The Guest List

by Melissa Hill

  At that moment, Zack entered the room, putting an end to Danielle’s musings. He took note of her glum face as she stared at the screen of her laptop.

  ‘What’s wrong babe? You look like someone just cancelled Christmas.’

  Caught by surprise, Danielle closed Cara’s email and fought the urge to slam her laptop closed.

  She thought quickly. ‘Oh it’s just . . . my client . . . the St Lucia one. Seems he no longer wishes to pursue his search for a beach home there,’ she said, feeling her face flush.

  God, she was a terrible liar.

  Zack looked up, interested. ‘Oh? And what reason did he give?’

  ‘Well, it turns out he couldn’t.’ She tried to think quickly. ‘He couldn’t get financing. Major pushback from the bank apparently,’ she said, spilling the words out.

  ‘Pushback, eh?’ Zack raised an eyebrow. ‘Well, you know what that means; either bad credit or no money. I’m guessing probably both. People like that, in debt up to their eyeballs because they don’t have any idea how to manage their finances. Really, these young guys, when they strike it rich, I am not sure why their handlers aren’t instructing them to get with a financial planner ASAP. Otherwise they just blow all of their money on ridiculousness; booze, parties, expensive cars—’

  ‘You are right, of course,’ commented Danielle, barely listening to Zack’s musing on the how-to’s of financial planning and where people went wrong. ‘How much do you stand to lose?’ he asked.

  She kept thinking to herself about her sister. Poor Cara, she thought. Guilt surged through her veins and she fought it back. She really didn’t deserve this.

  ‘Danielle?’

  She snapped to attention. ‘Sorry, what?’

  ‘Where were you just now? Lost in another world?’

  ‘Oh sorry, just thinking about stuff.’

  ‘How much did you have wrapped up in this client? Surely it couldn’t be that much forgone, other than time of course.’

  ‘Oh, no, not much,’ she said, thinking of the dress that would now, sadly, never be worn. She would really have to make sure that when it arrived in the mail she snagged it before Zack saw it. Especially as it screamed bridesmaid.

  ‘Well, at least now I don’t have to go to St Lucia,’ she pointed out, some relief in her voice.

  Zack picked up on it and smiled. ‘Really, there’s worse places you might have to go.’

  ‘Yes, but you know I don’t like travelling without you anyway,’ she cooed, getting up from the desk and walking to Zack. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned in for a kiss.

  He laughed. ‘What has gotten into you? You travel by yourself all the time.’

  She grimaced. Indeed, she did. She wasn’t some type of co-dependent hanger-on but she was just so relieved that she could put all this family-related stuff behind her now. Most of the time, she felt as if she had her life under control, but when it came to her mother there was really no predicting the chaos could that could happen. At least now the Clancys would stay firmly planted in Ireland. Where they belonged. The way things should be.

  ‘True, I guess I’m just feeling a little bit down about the whole thing. I thought I had everything under control, and I was all ready to travel, and now nothing.’ She smiled up at him. ‘Maybe we should plan a weekend away sometime soon?’

  He kissed the top of her head. ‘We could drive over to Key Largo soon – it’s always fun down there.’

  ‘Sounds great.’ That was fine with her. Zack could have suggested they drive to the moon and Danielle would have gone along with it.

  After all, the world was her oyster again and she could go anywhere she wanted, without having to worry about the sky falling in.

  Chapter 27

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ exclaimed Kim in lieu of a greeting as she rushed in the door at her in-laws’ house, being greeted by the sight of a surprisingly composed Cara on the couch, surrounded by Heidi and Betty.

  ‘Well, hello to you too Kim,’ said Heidi pointedly.

  Kim ignored her. ‘What’s this that I hear about the wedding being called off?’

  Cara looked at her sister-in-law. Kim’s pregnancy was starting to show and she had to admit, it was really complementing her appearance.

