The Spark - Jules Wake Page 0,81
if you want it.’
Even Sam blanched at my tart tone.
‘Ma’am, I have nothing but good intentions and I think your cousin is old enough to look after herself and make up her own mind.’
‘Hmm, you’d think.’
‘So how do you know Gladys? She’s one cool lady.’
‘Sam, I’ll just go and check on Shelley.’ I left him to explain the family relationship to the rather smooth Fraser and headed to the ladies.
Shelley was in the little powder room sitting on a pink velvet chaise longue with a glass of water pressed up against her cheek.
‘Oh God, tell me I didn’t make a complete dick of myself.’
‘You want me to lie?’
She groaned.
‘What’s the matter?’
‘He’s flipping, flaming gorgeous.’
‘And?’
‘Jess. Look at me. He’s way out of my league. He flipping drops out of planes for a living. I paint nails and do eyelash extensions.’
‘So? When did you care about that sort of thing?’
‘When it matters. Oh God, I looked across that beach, saw him gathering up that parachute and he looked up. Oh God, I’m an idiot. I have got the biggest hard-on crush. I suppose I should just go for it and shag his brains out. Make the most of it. ’Cos I’ll never see him again.’ She looked up at me. ‘Oh God, this is how it was with you that time with Sam. Please tell me it wasn’t. I don’t believe in all that at-first-sight bollocks; I thought you were having me on. I mean, Sam’s pretty shagtastic but I thought you just fancied him a lot.’
I sat down next to her and squidged up so we were thigh-to-thigh. ‘No. It was the real deal and I didn’t believe in at-first-sight either, but now look at us. I’m absolutely crazy, head-over-heels, in love with him. Sometimes when I wake up, I just look at him and I can hardly breathe because of the way I feel.’
‘Aw crap. I don’t need to hear that. You’re OK, though. Any idiot can see he’s bonkers about you. A guy like Fraser isn’t ever going to feel like that about me.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because look at the blokes I’ve been with before. I get what I deserve.’
Taking her shoulders in both hands I gave her a cross little shake. ‘You need to love yourself more. Believe in yourself. You settle for second best too often because that’s what you think you deserve. Well, that’s bollocks. Now, you go out there and give Mr I’m-God’s-Gift-and-I-know-it a run for his money. Be yourself. Love yourself. He’s interested but he’s a bit too sure of himself. Don’t make me give you a slap.’
‘Ha! You can try.’
‘Exactly. That’s more like it.’
‘Thanks, Jess. You’re the best. I’m glad you found Sam. You two fit. He’s a good bloke.’
‘Well, go and see if you can collar one for yourself.’
We sat down for lunch at three long tables in a vast dining room. Gladys and Alastair were on a table on a little dais, flanked by Dodie and Freddie. I’d been separated from Sam, who was sitting next to Aunty Lynn, although I noticed that Shelley had been positioned next to Fraser and I did wonder if Gladys had done it deliberately. Shelley was talking with great animation to her neighbour on the other side and pointedly ignoring Fraser which seemed to amuse rather than offend him. The speeches were short, heartfelt and Freddie’s best man speech was completely random, but Gladys and Alastair beamed at each other throughout. All in all, it was a very jolly affair and surprisingly traditional in lots of ways, with the croquembouche wedding cake brought out at the end eliciting a round of impressed applause.
Towards the end of the meal I spotted Lynn and Sam deep in conversation, but I caught her shooting me a worried look. What had Sam been saying to her? We’d deliberately downplayed the flat tyre, blaming it on the heat. Lynn was good friends with Sally and I didn’t want to cause any trouble there because Victoria was clearly still Sally’s surrogate daughter. And there it was again, another one of Lynn’s thoughtful, considered looks, as if she were weighing things up.
After lunch, the trestle tables were cleared away and the floor was cleared for dancing, which seemed a bit odd in the middle of the day, but when the lively jazz band struck up, there was no shortage of dancers on the floor, including the American, Fraser, who was quite a mover and twirled Shelley around in a series of spins and turns