Love, Lies and Louboutins (Heartbreak Book 2)

by S. M Phillips

  “Never say never. There was a point where I thought marriage for us two was impossible. I mean, I’m sure they thrive on making you wait for the big question, but if it’s meant to be it will happen. I’m so lucky to have him you know. He always makes sure that I don’t want for anything and I know you probably don’t think it, but I can be pretty high maintenance.”

  No fucking shit. Not that I’d ever say that to her. Bloody hell, she’s had me running around like a headless chicken for weeks making sure that everything’s perfect. I’ve even ended up arranging the hen do, and that’s not even in the package. I daren’t say anything to her though because one, I’m really a soft bitch deep down, and two, I don’t want to rock this boat. So far, our working relationship has been great and I’ve become very fond of her. Even Rachel has too. They always say you never forget your first love, well for me I’ll never forget my first client. Actually, if I’m being totally honest, I hope I don’t have to.

  She’s so different to the chick I first met; she’s warm, kind, caring, and it’s her fiancé who is the lucky one. Without a doubt, she’s by far the better one in their relationship. Yes, I’m completely biased, but that’s because I’ve still yet to meet him, which reminds me, “So, will I ever get the privilege of meeting this mighty fine specimen of yours?”

  “Well, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about, actually.” She smiles and her whole face lights up. “We’re having a little get together soon. He’s managed to book some time out of his busy schedule so I was thinking of surprising him with a slap-up meal and inviting a few friends around, you know, that way everyone will get to meet each other.”

  “That sounds good to me.” I sure hope her fella’s one for surprises. “Just let me know when and I’ll be there.”

  “Perfect. Make sure you bring that man of yours and also bring Rachel and her guy too. I’m so excited by it. I just know you’re going to love him.”

  “If he’s anything like you, then I’m sure he’ll win the hearts of millions.” I say truthfully.

  “You’re such a gem, you know. I’m so glad that I picked you to plan my wedding.”

  “Well, I won’t lie, I’m bloody glad you did too.”

  Wow, this is getting pretty soppy, pretty quickly. Maybe it’s my hormones, or the fact that my heads a mess because I’m now adamant that Matt is being off with me because I’m onto him. Yes, he’s definitely been up to something with Cruella. The silence confirmed it and he didn’t put up much of a fight for me, did he? Now that to me speaks volumes.

  Maybe I need to face facts and channel my inner Beyoncé again as I’m destined to be a single lady. Ah, well I guess you win some and then you lose some. In my case it’s more of a losing game.

  It’s more annoying because everything was running so smoothly too. I was getting used to having him around and I was happy. So happy. Clearly, he was just using me as a stop gap until he could get back with that little tramp again. I don’t think there’s anything of mine that she doesn’t want. More fool her. One thing I won’t stand for though is being second best. I didn’t do that with Tyler. Even though it broke my heart into a thousand tiny pieces, I still had enough pride left to watch him walk away. Nothing is worse than allowing someone to consume your heart, feelings and mind the way someone you love can. If they see your weakness and that you forgive easily then what’s stopping them from doing it all over again knowing full well that they’ll get away with it?

  My phone chimes to life which in turn brings me out of my unwanted and wayward thoughts. Pulling it out of my pocket, I quickly glance at the screen and see that it’s Rachel. I knew straight away it wasn’t Matt as he now has his very own personal ringtone. Not that he bloody deserves it, mind. Maybe I should block him. Oh wait, a sudden flashback hits me when I remember that I did that last night. Balls. Wine is going to end up being the bloody death of me that’s for sure.

  “Hey…” I mutter out quickly. I know I’m now on some kind of friend level with Lyndsey, but I still hate answering my phone when I’m on the job. It’s just not all that professional, is it? It’s not something that I would usually do either, but then again saying that Rachel isn’t the type to call me while I’m working. My nerves are shot — this can’t be good. All kinds of crazy scenarios begin to form in my mind’s eye and now that they’ve started to play out, they’re hard to shift.

