Love at the Little Wedding Shop by the Sea - Jane Linfoot Page 0,6

when she came here fourteen years ago with a divorce settlement and an idea to sell flowers from one tiny room in the basement. And we can all see how well that turned out.

Poppy laughs again. ‘The customers are only meant to be here for long enough to get a glimpse inside the shop. Don’t worry, they’ll be off to the next stop at the Hungry Shark before you can say Love on the Rocks.’

I don’t need to worry too much about what I’m shouting from the chalkboard menu either, because I’m only doing this for two minutes while Jess grabs some more mint sprigs and whooshes some potential husbands-to-be upstairs for a quick look at the Groom Room. My real allocated job here is much more my thing – taking Polaroid pictures of happy couples on the loveseat that’s nestled in the corner by the fitting room. This is so when the customers sober up tomorrow, they’ve got something to remind them to shop at Brides by the Sea when the time comes. And so when they write their names and emails on the back of the pictures we keep, the shop gets to grow the customer contacts list.

This is how it always is with Phoebe and our wedding fairs too. She’s our queenly front-of-house figurehead, like the swan gliding above the water. Meanwhile, I’m the frantic swan feet, rushing around out of sight making things work. But, as Phoebe’s fond of saying, that way we both play to our strengths.

Poppy’s swishing her blonde ponytail, ramming cherries onto sticks like there’s no tomorrow. ‘Blame Jess for the cocktails, she got a bit carried away. Any other day, it’s Prosecco all the way, so the spills don’t show.’ As Poppy’s been the shop’s wedding cake maker for ten years, the whole town knows how delicious her baking is. It’s no surprise there’s a scramble for her cupcake towers with their mouthwatering swirls of pastel buttercream and heart-shaped sprinkles.

I nod at her as I brush the cupcake crumbs off my boob shelf. ‘You can spill anything you like on me. These sequins are very forgiving – I’ll just wipe them clean.’

Poppy laughs. ‘You make a very cute cherub, even though I say it myself.’

I’m smoothing down the pale apricot mini-jumpsuit I borrowed from the bridesmaids’ sale rail this afternoon. Dressing me as a cherub was Poppy’s attempt to cheer me up, and as the baby news hadn’t hit then, I was happy to go along with it. As for the rest of what I’m wearing, it goes downhill from the all-over sequins. Looking back, it was one of those times when going wild got the better of us. I’ve got an oversized cupid’s bow wedged across my boobs. I also have wings, a sling full of arrows, and laurel leaves stuck in my hair. Truly, don’t ask me where the laurel comes in.

I pick up another two jugs and wave them at the sea of padded jackets in front of us. ‘Anyone for a Screw on the Drive or a Heart Attack? And the cupcakes are lavender, white chocolate, and vanilla buttercream.’ I grab another two for myself and mumble at Poppy as I pop one in my mouth. ‘Bite-sized cakes are so practical when you’re serving.’

As she leans towards me, she’s waving a tissue. ‘Two things – first, there’s lipstick in your ear.’

I let out a groan as she wipes it off. ‘How the hell did that get there?’

‘We both know the answer to that.’ She lets her grin go. ‘And second – on the same subject – the guy from Snow Goose just walked in.’

‘WHAT?!’ My gulp is big enough to suck in the whole cupcake I’m holding. Then the paper case hits the back of my throat and next thing I know I’m choking then sneezing the whole lot into Poppy’s well-placed tissue. She hands me a second one so I can wipe the last of the crumbs off my eyebrows. On Phoebe’s scale of misdemeanours, this would get a similar score to vomming on my feet. I swear, I only did that twice, and never in front of our bridal customers.

The good bit tonight is that at the crucial moment I managed to drop to my knees so the worst has been hidden behind the bar table. But it leaves me looking up at Poppy.

She’s talking down to me through clenched teeth. ‘Don’t look now …’ which is completely unnecessary as I’ve no chance of a view