The Guest List

by Melissa Hill

  ‘Oh, there’s not that much to it, really,’ Kim laughed airily. ‘You just buy a six-pack of Babygros a week or two before, then sit back and wait for it all to kick off. Although, some people can even schedule it these days,’ she said, looking knowingly at her husband, who winked.

  Heidi stared at Kim in horror. ‘Childbirth is a beautiful and natural thing. You don’t schedule a baby!’

  ‘Well, try it once and see how you get on. Maybe afterwards you’ll be singing a different tune,’ her brother said shortly, and she remembered again that Kim had supposedly had difficult births with her first two.

  Drama queen.

  She shook her head, trying to wrap her thoughts around all that was happening. It wasn’t fair, why did Cara have to get engaged? And why did Kim need a third baby? They had ruined everything for her. And to make it worse, neither of them was acting like her pregnancy was a big deal.

  She turned her attention back to her family. Her mother and Kim had already gone back to buzzing over Cara’s ring. ‘Now, about this wedding, Cara,’ her mother was saying. ‘What did your parents say, Shane? I’m sure they must be thrilled!’ Heidi noticed that at this, Cara looked slightly green around the gills.

  Well don’t demand the spotlight if you can’t handle the attention.

  Heidi knew that she could handle it, but no one was paying her the slightest bit of notice.

  ‘Let’s get dinner organised first and then we can chat all about it,’ Betty continued, beckoning to Cara and Kim as she headed out of the room. Then she turned her attention to Heidi. ‘You too, love; all hands on deck in the kitchen.’

  Heidi stared at her mother in absolute horror. Did they really expect her to help out? In a steaming hot kitchen, carrying heavy plates and helping with dinner? She needed to relax!

  ‘Although, you might want to grab an apron, pet,’ Betty continued, ‘you don’t want to mess up that pretty top.’

  ‘Mum, I can’t do that; I need to stay off my feet.’

  Her mother looked at her, confused. ‘Are you not feeling well?’

  Heidi answered too quickly. ‘No, I feel fine, but I am pregnant!’

  Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kim exchange an amused glance with Cara. ‘Well, the baby’s got to eat too,’ her sister-in-law said. ‘And aren’t you starving? I know I am.’

  Ben chuckled. ‘Yeah Paul, now is definitely the time to put locks on the cupboards. If my little sis is anything like Kim she’ll eat you out of house and home.’

  Heidi felt like crying. This was horrible. Not only had her big news been trumped by everyone else’s, but her family were acting as if having a baby was no big deal; almost as if you could continue to go on and lead a normal life while you were pregnant.

  They were even making her do work, for goodness’ sake! Cooking in the kitchen like some kind of slave.

  This was turning out to be the worst day ever.

  Chapter 9

  On Monday morning Cara sat at her desk, outlining to Conor all that had happened over the weekend, and how her and Shane’s plans for a small, fuss-free wedding were being very quickly hijacked from all directions.

  ‘Sounds like you’re really getting it from both sides,’ he said sympathetically. ‘Have you heard from Shane’s parents since?’ He was perched on the corner of her desk with a cup of coffee in hand.

  ‘No, not a word. Shane tried calling his father yesterday, but it went straight to voicemail. I’m not sure what to do. I thought this was supposed to be a happy time.’ Cara placed her head in her hands and massaged her temples. ‘The only ones who haven’t given us any grief are Kim and Ben. Even Heidi could barely bring herself to congratulate us yesterday at dinner . . .’

  ‘Well, if you’re describing the scene accurately, it sounds to me like both your and Kim’s announcements somewhat overshadowed your little sister’s news. Talk about bad timing.’

  Cara shrugged and sat back in her chair. ‘Well, that is true; she did seem a bit deflated. But we’re all thrilled for her and Paul, and I think we made that clear. She doesn’t have to give me the cold shoulder, just because I happened to have a little bit of news too. But that’s Heidi for you.’

  Conor smiled and shook his head. ‘Women – ye can be such catty creatures. And from what you tell me about your sister, she subscribes to the belief that the sun and moon and stars revolve entirely around her precious backside.’