  Has Cruella come to give me the lowdown on her and Matt? Maybe she has and Rachel’s calling to tell me that she’s just been arrested for beating the ever-loving shit out of her. Or maybe Matt has dropped in on Rachel and handed back my key now that he no longer needs it. Maybe Rachel’s took a swing for Matt. Now that is something I’d love to see.

  “Hi, sorry to call you while you’re busy working, but I thought you should know that I’ve got a lost soul here overdosing on coffee and he won’t budge.” She sighs dramatically down the line. So, she’s not in any trouble then. A tiny part of me relaxes, but I don’t see why she needs to call me to tell me this. Sometimes her place gets the odd customer that gets a little too attached and they don’t end up leaving until we have to throw them out at closing — even then it can be a bit of a struggle.

  “Surely that’s good for the business, no?” I ask.

  “Oh sure, maybe, but if he keeps sitting here with a glum look on his face, he’s going to scare away all my customers.” I can just imagine Rachel’s pout now. She doesn’t sound very happy at all. Usually I’d be straight over there to help her out, but I don’t know what she wants me to do. I’ve got Lyndsey giving me a suspicious look and I can’t help but feel like a really shit friend because I need to put Lyndsey first right now.

  I wrack my brains to try to come up with a quick fix to her problem, at least to last long enough until I can get back to her to help her out. “Maybe strike up some kind of conversation with him then?” I’ve still got no idea why she’s even calling me to tell me this. It’s got nothing to do with me anymore. Sure, I used to cheer up the sad ones, make a little light chit chat and soon enough they’d be on their way, except the really stubborn ones. “What do you want me to do? Come back?”

  “Yes.” She squeals down the line. “That’s exactly what I want you to do, Emily.” I mouth a quick apology to Lyndsey in the hope that she can find it in her heart to forgive me. Hopefully she doesn’t lose her shit. I know I would if it was my wedding that we were planning — personal calls during client time. I need to remember that.

  “Really? Rach this is my first proper venture off site and there’s no way that I can cancel the venues, it doesn’t look professional, does it?” I plead down the line, hoping that she’ll understand.

  “No, I guess you’re right. I’m sorry. But what am I supposed to do? He’s bloody adamant he won’t leave until he’s seen you. He made that perfectly clear, to everyone that was here at the time.”

  “Who?” Why would anyone want to wait for me at Rachel’s? Then the penny drops.

  “Bloody Matthew.” Rachel confirms my thoughts before I even have chance to say anything.

  Shit. Why the hell did he need to see Rachel? Why couldn’t he have just picked up the phone and called me, or even sent a text? Oh yeah, because I blocked him from everywhere. Bloody hell Emily, you’ve only got yourself to blame. A sudden feeling of unease passes through me and I hope Rachel doesn’t get pissed at me because my boyfriend, or should that now be ex-boyfriend has turned up and decided to do a stakeout until I return. “I’m so sorry. Just tell him to leave and I’ll call him when I’ve finished up here. Hopefully he’ll listen to you.”

  “Already tried that. Trust me, he isn’t moving anywhere. I’ll try to keep him busy, but he doesn’t look good. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone look so sad and depressed.”

  “That’s not really my problem anymore, Rach. Plus, I know you, lady, and you like to over-dramatize things.”

  “What do you mean? Have you two still not sorted this out? Bloody hell, Emily, get over your stubborn arse and m
ake it right. Shit can’t go on this way. Anyway look, I’m gonna have to shoot because believe it or not I’ve actually got a customer waiting and I need to serve them before they spot moody arse in the corner and run off to somewhere else.”

  Great, as if I don’t feel bad enough already, she’s just gone and thrown the dreaded guilt bomb on me. Just what I needed. “Okay… I’ll be as quick as I can, I promise.”

  Why couldn’t he just phone me like any normal person instead of holding a stakeout at Rachel’s? Oh, because I blocked him last night. And I don’t just mean by phone, either. I’m talking about a total clear out from Facebook, Twitter, right down to Instagram. I don’t want him to see how much fun I’m not having while he’s cosying up with Cruella. Not a bloody chance.

  “Everything okay?” Lindsey asks, a look of genuine concern etched onto her all too pretty face.

