by Karen King
Cassie was out following leads all morning but as soon as she returned after lunch she logged in to her email.
‘Are you expecting a message from someone?’ Beth asked. ‘Another press trip away? Only this time I call dibs on it.’
Cassie grinned, knowing that Beth would hate to leave her beloved husband and two children behind to go on a press trip abroad. ‘The photographer’s sending me some photos over – we did a reconstruction of our engagement night so he could take some shots of it. Timothy – we – thought it would be nice to have a sort of photographic diary leading up to the wedding too.’
‘It sounds a lovely idea. It must have been dead romantic to recreate such a special evening. I would have blubbed.’ Beth was soft-hearted and cried at most things. A soppy text from her husband, or cute drawing by one of her kids would bring tears to her eyes.
Beth was right. It should have been romantic but it wasn’t. It was awkward and forced. Cassie had felt uncomfortable all evening. That’s one of the reasons she was so anxious to see the photos – she was hoping the smile she’d plastered on her face all evening didn’t look as false as it felt.
There were loads of emails in her inbox, most of them about her ‘Almost a Bride’ column. It was getting more popular every week. Owen had remarked that if the emails carried on like this they would crash the server, but she knew he was delighted about it. Sales had now trebled and were rising each week. She was proud of the success of her column, even though she was still constantly worried that someone Timothy or Sylvia knew might read it.
‘Have the photos arrived?’ Beth asked.
‘I don’t know yet.’ Cassie skimmed through the emails, then nodded as she saw [email protected] in the subject bar. Jared. ‘Got them.’
‘Can I see them?’ Beth pulled her chair closer.
She felt ridiculously apprehensive as she opened the email. It was addressed to both of them, polite and to the point. What had she expected? A love letter?
‘Hang on while I download them.’ Cassie clicked on the attachments. A few seconds later, the first photo appeared on the screen. She stared at the picture of herself gazing lovingly at Timothy, who was bending one knee and holding out the engagement ring. How could she look so happy and in love when she’d felt so uncomfortable? Who said photos never lie?
‘It’s gorgeous. Oh, look at you both. It’s so obvious you adore each other,’ Beth gushed. ‘Let’s see the others.’
Cassie flicked through them all one by one, with Beth ‘ooing’ and ‘ahhing’ as she looked at them. She had to admit that Jared had done a fantastic job. She could see that the images had been enhanced, but it was so skilfully done that they looked perfectly natural. Timothy looked dashing and she looked more gorgeous than she’d ever thought possible, even if she said it herself. Sylvia had been right to book him. The wedding photos would be stunning.
Some of the others heard their comments and came over to have a look, too.
‘You’re so lucky, Cassie. My Harry didn’t even get down on his knee the first time he proposed, and if he had there’s no way he’d do it again just for a photo,’ one of the women said.
She’s right. She was lucky, Cassie acknowledged, and if seeing Jared didn’t mess with her head so much she’d be really looking forward to the wedding. Thank goodness she didn’t need to see him again until the week before the wedding, when he would be taking pictures of the dress fittings.
Timothy was pleased with the photographs when she showed them him on her laptop that evening.
‘Very professional. There’s a certain sophistication about them, yet they look natural and unaffected. I knew I could trust Mother’s judgement,’ he said approvingly.
‘How many would you like and which do you like best?’ she asked. She thought three were enough and had already selected her favourites.
Timothy flicked through them all again, pursing his lips thoughtfully. ‘They’re all extremely good, I’d say four, recording the event chronically.’ He clicked on a picture of him getting down on one knee, then one of him slipping the ring on her finger, one of them kissing, and finally toasting their engagement. ‘I’d choose these four. Do you agree?’
They weren’t the ones she’d chosen. They were nice but they looked a bit … polished. ‘I preferred the more natural ones,’ she admitted. She flicked back through the photos. ‘See, this one here. It’s almost the same as the one you chose but our smiles seem more relaxed.’ Well, her smile did, anyway. ‘And this one, we’re turning towards each other slightly as we do the toast. I agree about the other two, though.’
‘Let’s compromise. I’ll concede this one.’ He pointed to one of the pictures she’d chosen. ‘Agreed.’
‘Agreed. I’ll email J.M. tomorrow and let him know our selection.’
‘Thank you, sweetheart.’ Timothy kissed her on the forehead. ‘That’s another thing to tick off the list. I really think we’re getting there.’
‘We are. I’ll nail down the flowers and wedding cake next week,’ she promised him ‘I’ll have it all sorted out before I go on my press trip.’
It was all coming into place, she thought happily as she lay in bed that night listening to Timothy snoring. She could do this. This time next month she’d be Mrs Campbell and would never have to see Jared again. She’d look back on this as a blip.
Twenty-one
It had got to be a habit now. Every Saturday morning on the way to work, Jared bought a copy of the newspaper Cassie worked for, and as soon as he’d picked up a cup of coffee he took it into his office, opened it, and read her column. He was looking for any mention of himself, of course, but he enjoyed reading it. Cassie had an easy, humorous writing style and he could see why the column was so popular. He settled in his chair, took a sip of his coffee, and turned to the Femail supplement.
