“Oh yes” Ben said knowingly, “so he’s moving up there is he? The city lawyer in the sticks”
“Huh – who?” Lucy said again, this conversation was going very strangely, very strangely indeed.
“The lawyer, Marcus, Katie’s boyfriend” Ben explained
“But she hasn’t got a boyfriend – oh you mean the posh bloke from the fayre, you said that was who he was before.” Lucy finally caught up with conversation
“Yes – Katie’s boyfriend, as I said” Ben said as if talking to a child, so Lucy responded in kind
“But-he’s-not-her-boyfriend!” Lucy said slowly, “She told me the other week. She told him to take a hike; she wasn’t remotely interested in him anymore.” Lucy finished.
“Oh shit!” That was the last thing Lucy heard as the line went dead. She shrugged, she loved her brother but he was bloody weird sometimes!
CHAPTER 31
The wedding day dawned, bright and sunny, little wisps of white fluffy clouds followed each other across the blue sky slowly, as if keeping an eye on the proceedings below. Katie got up early and after enjoying her own mug of steaming hot coffee to fortify her for the day ahead, she woke Mo up with breakfast in bed. Two slabs of toast and honey and a pot of tea with a china cup and saucer.
“After all, it is a special occasion” Katie said, as she placed the tray on Mo’s lap. Mo’s eyes were shining, she looked radiant, just as a bride should, Katie thought, and quickly shoved to one side the little pang inside her that wondered if she would ever get to have that feeling. Today was about Mo, and Bert of course, and Mo deserved this happiness – she’d always put others first and it was time she was centre of attention. Katie had a little surprise for her now whilst they were still on their own. Soon Poppy and Lucy would be descending on them and then they probably wouldn’t have a chance. Katie pulled the little box out of her dressing gown pocket and put it on the tray in front of Mo.
Mo looked up
“Is that for me? But I’m supposed to get you something, you’re the bridesmaid after all,” she said.
“Well, we’re doing things differently today. You’ve done enough for me over the years, Mo, so I wanted to get something just for you, so you know how grateful I am and how much I love you.” Mo squeezed her hand and picked up the little box and carefully opened it. Inside was a small silver heart shaped charm to fit onto Mo’s bracelet, but when she looked closer she could see it was in two parts. Katie looked at Mo as she examined the charm.
“One part is for me and one part for you – that way we always have a part of each other, if that’s okay” Katie explained.
Mo looked up with her eyes glistening with tears, “Oh Katie, it’s beautiful, of course it’s okay” she said, picking up one half of the little heart and handing it to Katie, “I can’t believe you sometimes, Katie Kettle. I swore I wasn’t going to cry today and I haven’t even got out of bed and I’m blubbing like a baby –I bet you did it on purpose” she added in her more usual tones. Katie laughed and bobbed a kiss on Mo’s head and winked at her.
“Hairdressers’ will be here in an hour so we’d best get a wriggle on.” She said as she headed out to the kitchen.
Katie was absolutely right that that was the last bit of peace they would have. Ten minutes after Katie left Mo to have her breakfast; she had laid out a selection of breakfast cereals, fresh bread with honey and butter, croissants with strawberry jam and an extremely large pot of coffee, and ten minutes after that Poppy and Lucy had bounded through the door, full of excitement but not affecting their appetites in the least. Hairdressers, florists and photographers had swiftly followed as had the chauffeur arranged by Ben, Katie noted, still not ready to forgive him. The chauffeur drove them slowly down the main street to the church and it seemed like all the village had come out wave and send their best wishes to Mo. At eleven o’clock exactly they were stood outside the church as the organ struck up the first chord. Mo gripped Katie’s arm a little tighter but was she was ready to go and they made their way down the aisle to the accompaniment of the organ, played a little haphazardly but enthusiastically by Joseph Stillington, who had been playing the church’s organ for a little under 83 years! In no time they were at the front of the church beside Bert and Declan (and not Ben, Katie thought bitterly) and Father Foster began the familiar phrases of the wedding service.
In forty five minutes they were all outside the church again in the sunshine, voices laughing, children running around and cameras snapping away. Katie looked at Mo and thought she had not seen her so happy since Grandpa had died, still she hadn’t seen much of Mo at all for the last four years but Katie was determined that would all change now. She was in Laxley to stay and Mo would be only ten minutes away at Cheadle. It sounded absurd but she had forgotten how much she loved Mo and how much she loved being with her, it had taken being forced to come back for her to realise all this. If a little voice was nagging at the back of her mind saying how much she had loved being with Ben too, she chose to resolutely ignore it! Katie came out of her reverie with a snap as a giggling Lucy came running up to her. Lucy was dressed in the same deep purple satin as Katie as she had been designated third bridesmaid after Poppy and herself.