  Heidi would probably begin to start showing herself soon, and Cara reflected on the fact that it seemed that life was blooming all around her now, and exciting things were happening. But not to her. She, on the other hand, was starting over. She couldn’t picture what her life would be without Shane; she had been having a hard time coming to the realisation that this wasn’t a dress rehearsal of a break-up. This was the real thing.

  She was also feeling extremely tired of repeating what had happened. She’d confessed the whole sorry scenario to Betty and Mick, who’d insisted she move back in, and then retold the whole thing to Heidi when her sister had called over earlier and been surprised to see her there.

  She looked imploringly at her mother and Betty duly chimed in, recounting the story behind the break-up to Kim in all its horrible detail. Kim, however, seemed determined to find a resolution.

  ‘Cara, maybe he just made a mistake,’ she suggested. ‘Maybe he just spoke out of turn, put his foot in his mouth, that kind of thing.’

  ‘Yes, I thought of that too,’ said Cara sadly. ‘But how am I ever supposed to get round this with his family? Say we did still get married, how am I ever supposed to forgive their interference?’

  Kim smiled at her sister-in-law and took her hand. ‘Honestly, you just learn how to let it roll off your back. You just forgive and move on – that’s all you can do. You realise that some people are stuck in their ways and nothing you say or do is ever going to change them,’ she said, with an almost imperceptible sideways glance at Betty. ‘Remember, Shane is not the bad guy here. Sure he messed up, I understand that, but the ones who really need to realise that they need to take a step back and let their son live his life are his parents.’

  Cara considered Kim’s words. Evidently, she was speaking from experience and Cara wondered if the message Kim was trying to relay had been lost on her mother. Sure, there had been enough issues over the years where Betty had interfered in Ben and Kim’s life, and it was true that Kim had done her best not to let it affect her.

  Is that what I should do with Shane’s parents? she thought to herself now.

  ‘Have you spoken to Shane since you left?’ Kim asked.

  ‘No, she hasn’t,’ said Heidi, interrupting. ‘And I don’t think she should. What type of guy doesn’t run after the woman he loves? Honestly, if I threatened to leave Paul, I would fully expect him to chase me down the street.’

  Kim rolled her eyes. ‘Cara, you know Shane is a good guy. You know he is. He just messed up a little.’

  ‘That’s what I said,’ Betty offered. ‘However, I would really love to give his mother a piece of my mind. The cheek of it . . . I have a good mind to pick up the phone to the stuck-up wagon and tell her exactly what I think of her.’

  Cara put her hand up. ‘That is exactly what you are not going to do, Mum. She already believes that we are crass and common. You are not going to say a word. You don’t know Lauren and frankly, any argument between the two of you is just going to make it worse. Please let sleeping dogs lie.’

  ‘But she offended you!’ said Betty, bordering on hysterics. ‘No one offends a daughter of mine.’

  ‘Let it go Mum, please,’ Cara insisted, exhausted.

  ‘Have you cancelled the resort?’ Kim inquired. She sincerely hoped that this hadn’t been done yet. She honestly thought all of this could be fixed and she prayed that Cara hadn’t done anything that couldn’t be reversed just yet.

  ‘No, not yet. I haven’t had the energy.’

  ‘I was just about to do it for her,’ Heidi said eagerly. Kim looked at her and realised that once again Heidi was simply anxious about serving her own purposes. She was clearly not overly upset about having the wedding called off, because it
meant she didn’t have to travel to St Lucia.

  Kim held up a hand. ‘Don’t do that.’

  ‘But why?’ Heidi retorted, rubbing her tummy protectively, as if Kim’s raised voice might upset her unborn child.

  ‘Because I have a feeling that this is a just temporary issue.’

  ‘But they broke up—’

  ‘Need I remind you, Heidi, that you threatened to break up with Paul several times during the planning of your wedding, and I think you even did once,’ Kim said, and Heidi looked shamefaced. ‘During that process,’ she continued, ‘nothing got cancelled. In fact, many of us were convinced that you would stand at the altar alone on the day if it meant getting your big day.’ Kim was unimpressed with Heidi’s lack of tact and compassion towards Cara and her plight.

  ‘But—’ Heidi started.