Almost a Bride
It gets worse and worse. I don’t know where to even start this week. First, monster-in-law arranged for Blake to recreate our engagement shots without even clearing it with us first. She checked Ian’s diary to make sure he was free. What a cheek! I know we talked about having some engagement shots done, but no one asked her to sort it out for us, the woman just takes over. It was awful, I can tell you. We dressed up in the same clothes as on our engagement night, went to the same restaurant, and Ian actually got down on one knee and proposed again while Blake clicked away. I don’t know how I got through it. It felt so wrong for my ex to be photographing such an intimate moment. Mind you, it was a good opportunity to show him how in love Ian and I both are and how I am so over Blake dumping me. It was worth the awkwardness to do that. And yes, OK, for a teeny nanosecond I couldn’t help thinking how different it was when Blake proposed to me. Then I pushed the thought away. Blake is history.
Then monster-in-law came around AGAIN to talk about the wedding arrangements and spent most of the evening lecturing me on watching my weight. Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw me have a second glass of wine. Honestly, I was so stressed by the time she left I had to tuck in to my secret chocolate stash. The woman is a control freak. She even tried to talk me into getting a wedding planner. I don’t need one. I could manage fine if I hadn’t been pushed into this elaborate wedding at such short notice.
I’m getting there, anyway. The bridesmaids’ dresses and tiaras are all chosen now. And they’re gorgeous. Maisie and Jemma were both throwing a right strop because they liked different dresses, but Andrea came to the rescue and found one the two girls adored – thank God! – and in the colour I wanted, too.
I’ve got to go away for few days for work soon. Of course monster-in-law disapproves but has seized upon the opportunity to take over more of the wedding preparations. We have now decided that I’m in charge of the flowers and wedding cake and monster-in-law is doing the rest. Honestly I don’t know why I don’t hand it all to her, and just turn up on the day.
I keep telling myself it will all be fine. And it would be if I didn’t have monster-in-la
w breathing down my neck.
And Blake wasn’t my photographer.
I’m going to check out cakes and flowers this week. I’ve done my research and here’s a few wedding cakes I like. Which would you choose?
As usual, there were three options to choose from.
Jared read the article over again. She hadn’t said much about him, but she had suggested that she still found it difficult with him being her photographer.
He opened his email, logged on to the newspaper website, and checked out the comments for her column. There were hundreds, most of them telling her to ditch Ian and give Blake another chance. ‘It’s obvious you still love him,’ one of them said. ‘Ian is a mummy’s boy,’ said another.
Cassie had certainly got people talking. Did he agree with their advice?
He had to admit that until Thursday night he was convinced Timothy was the wrong man for Cassie. But they’d seemed so happy together, so in love, when he’d taken the engagement shots.
He tossed the paper onto his desk. Cassie had moved on, and so had he. He couldn’t wait for this job to be over, for her to get married, then he wouldn’t have to see her again and could finally get her out of his mind for good.
Cassie and Sam spent the afternoon shopping for shoes, bridesmaids’ gifts, and other odds and ends.
‘I saw your column,’ Sam said, as they stopped for a break – coffee for her and fruit tea for Cassie, who was feeling a bit guilty about the bar of chocolate she’d sneakily eaten after Sylvia had gone last night.
‘So?’ Cassie challenged her.
‘It’s good. Really. I don’t know how you put up with Sylvia. And,’ she leant forward and whispered, ‘come on, ’fess up – how did you feel redoing the whole proposal thing so Jared could take photos?’
‘It was excruciating.’ Cassie sighed. ‘I couldn’t wait for it to be over, to be honest.’ She met Sam’s gaze. ‘I couldn’t help remembering when Jared had proposed to me. I know we were little more than kids, that we weren’t planning on getting married for ages … but it brings it all back. I wish Sylvia had chosen anyone but him to photograph our wedding.’
‘What are you going to do? Can you handle it?’
‘I have to. I’ll be fine once the wedding is over. It’s just seeing him again, it drags up all the old memories.’ She finished her drink. ‘Come on, we’ve still got the flower girls’ gifts and our shoes to get. I’m away on that press trip next weekend so I’ve got to get them sorted today.’
‘What are you thinking of getting them? Jewellery?’
‘I don’t know. A cross or a bracelet is traditional but I wanted to get something a bit different.’
‘How about a bride bear?’ Sam suggested. ‘There’s a fantastic store in the precinct called Choose a Bear with lots of bears and assorted outfits to choose from. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a wedding dress among them.’
‘That’s great. The girls will love that.’ Cassie smiled at her. ‘I knew you’d come up with something, Sam.’
Cassie was delighted with the selection of bears and outfits in the shop. She and Sam walked around the aisles ‘ooing’ and ‘aahing’ at all the gorgeous bears, ranging from tiny ones that fit in your hand to big ones the size of a toddler.
‘Oh, look,’ squealed Sam, running over to a big, golden-furred teddy bear standing upright against the wall. ‘You could dress this one up as a bride and that one,’ she pointed to a darker furred bear that looked decidedly male, ‘can be the groom. That would be soo cute! Go on, Cas, you know you want to.’
