The Guest List

by Melissa Hill

‘Oh my goodness, Lauren. It’s beautiful . . .’

  ‘I know you’re dedicated to having a simple, no-fuss beach wedding,’ Lauren said somewhat self-consciously. ‘So if it’s too much and doesn’t fit with that, I understand.’

  ‘Lauren, it’s amazing, thank you. I’ll wear it proudly.’ Cara was blown away by the wonderful effort Shane’s mother was making to be a part of the day and the festivities without being pushy. It made up for all the hassle of before. ‘Mum, come and see.’ She passed around the jewellery box to show everyone and received a chorus of oohs and ahhs.

  ‘It’s really gorgeous, Cara,’ smiled Danielle as she showed her. ‘It will look amazing with your dress.’ Cara smiled brightly at the vote of confidence from her glamorous older sister. She’d shown Danielle her wedding dress earlier, delighted by their new-found closeness since they’d started communicating again for the wedding.

  From across the room, another voice sounded.

  ‘Excuse me,’ Conor called out. ‘I wonder if I could say something?’

  At this Danielle looked up sharply. Was it Cara’s imagination or had her sister’s tanned complexion turned white? She glanced from her to Conor, wondering what she was missing.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Cara inquired, sitting down in an empty seat next to her in the hope of teasing some information out of her on this history between her and Conor.

  ‘Nothing, why?’ Danielle replied, wide-eyed.

  ‘But—’

  ‘Shh!’ hissed Heidi from the other side of Cara, turning her attention to Conor.

  Conor cleared his throat and looked around the room. ‘I just wanted to have a quick word if you all don’t mind. I know I am not a member of the family and am here just as a guest but . . .’ Danielle threw back the remainder of what was in her wine glass, and looked to Zack to refill it from the bottle to his left. He obliged her willingly.

  Cara watched her sister with growing interest as Conor went on. ‘Anyway, I just wanted to thank everyone, Mr and Mrs Clancy, and Mr and Mrs Richardson and especially Cara and Shane, for inviting me here and making me feel so welcome. I’ve known Cara a long time now and she is very special to me.’ He smiled at Cara, who blushed, not sure what to make of all this, given what she’d suspected recently. Nonetheless it was true; of course she and Conor were so much more than boss and employee; they were truly good friends. And how lovely of him to get up in front of all these people and say something so nice. She just hoped Shane didn’t mind.

  As if reading Cara’s thoughts, Conor turned to Shane. ‘Mate, you are a very lucky man. I can only hope to meet someone like her some day. So keep a watch out,’ he added with a wink. ‘And make sure you marry her tomorrow, because otherwise I might try to steal her away.’

  Cara gulped and everyone else laughed except Danielle, who at that moment choked and began coughing violently into her napkin.

  Cara looked at her sister, as Zack began gently pounding on her back. ‘Are you OK?’ she asked, concerned.

  ‘Sure,’ Danielle finally said, when the coughing fit had ended. ‘Something just went down the wrong way.’

  ‘Here’s some water,’ offered Zack.

  ‘It’s fine. I just . . . I just need to go to the restroom. I’ll be back soon.’ Danielle stood up abruptly and hastened from the room.

  ‘What’s the matter with her?’ Cara asked.

  Zack shrugged. ‘I think she’s just a little tense.’

  ‘Yes, I sort of gathered that,’ she replied.

  The question was, Cara wondered, tense about what?

  Later that night, Cara and Shane said their goodbyes and separated for the night, having decided to take the traditional stance of not seeing each other until the wedding ceremony.

  Full of excitement and nervousness, Cara lay in bed, trying to sleep but unable to switch off. Her mind was crammed with thoughts about the wedding day itself, the rest of her life with Shane, the growing inevitability of stormy weather and also about her family, specifically Danielle.

  Her mother and sister had been careful to avoid one another at the resort so far, but Cara worried that their close proximity would eventually come to a head.

  If there was going to be some kind of blow-up between them, she sincerely hoped they at least managed to wait until after the wedding. She couldn’t allow anything else to go wrong just now.

