Joe shook it with a smile that faintly resembled a sneer. ‘Hello. I’m surprised to see you back here.’
Seth slung an arm around Claudia’s shoulders. The air solidified to ice. ‘Yep,’ he said. ‘We decided to give things another go.’
‘No, we didn’t,’ said Claudia, slipping out from his arm to bend back down to stroke Flippers, who was now holding one of the panettone ribbons in his mouth. ‘Especially after that Quality Street lie. And don’t think the other lie about who really brought the Starbucks over yesterday morning went unnoticed.’
She stood and looked him square in the eye. Seth shuffled under her gaze. He turned to Joe and laughed heartily. ‘In jokes, eh? Shall I pop our stuff straight in our room?’
‘You’re in the spare room,’ said Claudia and Joe at the same time.
After an achingly awkward dinner, Claudia had retired to her bedroom to try on every dress/skirt/blouse combo she owned. Following the cupcake war that morning, and subsequent dress-retraction from Penny, Claudia had raced back to her flat and packed a whole extra suitcase of anything remotely weddingy.
She pulled out the sequined dress-cum-top that Nick had given her on their date to the Christmas party. ‘What do I want to achieve here, Flippers?’ she asked the dog, who was lying across her bed, gazing adoringly at her Friends poster.
Despite what Penny had said, she still couldn’t get the words of Nick’s text out of her mind. What could it have been about other than her? She wanted him to hurt as much as she did. She wanted to parade in with Seth, looking a million dollars, without a care in the world for Nick and his I had to keep my eyes closed.
But also … she desperately wanted him back. For it to all have been a misunderstanding. For it to be all right.
There was no backing out or sending Seth home now. She was just going to have to see how it played out at the wedding.
‘Thanks Flippers, as usual you’ve been a big help.’ She flapped his big ears and he rewarded her with a big panettone-scented yawn.
The following morning Claudia woke up as early as she had at Christmastime when she was little. Only this Christmas Eve it wasn’t excitement that had her up and at her window in the deep darkness of half-past four, but a tightening knot of apprehension in her stomach at the day ahead. On the window ledge was a dense layer of snow, and she could see a blizzard swirling in front of the orange glow of the street lamps.
What if it’s too snowy and the wedding’s called off? she thought with hope. No, she wouldn’t go that far. She wanted to be there for Emma and Ellie’s big day more than anything; she’d just rather not have to face her demons. Her demons being her two best friends.
As the sky lightened the clouds wandered off, taking the blizzard with them, and before she knew it the sun was waking and the gritting lorries were grinding past the house.
She supposed she should play nice with Seth and try to have a good day, so when they passed in the corridor, him fresh from the shower, warm steam rising from his skin in the cool air of the house, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist, she said begrudgingly, ‘Morning.’
‘Morning, chick,’ he grinned.
‘I’m just popping to the shops if you want to come?’ Please don’t come.
Seth snorted. ‘Trailing round the shops and going to a wedding all in one day? No thanks. Thought I’d have an early morning festive tipple and start the Christmas TV watching, since we have to be out for most of today.’
Good, that was him occupied then.
‘Dad?’ she called, jogging down the stairs.
‘Good morning angel. Happy Christmas Eve,’ he said, coming out of the kitchen holding a box of cornflakes.
‘And to you. I’m just going for a quick shop, do you want to come?’
Joe looked at his cereal box.
‘You don’t have to …’
‘Would you mind me coming? Would I be any help?’
‘I’d love you to come!’
‘Still not bought all your presents, missy?’
‘Presents done, but no idea what I’m going to wear to the wedding in three hours’ time. So I feel it’s time to get out the emergency credit card.’
‘Why not, eh? You deserve a treat. You know, I’m looking forward to this; it’s been years since I’ve been shopping with my little girl. Maybe we could use my emergency credit card instead.’
Sometimes, dads were the best things in the world.
Claudia and Joe walked along the barely visible pavement.
‘What kind of dress are you looking for?’
