No Ex Before Marriage, page 20
We make our way back through to reception where thankfully a woman is behind the desk.
‘Cathy?’ I say, crossing everything I have.
‘Yes?’ she replies.
‘Oh, thank God,’ I reply. ‘We completely lost track of time.’
‘I can smell that,’ she says politely.
‘Doug said you could send a fax for us,’ I say, ignoring her remark.
She sighs.
‘Yes, okay, give it here,’ she says. ‘Is this your cake, then?’
‘It is,’ Zac replies. ‘I’ll take it. Thanks for looking after it.’
‘Yes,’ she says, as though she can’t quite bring herself to say that we’re welcome.
I hand her the pile of papers and the scrunched-up piece of paper I’d jammed into my purse that says where to send it.
‘Back in a moment,’ Cathy tells us.
I glance at Zac, who is just hovering next to me, clutching the large cake box, his knuckles turning white as he holds it so tightly.
‘If it goes off okay, which I’m sure it will, you won’t have anything to worry about,’ I reassure him.
‘I guess not,’ he replies, not all that convincingly.
I reach forward and squeeze his forearm.
‘There’s plenty of time,’ I insist. ‘Everything is going to be fine now, so long as you don’t drop that cake.’
‘Ordinarily I’d pretend to drop it but, I don’t know, I don’t feel much like joking right now,’ he says with small, careful shrug of his shoulders.
‘Me neither,’ I reply.
‘Right, that’s done for you,’ Cathy informs me as she hands me the paperwork back.
‘Thank you,’ I say.
I’m grateful for the favour, but it feels like a weird thing to be thanking someone for – for ending your marriage, not that she knows that’s what she’s done.
‘I feel like I should say a few words or something,’ Zac says as we head for the door.
‘There’s nothing to say,’ I insist, picking up the pace. ‘We just need to get back over to the island so that you can get ready for tomorrow and I can get Kat and my things and leave.’
‘You’re not staying?’ he asks.
I scoff. As I open the door for us to leave, there really is nothing to say – I’m totally speechless. It’s getting dark already. I don’t know why it takes me aback, it is January after all, but it’s always jarring when it gets dark early, and you go in somewhere in the daylight and then leave in the dark. That’s not the biggest shock though.
‘So, I guess this is that blizzard they were talking about,’ Zac says.
He utters these words so casually, so calmly that it only freaks me out further.
‘I guess it is,’ I reply.
I told you something bad was going to happen.
36
‘Hi Cathy, us again,’ I say brightly.
She’s even less pleased to see us now than she was before.
In a series of not-all-that-unsurprising events, every bad thing that could have happened has happened. The blizzard has hit, the boats have stopped running, we’re stuck on the mainland and everyone else is stuck on the island. I know, it probably sounds worse to be trapped on an island, but they’re all stuck at a five-star holiday castle. We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere, with nowhere to go, given that there’s currently no way in or out of Tarness. Zac just called Lilac to let her know, and Sonny passed along the message that due to a severe weather warning all the roads and boat passages were closed.
Zac assured Lilac that he was going to do his best to get back tonight, with the cake, but that if for some reason he couldn’t, he would absolutely be there by morning, even if he had to row himself. All things considered, optimism aside, there is absolutely no way we are getting back to the castle tonight, no chance, and while that does give us a list of problems as long as our arms, there is one really big issue that I can’t seem to see past: what the hell are we going to do tonight?
‘What can I do for you now?’ she asks.
Charming.
‘I just wondered if you had any cabins available for us,’ I say sweetly.
‘Didn’t I just fax your divorce papers?’ she replies in disbelief.
She read them?!
‘Separate rooms, preferably,’ I tell her. ‘But there’s raging a blizzard out there so at this point we can make do with anything.’
‘The only availability we had left was the master suite cabin,’ she tells us. ‘Which has four bedrooms in it.’
Oh, boy. That sounds expensive. I hope Zac has his card with him – he’s the rich one.