  And she wondered why exactly Betty was always so disparaging of Danielle when her sister seemed so nice and had no airs and graces about her whatsoever. Cara had always suspected Danielle must possess a somewhat self-absorbed Heidi-style personality, but in fact, other than looking very alike the two of them couldn’t have been more different.

  Since her arrival Danielle had gone out of her way to ask if there was anything at all she could do to help in the run-up to the ceremony, proper sisterly and indeed bridesmaidly behaviour, unlike Heidi who’d been skulking around with a face on her that would cut diamonds.

  Cara hoped the short stay would give them the opportunity to get to know one another better and maybe become closer. She liked her older sister a lot and whatever had gone on between her and Betty in the past didn’t mean that Danielle shouldn’t be close to the rest of the family.

  But she couldn’t help but notice that Danielle seemed very much on edge all the time, and she hoped this wedding wasn’t forcing her to confront any demons where their mother was concerned.

  Or indeed with anyone else, she mused, thinking about Conor. There was some kind of history there too; that much was obvious.

  And what should she make of Conor’s speech earlier and the recent inkling that he might have more than friendly feelings for her?

  Exhausted with all her thinking, Cara finally drifted off to sleep in the wee hours of the morning, her brain demanding rest.

  At seven a.m. she was abruptly awakened by urgent knocking on her hotel room door. She sat up quickly in bed and was immediately met by the sound of a large crack of thunder from outside the window.

  What the hell . . .? she thought blearily, temporarily confused as to where she was and what she was doing here. She looked at the other side of the bed. Where was Shane? Then it all dawned on her. She was on the paradise island of St Lucia, and what’s more, today was her wedding day!

  Cara grinned brightly, but another loud clap of thunder suddenly brought her straight back to reality. Oh no!

  Panic rose in her throat as she jumped from the bed and raced to the window.

  ‘Cara, are you up? Open the door,’ Kim called from outside before she’d had time to open the curtains.

  She rushed to the door and flung it open, allowing Kim to rush in. ‘What’s going on?’ she asked, hustling back to the window and throwing open the curtains.

  It was a nightmarish scene. Driving rain pounded on the window, and a violent wind bent the palm trees on the other side of the glass to dangerous angles. Thunder roared across the sky and lightning flashed wildly. The sky itself was an inky looking colour that bore down on the tropical landscape like an unfeeling and uncaring menace.

  Hurricane Gail had arrived.

  ‘It’s . . . it’s a hurricane,’ Cara gasped, unable to believe what she was seeing. A hurricane today, on her wedding day, of all days.

  Kim stood next to her. ‘Well, not quite yet, but she’ll be here shortly. This is just one of the outer bands. Or at least, that’s what I was just told by the front desk.’

  ‘But it’s my wedding day. I’m supposed to get married, out there, today!’ Cara pointed to the beach, barely visible in the murky distance. Her eyes started to well up. She couldn’t believe this. Her day was ruined. It couldn’t be possible, not after all she and Shane been through to get to this point. It was if this wedding just wasn’t supposed to happen.

  Kim sighed. ‘I’m sorry sweetie, but I don’t think your beach wedding is going to happen now, at least not today. The hotel is advising everyone to take cover in the storm shelter. For our own safety, while we wait this thing out.’
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br />   ‘But what about the wedding?’ Cara whispered lamely, searching wildly for a possible solution to this gigantic problem.

  ‘I’m sorry Cara, but our main priority now is to get ourselves to safety.’ Kim looked out of the window and sighed ominously. ‘Before things really get bad.’

  Chapter 34

  A few minutes later, Cara found herself being led down grey concrete stairs through the dingy inner catacombs of the hotel. This was a part of the resort that tourists were clearly not supposed to see, other than in the case of an emergency, which this obviously was.

  ‘Where are we going?’ she asked dejectedly, the full weight of everything that was happening resting heavily on her shoulders.

  Ever the organiser, Kim had taken charge of making sure that Cara’s wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, shoes and other wedding-related paraphernalia were taken down to the storm shelter with them, just in case.

  Now she followed her sister-in-law ever downwards, her parents and the rest of the family bringing up the rear and helping transfer some of Cara’s belongings along with their own. ‘Everyone in the hotel is headed down to the storm shelter. It’s the safest place to be,’ Kim told her.