  “Uh, yeah. Ignore me. I guess I’m just having one of those days.” Dear God, she’s going to fire me. I know that I would if I was in her situation. Why did Matt have to go and prove to be the biggest bell end on the planet just as things were picking up? You know if he had a decent bone in his body he would have been straight with me from the off. He could have said thanks, but no thanks and yes, I admit that I would have been sad, maybe slightly heartbroken, but I would have survived it — I think. If not, I would have worked as hard as possible through the day and drank myself into an utter oblivion during the nights just to forget him. But, oh no, he didn’t want to play it that way, did he? No, he wanted to string me along while dancing to Graham’s bloody tune.

  A thought suddenly occurs to me and I feel sick. Sick with disgust and sick with rage. If shit gets real and I mean like really real with Matt and Cruella, then that means there’s a high possibility that Graham could be in the running to be his father-in-law. Shit.

  Is that what this is about? Is this why he’s been having these secret little discussions? I don’t know why Graham would want to check how I am though throughout all of this, unless he knows that Matt wasn’t really in it for the long-haul from the beginning and wants to check to see how heartbroken I am. Sweet baby Jesus, my poor frazzled mind can’t take it. What an absolute bastard.

  I decide in this moment of anger and pain that I will be taking a trip to Rachel’s before I head home so that I can finally have it out with him. He’s not going to get out of this as easily as he thinks. That’s for sure.

  “Oh, I completely forgot to tell you that I managed to track my brother down,” Lyndsey sings, once again pulling me out of my thoughts. Truthfully, she couldn’t have spoken at a better time as I don’t think my head would have been able to come back quite so easily from where it was going.

  “You did?” I ask, all kinds of excited on the inside and I just hope that I’m expressing it on the outside too. It’s true I am excited. Not just for her, but for the much-needed change of subject. There’s no way I can allow myself to get all emotional in front of a client. Yes, I may be growing closer to Lyndsey, but she’s still a client and I need to remember that I must be professional at all times. Well, most of the time at least. I look at her closely and she looks happy. Her eyes are more sparkly than before and I wouldn’t have thought that was possible. Hell, her brother really must mean a lot to her. However, there’s something else hidden in her expression too. I can see it when she chews down on her bottom lip nervously. “Hey, what’s wrong?” I ask and I hope I haven’t overstepped the mark.

  “Oh, I don’t know. What if after all this time he doesn’t even want to see me? What if all of this is for nothing. What if he lets me down again?” Her hand comes up to her face, and she fans her eyes to prevent the tears from flowing. And there was me worrying about getting all emotional in front of her. Lyndsey looks at me again, before asking quietly, “People change, don’t they?”

  “Sure, they do.” I reply, but I don’t really believe I’m the best person to be giving out this kind of advice. “Maybe he’s changed for the better? Look, I don’t know what happened between you both as it’s not really any of my business but you guys are family. I’m sure if you both sat down and had a little chat you’d be able to sort it out. Chances are he’s probably missed you too, but he’s too much of a stubborn arse to say so. After all, he is male.”

  Lyndsey laughs and for a second she looks younger somehow, completely carefree. “That sounds so much like him. He’s always been a stubborn arse.”

  “Aren’t they all?” I laugh back and finally a genuine smile graces my lips. “So, what’s the plan then?”

  “I guess we’ll take a look around and get a feel for the place.”

  “Oh, I don’t mean here.” I say while pointing over the road to where the venue of the day is situated. I look over and my heart swells. It’s such a beautiful building. It’s a listed Manor house, and I always envisioned getting married here when I was little. Bloody fat chance of that now though. But I guess we can’t have everything we want in life, so I’m hopefully going to do the next best thing. I will get one of my clients to get married here and because I’m part of it all, it’ll be the closest I’ll ever get. Kind of a win-win, but not. Like I said, beggars can’t be choosers in this life.

  “The plan for what, then?” Lyndsey looks as confused as she sounds.

  “Your brother. What’s the plan? Have you called him, or are you going to make an impromptu appearance?”

