“Incredible. They giving you a test or something?” From the amount of paperwork she has out, you’d think she has an exam.
“No, probably not. I’m just so nervous. I’ve been working a shitty office job for months, and I’m worried I’ve forgotten everything.”
“You’ll be fine. I’m sure it’ll all come back to you the moment you sit down. I know it’s easy for me to say, but try not to put too much pressure on yourself.”
“I know,” she mutters, “I just can’t help it. I want it so bad.”
“The job or a new life?” I ask, but when her face drops, I regret the blunt question.
“Both.”
“If it’s meant to be, it will be, Liv. No matter how shitty, everything happens for a reason.” The sound of Mum’s voice fills my head as I say the words she used to tell me all the time. Whether it was a bad day at school or more depressing news in a doctor’s appointment, her answer was that for some reason it was meant to happen and we had to embrace it and learn from it. I still have no clue why she was meant to leave me so soon, but I know that I learnt a lot, mostly about myself.
“Do you want a coffee?” I ask as I head towards the kitchen, wondering what I can do to help keep her mind off her impending interview.
“Sure.”
My arse has barely touched the sofa when my phone starts ringing. Deciding I want a few minutes’ peace to enjoy my caffeine, I ignore it.
“Just answer it,” Liv says when it immediately rings again not two seconds later.
“It’s Molly.” It’s unusual for her to ring me. Curiosity has me swiping my finger across the screen to find out what she wants. “Hello?”
“Nicole, thank god. I thought I had the wrong number.”
“What’s wrong?” Her panicked voice has me sitting up straighter.
“I’m having a disaster. My best friend has gone and got herself up the duff. She’s puking every two fucking seconds and she’s just told me she doesn’t think it’s a good idea to be my bridesmaid. It’s four days before the wedding and she’s just telling me now—”
“It’ll be okay. You’ve got Emma and Lilly as bridesmaids, I’m sure they’ll do a fantastic job,” I say, trying to calm her down a little. I didn’t have Molly down as a bridezilla, but she sounds like she’s losing her mind.
“But everything’s planned with six bridesmaids, three adults and three kids. It’s important to me that I’m surrounded by people I love. My parents won’t be there so I wanted people I’ve known almost all my life to be beside me. Does that make sense?”
“More than you know,” I whisper as I imagine what my own wedding would be like without my mum by my side.
“Nicole,” she says, pulling me from my thoughts. “Will you be my third bridesmaid?”
“What? Me?”
“Yes, you. You’re almost as much as a sister to me as Emma and Lilly. Our childhoods were spent together. Please, Nic,” she begs.
“I…uh…”
“Please. The dress is all ready, you’re the same size so I know it’ll fit perfectly, but I can send it down and I’ll pay for any alterations. Please.”
“Okay, I guess,” I say quietly, because how am I meant to say no to that?
Liv’s eyes are on me throughout the entire conversation. She must be able to pick up on what’s going on, but she still looks intrigued to know more.
“Did Molly just ask you to be bridesmaid?”
“Yeah, I think she did. Her friend’s got bad morning sickness and has pulled out at the last minute.”
“The dresses are gorgeous, have you seen them?”
“No, I don’t know anything about the wedding, really.”
“Mum sent me a photo. They’re a gorgeous dusky pink, full length and off the shoulder. The dress every bridesmaid dreams about but hardly ever has the luck to actually wear. I’m kind of jealous.”
“Let’s go to the beach,” I suddenly suggest, jumping up from the sofa.
Both of us gather some stuff together before we lock up and walk down towards the ocean. It’s not the best day we’ve had weather-wise since I’ve moved here, but it’s perfect for the beach, as it won’t be packed with tourists.
We find ourselves a spot on the sand and lay out our towels. Liv strips down to her bikini and I pull my vest off over my head, but leave my shorts on. I’m already covered head to toe in the highest sun lotion I can find, so it’s not like I need to worry about getting a tan, unlike Liv with her golden skin.
