylor noticed another woman lingering about. When she caught Taylor’s eye, she stepped into view. She was a head taller than Maureen and wore her shoulder-length dark hair very sleek with super-straight bangs. Leading the way like a cannon aiming at Taylor was her bulging tummy. She patted the bump and smiled serenely. ‘Hi, Fen,’ she said. ‘I thought I heard your voice.’
‘Oh, hello, Julie. How are you?’ Fenella stiffened, and Taylor remembered Julie was the name of Magnus’s ex. Was this her? Jean had said she was pregnant, it would fit.
‘I’m well, thanks,’ said Julie, cradling the bump. ‘Tired, but it goes with the territory. I only have six weeks to go.’
‘Oh, yes, it’s exhausting.’
‘Did I hear you mention Magnus?’ Julie asked, smiling a red-lipped smile.
‘Yes, he’s back for Carl’s wedding.’
‘Of course. And…’ Julie screwed up her face at Taylor. ‘Are you?’
‘I’m Taylor R— Smith. Magnus’s girlfriend.’
‘Lucky you,’ said Julie, her nose crinkling.
‘Isn’t she?’ said Fenella. ‘Are we decorating the dining room?’
‘Er, yes…’ Maureen glanced at Julie. ‘You go right through.’
Fenella beckoned Taylor to follow her down the corridor, where she pushed open a set of double doors. No sooner had they closed behind her than she muttered, ‘That was Julie McNabb, Magnus’s ex.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Sorry about that. Julie makes a nuisance of herself at times and she’s been beastly to Robyn in the past. Maureen promised she would make sure Julie wasn’t working over the wedding weekend, but as she’s here, I wonder if that’s changed. I certainly don’t want her here tomorrow, spoiling Robyn’s big day. There’s Robyn over there, I’ll ask her, and I’ll introduce you to everyone.’
Taylor followed, wanting to sneak into the background. People all around were laughing and joking like old friends. This was way out of her comfort zone. She didn’t fit or belong here.
‘Hi, everyone.’ Fenella smiled.
Amongst the assembled group, Taylor saw Livvi with little Polly on her hip. Other than them and Robyn, a sea of unrecognisable faces swam before her.
‘So, this is Taylor. Magnus’s new girlfriend. I want to introduce you all, but the poor girl probably won’t remember. So, very quickly, Taylor, I’ll tell you who everyone is, but feel free to ask them again. Over here we have the talented Georgia I was telling you about; she did the wonderful paintings.’
A young woman with a tousled blonde bob gave Taylor a wide smile and a wave.
‘She’s a bridesmaid, as are these two lovely ladies, the McGregor sisters. Beth is the tall one, and Kirsten, sorry, she’s the short one, but it doesn’t make her any less wonderful.’
Taylor smiled at them both.
‘And over there putting up the stage is Blair.’
‘The one with the blond dreadlocks,’ said Georgia. ‘He’s famous all over the island because he looks like a Viking.’
‘He’s a super joiner, from what I’ve heard,’ said Fenella.
Georgia grabbed another woman with gorgeous long red hair as she walked past. ‘And this is Autumn.’
‘Hi,’ said Autumn.
‘She’s like Blair’s half-sister type thing. Well, their parents are together.’
‘But we’re not actually related,’ said Autumn.
Taylor blinked. ‘I don’t see myself remembering half of this.’
‘Ask Georgia if you need to know anything,’ said Autumn. ‘She knows everything about everyone – in the nicest possible way of course.’
Everyone dispersed back to their own business and Taylor flexed her fingers. What was she supposed to do? Everyone seemed friendly, but they were busy. Livvi migrated towards them and Fenella took Robyn by the hand. ‘I need to ask you about Julie,’ she said. ‘I see she’s working today, but I thought Maureen had arranged for her to be off this weekend.’
‘Yes, she isn’t meant to be here,’ said Robyn. ‘She’s just doing a couple of hours to help out while we do this.’
‘Well, if she’s here tomorrow, I’ll be booting her out myself,’ said Fenella.
‘Thanks.’ Robyn glanced at Taylor. Taylor twiddled her fingers in front of her. ‘Julie and I were at school together. That was obviously a long time ago, but she never liked me and to be honest, I don’t particularly like her either, though I’ve tried my best while she’s here. I’m really glad she’s not with Magnus anymore.’
‘Yes, I quite agree,’ said Fenella, giving Taylor’s arm a squeeze. ‘And hello there, Princess.’ Livvi had sidled up close and Polly was tugging on Fenella’s sleeve. Livvi passed her over and Fenella gave her a cuddle. ‘This is a job for me. How about I look after you and let your mummy do the jobs.’
‘Suits me.’ Livvi smiled. ‘I’m doing some flower arranging with Joanne, the florist. Would you like to help, Taylor?’