  ‘Everyone?’ Cara repeated, her eyes filling with unshed tears.

  ‘Yes, honey. Everyone. Shane will be there. Don’t worry.’

  Cara stopped in her tracks, and Heidi ploughed straight into her backside. ‘Come on Cara, keep moving,’ she said gruffly, as she tried to manage the three dress bags that contained the bridesmaid dresses. ‘You know, I really shouldn’t be carrying so much weight, and these dress bags are heavy. This whole situation, the weather, the weight, the stress, it’s bad for me and the baby.’

  ‘It’s not as if I engineered the storm just to put you out, Heidi,’ she shot back through gritted teeth. ‘And it’s kind of stressful for everyone right now.’

  She turned again to Kim. ‘Shane’s going to be in the storm shelter? But I can’t see him before the ceremony. It’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding.’

  Kim smiled and reached out to grab Cara’s hand, pulling her forward once again. ‘Frankly speaking Cara, I think you’re much more likely to have bad luck if you don’t get your butt to this storm shelter pronto. We’ll meet the rest of them down there. Now come on.’

  When they reached the shelter, an employee of the resort was standing in the doorway.

  ‘This way everyone, please, come in,’ he directed them. ‘You have nothing to worry about. This is standard procedure with weather like this. It is simply the safest place to wait out a hurricane. Please understand we are monitoring the situation on the ground as well. Know that your well-being and safety is of the utmost importance to the staff at the Paradise Oasis Resort,’ he intoned loudly as hotel guests (many in pyjamas who looked like they had literally run from their beds down to the storm shelter) shuffled wearily about, trying to make sense of what was happening. Many carried a selection of bags and personal possessions, as if they were worried that they would find their belongings washed away when (or if) they were able to return to their hotel rooms.

  The Clancy family staked out one corner of the large storm shelter, joining the Richardsons, who were already there – Shane looking glum, but brightening a little when he saw their approach. Cara had since given up worrying about whether or not he saw her today. For the wedding to happen, they were going to need a miracle.

  Although the room was dark and unwelcoming it wasn’t uncomfortable as the resort had provided plenty of chairs, blankets, pillows and other necessities for their use.

  Nonetheless, Cara just couldn’t stop thinking that this was so not how she’d pictured the morning of her and Shane’s wedding day.

  ‘I can’t believe this is happening,’ she moaned into Shane’s chest.

  ‘It will be OK, honey. Try not to worry about it just now. It’s just a temporary setback. We will leave St Lucia married, I promise.’ He pulled her close and she gradually relaxed into his embrace, glad that at least they were together.

  Just then Danielle and Zack arrived and shuffled over to the group. Cara noticed that her older sister looked a bit the worse for wear; it appeared that all the wine she had drunk the night before had taken its toll.

  The only available space was an area close to Betty, and Danielle sat down next to her, unaware of her mother’s look of faint disapproval – her attention seemed once again to be on Conor, who had just sat down directly across from her, close to Cara and Shane.

  ‘Do you want some water, sweetheart?’ Zack asked and Danielle nodded tiredly.

  ‘What’s the latest from the hotel management?’ Lauren asked in a booming voice.

  Shane looked at his mother. ‘They say this storm is fast moving. By tomorrow it could all be over and so we could possibly have the wedding then,’ he suggested and Cara brightened a little.

  ‘Admittedly the timing is unfortunate, but really, it’s better we all stay safe now,’ Gene agreed.

  ‘Hey, if you really want a wedding today Cara,’ Conor offered, trying to lift the mood, ‘We could always find a priest and get you married down here.’

  Cara blew her nose. ‘I’m not getting married in a storm shelter, Conor.’

  ‘It would be sort of romantic, in a way. What do you think?’

  ‘Don’t be an idiot, Conor,’ Danielle berated him, shaking her head in annoyance. Zack returned and handed her a bottle of water and she drank it down greedily.

  ‘What? It was just a suggestion . . .’

  Betty leaned forward and patted Cara on the knee. ‘Pet, try not to worry. Really it will be OK. We’ll just have to wait it out. The hotel says this is the safest place to be at the moment. Although I can’t help thinking that this kind of thing would never have happened in St Joseph’s . . .’