‘But it got snapped up today,’ she says. ‘You’ll be hard pushed to find somewhere to stay tonight.’
My jaw drops. Why tell us, if it’s taken?
‘Wonderful, thank you,’ I reply.
Zac readjusts his grip on the cake and we head back outside, into the cold and the dark, as it feels like night is fast approaching.
We’re only standing outside the reception cabin for a few seconds before Zac just starts laughing.
‘I’d love to know what’s so funny,’ I say, verging on the ticked off. Nothing is funny right now.
‘I just find it amusing that we’ve been apart for years, and on the day we finally truly get divorced, it’s a day that so very much feels like a day when we were together.’
‘You’ll have to forgive me for not appreciating the irony, it’s just I’m freezing my tits off,’ I point out as I hug my own body to try to keep the warmth in my coat.
‘I noticed on one of the flyers in the lobby that there’s a party barn out back, they’re selling tickets for tonight, some kind of club night,’ he says. ‘In a worst-case scenario, at least we could keep warm there for a few hours.’
‘I see two problems with that,’ I start. ‘The first being, when the party ends, we’re not only out in the cold again, but in the middle of the night this time, but also because what the fuck are you going to do with that cake, dance around it?’
Zac laughs.
‘The woman who made it did say it should be refrigerated overnight,’ he reminds me. ‘I’ll just bury it in the snow somewhere.’
‘Bury your wedding cake?’ I squeak.
‘In the snow,’ he insists. He places it down on the ground, his arms clearly tired of holding it already.
‘Jesus Christ, I’m so glad you weren’t so blasé about our wedding,’ I say.
‘Our low budget beauty was amazing, wasn’t it?’ he says with a smile. ‘When your mum had a few too many and got on the karaoke.’
‘Do you remember how upset Sally was about the karaoke, calling us uncool?’ I chuckle.
‘I said uncouth,’ Sally points out.
I jump so far out of my skin my body temperature drops another few degrees.
‘Bloody hell,’ I cry out. I don’t think I’ve ever been so freaked out in my life. Sally, Rachael and Lindsey are all standing there, right in front of us, clutching bags of what looks like food shopping.
‘What on earth are you guys doing here?’ I ask them.
‘It’s your interfriendtion,’ Sally says, as though I should have been expecting it.
‘Hi, girls,’ Zac says with a cheeky smile.
‘It’s unrealistic how fit you are right now,’ Sally tells him. ‘But I can’t get into it with you. I have to sort out this hot mess.’
‘Come on, I’ve not seen any of you in six years, you could give me a hug?’ he says.
Sally rolls her eyes but then her face softens into a smile. You can tell she’s happy to see her old friend. She hugs him, then Lindsey does, then Rachael. Rachael’s smile quickly drops.
‘You’re drunk,’ she tells him. She moves closer to me and sniffs me.
‘You’ve been drinking too,’ she says. ‘Okay, what the hell is going on?’
‘Can we do this inside, please?’ I say, my teeth chattering from the cold. ‘Can we find a café or even just sit in your car?’
‘We’re staying here,’ Sally tells me. ‘I booked us the massive, fancy cabin. The plan was to call you, tell you to come here and beat some sense into you.’
‘And cookies,’ Lindsey adds.
‘Yeah, and Lindsey brought you cookies,’ Sally adds.
‘Sweetening the pill,’ Lindsey says with a smile.
‘Okay, but can it be an inside intervention, please?’ I beg.
‘Fine, fine,’ Sally says.
‘Thank you,’ I reply as we follow her. ‘We’re stuck here, we can’t get back to the island, we’ve nowhere to go.’
‘You’ll have to stay here with us, won’t you?’ she says with a sigh. ‘But we’ve only got the one spare bedroom.’
As we’re walking, I feel my phone buzz. It’s a message from Dad. Two words:
Papers received.
‘I can just sleep on the sofa or the floor or something,’ Zac suggest gratefully as Sally messes with the door key.
‘Yes, you can,’ she replies sternly.
‘And can I put my cake in your fridge, please?’