  “I’ve not decided on the finer details yet, but I know where he lives now so that’s a start, right?”

  “I’d definitely say so. Is Neil going to go with you? I bet you could do with some moral support?” I add. I know I would if that was me, but thankfully I’ve always been an only child and I spent most of my time with my grandma, anyway. For the most part I stayed out of trouble, and on those rare occasions I didn’t, she let me get away with murder, so long as I always brought her a cup of tea and some toast in the mornings.

  “I don’t really think that’s wise. I know, I know,” she flusters and pulls on the zipper of her jacket. “He’ll see him at the wedding, that’s if he’ll come, but I think it’s best for now if I see him on my own. I want to make this work and I think throwing Neil in his face again will be like rubbing salt into the wounds.”

  “You know best. But, if you do need someone there we could always arrange it during one of our appointments. Just saying,” I give her arm a slight nudge with my elbow and a small smile creeps up on her face. I don’t know what’s gone down between them in the past, but I hate the thought of her having to go through this alone. I bet it will be like reliving it all over again, only this time it’s because she’s getting married and she wants her family there. Personally, I see no crime in that. If only everyone would give their heads a bloody good wobble, life would be a hell of a lot simpler.

  “Do you mean that?” She squeals after a few seconds. “You’d really do that for me? I’ll pay extra of course for your services.” And there we go again. My bloody business sounds like some sex service. I dread to think what’s going through people’s minds when they walk past and hear snippets of my conversations.

  “Don’t be daft and of course I will. That’s what I’m here for isn’t it? To make your day as magical as possible and I’ll try everything in my power to make it perfect for you.”

  After showing Lyndsey around Castle Croft Hall, it’s safe to say that we both fell in love. Me all over again, and Lyndsey at first sight.

  No sooner had we stepped through the arched doors onto the marble floors, she was pestering to find out what dates were available. “Are you sure you don’t want to look anywhere else? I mean, this is beautiful, and I’d snap it up in a heartbeat.” I asked her, just to make sure she wasn’t rushing into anything. Also, I was a little concerned that she didn’t want to discuss it with Neil before making any final arrangement, to which she replied.

  “Oh, don’t worry about him. He knows that if I’m happy then he’s happy. Plus, wandering around these places isn’t really his thing.”
>
  It’s not? Well, let’s hope it is on the day otherwise he’s going to find himself right up shit street.

  A massive part of me was insanely jealous when Lyndsey booked her date. Her official wedding date. I wanted that to be me. I wanted to get married at Castle Croft Hall, but I need to remember that this isn’t about me. This is about my client and her having a magical day.

  I left her in high spirits at the tube, promising to give her a call as soon as I’ve heard back from the florist. It’s been days since they said they would call, and come on, how hard can it be to organise pink and white roses? Clearly, it’s turning out to be very hard indeed.

  I’ve got a multitude of emotions running through me as I approach Rachel’s. Anger, hurt, and fear. Fear because I know what’s about to happen. Maybe I misjudged him and he’s actually found the balls to ditch me face to face.

  A small part of me wants to do the honours first, just so that I can say ha, beat you to it. But what’s the point in that? I’m almost thirty and we’re acting like a pair of bloody school kids. Yes, it may make me feel a little better for a couple of seconds if I do it first, it will help mask my emotions on the outside, but I’ll still go home and cry like a bitch for the rest of eternity.

  My eyes find Matt almost instantly. He doesn’t look up when the bell chimes, but Rachel gives me a sympathetic nod. Jesus, he must have been here for hours. I hope she doesn’t hate me too much and I hope he hasn’t acted like a knob while he’s been waiting.

  My feet stay rooted to the spot, unsure where they should go first: to Rachel so she can tell me what’s been happening, or directly to Matt. If this was a normal situation, I’d go for Matt first, but this isn’t a normal situation, and truthfully, I’m shit scared of what the next ten minutes or so are going to hold for me.

  Rachel must sense my nerves as she offers me a small smile and then nods in Matt’s direction. Begrudgingly, I breathe in a deep lungful of air and turn to face him. Here goes nothing, then.