Married at First Swipe

by Claire Frost

  ‘That’s what I’ve been told, so that’s what I’ll do,’ Hannah’s dad smiled. ‘It’s so nice seeing everyone in their posh frocks. I can’t wait to see you in your dress, Hannah,’ he added, his eyes tearing up immediately.

  ‘You’re not looking too bad yourself, Dad.’ Hannah grinned at him. ‘That suit is so smart.’

  ‘Can you believe he was going to wear his old suit he only digs out for funerals?’ Charmaine rolled her eyes good-naturedly and patted his collar down. ‘But thankfully I insisted we went on a shopping trip into town to buy a new one.’

  John looked down at her, clearly besotted. ‘That’s why I need you by my side, to show me the error of my ways.’

  Hannah felt tears prick her eyes as she watched her dad bask in Charmaine’s smile. He was almost a different person from the worn-out, snappy, ageing man she remembered during her teen years, and it had been a joy to see him grow since he’d met his second wife – although Hannah instantly felt she was letting her mum down by even having those thoughts. She shook herself out of her reverie and reminded herself that today was about enjoying having everyone she loved around her and supporting her at the start of a new chapter in her life. Or at least she hoped so, anyway.

  ‘Seraphina, do you want to come upstairs and help me get dressed?’ she asked her half-sister.

  ‘Does your dress have a zip at the back?’ the little girl enquired. ‘Because I always need Mummy to help me with my zip, too.’

  ‘It has a zip and buttons, so I definitely need your help,’ Hannah laughed. Let me just say goodbye to everyone and then you can get to work.’

  ‘You are going to see them all again in an hour or something, so do you really need to say goodbye? I could just start helping you now.’

  ‘Seraphina, don’t be rude to your sister,’ Charmaine chided. ‘It’s her wedding day and she’ll have a lot of hellos and goodbyes to say so she might as well get some practice in now. See you soon, sweetheart,’ she added, giving Hannah a soft hug.

  ‘Ah, I can’t believe the next time I see you you’ll be ready to walk down the aisle!’ Jess squealed, folding her into her arms.

  ‘You better believe it – you’re my fairy godmother after all! God, don’t start me off or I’ll have make-up all down my face before we’ve even left the house.’

  ‘You will not,’ her friend retorted. ‘That mascara promises to actually repel water and it cost as much as a small house so it better not be lying.’

  After another round of goodbyes, the front door was finally shut and the house was suddenly loudly silent. Hannah grinned at Seraphina. ‘Now that rabble have gone, shall we put on some music and get dressed?’

  ‘YES! Although please can you only play “Firework” because that’s the only dancing song I like?’

  ‘Excellent choice, it’s a deal.’

  Half an hour later, however, after their tenth round of singing Katy Perry into a hairbrush, Hannah was definitely not feeling even brighter than the moon, moon, moon. In fact her head was starting to pound.

  ‘Well, I’ve definitely felt my colours burst, but now it’s time to play something else,’ she said firmly. ‘Let’s slow it down a bit while you do me up. What about some Lewis Capaldi. Ahh, that’s better. If you just pull the zip gently and then you can do the buttons, that’s right.’

  ‘Hannah?’

  ‘Yes, sweetie?’

  ‘Why are you marrying Toby if you’ve never even met him?’

  ‘Because I think I’m going to like him,’ Hannah answered a bit shakily. She checked the clock on the spare-room wall and she knew her dad would be back to pick them up and drive them to the venue very soon.

  ‘But how do you know what’s he like if you haven’t talked to him?’

  ‘Well, we’ve written each other letters, so that’s like talking to each other.’

  ‘So what does he look like?’

  ‘I don’t know yet. But I’m really excited to find out! I bet you are too, aren’t you?’

  ‘Yeee-s. But I’m a bit scared that he could be really ugly and not a very nice person,’ Seraphina said, pulling herself round to face Hannah. ‘What if he doesn’t like me? Or what if he doesn’t like you?’ Her eyes were wide and fearful now.

