Trevor burst in, barking.
Lottie broke off the kiss, and Jay groaned. ‘Your timing is really bad, Trevor!’
Trevor gave a woof but Lottie laughed. ‘Maybe it’s good timing … this has been lovely but I really ought to go. I have so much to do up at the house. I won’t get to bed until late.’ She felt bereft in one way, but perhaps it was good that things had gone no further than a kiss at this stage. But what a kiss. Her lips were still tingling.
Jay sighed and let her go. ‘I have work too …’ Yet he sounded regretful.
‘We both have a lot to deal with but after Saturday, it’ll be over,’ she said.
‘The wedding?’ he said.
‘Everything. We’ll both have more time soon,’ she said, hoping he realised that she wanted Connor to finally be out of her life again, physically and mentally, before she could commit to anything new.
Jay nodded. ‘I understand. This probably isn’t the ideal moment.’
Lottie left, hoping he did understand, and not minding the icy wind at all. After that amazing kiss, she was full of hope and after this wedding was over, maybe she and Jay could finally make that fresh start Lottie hoped for so much – and never look back.
Chapter Thirty-One
The day before the wedding
Lottie had had a stern word with herself about not imagining what might happen with her and Jay, but it was impossible. That kiss had changed everything and her nights were filled with thoughts of Jay even as the express train of the wedding rolled into Firholme at top speed.
On Friday morning, the headlights of suppliers’ vans started sweeping up the drive to Firholme, and began to unload all the paraphernalia needed to create Keegan and Connor’s perfect day. The whole thing reminded her of the image of the swan on the lake, gliding along effortlessly, while paddling furiously underneath.
She had several conversations with Keegan, mostly to reassure her that all was well – with the wedding preparations at least. As for Connor … she could only hope he was only jealous that Lottie might have moved on from him, rather than having second thoughts about his marriage. She hadn’t had a bride jilted yet …
Then again, Connor did have a track record …
She redoubled her effort to focus on what she could control, throwing herself into work. She was in and out of the house all day, fuelled by coffees – though most of them went cold – ticking off items from a seemingly endless to-do list, making sure everyone knew exactly what was required and had everything in place to do it. Then rechecking and making sure there was a contingency for every eventuality.
As she walked around the site, she imagined the house was as alive as it must ever have been in its heyday, with florists, tradespeople, catering and housekeeping staff buzzing to and fro, just as they would have been for any big showpiece event that Firholme would have hosted.
Lukasz was overseeing the catering but a wedding for eighty was too much for his team to deal with alone, so Lottie had called in extra help from the catering company who’d helped at the ball. After a catch-up to make sure Lucasz was happy, she greeted the floristry team.
The bouquets and corsages would be delivered to the bride’s own residence on the morning of the wedding, but all the arrangements for the ballroom and drawing room were arriving today. She watched in delight as the rooms were transformed with seasonal and exotic flowers. Keegan had really pushed the boat out and they’d even managed to find some wattle for her.
The day flew by and Lottie managed to convince Keegan that the replacement vintage car was even more beautiful than the one she’d originally booked. After a final meeting with the team to run through everything one last time, Lottie made it back to the Bothy around eight p.m.
She looked out of the window. It was dark but the moon had peeked between the clouds, lighting up garden and grounds, with trees spreading their spiky fingers. A few snowflakes were falling, but nothing had settled yet. The weather forecast had said they might be in for a few inches on the high fells but the valleys would escape. The Firholme snow clearers were on duty, ready to clear the paths, just in case of a light fall.
She was eating a ready meal in front of the TV when she heard Trevor barking. She went to the window and lifted the curtain. Beyond the garden gate, a torch beam wavered in the darkness and a shape detached itself and ran to the garden gate. A moment later, she spotted Jay, strolling up to the gate to their cottages. As he did so, the porch lights of both houses clicked on automatically, illuminating him. It was too late to pretend she hadn’t seen him so she waved and Jay lifted a hand and smiled broadly. The temptation to run to the door and ask him in was almost overwhelming but she didn’t dare. If he came inside … well, there was a strong possibility that things would go further than a kiss and she wouldn’t get much sleep at all. Reluctantly, she let the curtain drop and contented herself with a message, saying: ‘See you in the morning’ – as much for her sake as his.
He messaged her back. ‘See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.’
She went to bed early, thinking about Jay as she snuggled down in bed. Her dreams would be sweet indeed …
‘Aargh!’
Lottie