  Cara chuckled guiltily. ‘Oh stop it, she’s not that bad.’ Although it did indeed describe Heidi to a T, but still she felt duty-bound to defend her sister. ‘As for the wedding, I just don’t know what we’re going to do. Shane is being steadfast, insisting that we are going to do whatever the hell we want, but it doesn’t feel right – not when everyone seems dead set against a small wedding.’ She shook her head in frustration. ‘Everyone has an opinion; everyone thinks we should do things this way and that. Honestly Conor, my head is spinning.’

  ‘Then don’t take the advice,’ her boss said. ‘And if someone feels the need to tell you what they believe you need to do, simply smile politely, nod and tell them to feck off.’

  Cara smiled at the notion. She knew Conor was right, but at the same time she also knew that he had no idea what it was like to be in this situation. She wasn’t a confrontational person and she felt at a loss as to how to control the wedding tsunami that she felt was starting to brew around her.

  ‘You know, you really aren’t in the position to be giving this kind of advice, seeing that you’ve never been engaged or married yourself,’ she teased.

  ‘You’re probably right, what would a consummate bachelor know about weddings?’ Conor stood up and patted Cara on the shoulder. ‘Really though, I do have one piece of advice for you and I think it’s quite important.’

  Cara rolled her eyes. ‘Let me take notes, I’ll add it to the list.’

  ‘Ah don’t be so dramatic. But honestly, even if you don’t take anyone’s else advice, just keep this in mind. Remember, whoever holds the purse strings for the wedding has the control. Don’t accept a cent from anyone else if possible. Then you and Shane will be the only ones calling the shots. All the decisions will be yours and the rest of them will just have to go along with it.’

  It was the best piece of advice Cara had received yet.

  She nodded and ran a hand through her hair. ‘You’re right and in fairness, I’m probably getting my knickers in a twist over nothing. I just didn’t expect so many people to want to stick their oar in. It is only one day after all. Why so much fuss and drama?’

  Conor shrugged. ‘Heck if I know. But now do you understand why I never bothered with all this palaver? Too much stress babe, way too much.’

  Cara smiled, already feeling a whole lot better. Conor was like that, always able to calm her down and get her to focus on the important things in life. He was like that with everything, so easy-going and laid-back. Nothing fazed him.

  So maybe she should try and be more like that about the wedding. Let nothing faze her. Let people say what they wanted.

  She was meeting the girls tonight – a group of old friends who, now that most were married and some had kids, rarely got to see one another. But when news of Cara’s engagement broke they’d arranged to meet up for a celebration. No doubt it would be an early night but it was bound to be good fun.

  Exactly what Cara needed.

  ‘There she is! Cara! Over here!’

  Later that same evening as she walked into O’Shea’s, a popular Greygates pub, Cara looked in the direction of the voice of her best friend, Maria.

  ‘Hey!’ she grinned, as she made her way across the room to where Maria and her other friends, Lilly and Samantha, sat.

  As she approached the table Samantha started to bounce around in her seat. ‘Oh come on, come on. I want to see. Show us the sparkler!’

  Samantha reached forward and grabbed Cara’s hand, pulling her close. Caught by the unexpected action, Cara almost tripped on the thick carpeting under her feet b
ut she had to smile at her friend’s enthusiasm.

  ‘Oh it’s just gorgeous!’ Lilly gushed, brushing her straightened dark hair over her shoulder so she could take a better look. ‘Congrats Cara – Shane has amazing taste.’

  Cara pulled her hand back as she took her seat. ‘Sorry I’m late . . .’

  ‘Well I see you haven’t changed much!’ Maria laughed. ‘Besides, I’m sure you’ve loads going on at the moment with all the wedding plans.’

  Cara smiled a non-committal smile.

  ‘Well, seeing as we’re celebrating, we took the liberty of ordering champagne in your honour,’ Lilly said, pouring her a glass.

  The four women toasted and Cara sat back in her chair, already feeling more relaxed than she had in days.

  Yes, this is going to be a fun night, she thought.