Claudia shrugged. ‘Whatever, really. Who cares? There’s no time to go to more than a couple of shops anyway.’
‘Why did you invite him down again, love? You don’t seem happy about it at all.’
‘It was a knee-jerk reaction to something that had made me sad. I really don’t want to get back with him, Dad. But it’s Christmas Eve. I can’t just send him home now; it’s me who’s been fickle.’
‘Of course you can. I’ll drive him back into London if it’ll make you feel better.’
‘Thanks Dad, but his family are so far north he wouldn’t have time to get up there and even Seth shouldn’t spend Christmas alone on the floor of his mate’s empty flat.’
Joe humphed.
‘Evryonehtsme.’
‘What’s that, love?’
Claudia glanced up at her dad. ‘Everyone hates me.’
‘Not true. I don’t go dress shopping with people I hate.’
‘Penny hates me … and Nick.’
‘Do you want to tell me what happened?’
‘No.’ They trudged on for a couple of minutes. ‘Penny and I had an argument and she squashed a cake in my face, and I kind of deserved it.’
‘It’s not like Penny to waste cake; it must have been a hell of a barney.’
‘I thought Nick had done something really horrible to me – and he still may have – but Penny said I might be wrong, and by that time I’d already done something horrible back to him.’
‘So you’re still not sure if Nick was horrid to you or not?’
‘Not as sure as I was.’
Joe nodded, digesting. ‘So where does Penny and her cake fit into this?’
‘She was standing up for Nick.’
‘Not for you?’
‘Exactly, and that’s what was making me angry. But she thinks I just misread the whole situation and was being a bit silly.’
‘Do you think you were being silly?’
Claudia did feel quite silly. She’d let Seth’s bad behaviour make her assume the worst, when Nick’s whole appeal was that he was not the same person as Seth. Why oh why hadn’t she asked Nick straight out what that message meant? She might still have ended up hurt and heartbroken, but at least she’d know. ‘It’s possible,’ she mumbled.
‘Will you try to talk to Nick today? As soon as possible? Sort this whole thing out.’
‘I don’t think it’s going to be that easy. I don’t think he’ll want to hear my side.’
Joe chuckled. ‘Nick’s hardly the sulky type. You two have been close as cucumbers for a million years; of course he’ll listen to you. As will Penny. Just don’t have that talk anywhere near the wedding cake.’
Claudia kicked at the snow, throwing powder into the air and filling her shoe. The thought of talking to Nick gave her goose bumps. Nervous goose bumps, but also the kind of goose bumps when you suddenly become anxious to do something, knowing there’s a tiny sparkle of possibility that it might fix everything. ‘Okay.’
‘You’ll talk to them?’
‘As soon as I can. Sorry we’re going to be out for most of today. Do you have any plans?’
‘I think I’ll prep some veggies for tomorrow, and Christine was going to come over and watch a Christmas movie.’
‘Christine? Like a date?’
‘No, not like a date,’ Joe spluttered. ‘I’m too bloomin’ old for dates. But she’s nice company, quite a talker as you know, an
d her little boy’s also spending Christmas Eve at the Wedding of the Year.’
‘What are you going to watch?’
‘She’s bringing over Elf. I’ve never seen it.’
‘It’s good, you’ll like it – it’s set in New York.’
‘Ah, I love New York. Maybe you and I should take a trip there again some time next year.’
Claudia nodded, smiling at her dad. ‘That would be nice.’
They stepped into one of Claudia’s favourite boutiques in Frostwood, and there was the dress. Knee-length, forest green, sprinkled with tiny clear and silvery beads. Claudia tried it on and it fitted like a glove, the colour matching her eyes and the style instantly lifting her spirits. She felt elegant and ready to rise above anything. Even a day with two sort-of-exes and a best friend who hated her.
She stepped out of the changing room and Joe beamed. ‘Look at you. You look beautiful, my love.’
‘You think?’
‘Like a Hollywood starlet. Perfect for a date. You could make any boy at the wedding weak at the knees.’ He winked.