Sally clicks her tongue and takes the cake from him.
Inside, the log cabin is simply stunning. The living space is a huge open-plan area with a kitchen section, a dining part, and a massive lounge area. The main focal point is the wood-burning stove. In front of it are two massive sofas that face each other. Behind one is a huge shelving unit overflowing (neatly, somehow) with books, board games and movies. What I’d give to spend a long weekend here, ideally alone. I can’t think of anything more relaxing.
‘You two, sit on that sofa,’ Sally demands, and now I can’t think of anything less relaxing.
‘I’m sorry you felt like you had to come all this way,’ I tell them, sobering up suddenly. ‘But honestly, I’m handling it.’
‘What is this?’ she asks, nodding between us. ‘He’s supposed to be getting married, and you’re running around town together getting drunk in the day.’
‘Look, it’s not what it looks like,’ I insist. ‘We came over here to sign and send our divorce papers and we did. It’s done. My dad has the papers, they’re filing them tonight, the wedding is tomorrow. The only spanner is getting stuck over here, but we’ll get Zac back there in the morning, everything is going to be fine, okay?’
‘Hmm,’ Sally says, retreating a little. ‘And that’s all the loose ends?’
‘Yep,’ I say, sounding as confident as I can. ‘Honestly, it’s all under control.’
‘It does sound like it’s all in order,’ Rachael chips in. ‘Where’s Kat? At the bottom of the loch?’
‘No,’ I say with a laugh. ‘She’s fine, she’s been great. She’s really helped me.’
‘We’re supposed to be your best friends,’ Lindsey pipes up, like a kid who just caught her dad putting her Christmas presents under the tree while he’s munching the mince pie she’d left out.
I purse my lips. Is now really the time?
‘Are you?’ I ask, so I guess now is the time. ‘We never have fun nights out, not like we used to, and you never invite me to hang out with you any more.’
‘Only when it’s couples stuff,’ Rachael insists.
‘But it’s always couples stuff,’ I remind her. ‘You leave me out all the time.’
‘You know what it’s like when you’re mar…’ Sally’s voice tapers off.
She was going to say married, wasn’t she?
‘I don’t think that’s fair,’ Zac replies. ‘I know what you’re thinking: what do I know? We hardly know each other any more, but when Pops and I were married, it was still the five of us, all the time. We were best friends.’
‘We’ve grown up,’ Rachael tells him.
‘Why?’ he replies. ‘Surely you still have time for your friends? Surely you can still hang out and have fun without it being a his ’n’ hers event?’
‘Well, we’ve got some wine,’ Rachael says. ‘Now we know you’ve got everything under control, we could have a few glasses together? If we’re all stuck in here anyway.’
‘I’ve got a better idea,’ Zac says as he scootches to the edge of his seat. ‘There’s a club night in the party barn. Let’s go.’
‘A club night?’ Sally says in disbelief. ‘We’re married ladies. We’re too old for a club.’
‘You’re just proving Poppy’s point,’ he says smugly. ‘Plus, I didn’t get a stag do, so we’ll say this is it. You guys are my oldest friends, after all.’
‘It might be fun to let our hair down?’ Lindsey says hopefully. She was always the first to crack. ‘When was the last time we had a night out, without the boys?’
‘I suppose this might be our last chance,’ Rachael chimes in.
Usually, if you can get two of them on board, you can get all three.
‘Okay, fine, fine,’ Sally concedes. ‘It’s a good job I brought some nice clothes.’
She sounds like she’s giving in, but I can see that little glimmer of excitement in her eyes.
‘I might have something you can borrow,’ she tells me. ‘You can’t go out like that.’
Sally giveth and Sally taketh away. I don’t even care because, for one night only, and the last time ever, the old gang is back together. Let’s have some fun!
37
‘I’m going to say something, something that I don’t usually say, and then I’m never going to say it again, okay?’
Sally slurs her words, confirming just how drunk she is, and it’s a level of drunk I haven’t seen her since… probably before I got married.
‘Okay,’ I say. ‘What?’