“Is that Dec?” she asks, pointing out to sea.
Following her finger, I see him walking out towards the water with a board under his arm. “Yep, that’s him.”
“I could really do with a surfer right about now,” she admits, resting back on her elbows to enjoy the view. I follow her lead and allow my eyes to roam over his toned, tanned skin.
“So what’s the story with BJ and Liam?” she tries to ask in a casual manner, but after witnessing both of their attention to her last night, I think it’s anything but.
“BJ makes out like he’s a bit of a player, but he’s got a heart of gold. And Liam…I don’t really know much about him. He’s the quiet one out of the three of them. He mostly keeps himself to himself. I think he’s single; no one’s ever mentioned a girlfriend.
“Hmmm.”
I don’t say any more. She’s got enough on her plate at the moment; she doesn’t need me grilling her about finding a new man when she hasn’t dealt with the old one yet.
“Tell me more about the job you’re applying for. What might they ask you about?”
Liv explains that it’s a temporary job as a journalist’s assistant. It’s not really what she wants—she wants to be the one doing the reporting, not supplying the coffee, but it’s a starting point.
A couple of hours go by before I feel a shadow fall over the length of me. When I crack an eye open, I find Dec and Liam staring down at us.
“Having fun?” Dec asks.
“Yep, just chilling out.”
“So I see.” His eyes drop to my scantily clad breasts before running down my exposed legs. I tear my eyes away from him in his low hanging board shorts to see Liam doing a similar thing to Liv.
“Shall we go grab some food?”
“Yes. I’m starving,” Liv says, jumping to her feet and brushing some sand off. Liam watches her every movement to the extent that Dec actually elbows me to make sure I’ve noticed what’s developing in front of me.
“Come on.” I grab his hand after I’ve got my stuff together and start to walk towards the shack, allowing Liv and Liam a few minutes alone.
“Is something going on there?”
“Don’t think so. It sure feels like there could be, though.”
“Liam needs some action. I was starting to wonder if he’s turned gay or it had fallen off.”
“Just because he’s not a man whore like you or BJ, it must have fallen off?”
“I’m a one woman man, thank you very much.” He wraps his arm around my shoulder and kisses my temple.
“Yeah, now you are.”
“Well…yeah.”
We’re sitting down waiting for drinks when Liv and Liam eventually catch us up. She’s looking up at him with a wide smile on her face, and I think it’s the most genuine smile I’ve seen since she arrived a few days ago. This place seems like it might be the perfect location for new starts. I have everything crossed that she gets this job. Hopefully that will be the push she needs to do what she needs to do.
“Molly asked me to be her bridesmaid,” I say, pulling my eyes away.
“Bit last minute, isn’t it?”
I explain what happened before telling him she wants me at the venue Thursday night instead of Friday as I’d planned. I was hoping to just go for the day so I wouldn’t have to be away from Bailey, but that doesn’t seem to be a possibility.
“I’m sure someone will swap shifts with you.” I feel awful because it seems like ever since I started here, all I’ve do
ne is swap shifts and get time off.
“Thanks, Frey,” I say when she puts our drinks in front of us and takes Liv and Liam’s order. I hate sitting here being useless; I’m more than capable of getting our own drinks and placing our food order, but Dec insisted I was a customer. “I’ll still work the weekend. I’ll drive back first thing.”
“No, you can stay the whole weekend.” He pins me with a hard stare, trying to tell me not to argue, but that’s not happening.
“This is my job, Dec. I won’t take the piss because I’m with you.”
“It’s a family wedding.”
“Your family. I’ll still work my shifts,” I say, adamantly. “I just need to find someone to keep an eye on Bailey while I’m gone.”
“I can,” comes from next to me. Glancing over, I find Liam looking back at me.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’d love to. I’ll probably get a more intellectual conversation out of him than BJ,” he says with a laugh.
* * *
I’ve spent all day looking at my phone, waiting to hear how Liv’s interview went, but so far I’ve heard nothing, and it’s been hours.