  After taking a sip of champagne, Samantha placed her glass back on the table and locked her blue eyes on Cara in a steely gaze. ‘So tell us – what have you organised so far?’

  ‘For the wedding you mean?’ Cara furrowed her brow. By her count, it was only Monday. She had been engaged now for approximately . . . five days. ‘Well, it only all happened last week, so outside of telling our families and what not . . .’ She shrugged.

  The three women looked at Cara with confusion.

  ‘What do you mean? Surely you’ve set a date though?’ Lilly frowned.

  ‘Well, no, not—’

  ‘Cara, honestly, that’s the first thing you should do, and you need to do it ASAP,’ Lilly informed her knowledgeably. ‘I picked the date within forty-eight hours of Simon asking me. There’s tough competition for dates now, you have to remember that.’

  ‘Yes, really Cara, you need to be on top of this,’ Samantha agreed, nodding sagely. ‘You have to get the deposit down, before all of the good hotels fill up.’

  ‘Definitely,’ Maria chimed in. ‘When Brian and I went looking, I almost went bonkers when I found out that Powerscourt was booked out for nearly two years in advance! But of course we were blessed because of that cancellation . . .’

  Cara placed her glass on the table and tried to quell the rising tide of anxiety that was threatening to strangle her. This is what she had hoped to avoid tonight, all the stress and lecturing. Why did everyone feel the need to bestow their unsolicited wedding advice upon her?

  ‘Really girls, I appreciate the advice but it’s grand,’ she said with a tight smile. ‘At the moment, Shane and I are just enjoying being newly engaged. As for the wedding, there’s no panic. All that will fall into place.’

  But Lilly was shaking her head in disagreement.

  ‘Well OK then, if you don’t want to take charge, you probably should call the woman who did my wedding, do you remember how great she was? Let me get her number for you.’

  Cara thought back. From what she could recall of Lilly’s wedding planner she was a bossy old biddy who had spent the day barking orders at everyone including Lilly and her hapless groom.

  Ah, that would be a definite no, she muttered silently, as she watched Lilly scroll through her BlackBerry contacts.

  ‘Thanks, but really that’s not necessary,’ she told her. ‘We probably aren’t going to go in for anything so elaborate. Don’t get me wrong,’ she added quickly, as her friend’s face dropped, ‘your wedding was amazing – it really was, but Shane and I are thinking small.’ She hoped they’d all get the message and leave it at that.

  Lilly looked up from her BlackBerry. ‘Regardless, you’ll still need a wedding planner, someone to keep you on track with all the admin. Plus, they know how to get the right appointments; you can’t get into certain bridal stores under your own steam, particularly in London.’

  ‘It’s okay Lil, really it is. Like I said, I’m not sure if your planner is really our style, and I certainly won’t be going for Vera Wang or anything.’ Cara was trying her utmost to keep her cool, but every conversation about this wedding was one that seemed to be debatable. She was trying to say ‘no thanks’ politely, because really, she would rather cut her own arm off than even consider contracting a wedding planner who would be better suited as a drill sergeant.

  ‘But Cara,’ Samantha argued. ‘Lilly’s wedding planner was just amazing, the best! You’d be lucky to get her, I tried to book her for ours, but she was fully committed at the time. I was so upset.’

  Cara pursed her lips. ‘She might be the best, but really, I am just not interested in having her for my wedding.’

  ‘I don’t see why you don’t want to use her,’ Lilly replied tartly. ‘She’s the best in the country by a mile, and in constant demand. You can’t argue with that type of success.’

  Cara felt her blood pressure rising. Again, it was all about everyone else’s opinions! She almost wanted to scream that this wedding was not about ‘the best’ or ‘the most in demand’ – it was about her and Shane!

  ‘Like I said, I just don’t think that sort of thing is for us.’ She hoped her tone would indicate this subject was closed for further discussion.

  ‘Well then what sort of thing exactly are you planning on doing?’ Maria asked. ‘You don’t seem to have any plans at all yet.’

  ‘Yes, have you chosen your bridesmaids? Oh your sisters I suppose . . .’

