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 shame the decorations aren’t up, but as Shayla mentioned, that means we can discuss your own scheme and have it ready for your special day.’
She was fighting to keep the slightest trace of irony from her voice, terrified that Keegan would think she was being sarcastic – or worse, that Connor would. He was handling the situation by saying as little as possible, but Keegan was the opposite, raving about the architecture, the furnishings, the possibilities for photo opportunities.
It was agony for Lottie to have to extol Firholme’s virtues when she longed to claim it was a terrible place to get married; that it was draughty, had mice and the catering wasn’t up to scratch – and most of all that the events manager was incompetent and was wishing her bridal couple would vanish with a puff of smoke.
Instead she had to run through her sales patter of how marvellous it was, with its grand ballroom being perfect for the ceremony; the drawing room ideal for the pre-drinks; and suite of first-floor bedrooms wonderful for the bridal couple and their guests.
She threw open the double doors to the ballroom so that Keegan could walk in ahead.
‘Oh. My. God. What an incredible space!’ Keegan wandered into the centre of the room and turned in a circle, taking in the parquet floor, the walls and up to the wood-panelled ceiling with its ornate carvings and chandelier. ‘That ceiling. The panelling. Is this all original?’
‘Yes, we restored it back to its original state from 1906 when it was built …’
‘It’s awesome.’ Keegan turned. ‘Isn’t it, Connor?’
‘It’s undeniably impressive,’ he muttered, wandering towards the window, shoulders hunched and hands in his pockets.
‘No wonder your mother loves this place so much.’ Keegan returned her attention to the room, arching her neck to stare at the chandelier. ‘It’s every bit as gorgeous as you said.’
‘I’d forgotten how grand it was.’ Connor followed Keegan’s gaze. ‘Mum liked to bring us for afternoon tea when it was a hotel and we were younger. She hasn’t been able to visit since she was ill and it was being refurbished, but I know she wants to.’
Keegan looked around in wonder. ‘She’s going to freak out when she walks in here to find we’re actually getting married.’
‘You can say that again …’ Momentarily, Connor caught Lottie’s eye behind Keegan’s back and mouthed, ‘Sorry.’
Lottie glanced away, unable to respond. Sorry for what? Turning up out of the blue? Not knowing she worked there? Proposing to her, then saying he wasn’t sure that his love was strong enough to make a lifelong commitment? Finding someone he did love enough within a matter of months?
No matter how professional she tried to remain, the regrets and ‘what-ifs’ whirled around her head. It didn’t matter how many times she told herself she was better off without him and it wasn’t meant to be,
