A Wedding at The Cosy Cottage Café_A delightful romantic comedy to make you smile this summer

by Rachel Griffiths

  ‘I know and I’m sorry. Poor Dane seemed shocked.’

  Honey nodded. ‘I think he was more embarrassed about the fact that he only realized he’d pulled my pyjamas on when he was talking to you. We’re both half asleep.’

  ‘Did he? I hardly noticed.’ Dawn giggled. ‘Pink suits him anyway.’

  ‘Just don’t tell the kids at school, whatever you do.’

  ‘My lips are sealed.’

  ‘Do you want a cuppa?’

  ‘I will do, if you don’t mind, but first let me tell you what I need and why.’

  ‘That sounds ominous.’

  ‘It’s pretty awful and it’s something that needs sorting before someone else sees it. Otherwise, it could cause a lot of distress.’

  Dawn swallowed as she thought about what she’d seen and how it had turned her stomach. Goodness only knew the impact it could have on those she cared about if she didn’t get it cleaned up as soon as possible.

  Dawn closed Honey’s door behind her and set off back in the direction of her home. After she fed, burped and changed Alison, she’d settled her back in her pram and reassured Honey that Alison would likely sleep for forty-five minutes to an hour. That should give her enough time to do what she needed to do. Dane and Honey had offered to go and deal with the matter but Dawn had declined their help. She’d seen the terrible thing and wanted as few people as possible to see it too. That’s what friends were for; sparing one another from upsetting times, as far as was possible anyway.

  Honey had seemed nervous at the prospect of looking after Alison, but Dawn had faith in her friend and her ability to care for her daughter. Besides, she wouldn’t be long…

  When she reached the spot where she’d come across the awful sight, she looked around. It was still early and thankfully quiet, so she should be able to deal with this before anyone else saw it. She pulled the black bin bag Honey had given her from her pocket and shook it out then walked over to the grass and peered around.

  Ah… there it was…

  Her stomach churned. She could, of course, go and get Rick, but that would defeat the whole purpose of her going to Honey’s and waking her and Dane up, so she had to do this herself.

  She placed the bag on the ground, edged the spade closer to the black shape, then slid it underneath. It was heavier than she’d anticipated — having only flicked it a small distance earlier on — and when she went to put it inside the black bag, it stuck to the spade, so she had to shake the spade over the bag, all the time trying not to look too closely at what she was doing.

  Object bagged — and she had to think of it as an object or she’d get too upset — she tied the handles at the top, wiped the spade on the grass then set off towards Honey’s again. But when she got there, she carried on walking. She wasn’t taking this to Honey’s, she was heading for Tom’s surgery. After all, if anyone would know what to do about this, or with this, it would be Tom.

  10

  Camilla

  Camilla lowered her book.

  ‘Was that the door?’ she asked Tom.

  He lowered his book and frowned. They’d just settled for some reading time and now it seemed that it was about to be disturbed.

  ‘Could be an emergency callout.’ He grimaced.

  ‘I knew a whole day of relaxing together was too good to be true.’

  Camilla accepted his kiss then watched as he left the room and went to the door. When he returned, Dawn was with him. She was pale, her green eyes wide in her pretty face. Her dark hair was pushed behind her ears and she was dressed as though she was about to go for a run.

  Camilla stood up.

  ‘God, Dawnie, what’s wrong?’

  Dawn frowned and Camilla realized she was carrying a black bag and a spade.

  ‘What’ve you been doing? Clearing up dog poop?’

  ‘No… not exactly. More like road kill.’

  ‘Road kill? Have you gone mad? Get it out of here.’ Camilla waved her hands at her sister.

  ‘Actually, I was hoping Tom would take a look at it.’

  ‘You want him to look at a dead animal? Bloody hell, Dawn, it’s Bank Holiday Monday and we’re trying to chill out together.’ She remembered herself. ‘And where’s Alison?’

  Camilla had read about mothers suffering from post-natal issues and acting strangely, walking off and leaving their babies when something distracted them. But picking up road kill? That, she hadn’t read about.

