Christmas at the Little Wedding Shop

Due to Quinn sorting the venue, I’ve already forgiven him for the last corner. What’s more I’m beginning to see why Alice might be overlooking his shortcomings too.

I start breathing again now we’re back on four wheels. ‘So you know the area then?’ Which kind of rubbishes the argument that I’m here for my local expertise.

He grins and taps his fingers on the steering wheel. ‘Enough to know where to swim and not get caught out by the tides.’

How cool a reply is that?

‘And you thought that was why you were needed?’ He raises an eyebrow and stares at me for so long I think we might crash.

I take a while to find the best way of answering. ‘That’s what Alice… kind of implied.’

His voice drops. ‘Well she would… wouldn’t she?’ He rubs his forehead and shakes his head. ‘Actually, way better than that, tell me about you. So far all I know is you live here and you’re a painter.’

So that about sums it up. Mostly I’d have let the misinformation go and left it at that. But something about his ragged left cuff makes me comfortable enough to put him right.

‘My gran was the painter. She used the same colour pallet as the tats on your wrist.’

That has him nodding. ‘So what about you?’

I say it quickly, hoping we can move on. ‘I design wedding dresses.’

His eyes open wider and he’s bouncing with enthusiasm. ‘Great, so you designed Alice’s then?’

I don’t hold back putting him right on that. ‘Definitely not.’

‘Ouch…’

That one word tells me he completely understands.

‘As you said before, Alice and I are very different people. My dresses wouldn’t suit her at all. I’m a bit dreamy, whereas she’s…’ I hesitate, wanting to be fair.

‘Uptight and dictatorial? Controlling and completely un-chilled?’

I wince. Quinn filling in the gap sounds a lot harsher than me thinking it.

He laughs. ‘Don’t worry, we don’t have to pretend, we both know her. And mostly we forgive her.’ He leans across and taps my bag. ‘I’m guessing that’s where you’re hiding Alice’s Book of Wedding Law?’ He gives a conspiratorial nod towards the back of the car. ‘Mine’s in the boot.’

‘You got one too?’ I ask, fumbling with the buckles on my bag.

‘I did,’ he says, amusement lilting around his lips.

Somehow I’ve been so blown away by Quinn, I completely forgot to check the small print for today. I look at my watch. ‘So did you read what we’re supposed to be doing now? Ten-thirty, Saturday, what job did the itinerary say?’

His face cracks into a smile. ‘Much as I love Alice, there’s more than one way to skin a cat.’

‘Sorry?’ I have no idea what he’s driving at.

‘You have two hundred pages of detailed instructions in your bag. But given the person who wrote them isn’t here we don’t have to follow them to the letter.’ He slaps the steering wheel triumphantly.

‘Isn’t that all the more reason we should stick to them?’ I’m starting to see why I’m here.

A low laugh comes from Quinn’s throat. ‘You’re more like your sister than you like to think, Sera. From where I stand, what you’re clinging onto in that bag of yours is a whole load of suggestions. And it’s our job, as creative directors, to implement these to the best of our ability. But we’ll do that so much better if we do it in our own way.’

Actually I think he might have lost me a mile out of St Aidan. ‘There’s a difference?’

‘Of course there’s a difference.’ He’s almost shouting now. ‘I’m a free spirit, I’m categorically incapable of obeying orders. But I’m damned amazing at making things happen. What you’re holding is a blueprint, but we’re not going to be enslaved. We’re going to wing it.’

‘Oh shit.’ I sigh. All Alice’s hard work and I can see it imploding in front of my eyes. What’s more, I’m kicking myself for not reading every single page of the wedding manual. Three times. At least. By only skimming the first two pages, I’ve really let Alice down. Because without the facts, I have no idea how far off course Quinn is taking us.

‘Let’s face it, we’d have no fun at all doing it Alice’s way,’ he says. ‘These days she sucks the joy out of everything.’

I hate hearing him talk about Alice like this. But he might have a point. She used to like to steer, but lately she’s become horribly rigid. But only because her wedding’s so important. ‘But at least we could try it Alice’s way?’ I reason. ‘And go off-piste if it doesn’t work?’

Quinn gives a loud sigh. ‘So currently, in the world according to Alice, we should be picking up snow machines in Truro. Whereas as I see it, it’s way more important to let you see the venue first. That way you’ll get a real handle on the event.’

I wince at the jargon. ‘Snow machines? What are they for?’

‘Sera, please tell me you didn’t just ask that.’

I know Alice wants a white wedding in every way. I screw up my face and my courage, and hazard a guess. ‘You mean they are literally what it says on the tin?’ Don’t blame me. I spend a lot of time in my own little design world, either on the beach or in the studio. Sometimes I miss out on crucial cultural developments. Somehow I’ve missed out that snow machines even exist.

‘You put water in, fire them up and end up with a snow storm. Of sorts. They can be a bit hit and miss. You only have to read the reviews on Trip Advisor to know they disappoint more often than they thrill. Which is why I suspect she’s ordered so many.’

I think I get what he means. ‘So if it really starts to snow, we get to skip a whole trip to Truro.’ I’m hoping to show I’ve got the idea and I’m willing to give it a go, at least in part.

‘It won’t,’ he says, making no sense at all.

‘Won’t what?’

‘It’s not going to snow.’ He sounds definite on that, as he jumps on the brakes and makes a sharp left-hand turn off the lane we’re racing along. ‘So we will need those machines, but they’re not top of our list.’

As we accelerate out of the turn, the cluster of buildings coming into view on the hill ahead is comfortingly familiar. ‘But this is Daisy Hill Farm. Where the wedding guests are staying.’

‘Got it in one.’ He gives a low laugh. ‘See, you know your way around better than you think.’

I’m trying to keep up and failing. ‘But I thought we were going to the venue?’

‘I’m staying in the cosiest little holiday cottage at the farm, and there’s a fridge full of food.’ There’s that unrepentant grin again. ‘So unless you want to spend all day sitting next to someone who smells like the beach, I reckon our first priority is a shower and breakfast.’

‘Brill.’ I say, because I’m really regretting not finishing my hot chocolate earlier. What’s more my tummy is growling at the mention of breakfast. But all the same, my alarm bells are ringing.

Something tells me I’m going to have to up my game here. And fast. I’m going to have to pull out all the stops to keep Quinn in hand. Or Alice’s wedding will be careering off the rails quicker than I can say ‘fried eggs’.

6 (#ulink_6738f231-712b-50de-97eb-82025643c2b7)

Saturday, 17th December

In Quinn’s cottage at Daisy Hill Farm: Scrambled eggs and second glances