“Katie, there’s a problem” she announced, followed by a reel of giggles, “something to do with moving the tables out of the marquee onto the grass. They need you to go and talk to someone about it.”
“Moving the tables?” Katie said incredulously, “moving them where?”
“I don’t know” Lucy shrugged, “something about having some on the other side of the bridge as it’s a nice day” Lucy stifled another giggle, Katie wondered if she had managed to get to the champagne already!
“I think they want you to go over and have a look where they want to put them” Lucy continued, a little more seriously. Katie sighed, this was the trouble when you organised everything yourself – you couldn’t take the day off. She may as well go and have a look; they’d only send someone else after her and all the guests were going to be taking photos for a bit longer yet. “Ok Luce, I’ll head over there now. Let Mo know where I am will you? I won’t be long”
“I wouldn’t count on it” Lucy whispered under her breath as Katie set off towards the green. Lucy typed a text and sent it; it only had one word – ‘SORTED’.
Then she set off screeching at the top of her voice “Poppy, Poppy, you’ve got to hear this!”
Katie walked towards the bridge at the end of the green, remembering once again the daydreams of her childhood and how the prince was waiting at the other side of the little stone bridge, sword aloft, hair flying in the wind, ready to whisk her away on his white stallion.
“Huh” Katie thought, “princes just aren’t what they used to be, there was never one around when you needed one.” She had reached the top of the small slope of the bridge now and she stopped to look over the side into the stream below. The water was so clear she could make out her own reflection in the water. The sun was warm on her back and Katie closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation. She felt some of the tension slip away from her shoulders and she allowed herself for the first time to accept why she was so angry with Ben for not coming to the wedding. Of course, she was bothered that Mo and Bert would be upset but once Ben had sorted everything out he had not left them in the lurch at all. No, the real reason she was so upset was much closer to home. She had been waiting to see him, aching to see him really. Katie realised how much she had missed being a part of Ben’s life, being close to him. She had fallen in love with him. She couldn’t quite put her finger on when it had happened, but there it was, clear as day, she, Katie Crabsticks, loved Ben Wilson with all her heart and now she thought it might break in two all over again now he hadn’t turned up to the wedding, she had to face the fact that he couldn’t feel anything for her or he wouldn’t have missed this opportunity to be with her, no matter how busy work was.
Sighing deeply, Katie reluctantly opened her eyes and peered back into the cry
stal waters below and started suddenly when she realised hers was not the only face peering back at her!
Ben smiled slowly as recognition dawned on Katie’s face about whose reflection was looking back at her. Katie felt a slow flush rise on her cheeks as she felt Ben must know everything she had just been thinking, feeling vulnerable and exposed by Ben’s sudden appearance Katie went of the offensive, turning round to him and stormed, “So you’ve decided to put in an appearance after all – and take your commitments seriously then?”
Ben was stopped in his tracks momentarily; this wasn’t quite how he’d seen this reunion going.
“Er what?” he managed articulately.
“I said you’ve decided to show up after all. I assumed you had more important things to do, people to see” Katie answered, indignantly, tilting her chin up and swishing her hair in what she thought was an imperious manner. Ben smiled and then grinned,
“No one is more important than you” he said simply. Katie looked at him, taking a breath to hit back at him, assuming he was about to accuse her of being self-centred, when Ben added very quietly, “Well, at least to me”
Katie felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. “I’m sorry?” she stammered, not daring to look at his face. Ben gently put a finger under her chin and lifted her face to look at him.
“No, I’m sorry Katie, I’m sorry I left without speaking to you. I’m sorry I haven’t rung you and I’m sorry I let you and Mo down, but I couldn’t help it. It would have hurt too much to stay.” Katie leaned against the bridge looking into Ben’s handsome and earnest face, feeling uncertain and shy.
“But why?” she asked, “What was going to hurt you?”
“You were” Ben silenced Katie’s response with a finger on her lips. Katie felt a ripple of desire run through her body.
“I saw you leave with Marcus, you looked so happy I thought you were going back with him. I thought you’d been waiting for him to come. I couldn’t have stayed and watched you with him.” Ben whispered. Katie could hear the agony in his voice and hope started to rise in her but she didn’t dare let herself believe it yet.
“But why would that have hurt you?” she asked for reassurance. Ben looked deep into her eyes, locking her to the spot and leaned one arm either side of her on the bridge so she could feel his breath, warm on her face.
“You know why Katie” he groaned and in movement pulled her to him and kissed her ruthlessly and completely. As they pulled apart Ben looked down into Katie’s amber eyes.
“I love you Katie Crabsticks. I have since I was nine, I think. So if you’re staying in Laxley then so am I – no arguments” Katie sighed and kissed him again. This was one argument she didn’t want to win!
THE END
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A Change for the Better? Page 21