Another perso
n to remember. ‘Yeah, ok, but I’ve never tried it before.’
Livvi led her to a table covered in beautiful bouquets of elegant blue and white flowers. A woman in her early forties with long dark curly hair was unwrapping flowers from clear plastic packages. ‘Hello,’ she said. ‘I’m Joanne.’
‘Taylor,’ she said with a brief waggle of her fingers.
‘Well, girls, let’s carefully unpack these and arrange them around the tables. I’ll do one and show you, then if you can do the rest.’
‘We’ll try,’ said Livvi.
‘Great.’ Joanne gave them a brief demonstration and made sure they were happy with what they were doing, then said, ‘I’m going to hang the wreaths outside. I hope Blair can help me, he’s better on a ladder than me.’
‘These are gorgeous.’ Taylor ran her finger over a table centrepiece with a candle and ribbons mixed with the flowers.
‘Thank you,’ said Joanne. ‘I have a few more of them to do. I can show you how when I come back.’
Taylor lifted one of the packages, glad of something to occupy her. Blair appeared behind Joanne and tapped her.
‘Are you ready for the hanging?’
‘That sounds a bit scary,’ said Joanne.
He grinned and Livvi giggled. Taylor joined in. His Viking air wasn’t as intimidating when he smiled, in fact, he looked almost cuddly.
‘I meant the hanging baskets.’
‘Wreaths, Blair.’
‘Them too.’
Taylor watched them leave before returning to her flowers. ‘He’s cute,’ said Livvi, consulting a hand-drawn diagram. ‘So, these are for the tables in here.’ They set to work organising the vases with the flower combinations in the pictures. Both the tables and chairs were covered in white cloths and the chairs had a pale blue sash that matched the flowers.
Joanne returned after a while and smiled at what they’d done. ‘This is great.’ Blair peered over too, his expression nonplussed.
‘Have you heard the story about how Taylor met Magnus?’ said Livvi, as she poked in a tall blue flower.
‘No,’ said Joanne.
‘I’m not sure I know who Magnus is,’ said Blair.
‘Carl’s brother,’ said Livvi. ‘They literally fell over each other in an airport.’
‘Amazing,’ said Blair. ‘One of these fate type things.’
‘Yeah, it was lucky. Of all the people I bumped into, it just happened to be a super-hot, single pilot.’
They all chuckled.
‘That tells me it was meant to be,’ said Joanne. ‘I love the idea of everything happening for a reason.’
‘Exactly,’ said Livvi. ‘Like I believe I was meant to meet Jakob. He came to my rescue at a wedding when I needed a shoulder to cry on… quite literally. And now I see it was perfect. I couldn’t ask for a better husband. I was all over the place before that.’
‘Absolutely,’ said Joanne. ‘I had a terrible life before I met my husband. I have so many regrets about that time. I had an awful partner. His daughter was like my own child and when we split, he banned me from seeing her. I still hope I’ll see her again one day. But apart from that, I’ve been happier than ever.’
Blair rubbed his chin. ‘Well, you ladies can chat on. I have to finish the stage.’
‘I feel a bit sad for him,’ said Joanne. ‘He’s a bit of a lonely sort.’
‘I don’t know why,’ said Livvi. ‘He seems really nice.’
‘He is. I just don’t think he’s had any luck yet. But he’s young, so he doesn’t need to worry.’
Taylor had become so immersed in the discussion, she started to feel sorry for Blair too, even though she didn’t know him and probably wouldn’t see him again.
‘So, have you and Magnus been together long?’ asked Joanne.
‘Em, not too long.’
‘But it’ll work out,’ said Livvi. ‘I can feel it.’
Wouldn’t that be a thing? A wholly impossible but wonderful thing. ‘The distance will always be an issue.’ Taylor plonked a flower into the next empty vase.
‘Maybe,’ said Livvi, ‘but I travelled so much as a child, I don’t see it as a barrier. My father is Lebanese and my mother is American. Magnus is a pilot; he knows how to get from place to place. It might not be as big a problem as you think.’
As Taylor lifted another flower, her heart did crazy flips. Livvi’s words set off the thoughts she’d touched on the previous day. What if she could stay with Magnus and give this a go for real? It would mean coming clean, but they’d grown so close, he’d understand, wouldn’t he?
She’d love to throw the towel at Skylar and their parents and tell them where to shove it. This week proved she was fine on her own. What if she moved to Glasgow? She had experience in PR from working for Skylar. Magnus’s apartment was the perfect spot. It could work.
The centrepieces were perfect in the middle of the tables, unlike Taylor’s vision. What a piece of nonsense. Move to Glasgow? Who was she kidding? Until a few days ago, she barely knew its name. And she didn’t know Magnus, not the real Magnus. Did he even want someone living with him or being with him in the long term?