What was he getting at? By the time Claudia had changed Joe was already holding an empty bag and the receipt.
‘There you go, love, pop it in here.’
‘Dad! You didn’t have to pay for it, really.’
‘I wanted to. It’s Christmas. So hush.’
She gave him a huge squeeze. ‘You’re just brilliant. I kind of wish I could stay and hang out with you and Christine.’
‘No, you don’t, you’ll have a great time today. And if it’s eventful, it’ll make for some funny stories around the Christmas dinner table in the future.’
There were just two topics of conversation among the guests in the ceremony room of the country hotel where Ellie and Emma were to be married. One was how lucky the happy couple were to be having such a picture-perfect winter wedding, now the sky had cleared to a bright blue and the snow was deep and Tippex white. The other was how blooming annoying pashminas were, and how at the next winter wedding everyone would opt for a cardigan.
The room had large windows that looked out over the glistening grounds. Bunches of fir cones, thistles and holly leaves decorated the ends of the rows of seats and a string quartet played Christmas classics softly in the background.
Claudia waited nervously, her heart jumping every time someone new entered the room, as edgy as the brides-to-be. Beside her was her eleventh date of Christmas, Seth, taking selfies while she wished he was someone else. Neither Nick nor Penny had arrived yet. How early in the day could she get Nick on his own and ask him exactly what that text was about? Her conflicted feelings couldn’t stop squabbling until she knew where she stood with that. And once she knew the answer she either had some serious grovelling, or serious heart-mending, to do.
The door opened and Claudia turned in her seat.
Billy? What was he doing here?
He caught her eye and threw her a huge wave across the room. Behind him, holding his other hand, walked Penny, who looked directly at Claudia with a look of defiance, and then her jaw dropped.
Claudia was so bowled over by Billy being there with Penny that it took a moment to notice why Penny was staring at her dress.
It was because she was wearing the exact same one.
Oh, for crying out loud.
Penny composed herself and pushed Billy into a row of seats near the back. Billy kissed her on the cheek and took her hand with such affection it nearly made Claudia smile tenderly at her best friend. What a good match. But then she remembered that they currently disliked each other and were wearing the same outfit. She turned back to Seth.
‘Penny’s here.’
‘Is she?’ he said, uploading one of his photos of himself to Facebook.
‘She’s wearing my dress.’
‘Tell her to give it back.’
‘No, not my dress, the same dress as me.’
‘I’m not surprised; you two are always borrowing each other’s clothes. You have the same taste, so buying the same thing was bound to happen some time. What’s the problem?’
Claudia stole another glance at Penny, just as Nick walked in. She caught his eye. Last time she’d looked directly into his eyes they’d been inches from hers, in her bed.
He looked sad as his eyes shifted to Seth. Claudia’s heart ripped. That didn’t look like the face of someone who’d dodged a bullet. Penny was right. She didn’t know for sure, but something in his look made her question how she could have ever jumped to the conclusions she did. Had she completely misinterpreted that text? And if so, was it possible she could apologise enough? She was about to mouth ‘We need to talk’ when the string quartet switched to the bridal chorus.
Nick ducked into an empty seat and avoided looking at her again.
Then in walked the bridesmaids.
Seth sniggered. ‘Now I see the problem!’ he whispered in her ear.
Four bridesmaids, all wearing that same green dress.
Now not only did the Claudia and Penny look like everyone’s wedding nightmare, they also now looked like two spare bridesmaids who weren’t special enough to be part of the wedding party.
Claudia caught Penny’s eye and despite everything they shared a tiny moment of amusement, which fluttered her heart like breeze over a feather.
The brides stepped into the room together, dragging their eyes from each other to beam at their guests. Both dressed in off-white gowns that perfectly matched their different, but complementing, personalities.
The wedding was beautiful, funny and filled with anecdotes about the two brides that had Billy roaring with such loud laughter that Claudia had to smile.
‘Right, you lot,’ said the registrar to the guests. ‘These lovely ladies need to do the important signing-stuff part now. While that happens, the quartet are going to accompany you while you have a little sing-song.’