  ‘No Heidi. We will not cancel anything. For once, stop thinking about your own interests and think about your sister, for goodness’ sake.’

  ‘Now girls . . .’ Betty warned.

  ‘Come on you two, don’t fight. Please?’ Cara pleaded tiredly.

  Kim bit her lip. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Really, I think I just need to have some time to think. OK?’

  Kim nodded. ‘Look sweetie, I know I sound like I’m in Shane’s corner, but you know that I’m in yours, too. And that is because I think you two are perfect for each other.’ She levelled her gaze with Cara, who sighed heavily.

  ‘But Kim, think of all of the trouble surrounding the wedding so far. Right from the start there’s been nothing but objections and resistance from almost everyone on the short guest list we have—’ Cara glanced at both her sister and her mother and saw that both women looked suitably abashed. ‘It seemed never-ending. And it was all so hard.’

  Kim turned her attention back to Cara with a smile on her face and chuckled. ‘Hard? Cara honey, I just want to inform you that marriage is hard. Yes, organising the wedding has had its up and downs but it’s not all smooth sailing once you say “I do” either. I’m sure Betty and Heidi will agree with me on that?’ she urged, and both women nodded.

  ‘Sometimes I just want to kill Paul,’ Heidi agreed with a sigh and the customary roll of her eyes.

  ‘And honey, there have been many times over the years I’ve wanted to strangle your father too,’ said Betty, encouragement in her voice. ‘You know what he can be like, so stuck in his ways. And he can be so clueless about the simplest things, sometimes it’s like looking after an extra child. But they can’t help it,’ she added wisely, ‘they are men so of course they mess up. It’s just an affliction of their gender.’

  Kim laughed. ‘Yes, and Cara, you are going to mess up sometimes too. No one is perfect and when you commit to living with somebody for ever, well, things happen. Sometimes I’m convinced that Ben’s eyes will never be right again, what with all the rolling he does with them at some of my behaviour. But the point is, you get through it. You work on it. Yes, Shane’s parents were wrong for doing what they did. And Shane is wrong not to have told you about whatever investments he made, but really, you guys are learning together. A lot of that comes from suddenly understanding that it’s not just about you, that it’s about the other person as well. Maybe you learned that lesson faster than Shane, but I can guarantee that he knows it now.’

  Cara considered her sister-in-law’s advice and felt her heart soften. She did make a good point, and Cara had never been one to hold a grudge.

  ‘But what about him talking about the idea of divorce? What about that? What does that say about his faith in us?’

  Kim shook her head, but Heidi beat her to an answer.

  ‘I thought about it, before my wedding.’

  Cara turned to look at her sister. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘It just happened, like a thought that just pops into your head. Especially when you see things on TV or if you have a friend going through it and you think, what would I do if that happened to me? It’s not as if you want to think about it, but it’s just something that’s there in the background. You can’t honestly tell me that you have never thought about it, Cara.’

  Cara shook her head. ‘No, I mean, you can think about the concept of divorce of course, but I don’t focus on it like it’s sure to be part of my future.’

  ‘I think what Heidi is trying to say that having a fatalistic notion isn’t a bad thing, that it is normal,’ offered Kim, trying to interpret her sister-in-law’s rather jumbled thought process. ‘You see something on TV when you are going through something similar, like if you are pregnant and watch a show about losing a baby or having one with a birth defect, and think, “God, what if that was me?” It’s normal but it doesn’t mean you are counting on it happening. It’s just a scary thought, and maybe that’s what happened. Maybe Shane knows someone who’s going through a divorce and that’s why it was in the forefront of his mind. Also when you’re taking a huge step like marriage, it’s only natural to let your mind drift to all the possibilities.’ She patted Cara’s shoulder. ‘Really, there are risks involved with almost everything in life. But that’s what makes it great. Without the risk of making a big decision, no one would ever be able to experience the reward.’

