Love at the Little Wedding Shop by the Sea - Jane Linfoot Page 0,20

wail tells me how much I don’t want to be here for so long. As for working so closely on a real-life wedding, that’s another thing that has those horribly familiar, invisible steel fingers closing around my gut.

‘This would work wonders for putting you on the map, Milla. We both know you can deliver on this.’ She pulls a crystal-covered pen and pad out of her pocket, scribbles, and pushes the paper towards me. ‘See if this estimate of earnings sweetens it any.’

As I take in the long row of figures after the pound sign, my wide eyes stretch. ‘But that’s an enormous amount!’ Ridiculous even. The calculator in my brain is clicking. If I added in other jobs alongside, a lump like that would go a long way towards paying off my brothers. But cash isn’t everything.

She nods. ‘It’s only in line with the demands of the job. But just think, after this you’d be a fully proven solo wedding planner, and a lot less beholden to Phoebe. It’s worth taking on, if only for that.’ Her eyes are gleaming, then her face lights up even more. ‘And here he is now. Such a shame it turns out he’s spoken-for after all, but he’s going to be a dream for you to work with all the same.’

As I turn my jaw drops and my stomach follows it. The shirt and jeans coming towards me are very familiar, but at least the Calvin’s are covered this time around.

If there’s a stab in my chest as the implications hit me, I’m not admitting to it. It doesn’t matter a jot to me if he’s taken or not when I’ve got no interest in him or anyone else in a romantic way. In fact, him being off the market makes life a whole lot easier – at least it’ll get Poppy off my case.

At the same time, I want the ground to open up and swallow me, because if he’s this spoken-for I can’t imagine what Poppy can have said to bully him into that kiss last week. I mean, what kind of engaged guy gives out Valentine’s kisses to anyone who asks? Although I may have answered my own question earlier. Up in the flat he certainly acted like he was God’s gift to women. And I have to take some responsibility for how long that kiss went on; if I hadn’t had a year’s drought and pulled him in, it might have been over in a nanosecond.

And that’s before we get to all the over-exposure that just happened in the attic. As for Poppy and me crushing him onto the loveseat …! If the bride sees that photo of the three of us, the wedding could be over before it began. Then, as he walks the whole length of the room, I’m desperately trying to ditch the version of myself who just flashed him and find the one who’s up to the job.

‘Good morning, Mr Trendell … again.’ Apart from my strangled hedgehog impression, I just about nail it.

Jess ups her purr from kitten to tiger. ‘Come and sit down, Nic. We’ve found you the perfect person to guide you all the way from now until the big day.’ She nods at me. ‘You and Milla have already met, haven’t you?’

I’m straight in behind her to cover that one up. ‘And Don’t Tell the Bride! too … how much fun is that?’ My whoop is so loud, I’m definitely overcompensating. ‘Not much time, but don’t worry, we’ll nail it.’

Nic’s pulling a face. ‘I’d call it anything but fun myself.’ He shakes his head. ‘People entrust me with multi-million-pound vessels every day of the week at my boat piloting agency, but I have no idea where to start with this.’ It’s hard to believe that the long-faced groom who’s turned up here is the same jokey guy I saw way too much of barely ten minutes ago. He must have switched to his getting-married persona on his way down the stairs, because one thing’s for sure; this version of Mr Trendell wouldn’t have been dishing out snogs willy-nilly.

Jess’s nostrils flare. ‘I’m afraid it takes a lot more knowledge to put on a wedding than to drive a yacht, Nic!’ She’s looking at him as if she’d like to eat him. ‘But if you’re looking for expert help you won’t find better than Milla.’

I have zero idea about boats, but Jess is right about the size of this; more importantly, as it’s