Muttering rippled through the room.
‘You’ll notice there are twelve rows,’ she continued. ‘And at the end of your row is a number. The numbers are all mixed up – it’s not one at the front, twelve at the back – and your number is the line of the song that your row will sing.’
‘What’s she on about?’ Seth said.
‘The song will be “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Lyrics are in your order of service. Row one, you kick us off.’
The string quartet started playing and row one, who were half way back, grudgingly stood up and mumbled, ‘On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree …’
Claudia remembered with a flash her first date of Christmas. Way back at the Opera House. When she lost the man who was sitting next to her again now.
‘Row two!’ called the registrar.
Row two stood as row one sat. ‘On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two turtle doves—’
‘And a partridge in a pear tree!’ sang row one, getting the gist and hopping back up in unison.
Her second date of Christmas – Starbucks. With the man at the back whom she’d since lost.
Row three contained Penny and Billy. Billy looked like he was having the time of his life, while Penny was just desperately trying to squeak out the correct notes. Claudia smothered a laugh at the exact moment Penny looked over. Her eyes narrowed.
Row four were mostly the elderly guests, who took a speedy vote to remain seated for their line. Row five really went for it with their line – the best one – and Billy couldn’t help himself so belted it out too.
Her fifth date of Christmas … Nick again. That perfect afternoon on the South Bank. The BFI, the pub, and then Penny saying she liked him.
Row six was Claudia and Seth. As Claudia started to sing she was aware of Penny doing an exaggerated snigger from behind her. She sang louder, and with as much X-factor as she could muster. ‘Six geese-a-laying …’
Her sixth date of Christmas: the Shard with Billy. She glanced over her shoulder at him warmly.
The rows bobbed up
and down, up and down, Emma and Ellie in fits of giggles trying to focus on signing the register, and Seth getting increasingly huffy next to her. Claudia dragged him up by his jacket, her nails digging into his skin through the fabric. ‘Try harder,’ she seethed between lines.
Nick was stuck on row twelve, so only got to sing one line, and then it was all over. Sounded about right.
Would she even get a twelfth date of Christmas?
Mulled wine and cream fuzzy blankets were handed to guests as they went out for photos on the lawn. Groups of school friends and work colleagues huddled together, wrapped up warmly, while the photographer crunched about in wellies capturing the moments.
Seth was staring wide-eyed at the other guests.
‘What are you gawping at?’ asked Claudia.
‘Nothing, there are just so many ladies here.’
‘It’s a lesbian wedding; Emma and Ellie have a lot of lesbian friends.’
‘I’m going to go to lesbian weddings more often.’
Was he deliberately trying to irk her?
‘Can we get school friends of Ellie’s, please?’ called the photographer. Claudia’s heart started to race and she left Seth staring at a couple sharing a romantic kiss by the fountain. She couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact. Since Penny and Nick stood together to the right of the newlyweds, Claudia deliberately positioned herself on the other side, with a couple of men she hadn’t seen since sixth form.
The photographer snapped a picture and checked her camera. ‘No, that looks a bit crap. You in the bridesmaid’s dress,’ she said, pointing at Claudia. ‘Could you move to the other side of the handsome chap.’ She motioned to Nick.
Claudia froze, feet in the snow. ‘Now?’ she asked.
‘It’s not going to work if you wait until the next wedding.’ Claudia skulked over and stood stiffly, an arm’s length away from Nick.
‘Can you move in closer?’ asked the photographer. ‘Put your hand on his arm. Or on his chest. And handsome man, if you’re interested, I’m not a lesbian.’
‘Neither am I,’ called Nick, his mind elsewhere. Claudia saw him blushing, unable to look at her as she edged closer and pasted on a smile. But he didn’t look embarrassed. He looked hurt. She felt her armpits sweating against Nick’s suit jacket and was very angry at her nether regions for lighting up like an electric hob just because she was near him.
The Twelve Dates of Christmas Page 19