  ‘I think that it’s…’ Dawn bit her lip and Camilla saw that she was actually quite distressed.

  ‘That it’s what?’

  ‘I think it’s Ebony.’

  Camilla’s hand shot to her mouth and she met Tom’s eyes.

  Ebony was one of Allie’s beloved cats and she’d be devastated if anything happened to them.

  ‘Let’s take it through to the surgery and I can have a look.’ Tom took the bag from Dawn then raised it higher as HP came to have a sniff. ‘No, HP, nothing in here for you, buddy.’

  Dawn turned to Camilla. ‘Alison’s fine. I left her with Honey after I borrowed the bag and spade.’

  ‘Why didn’t you get Rick to do it?’

  ‘He’s still in bed. As are the children. I was taking Alison for an early morning stroll to try to get some fresh air and hopefully to make her sleep this morning so I could spend some time with Laura and James, but at the end of our road, I found this cat.’

  ‘Oh, Dawn, that’s so sad. And poor Allie. She has enough on her plate right now, what with Mandy turning up in such a state.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  They followed Tom out of the door and around to the vet surgery that was attached to his cottage. Inside, it was cool and dark, the light blue vertical blinds still drawn. The familiar scents of cleaning fluid and animals hung heavy in the air and Camilla’s stomach rolled. The surgery was kept spotlessly clean, but the smells could never be fully erased. This was a place where animals were treated and cured. A place where they were born. And a place where, sometimes, they said their final goodbyes to the owners who had loved them.

  Tom turned on the lights then went through to the consultation room and placed the bag on the examination table.

  ‘Do you two want to wait outside?’

  ‘No, it’s okay. I need to know if it’s Ebony.’

  Dawn stepped closer to the table but Camilla stayed by the door. The smells and the thought that her friend’s cat might be in the bag were making her feel a bit funny.

  Tom undid the knotted handles then gently opened the bag and exposed the contents.

  Dawn gasped, Tom sighed and Camilla threw up all over the floor.

  11

  Honey

  ‘You don’t have to watch her every second you know.’ Dane nudged Honey as she stood next to Alison’s pram.

  She looked up and found him smiling at her.

  ‘I know. I’m just afraid she might wake up and panic.’

  ‘If she does and she sees you staring at her with that goofy smile on your face, she probably will panic.’

  Honey touched her mouth. ‘Was I goofy?’

  He nodded. ‘And very, very cute.’ He reached out and stroked her hair then ran his fingers down her cheek and her neck until his big hand rested on her shoulder.

  ‘She’s just perfect, isn’t she?’

  He nodded. ‘And so are you.’

  ‘I’ll get bigheaded if you keep saying such nice things.’

  ‘You deserve to have nice things said to you.’ He took her hands. ‘Are you okay though?’

  ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

  “Well… you know…’ He nodded at the pram. ‘Having a baby here.’

  ‘Oh…’ She chewed her bottom lip. ‘I can see why you’d wonder but yes, I’m actually really good.’

  She’d recently told Dane all about her past and a miscarriage she’d suffered when she was younger. It had resulted in an infection that meant she didn’t know if she’d be able to have children. She’d thought it might put Dane of
f her, especially as she’d felt to blame for the miscarriage for such a long time, but he had been very understanding, kind and reassuring. He’d told her that he was in no rush to have a family and as long as she wasn’t either, then they should be happy getting to know each other and enjoying their time together, and that if one day they wanted to try for a baby, they would deal with any issues then.

  ‘It’s lovely having little Alison here and I don’t feel under any pressure because no one’s watching me. Well, you are but… you know what I mean.’

  ‘I do.’ He kissed her softly. ‘So you carry on watching her and I’ll go and release the hens, shall I?’

  ‘You can if you want. Do you know what to do?’

  ‘I think I can manage a few chickens, Honey. I mean… I’m not exactly going to struggle am I?’ He flexed his muscles like some sort of bodybuilder and Honey laughed. She knew he was just teasing.

  ‘You look like you need the toilet when you do that.’