  ‘How could he not like you, sweetheart, when you’re such an angel!’ Hannah cried, squatting down to Seraphina’s height and putting her arms around her tiny waist. ‘And I have it on very good authority that he is one of the nicest men you could ever meet, which is even more important than what he looks like.’ She hoped she sounded sincere, as, now her stomach was turning over and the nerves were kicking in big time, she didn’t know what she really believed. She stood up, plastered a smile on her face and added, ‘I trust Jess to have chosen the very best person for me to marry and I just know that you are going to love Toby and he is going to love you. Now, I think I just heard the front door, do you want to go and let Dad in?’

  Seraphina scampered off down the stairs seemingly satisfied with Hannah’s answer, even if Hannah herself wasn’t. Alone in Jess’s spare room, Hannah sat on the bed, being careful not to crease the lacy folds of her dress. Now, in the quiet of the room, she let out the breath she felt like she’d been holding in her body all morning.

  She steadied herself on the edge of the mattress and took a large gulp of air, thinking about the people she would have around her on her wedding day. While her dad would always support her, Hannah could tell he was still worried about her marrying a man she had never met, and her mum had obviously made no secret of how she felt about the whole idea. At least G-ma had been full of excitement and positivity when she’d spoken to her the previous day.

  ‘I’m so happy I’ve lived long enough to see you get married and find your happiness. Although, of course, you are doing it as only you can, dear Hannah!’ she’d laughed.

  Then just before they’d rung off, G-ma had gently said, ‘Don’t forget that love at first sight is completely possible. When I met your grandfather at that village fete when he was home on leave from the army, I knew immediately he was the one. He wasn’t just the most handsome man in the room, it was his loving spirit that shone through. And he proved to be the kindest, most caring of men, and I never doubted his love for me for as long as he lived. That is what I wish for you, my darling.’

  Hannah had been almost too choked to reply. Her grandparents had had no idea how their future would play out in the years after the war and all that it had brought, but they had still made it through and spent every day of the rest of Gramps’s life with the person they loved most. So perhaps that could be her and Toby’s future too.

  Hannah could hear her dad and Seraphina downstairs, so she gathered everything she needed, tucked her pumps into her overnight bag and slipped on her shoes.

  It was time.

  Chapter 14 Jess

  ‘Can you help me tie these last few chair sashes, Charmaine? I told the twins not to pull at them but did they listen to me? Did they heck! Tom’s had to take them outside and threaten no screens for a month to get them to calm down and stop causing havoc.’ Jess blew her hair away from her face and stopped to fan herself with the plastic folder that had been permanently attached to her person for the last hour as she made her way through her exhaustive checklist so she knew everything was as it should be.

  ‘Perhaps they ate too much sugar at breakfast,’ Charmaine said conversationally. ‘I always find my body goes a bit haywire when I have too many sweet things.’

  ‘Perhaps, especially as they’re not used to having much sugar,’ Jess replied, bending down to floof a ribbon so Charmaine couldn’t see her don’t-you-bloody-dare-tell-me-how-to-parent expression. ‘Anyway, no harm done. Right, I think we’re almost there.’

  She stood up and cast her eyes around her, taking in everything from the twinkling fairy lights wrapped around the wooden beams that stood proudly across the high white ceiling, to the rows of chairs with their pink sashes, and the huge ‘T’ and ‘H’ letter light
s displayed at the front of the room behind the registrar’s desk. The bunches of deep pink hydrangeas and green foliage that sat on small side tables looked simple but pretty and the afternoon sunshine lit the room with a golden glow. All it needed now was people.

  Satisfied, Jess gave a small nod, asked Charmaine if she’d mind checking whether the registrar had arrived and if the prosecco they’d had delivered from Aldi was definitely enjoying an ice bath. She then went to find her bag so she could finally put away her folder, check her phone and get ready for the main event. Thankfully, there were no missed calls from either Toby or Hannah, so she texted Tom that he could bring the kids back (as long as they didn’t start untying the chair sashes again!) then threw her phone into her bag and wandered over to the large windows at the side of the room.

  Manchester had decided to play ball for the occasion and the city was at its most spectacular. The sun had lit up the iconic traditional red-brick buildings surrounding the hall and glinted off the top of the modern glass Beetham Tower beyond. The bridges spanning the waterways were reflected in the still canal and the uncharacteristically bright sky turned the water almost blue instead of its usual muddy brown.