We’re in the party barn which, honestly, is actually a lot of fun. I was a bit nervous when we got here and they said it was an eighties-themed party but the music is great, the atmosphere is spot-on and the cocktails are amazing. We’ve all certainly had a fair few.
‘This night out was a really, reeeeally good idea,’ she says. ‘You were right, about us not having as much fun as we used to. That’s the bit I won’t say again. You. Were. Right.’
‘I appreciate you saying that,’ I tell her.
‘I appreciate that Zac is queuing at the bar for my drink because I can’t stand,’ she cackles.
She can stand. Kind of. Just not very still for very long.
‘I appreciate you as well,’ she tells me. ‘I’m starting to think you might be right.’
‘You just said that,’ I tell her.
I notice, over her shoulder, that Rachael and Lindsey are low-key dirty dancing, in the centre of the dancefloor, to Survivor’s ‘Eye of the Tiger’, which is a bizarre sight, but it wouldn’t have been ten years ago.
Sally slaps me hard on the arm. Ow! She never did know her own strength when she’s had a few.
‘Not that,’ she insists angrily. ‘Something else. You’re right about us being boring now, and leaving you out, but you had it right, you’re the one who knows things and stuff.’
I’m not quite following everything she’s saying but I get what she means.
‘I didn’t say you were boring,’ I tell her. I thought it, but I never said it.
‘Are we boring, though?’ she asks.
‘Kind of,’ I admit.
She slaps me again.
‘See, you’re right. We left you out and that’s on us, but we’re going to do better, we just talked about it in the loo, okay?’
‘Okay,’ I say with a laugh.
We’ll see if sober Sally agrees. We are having a pretty amazing time, though. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like a day has passed since the four of us were doing this every week. And, best of all, not one of them has mentioned any of their husbands once.
‘While we’re being honest,’ she says, leaning in. Oof, I can smell the Cosmopolitans on her from here. ‘Zac still loves you.’
I’m taken aback. I wasn’t expecting her to say that.
‘What?’ I reply.
She snorts.
‘Don’t give me that fake coy rubbish. We’re too drunk for that. He still loves you. And, mots wore…’ I think she means what’s more, ‘…you still love him too. You love each other. I catch him staring at you and when I don’t catch him staring at you, guess what? You’re staring at him. And you’re still so clearly perfect for each other. If we’re being honest, you should never have broken up.’
‘You know why we broke up,’ I remind her.
‘I do,’ she says. ‘But you shouldn’t have.’
‘You didn’t tell me that at the time.’
‘No one was telling you anything at the time, were they?’ she says, implying I wasn’t interested in listening to what anyone else thought. ‘But you should have stuck together, got through it together.’
‘Thank you, Jerry Springer,’ I reply with a roll of my eyes.
‘Ah don’t give me that,’ she slurs. ‘You know it’s true. Zac is… perfect, hello, thank you.’
I realise he’s standing next to us, holding our drinks, but I don’t think he heard much else.
‘Here you go,’ he says.
He carefully hands Sally her drink but, as she takes it, she spills a third of it.
‘This is a bit stingy, isn’t it?’ she says, noticing how not full it is. ‘I’m taking this back. Excuse me.’
I don’t know if she’s doing this to leave the two of us alone together or if she genuinely didn’t realise it was her who spilled her drink.
‘I thought you said that these three weren’t any fun any more?’ Zac says, sitting down next to me.
‘They’re not,’ I reply. ‘At least, they weren’t. We seem to be a lethal combination; we bring out the worst in them.’
‘Or the best,’ he says with a smile. ‘It’s nice to feel like old times, isn’t it?’
‘It is,’ I admit.
‘We were great, weren’t we?’ he says with a smile. ‘I can never quite believe just how many amazing memories I have with you, this lot, your mum and dad. In fact, all of my good memories seem to have you in them somewhere.’
‘Well, I’m here at your wedding, aren’t I?’ I point out. ‘So why change the habit of a lifetime?’
He laughs for a second but then his face falls.