All of which left Taylor deflated as she finished off putting the vases on the tables and returned to Joanne for further instructions. Being part of this was fun and made her feel involved and worthy, but what was the point?
Aware of a commotion of voices, Taylor strolled to a corner where Fenella and Robyn were talking with Maureen. Robyn looked pink-cheeked and even a little tearful, which didn’t seem to fit with the cool, collected woman Taylor had seen so far. Fenella pulled Robyn into a hug and patted her back. ‘It’ll be all right. We can sort this. It won’t be the same, but we can have CDs, and all my boys are good musicians. I’m sure between them, they can beat out a live tune or two.’
‘Is everything ok?’ asked Taylor.
‘The wedding singer has cancelled,’ said Maureen. ‘They can send the band but their vocalist is ill and can’t make the trip.’
Taylor bit her lip, remembering the days she was considered a talented singer. ‘I used to sing a bit, for, em, you know… parties,’ said Taylor. The sickening nerves she’d suffered years ago bubbled below the surface, but this was an emergency. ‘I’d be happy to help out. Maybe a few easy numbers so at least you get some live stuff.’
‘Would you do that?’ said Robyn.
‘Sure.’
‘There,’ said Fenella, beaming between Robyn and Taylor. ‘We’ll tell the band to come. Taylor can sing a few numbers and we can see if Magnus will do some too.’
‘Of course,’ said Taylor. She didn’t need to do it alone.
‘You’ve heard him sing?’ said Fenella.
‘Yeah. We duetted in the car on the way here. He has an amazing voice. And what a vocal range.’
‘I couldn’t agree more,’ said Fenella. ‘But I’m not sure how confident he is about doing it in public though. Carl is good but he can’t perform at his own wedding.’
‘I’ll keep him company,’ said Taylor. This she couldn’t wait to see. They could nurse their nerves together. A buzz of excitement tingled in her veins because they could also make more beautiful music together.
Chapter 16
Magnus
At the top of Ben More, Magnus huddled together with his two brothers, using their backpacks as a wall to stop the biting wind.
‘Whose bloody idea was this?’ he said.
‘Shut up, this is a great pre-wedding stag-do type thing,’ said Carl.
‘Yeah, I’d have settled for a weekend getting pissed in Budapest,’ said Magnus.
‘This is a good idea, but it’s a bit risky,’ said Jakob.
‘So’s drinking in Budapest,’ said Magnus.
‘I mean if you fall, Carl, you might have an interesting look for the wedding.’
‘I won’t.’ Carl grinned. ‘Though this will deaden the pain if I do.’ He pulled out a bottle of beer for each of them.
‘You’re serious? Yo
u want to drink on top of a 3000-foot mountain the day before your wedding,’ said Magnus, shaking his head.
‘Yeah, why not?’ Carl pushed the bottle into his hand.
‘Ok, well, Jakob, you’re the responsible one, what do you make of this?’
‘I think he’s a stupid idiot, but you’re the pilot, would you risk it?’
‘If I get caught with even the slightest dash of the stuff in my system, that’s my job up the spout.’
‘And have you been caught yet?’ said Carl.
‘Of course not. Oh, screw it. Crack it open.’
‘You read the bottle?’ said Jakob.
Magnus glanced at it. ‘You little shit.’ He squinted at Carl. ‘Alcohol free. You tosser. Who drinks this kind of muck?’
Carl burst out laughing. ‘You do today.’
‘Moron,’ muttered Magnus, as Carl chucked him the bottle opener.
Carl stood. ‘Right, I’m going to toast my beautiful bride-to-be and wish her health and happiness.’
They drank to her. ‘Do you want to hear what I’m going to say in my speech tomorrow?’ said Magnus.
‘Probably not,’ said Carl. ‘I’m more worried about what Maureen will say. She can be weird sometimes.’
‘Do you remember what Livvi’s father said at our wedding?’ Jakob said. ‘Something that sounded like he’d sold her to me.’
Magnus knocked back a sip and chuckled. ‘Jeez, yes. That raised an eyebrow or two. He’s a character that guy, and wasn’t Livvi’s mother throwing herself at all the men?’
‘Yeah, they’re a right pair to have as in-laws,’ muttered Jakob.
‘Your choice, little bro.’
‘Not really. I didn’t actually choose them.’
‘You know what I mean. You chose your wife and she came as a package.’
‘You have all this coming to you,’ said Jakob.
‘Do I?’ Magnus downed some more of the yucky stuff. ‘Says who?’
‘Surely you’re going to get married one day,’ said Carl.
Magnus shrugged.
‘So, what’s Taylor then? Some girl you picked up at an airport and bribed to come with you?’ asked Jakob.
Almost choking into his drink, Magnus wiped his mouth. ‘Of course not, dumbass.’
A Flight of Fancy (Scottish Island Escapes Book 6) Page 13