  Who said Manc was all grey and industrial. Jess smiled to herself.

  She just hoped it was a sign of the bright future Hannah and Toby had together. The weight of responsibility had been lying heavy on her shoulders the last couple of weeks, and although she had been nothing but positive when talking to Hannah, in the early hours of the morning her anxiety had reached fever pitch as she lay in bed playing all of the possible – and mostly truly awful – scenarios in her head. The worst thing was she couldn’t even talk to Tom about it. Outwardly, things between them were fine, but they’d shared words that could never be unsaid, and she was well aware of how he felt about Jess ‘using’ Hannah to save her business, so she knew she couldn’t confess her concerns about the pair’s long-term happiness to her husband. Which in itself was another source of anxiety for her. But today wasn’t the day to be worrying about her own marriage – her focus had to be all on Hannah and Toby.

  She realised the noise levels had started to build in the room from low murmurs to excited greetings, and she turned to find the photographer taking covert shots of her staring out the window.

  ‘God, stop, Cassie! Today isn’t about me. Look, people are arriving, why don’t you go and get some shots of them.’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’m going!’ Cassie laughed. ‘And I know this is all about the bride and groom, but you did say you wanted to be able to use the pictures on the Save The Date site too, which means you as the owner of the business need to be in some of them.’

  ‘Thank goodness Photoshop and its many clever airbrushing features exist then,’ Jess said. Cassie winked at her and moved towards the large doors at the back of the room where there were small clusters of guests forming. Jess turned to look and saw a slightly awkward group of five people who were whispering quietly to each other, one of whom was the groom himself.

  ‘Toby!’ Jess cried, striding over to them. ‘Gosh, you do look handsome! I’m Jess,’ she explained to the other four. ‘And you must be Toby’s family.’

  ‘Great to see you again.’ Toby smiled, giving Jess a hug. ‘And yes, this is my mum Elaine and my dad Phil, and this is my sister Melissa and her partner Michaela. Jess is the owner of Save The Date.’

  ‘It’s you we have to blame for today then is it, Jess?’ Phil boomed.

  For a second, Jess froze, not knowing what to say. Her heartbeat quickened and her throat tightened. ‘I—’

  ‘Or should I say thank,’ Phil continued, his face breaking into a grin. ‘We have high hopes for Toby’s future with Hannah, whoever she is!’

  Jess’s heart seemed to quicken even more, but this time in relief. ‘Not as high as mine!’ she laughed. ‘It’s lovely to meet you all finally. I know this isn’t the most conventional of weddings, but I truly believe Toby and Hannah are going to be happy together. Toby, I haven’t been able to tell you this until today, but Hannah is actually my best friend. Which is how I knew you were so well suited.’

  ‘Oh, I… I don’t know what to say,’ Toby stuttered. ‘But I guess that all makes sense if I think about it.’

  ‘Well, I think it bodes very well for your future together, Tobes,’ Melissa bustled in. ‘You’ve trusted Jess in the lead-up to this whole thing, so why stop now. Don’t you think, Mum?’ she cajoled.

  Elaine smiled and agreed, but Jess could see she was less convinced than her daughter.

  ‘I’ll show you where you’re sitting so you can make yourselves comfortable,’ she said, returning Elaine’s smile warmly and touching her lightly on the arm. ‘And you’re Toby’s best woman, aren’t you, Melissa, so I can just run through everything with you all now Lara the registrar is here too.’

  Fifteen minutes later, Jess could feel everyone relaxing a little, especially as Toby’s friends had arrived and the chairs on the right-hand side of the room were filling up with people and chatter. After his initial awkwardness, Toby seemed to be growing in confidence surrounded by his family and friends, so Jess felt able to slip away to see how the other side of the room was getting on. She’d been keeping half an eye on the door to spot Joan the minute she walked in, but there was still no sign of her and Jess was beginning to worry she’d been wrong to reassure her friend her mum would be there to support her. However, she also realised she hadn’t seen Scott and Julia as yet, so maybe they’d all come together. Unless Joan had steadfastly refused to leave the house and had ordered her son not to go either. Jess shivered despite the warmth of the day and wished she’d had a sneaky slurp of the prosecco currently chilling in the next room.