  Suddenly Heidi’s eyes widened, as if something had just occurred to her. ‘What if there’s flooding?’ she gasped, her tone panicked. ‘What if we are locked in here and we all drown?’

  Danielle shook her head. ‘That’s not how a storm shelter works, Heidi, and Mum’s right,’ she said, glancing briefly at her mother. ‘You just wait out a hurricane. If it’s a fast moving storm, it’ll just keep going, right over us. It will be over in no time.’

  Conor raised his eyebrows. ‘Quite the expert, I see.’

  ‘I live in Florida, Conor. By the beach. I have been through hurricanes many times before,’ she said disdainfully, and turned her head, signalling that she didn’t want to talk to him any more.

  ‘Well, I suppose we can think of it this way Cara,’ Conor continued jokingly. ‘At least now you have another day to reconsider.’

  Cara punched him in the arm. ‘I am not reconsidering.’

  Shane laughed. ‘Hey, back off my woman, Dempsey. I warned you . . .’

  ‘May the best man win then. Cara, my offer from last night still stands,’ Conor said with a wink, and Cara knew he was trying to lighten the mood, as she and Conor had barely spoken last night. ‘Leave this guy and run off with me.’

  Across from her, Cara noticed Danielle suddenly stiffen and, looking at her sister’s beautifully manicured fingers, she realised that they were clenched tightly. Danielle looked as though she was about to explode. What the hell was wrong with her? She looked at Conor. Was that it? Was she jealous or . . .

  ‘Seriously Cara,’ Conor was still teasing, ‘maybe the storm is a sign—’

  Then all of a sudden, Danielle jumped up from her chair. ‘Shut up! Stop it! Not another word, please! I can’t stand it—’

  The group lapsed into silence as all eyes turned to Danielle.

  ‘Danielle?’ Cara began gently, using the same tone you would use if you were trying to convince someone not to jump off the top of a skyscraper. ‘What is it – what’s wrong?’

  Her sister’s tone was clipped. ‘It’s Conor, he shouldn’t talk to you like that. It’s not right.’

  Crikey, she was jealous, Cara realised. Now she was ser
iously worried, wondering if Danielle might have picked up on an aspect of Conor’s behaviour that she’d been hoping didn’t exist. ‘Conor and I are good friends, he’s my boss – what do you mean, it’s not right?’ she said.

  ‘Babe?’ Zack inquired, his voice full of concern. ‘Come sit down.’ He reached for Danielle’s hand, but she pushed it away.

  Conor looked confused. ‘Hey, it’s just a joke, Danielle. Cara and Shane both know I’m joking, don’t you?’

  ‘Of course. Although with your reputation Dempsey, you never know,’ Shane jibed. ‘I’d still be reluctant to leave any woman alone in a room with you. When I think of that time in the office when I walked in on you two—’

  ‘Jesus Christ, stop it,’ Danielle commanded and Cara heard a sharp intake of breath coming from nearby. She looked to her left and saw that Betty was staring at Danielle, a look of horror on her face.

  As if she’d just realised something.

  What the—? Now Cara was seriously flummoxed.

  ‘Sweetheart, please why don’t you sit down,’ Zack urged again.

  Danielle pinched her nose and closed her eyes. ‘No . . .’ she whispered, but it was as if she was talking to herself, steeling herself for something. She looked at her mother, then at Cara and finally back at Conor.

  ‘I don’t know what kind of relationship you two have . . .’

  ‘We don’t have a relationship Danielle, other than friends and colleagues of course.’ Cara felt that she needed to re-assure her.

  ‘Are you kidding me?’ Heidi put in smartly. ‘They are always flirting with one another. Seriously if I didn’t know better—’

  ‘That’s not true.’ Cara whirled on her sister, suddenly terrified that she had somehow, unknown to herself, invited Conor’s affections, if that were indeed the case.

  Danielle slowly turned her gaze on Conor. ‘Please don’t flirt with Cara any more, Conor. Really, it would be better if you didn’t.’

  Conor looked equally baffled. ‘Why? What business is it of—?’

  ‘It is my business,’ Danielle said flatly. ‘Yours too.’