Expecting her to be at home when I finish work, I’m surprised to find the place empty—except from Bailey.
I try phoning, but it rings off and goes to voicemail every time I try. “Where the hell is she?” I mutter to myself.
“She’s a grown woman, I’m sure she’s fine,” Dec says, walking over to where I’m stood at the hob, cooking dinner. He wraps his arms around my waist and I rest my head back against him.
“I know. I just know how badly she wanted it.”
My thoughts are still on her as we sit down to eat, but they’re soon interrupted when the front door opens. Liv bounces into the room and my hopes rise that she’s already had good news.
“How’d it go?”
“Honestly, I’ve no idea. They’re going to ring in a few days as they’ve got other people to see.”
“Oh. Where have you been?”
“I ran into Liam after my interview. You didn’t tell me he’s a DJ at the station.”
“Sorry, I didn’t think.”
“Anyway, we just spent the afternoon walking around town. We’re going for dinner at that pub down by the sea. I was going to ask if you wanted to join us, but it seems I’m a little late.”
“You are. Go and enjoy yourself, you deserve it.”
“Thank you. Don’t wait up,” she calls as she disappears from the room.
Dec waits until we hear the door shut again before speaking. “Hasn’t she got a boyfriend?”
“Yeah but…it’s complicated.” I don’t really want to tell all Liv’s secrets, but I know he’s just concerned about his friend. “She won’t do anything stupid.”
“But you’ve seen the way he looks at her?”
“It’ll be fine,” I say. But he’s right, I’ve seen how they look at each other, and I know the shit Liv’s been living with. It’s just not my place to get involved. As he said earlier, she’s a grown woman, and she can look after herself.
* * *
“Are you ready?” I call up the stairs the second I walk through the door after work Thursday afternoon. I worked extra long shifts this week so I didn’t feel so bad about having more time off. Slipping my shoes off, I take the stairs two at a time and pull off my Dec’s vest before I get to the top.
“Whoa, shit. Cover those up or Dec will kill me,” Liam says with a laugh as he covers his eyes.
“Sorry.” I hold the vest against my lace covered boobs and look between Liam and Liv’s bedroom door with a raised eyebrow.
“Just carrying her bags down.”
“Riiight.”
“Pass yours out and I’ll take them too,” he offers with a smile.
I’m grateful, of course. I’ve packed enough for a two week holiday, not just a two night stay for a wedding, so I wasn’t looking forward to heaving it all down myself.
“Yeah, give me a few seconds to get changed and you can take them. Thank you,” I shout after shutting the door behind me.
“His food is in that cupboard. He has one cup in the morning and one in the evening; he’ll tell you when he wants it. His lead is here, but keep his walks short because his leg’s still healing—”
“You’ve told me all this. I grew up with dogs, I’ve got it all under control. Go and enjoy yourselves.”
“Thank you,” I say sincerely as I try to keep my anxiety about leaving Bailey under control. Anyone would think I’m leaving my baby, not my dog.
Liv and I get comfortable in my car before heading off. We’re barely out of town before I remember something. “I forgot to tell Liam about Bailey’s favourite toy.”
“Chill out. Everything is fine. Liam’s mum breeds dogs. He knows what he’s doing.” I glance over at her with raised eyebrows. “What’s that look for?”
“You seem to know a lot about him.”
“We just chatted about stuff, and it’s one of the things that came up,” she says innocently.
“Just chatted?”
“Yeah, just chatted.”
Thanks to a road closure due to an accident, we arrive ten minutes before we’re meant to be sitting down for Molly and Ryan’s rehearsal dinner.
“What the hell happened to you two?” Dec asks as we run into reception.
“Traffic.”
“But I left after you,” he says, looking confused.
“They must have reopened the road. We went on a right magical mystery tour.”
“Well, I’d go and get ready before Molly finds you. She’s running around like a blue arsed fly.”
Dec hands me our room key before pointing us in the right direction. I shower, dress and do my hair and make up in record time. Everyone turns to look at me when I walk in to the private function room Molly and Ryan booked in the hotel we’re all staying in for this evening’s meal.