  ‘That’s how they do it at the gym. It’s the I’m constipated from all the protein shakes face.’

  ‘Urgh! Okay, you go and get the eggs. But be careful.’

  ‘I will.’

  He left her standing there in her lounge, where Dawn had parked the pram, watching the sleeping baby. Ten minutes passed and Dane still hadn’t returned.

  ‘You know… I think I need to see how he’s getting on, Alison. Some of my girls can be a bit temperamental, so let’s go check up on him shall we?’

  She took the brake off then pushed Alison through to the kitchen before clicking the brake on again. What she saw when she looked out of the window made her laugh out loud. Dane needed rescuing already!

  ‘Dane? Are you okay?’ she called from the back door. There was no answer, so she gave Alison a quick glance to check she was still sleeping, then hurried out into the garden.

  Dane was standing in the chicken enclosure, his hands pressed to his chest, as her chickens bobbed around him. She ran through their names to check that they were all there: Princess Lay-a, Hen-solo, Cluck Rogers, Albert Eggstein, Mary Poopins, Maid Marihen, and Tyrannosaurus Pecks.

  Where was…

  ‘Honey!’ Dane’s voice was strangled as he muttered it through gritted teeth.

  ‘Yes?’ She reached the enclosure.

  ‘It… she, rather, keeps coming at me every time I move and pecking my toes.’

  ‘Why have you got flip flops on?’

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. ‘I thought it would be okay and I haven’t moved my wellies in yet.’

  ‘Come on, it’s okay… you can get out of there. Just move slowly.’

  He lifted his left leg as if he was moving in slow motion and an angry squawk pierced the air, then Henifer Aniston came hurrying around from behind the henhouse. Her head bobbed furiously and she pounced at Dane, pecking at his legs and making him hop from foot to foot as he cried out, then she ran off to assume her hiding position again.

  ‘Oh Dane, I don’t think Henifer Aniston likes you.’

  ‘No kidding?’ His eyes were wide and he held himself stiffly, as if he was terrified to move again. ‘She’s like a sniper. Every time I try to leave, she strikes.’

  ‘Uh… right… I know, I’ll distract her with some food and you can make your escape.’

  ‘Please be quick!’

  Honey went back to the house to fetch some pellets and giggled softly to herself. Big burly Dane, a man who’d been injured in rugby games, a man who’d been through the horrendous goldfish bowl interviews that teachers were subjected to now, and emerged unscathed, was being bullied by a little brown hen. However, Honey knew that Henifer Aniston could be quite territorial and surprisingly fierce when she wanted to be. It must be the Hollywood diva in her.

  Honey grabbed the bag of pellets, checked on Alison again, then hurried back out to the garden to rescue the man she loved.

  12

  Allie

  Muffin and tea consumed, Mandy had a bit more colour in her cheeks.

  ‘Okay, love?’ Allie stroked Mandy’s hair back from her face in the way she used to when her daughter was a little girl. At least back then, she’d been able to protect Mandy, but now, it was impossible to do so in the same way.

  ‘Yes, that was good, thanks, Mum.’

  Allie nodded and took Mandy’s plate and mug to the dishwasher.

  ‘Mum?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Am I a bad person?’

  ‘Oh god, no. Of course you’re not. Why’d you ask that?’

  Mandy crumpled the tissue she’d been holding, passing it from one hand to the other. Allie noted the crimson nail polish on Mandy’s nails that matched that on her toenails. The colour would have been perfect with the beautiful ball gown she’d been wearing when she’d arrived the previous day.

  ‘It’s just that… I’m so ashamed of myself.’

  ‘Why, love?’ Allie sat down next to Mandy and braced herself.

  ‘Because of what happened.’

  Allie nodded, not wanting to interrupt Mandy now she’d finally started to talk.

  ‘See… I fell in love with him. With Michael Bloom.’

  ‘Michael Bloom?’

  Mandy nodded. ‘He’s in publishing too. He’s a bit older than me.’

  ‘How old?’

  ‘Thirty-three.’