  Cara tried to tune out the constant questioning and looked around the pub, plotting her means for escape. She felt like she was suffocating, and if she didn’t get out of here soon, she was bound to go crazy. She turned her attention back to the table and her friends, but felt herself straining to make eye contact.

  ‘Look guys, can we talk about something else? I’m actually already kind of tired of discussing weddings. Nobody can talk about anything else since we got engaged. It’s really stressing me out.’

  There was a brief silence, and all three of her friends looked at one another. Good, Cara thought, relieved, she must have finally gotten through to them.

  ‘Is everything OK?’ Lilly asked then, and at her friend’s suddenly sympathetic tone, Cara exhaled. ‘Yes. I mean . . . no, it’s not, I’m really just not sure . . . it’s all so confusing . . .’ To her horror, all of a sudden she felt herself starting to choke up.

  She really didn’t want to start crying in public, but Lilly’s kindness seemed to have set her off. ‘I don’t know; it’s just been so overwhelming. I mean, my mum has her heart set on a big white church wedding and then Shane’s parents went nuts on us the other night, and called us selfish because we didn’t want them to pay for the whole thing and then—’

  Samantha interrupted her. ‘I’m sure it must be a lot of pressure. Is everything OK with you and Shane?’

  She looked up, confused by the sudden change in direction. ‘What? Yes, of course, everything is fine with Shane. I don’t see what—’

  ‘Cos you know, you don’t have to go through with this, not if you don’t want to,’ her friend continued, as if she had zeroed in on the reason behind Cara’s delay in getting started on the planning. As if Cara had some psychological wall constructed against the wedding plans because in reality she just didn’t want to marry Shane.

  She shook her head, mystified. ‘Of course not. Everything is fine there – it is our families, they are bonkers and—’

  ‘Cara, really there is nothing to be ashamed about,’ Lilly chimed in. ‘I was the same; during the planning I had a notion to scrap the whole lot, including Peter, that’s how stressed I got by it all. Everything gets so big, and so out of control that you just want to call the whole thing off.’

  ‘Yes Cara, if you really feel that way, you don’t have to get married, much better to call it off now than suffer through a divorce later,’ Maria agreed sagely.

  ‘No, really, that’s not it at all!’ Cara tried to keep her voice even but she felt like screaming. What the hell was wrong with them? ‘Everything is fine between Shane and me. We’ve only been engaged a couple of days, but frankly everyone in our lives is stressing me the hell out because of situations like this! Honestly, I walked in here t
onight hoping for a bit of a laugh with the three of you, and instead I’m faced with the Spanish Inquisition over wedding planners and dates and – lots of other bloody nonsense when at this stage, I’m thinking that the best course of action would be to run away and get it over and done with!’

  Samantha, Maria and Lilly stared at Cara in shocked silence.

  ‘Would you do that – honestly?’ Lilly asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She was looking at Cara as though she had just suggested murdering someone.

  ‘I don’t know, maybe. I mean, all I want to do at the moment is enjoy being engaged, rather than have to plan a huge event with military precision. Samantha, I am not the super-planner that you are, and Lilly, I am not interested in a wedding so big that I barely know any of my guests. I don’t want Powerscourt or a Vera Wang dress.’ Realising she might have insulted her friend, she added, ‘Think about it – with my hips?’ and Lilly smiled.

  Samantha reached across the table and took Cara’s hand. ‘We’re sorry, we didn’t mean to get so crazy. It’s just, you know, that’s what you do when a friend gets engaged. You helped us so much for our weddings that of course we want to help you with yours.’

  ‘Sam, that’s really kind of you, honestly and I appreciate it, but really I’m just not sure if what you guys did for your weddings is right for me and Shane.’

  ‘Well, it’s completely your decision,’ Samantha conceded.

  ‘I know, but I am afraid there are a few people who don’t subscribe to that belief at the moment.’

  The three women regarded her silently for a moment, and she guessed that they’d realised they were not only guilty of inflicting their respective opinions, but were no doubt recalling their own experiences back when planning their own weddings.

  ‘You know my wedding planner?’ Lilly said suddenly.