‘I think I know which dress I’m going to go for,’ Cat said.
‘Which one?’ asked Nell, hoping it was the vintage tea dress and not the princess gown Cat had described as like being in a back brace. ‘It’s not the one with a wimple, is it?’
‘A wimple?’ cried Kieran, looking alarmed.
‘Shush!’ Cat motioned for Nell to be quiet then jabbed a finger playfully into Kieran’s ribs. ‘I can’t tell you now in front of him.’
Nell scratched her head and some of her hair caught in the large chunky ring she was wearing. ‘Ow!’ She unwrapped the hair and Tom leaned over to help. When she was free and he’d sat back down, she said, ‘Okay, but you have to tell me before you leave tonight.’
‘Whatever she wears she’s going to look absolutely stunning,’ Kieran said, earning himself another kiss.
Tom shook his head. ‘Nice recovery. But can you two love birds cut it out? You can snog at home. How’s the wedding fair coming along, Nell?’
As Nell turned and looked at him in the soft orange light from the fire, she couldn’t believe he hadn’t found The One yet like Kieran and Cat had. Tom was so warm and friendly and had grown into a really handsome man. His dark blond hair had been not exactly long, but definitely floppy, since they’d met at uni and though a lot of men would look weird with it now, it still suited Tom. Nell hoped it wouldn’t be long till he found someone. She didn’t like the thought of him being lonely or sad. He was too lovely for that. Nell knew that when she found The One it would be a moment she’d never forget. Love at first sight. Or at least a stirring in her heart like a thousand violins all playing to a crescendo; a choir of angels singing in her soul. She suddenly imagined a gorgeous man unexpectedly walking into her hotel needing a room and there it would be – the music, the feeling – the beginning of something special.
‘Nell?’ Tom asked again.
‘What? Oh, yes the wedding fair—’
‘She was in a daydream again,’ said Cat, teasingly. ‘What was it this time? An airport chase scene or fireside lovemaking?’
‘Actually, I was thinking about my to-do list,’ Nell lied, fiercely pulling herself back and focusing her mind on the enormous list that filled an entire sheet of A4 paper currently sitting on her bedside table. It wasn’t that Nell wasn’t interested in what Tom or other people had to say, it was simply that she couldn’t stop her mind from dragging her off to somewhere else. She’d always been this way, imagining things, picturing them in her mind. Her mum had told her you made things happen by visualising them in your head first. She and her dad had done exactly that with their dreams to open Holly Lodge and it had worked for them. And it didn’t do anyone any harm, did it?
‘What’s left to do?’ asked Tom.
‘I’ve got all the slots filled now, thanks to another caterer the assistant at The Love Heart Boutique told me about, and with just over a month to go, I think that’s pretty good. For the brochure, it’s just dressing the place and taking some photos, which I plan to do tomorrow.’
‘That’s brilliant.’
Tom had always been incredibly supportive of her ambition to run a boutique bed and breakfast and his support had only grown when times had become tougher with the opening of the Langdon Mansion Hotel. Both Cat and Tom had tried to get her to go and visit to scope out her competition, but Nell had refused. At first, she’d believed the opening of the hotel could only mean good things for her and Swallowtail Bay. For a big hotel chain to develop here it meant people wanted to visit and stay in the bay. They were becoming a tourist hotspot. Surely some of those people would want to stay somewhere smaller, maybe a bit chicer and more personal. Nell had truly believed they wouldn’t be in competition, but that they’d support each other, recommending the other when their own place was full. As the year had passed and her bookings had dropped off, she’d told herself, while watching adverts for the posh hotel appear on TV, that if she believed in herself it would all be okay, the slump would pass. She’d thought that the chic, boutique feel and top-quality service she offered at Holly Lodge would be more than enough. Unfortunately, as her place remained resolutely empty, she’d been proved wrong. But on a positive note, it had given her the push to start the wedding business.
‘I’m really excited about it,’ Nell said, hoping they were still talking about the wedding fair. ‘It’s going to be just the thing to get me back on track. I don’t expect I’ll get any bookings on the day, but if I get some enquiries and can show people what we have to offer, I’m sure something good will come of it next wedding season.’
‘We’ll be here,’ said Cat, sitting up to sip her drink, but threading her hand into Kieran’s so they were still connected. ‘We’ll be telling everyone how fab you are.’
Nell hugged her tea close to her, enjoying the warmth of it beneath her fingertips. ‘I’m sure that if I do weddings and combine them with the dinner idea Tom and I have been working on,