  Allie nodded. Nine years or so but what did that matter? Love didn’t always care about age.

  ‘He seemed so knowledgeable about the business, so suave and sophisticated.’

  Allie swallowed hard, she had a feeling she knew where this was going.

  ‘We met through work and he asked me out. We dated… he’d come to mine but I never went to his. He said he shared his flat with a group of guys, some of whom were doctors and who worked shifts, so it was unfair to take company back. I believed him. That is… I wanted to believe him but I’m not sure I ever really did. Not fully. Something was niggling at the back of my mind.’

  ‘Sometimes we kid ourselves because we want to.’

  Mandy nodded. ‘Like you did with Dad?’

  ‘What?’ Allie’s heart plummeted. She’d thought she’d kept Roger’s infidelity from her children. When he’d died in the car crash, she hadn’t seen the point in hurting them further. Why make them suffer for his behaviour? She’d done her best to maintain their perception of him as a good husband and father.

  ‘I know you tried to protect us, Mum, but things emerged. I put two and two together and… well… he did what he did.’

  ‘But he loved you and Jordan, Mandy. He loved you both so much.’

  ‘I know. I also think he loved you too… as much as he could love anyone. However, he’s gone, so we’ll never know exactly why he did what he did, will we?’

  Allie shook her head. ‘I’m sorry, love.’

  ‘Don’t be sorry. You’re the best mum we could wish for.’ Mandy squeezed her hand. ‘But Michael did know what he was doing. He took advantage of my naivety; my desire for him – and it was so powerful, Mum, I’d never felt anything like it before – and he played me. I would’ve done anything for him.’

  ‘Was he… married?’

  Mandy nodded. ‘With three young children.’

  A clattering came from outside and Chris popped his head around the back door. ‘Sorry, dropped the watering can.’ Then his head disappeared from view again.

  ‘How did you find out?’

  ‘At the party. He’d tried to encourage me not to go, said it would be full of stuffy types and that he thought I’d be better off staying home.’

  ‘He did what?’

  ‘I know, right? Besides which, it was a really big event and everyone who’s anyone was going. I didn’t want to miss it. Of course, him trying to persuade me not to go raised my suspicions even higher. He said he wasn’t going and that he’d come round to mine. I’d already decided to go though, because I’d had enough of him breaking dates, cancelling weekend plans and enough of crying in front of Saturday nig
ht TV.’

  ‘Oh Mandy, you should have come home sooner.’

  ‘I needed to live my life, Mum, and I couldn’t keep coming home because I was sad about my boyfriend. If that’s what he ever actually was.’

  ‘Of course not.’ Allie felt her lips turn upwards a fraction. She was so damned proud of her daughter.

  ‘Anyway, I called his bluff and told him I wouldn’t go. But I did. I bought a beautiful dress, had my hair and nails done and strolled into that hotel with a smile on my face and my head held high. It started as an amazing evening and it was wonderful to see so many of our authors receiving awards for their incredible sales and for their achievements. The champagne flowed and I was having fun. Until he walked in with a woman on his arm.’

  ‘His wife?’

  Mandy stared at her hands as they fidgeted in her lap, pulling the tissue apart.

  ‘She was so beautiful. Slim and elegant with dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders and big brown eyes. She looked like she took really good care of herself, even with young children. I felt so bad, really guilty as they circulated and she hung on his every word, quite obviously adoring him.’

  ‘It’s often the way.’

  ‘I was disgusted with myself and with him and I knew I couldn’t stay and watch them, so I told my colleagues I had a migraine coming then I grabbed my things and headed for the door.’

  Allie took Mandy’s left hand and held it tight. The thought of her baby girl enduring such heartache and humiliation was unbearable and she wished she could go back in time and stop her daughter getting hurt. But that wasn’t possible and Mandy had to live her life her way.

  ‘I’d reached the door when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and found her… his wife… staring at me. She didn’t look angry, just sad, and then she said… she said… “Michael might play around away from home but you’re not the first and you won’t be the last.” She said that he loved her and the children and he loved her money. That he’d never leave her.’