said, seeming more crestfallen by the second. ‘We thought that a surprise wedding at Firholme would cheer her up. We’ll totally understand if it’s not possible.’ His expression gave Lottie no doubt that he wanted her to bail him out.
However, that wasn’t in Lottie’s power and Shayla dived in, shooting Lottie a very puzzled glance. ‘Don’t worry. I’m sure we can fit it in,’ she said.
‘Great,’ said Keegan, shooting Lottie a forensic glare. ‘Do you two know each other?’ she said to Lottie.
‘I was wondering the same myself,’ Shayla said, smiling.
‘Yes. We used to live in the same village,’ Lottie said, still reeling from the fact that Fiona had had a stroke. ‘Didn’t we, Connor?’
‘Yes … um … we did.’ Connor was obviously trying to pick up on the clues she was attempting to send him. She was sure he hadn’t told Keegan about their relationship so he certainly hadn’t mentioned they’d been engaged, or that he’d called it off three days after his proposal.
‘I didn’t realise Lottie worked here,’ he said.
‘I only started here in early September.’ Lottie was finding coherent speech almost impossible to come by.
‘Oh. I’d no idea,’ Connor repeated, adding limply, ‘what a coincidence.’
Keegan clearly wasn’t ready let them off the hook. ‘Wow. You guys grew up in the same village?’
‘Keswick is more of a town,’ Connor stated, as if that made all the difference. ‘And my parents moved to Cockermouth when I was a teenager.’
Keegan’s perfectly arched eyebrows shot up. ‘Yet you still recognised each other instantly?’ She reminded Lottie of a smiling assassin.
‘We had some … er … contact afterwards,’ Lottie replied. ‘Connor’s firm used to hold functions at the hotel I was working at.’
‘But it was ages ago,’ Connor added quickly.
His deft reaction jolted Lottie, but she hid her shock that he was so very keen to deny their relationship. She didn’t want anyone to know how close they’d been either and wasn’t going to volunteer the information. It would be far less messy and far less painful and besides, Connor surely wouldn’t dream of getting married at Firholme now he’d found out who’d be organising the wedding. Certainly not by Christmas and hopefully not ever.
However, Keegan had other ideas. ‘Babe, it’s so lovely that you know Lottie and that she’s going to be our wedding planner.’ She flashed a smile at Lottie. ‘It’s fate! We’re obviously meant to get married here. It’s an amazing venue and we can really push the boat out.’
Shayla was grinning widely at the prospect of a lucrative wedding. ‘I think you absolutely are meant to have your wedding here,’ she declared. ‘Don’t you agree, Lottie?’ she added firmly.
Lottie snapped out of her shock. ‘Oh, yes. Absolutely,’ she said, not wanting to face the ramifications of having to organise Connor’s wedding.
Shayla ploughed on. ‘And in fact, I have some wonderful news. We do have a Saturday available for the weekend before Christmas. How does Saturday nineteenth sound?’
Keegan squealed in delight. ‘What? You are kidding me!’
‘No,’ said Shayla. ‘So, you really are meant to be married at Firholme.’
Keegan smacked a kiss on Connor’s mouth. ‘That settles it then, doesn’t it, Connor? It’s fate!’
‘It seems like it …’ Connor said mechanically.
‘Let’s not waste a moment more then,’ Shayla said. ‘Would you like Lottie to give you both a tour of Firholme House so we can set the ball rolling immediately? Funnily enough, we were just discussing the Christmas tree and decorations for the ballroom where we hold our wedding ceremonies and receptions. Of course, we can tailor those to your wedding colour scheme.’
‘We hadn’t got around to choosing colours yet,’ Connor muttered. ‘We hadn’t even got a confirmed date or venue until a few minutes ago.’
Keegan laughed at him. ‘But we do now, babe, and I’ve already been thinking about the theme a lot. We’d love to have a tour and the sooner we nail down all the details, the better.’
‘I’ll leave Lottie to show you round, then, as she’s our expert, aren’t you?’ Lottie felt a little nudge on the elbow. ‘I’m sure you have a lot of catching up to do as you and Connor are old friends.’
Shayla must be wondering why Lottie herself wasn’t gushing about Firholme like Shayla was, but she was still paralysed by the shock of Connor walking in and wanting to get married.
‘Lottie?’ Shayla’s tone was laden with a hint that she should show more enthusiasm.
‘Of course, I’d be delighted to show you round,’ she said, as brightly as she could. ‘It’s a