  ‘It’s human nature honey,’ Betty chimed in. ‘I’ve gone through many trials in my life, raising you, and Heidi and Ben and . . . Danielle,’ she added, stumbling slightly. ‘And even with your father. We have had fights that rattled the rafters, but we’ve never even thought about calling it a day. The dedication is working through the problems.’

  ‘And I think you have that dedication and so does Shane,’ Kim said, smiling.

  Cara considered what they’d told her. Were they right? Should she give Shane another chance? Were his thoughts about divorce just simple fears, things he was afraid might happen? Would he keep her in the loop in the future and tell her everything? Could she trust him again? And what to do about his miserable parents?

  Chapter 28

  ‘Cara, you look like hell. Why are you here again?’ Conor inquired as he observed Cara sitting at her desk, pale and exhausted-looking. She had dark circles under her eyes and he hadn’t seen her eat in days, at least not while at the office.

  He figured not much was different when she wasn’t here, and while he knew it had been a very tough few days for her, he was starting to get concerned about her well-being.

  ‘Because it’s better than being at my mother’s,’ she replied. ‘I forgot what it was like to live there.’

  ‘You know the solution to that?’ he said. She looked up at him, a silent question on her face. ‘Make things up with Shane, of course.’

  She shook her head. After her conversation with Kim and the others at her mum’s house, she had been over it time and time again in her mind. How could she go back? Even if she could get over the issues there clearly were between them, how could she ever deal with his parents? She pictured his mother, probably happily sitting at some expensive restaurant in Dublin right now, drinking champagne and laughing over how she broke up her son and his fiancée.

  Evil cow, Cara thought bitterly.

  ‘Conor, you just don’t understand,’ she said. ‘I’m the one who broke up with him. He probably hates me by now.’ She started to tear up. That’s all she felt like she did these days, cry. Cry over what would have been, could have been, should have been, if his horrible parents just knew well enough to stay away and mind their own bloody business.

  She hated that she felt so angry over them, so bitter even. She had never considered herself an angry person, but now she felt like it all the time, when she thought about who was to blame.

  If it hadn’t been for Lauren and Gene, she would still be getting married to the man of her dreams in St Lucia.

  ‘Oh please, spare me the dramatics; I thought that was Heidi’s department. Shane doesn’t hate you. You know that. And if you look like this I can only imagine what that poor sod is going through right now.’

  ‘Thanks,’ she said sarcastica
lly.

  ‘Cara, I mean it. Not that you look terrible, I mean you do, but I – oh shit, I didn’t mean it like that. I meant that you are both miserable without each other, I know he must be. It’s horrible to lose someone you love.’

  She looked up at her boss, thinking she was so lucky to have someone so understanding in her life. Yes, it was one thing to have the support of her family, but it was quite another to have a friend like Conor. She placed a hand on his arm.

  ‘Thank you, really, Conor, I appreciate it.’

  He squeezed her hand. ‘I just care about your happiness, that’s all.’

  She smiled. ‘You know, for someone so jaded towards love, you sure seem pretty enlightened about the entire endeavour,’ she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

  He looked at her, and this time his expression was devoid of any teasing or sarcasm. ‘Look, I just understand how miserable you can be when you miss the boat,’ he said gently. ‘It’s something I don’t wish on any man, that’s for sure.’

  Her smile vanished and she thought about what he’d said and how serious he’d sounded. Missed the boat? He wouldn’t be talking about . . . suddenly Cara began to feel very uncomfortable. Conor reached out and patted her shoulder. ‘Anyway, my point is—’

  The rest of his sentence was cut off by the familiar sound of the bell, heralding the arrival of a customer.

  Both he and Cara turned to see, only to be taken aback when they were greeted with the sight of Gene and Lauren Richardson. Conor jumped up from where he sat and turned towards the couple, standing in a protective stance between Shane’s parents and Cara.

  He strode towards them, his hands up, as if he was about to shoo them out the door. ‘Now, I’ll have none of this here, no more. I think both of you have done quite enough. Especially you,’ he said, glaring directly at Lauren.

  Gene took a position in front of his wife. ‘Now young man, I don’t know who you think you are, but—’