Cassie couldn’t help grinning as she watched Sam fishing through the outfits for a wedding dress, then holding it up against the golden teddy. Yes, it did look cute, and she was pretty sure that if it was Sam’s wedding she wouldn’t be able to resist buying the huge teddies and dressing them up as the bride and groom. Paul would probably find it funny too; knowing them, they’d even include the bears in their wedding photos. She was pretty sure that Timothy wouldn’t find it amusing though, and Sylvia definitely wouldn’t. She did like the idea of small bears for Emma and Sophia, and was sure the little girls would love them.
Emma took out her camera and snapped the two bears. ‘I’ve got to show Paul these.’
Smaller versions of both bears lined up on the shelf caught Cassie’s eye. She picked up a bear for a closer look. Its face was so cute, with beady brown eyes and a little black nose. She ran her hands over the soft fur. Two of these would be just right.
‘I can’t tempt you to have the big ones?’ Sam asked as she joined her.
‘No, but these are ideal. Do you think I should get them both the same colour bear or two different ones?’
Sam scratched her cheek thoughtfully. ‘It’s a tough one, because if you get them different ones they might argue over who wants which one, and if you get them the same they might get them mixed up and then argue which bear is whose.’
Which is exactly what Cassie was thinking. Then she noticed that some of the bears had different coloured ribbon around their neck. That was the answer! She was holding a bear with white ribbon, so she reached up and took a bear with blue ribbon down from the shelf. ‘What do you think?’ she asked Sam.
‘Perfect!’
Cassie popped the two bears into a basket then wandered over to the clothes section. There were several designs of wedding dresses hanging on tiny white hangers, all complete with veils.
‘I can’t believe the cuteness.’ Sam took a floaty dress with short, puffed sleeves off the hanger. ‘Look at this. Isn’t it divine?’
It took them several minutes and lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ to decide on the dresses they wanted, select two veils, and take them all the till.
‘Gorgeous, aren’t they? Are you buying them for a bridesmaid gift?’ The cashier asked as she scanned them.
‘Yes, I’m getting married in a few weeks,’ Cassie told her, taking the wedding cash card out of her purse and handing it over to pay.
‘Congratulations. What an exciting time for you. Would you like them packed separately?’
‘Yes, please.’ Cassie keyed her pin into the card machine.
A few minutes later they left the shop, holding a teddy in a bag each. ‘You’re going to have such fun dressing up these,’ Sam said. ‘I’m beginning to feel dead jealous of you.’
As they walked to the car park it suddenly struck Cassie that Sam was far more excited about her wedding than she was.
I should be brimming with excitement, like Sam, she thought. I should be counting the days, making lists, planning all the lovely things I’m going to buy. Yet she couldn’t summon up any enthusiasm at all. It was as if she was on a conveyor belt that was speeding her towards her wedding day, and she couldn’t get off. The only thing she felt was panic.
Twenty-Two
Cassie was on earlies the next week, so she spent the afternoons checking out florists and wedding cake makers. Finally, she found a very helpful florist called Daphne who seemed to know exactly what she wanted, and what’s more, was free for their wedding date. ‘I can bring the flowers to you on the morning of the wedding, if you wish,’ she suggested. ‘Then I can go straight to the château and do the table decorations.’
‘That would be wonderful, thank you.’ Cassie was relieved. Another task crossed off. ‘I don’t suppose you know anyone who could make a wedding cake for that day, do you?’ If she didn’t find someone soon, she’d have to opt for a traditional, white three-tier cake and she really wanted something different; something that would show Sylvia and Timothy that she had taste.
‘Tilly and Mark Walters are what you need. They run the little cake shop in the village with a “design your own” cake service. They’re very good.’ She mentioned a couple of magazines they’d been featured in. ‘If you tell them what you want I’m sure they could do it.’
‘Do you think they could make one for three weeks’ time?’ Cassie asked anxiously. She was beginning to realise now why people planned weddings a year or so
ahead.
‘I don’t think that would be a problem at all. Tilly and Mark are amazing, but are still a fairly new business so they’re not besieged by orders yet.’ Daphne assured her. ‘Tell them Daphne sent you and I’m sure they’ll try to fit you in.’
‘I will. Thank you,’ Cassie said gratefully. Tilly and Mark sounded ideal.
She followed Daphne’s directions to the cake shop and introduced herself to the very pleasant couple, who both radiated smiles and bonhomie. Tilly and Mark were obviously happily married – they finished each other’s sentences and constantly smiled and nodded at each other in agreement. They looked so much in love that Cassie felt a pang of regret that she and Timothy would never be like that. Yes, they loved each other but it was more of an adult, reserved kind of love. They never held hands or looked into each other’s eyes like Tilly and Mark did. In fact, they only time they ever had close physical contact was when they made love.
Whereas when she was with Jared they had barely been able to keep their hands off each other, always touching, stroking, kissing …
She shook the memories from her mind. So what? They had been young and in love. She was older, more mature now and while Timothy wasn’t a touchy-feely kind of guy, he loved her and would always be there for her. He wouldn’t run out on her like Jared did.