“I’m so sorry,” I say to Molly when I get to her.
“Don’t be silly, you can’t help the traffic. We told the kitchen to hold off for an hour so you and Liv were here.” I feel awful she’s had to change everything for us. “We’ll go and try your dress on when we’re done here.” I ended up sending her my measurements for her seamstress to make amendments to my dress, so we’re yet to know if it actually fits.
Liv appears a few minutes after me, looking as panicked as I felt when everyone turns to look at her.
The meal is incredible, and if it’s a sign of things to come, it’s sure to be an amazing wedding. I really hope so, because both Molly and Ryan deserve it after everything they’ve been through.
“Come on, I need to get this one to bed and we can try that dress on.” Molly makes Lois say goodnight to everyone before we head towards the lift. I can’t help but laugh at her little pouting face. She doesn’t make a fuss though, she must know it’s not a fight she’s going to win—plus, she’s exhausted. By the time we make it up to the suite Molly and Ryan are staying in, Lois is asleep on her shoulder.
I sit and wait while Molly strips Lois out of her cute party dress and into her pyjamas before lowering her into the travel cot. We tiptoe out of the room, although I’m not sure why we bother as I think Lois was snoring before she hit the mattress.
“Here, go slip this on.”
Taking the dress bag from Molly, I make my way to the bathroom, taking in the lavish decoration of their accommodation as I go.
I’m only gone a few minutes, but when I return, I find Susan and Karen sat on one of the sofas with Molly.
“Could one of you try to zip me up? It’s a little tight,” I admit with a wince.
I breathe in as Susan tugs at the zip. “It’ll be fine,” she soothes. “You’ve just had a three course meal.”
Holding my breath and sucking in as much belly as I can, Susan and Karen manage to get the zip up. I watch as Molly takes her first breath in a while when she sees me in it.
I was expecting it to be uncomfortab
ly tight, but it’s not too bad.
“The lump of fabric around the waist was the biggest issue,” Susan says.
Walking over to the mirror, I stare at myself. The dress fits me like a second skin, the built in bra giving my boobs the most incredible lift and making my waist look tiny.
“It’s perfect,” Molly gushes behind me. “Thank you so much for doing this, Nic.”
“My pleasure.”
“I should warn you about copping off with one of the ushers though,” she says with a wink. “He isn’t going to be able to keep his hands off you.” Her eyes drop to my enhanced cleavage.
“He’d bloody better,” Susan mutters. “He spent long enough pretending he wasn’t in love with you, he should be a master at holding himself back.”
Karen looks a bit confused by the conversation, so Susan happily fills her in on how we fought like cat and dog throughout our entire childhood but that she always knew we were meant to be together.
“You should have seen him sulking after Nicole moved away. It was pathetic, really.” I find myself engrossed in Susan’s stories about the side of Dec I totally missed. Before we all know it, Ryan’s standing looking down at us all sitting around like a group of gossiping women, wanting to know what’s keeping his bride to be.
“Sorry, just filling your mum in on Nicole and Dec’s history. Molly, Nic, off you go,” Susan says, pushing us from the sofa. “We’ll keep an ear out for Lois. Go and enjoy yourselves.”
Chapter Seventeen
Nicole
I’m awake just as the sun rises the next morning. My nerves about being part of the wedding party are getting the better of me. I’ve never been to a wedding before, let alone as a bridesmaid. I’ve no clue what I’m meant to be doing.
Swinging my legs over the side of the bed, I let out a slow breath to try to settle my stomach. I made sure not to drink too much last night, but even still, I feel a little shaky this morning. I look over my shoulder when Dec moves, but it seems he’s fast asleep.
Silently, I grab some clothes before letting myself out of the room. The hotel is deadly quiet, and I don’t see another living person until I spot the night manager sat behind the reception desk fighting his exhaustion.
Falling For Declan (Falling Book 8) Page 21