  ‘Mu-um, are we doing the wedding soon?’ Lily asked, running up to her. ‘Dad says he thinks most people are here now and there aren’t many chairs left.’

  ‘I think there are still a few people to arrive,’ Jess said. ‘Lils, can you look after Charmaine for me at least until the ceremony starts?’

  ‘Charmaine is a grown-up so doesn’t need looking after,’ Lily replied scornfully. ‘Anyway Granny and Grandpa are talking to her.’

  Jess smiled across at her own parents who she hadn’t even noticed had arrived, and gave a silent prayer for their kindness and her mum’s sixth sense when it came to knowing who needed someone to chat to at social gatherings. She’d loved hosting dinner parties when Jess was growing up, and although Jess hated all the boring adult chat, she remembered adoring being allowed to stay up late and hand round tiny glasses of sherry and bowls of Bombay mix. Now her mum spent much of her time running WI meetings and organising charity afternoon teas, so she was at home chatting to anyone and everyone. And Jess’s dad always managed to find someone to talk to about his two main loves: golf and DIY, so she knew she didn’t need to worry about them. They were also talking to – or rather being talked at by – Hannah’s grandma, and Jess walked over to give them kisses all round and check G-ma was all right getting round in her wheelchair.

  Satisfied everyone seemed happy, Jess checked her watch and realised that Hannah, her dad and Seraphina should now be arriving. She wandered to the back of the room and through the open double doors towards the main entrance to see if their car was anywhere in sight. In doing so, she almost walked slap-bang into a small, elegant figure sporting a large statement hat.

  ‘Joan, you’re here! Oh, I’m so glad you came – you look gorgeous!’ Jess kissed her on both cheeks, narrowly missing taking her eye out on the feather that sat proudly atop Joan’s head.

  ‘Well, I want to meet the man who’s marrying my daughter,’ Joan replied with the air of the Queen. ‘Scott and Julia are just parking the car and making sure they have everything they need for Leo. The bag they’ve brought with his things in is as big as a suitcase. In my day, as long as you had a clean nappy and a spare babygro, you were fine, but I’m sure they know what they’re doing. And Mary and her husband Bill were following us here. They didn’t k
now the way once they got into town and who can be doing with one of those sat-nat wotsits?’

  ‘They can be very confusing,’ Jess agreed, struggling not to smirk at Joan using her ‘phone voice’ in the manner of Hyacinth Bucket from Keeping Up Appearances. ‘Now, Joan, do you want to go in or are you waiting for Scott and Julia? Your mother is already holding fort in the corner.’

  ‘I’m sure she is,’ Joan replied wryly. ‘Why don’t you introduce me to the man himself, Jess dear. And I suppose I’d better meet his family too.’

  ‘I think you’ll really like them,’ Jess said, far more confidently than she felt. ‘They seem so nice, especially Elaine, Toby’s mum.’

  Thankfully, Toby charmed Joan within seconds with his compliments about her outfit and how young she looked. Melissa caught Jess’s eye and winked and Jess grinned back.

  ‘Mum, Dad says to tell you that the eagle has landed,’ Sam said a little breathlessly as he appeared beside her. ‘Are we having a real-life eagle at the wedding? Can I hold it?’

  ‘Sadly, we are not, Sammy boy,’ Jess laughed. ‘But it does mean that we need to get everyone into their seats and ready for the ceremony, so you go and help Dad spread the word.’

  Sam ran off and Jess placed a soft hand on Toby’s back. ‘Hannah’s arrived.’

  Toby’s face broke into a huge smile. ‘Well, she hasn’t had second thoughts then. Although she hasn’t actually seen me as yet, so there’s still time I suppose!’

  ‘It’s going to be fine, it really is.’ Jess’s stomach swirled like a tornado as she marvelled at how calm Toby seemed, on the outside at least.

  ‘I think I’m more nervous than you,’ Elaine tittered at her son.

  ‘I’m just happy it’s finally my wedding day,’ he said simply. ‘Joan, shall I show you to your seat? I think you should sit on the end of the row over here so you get the best view as your daughter walks down the aisle.’