the golf club for the reception.’
Well, it wouldn’t be Cora’s choice, but it was a perfectly serviceable venue. ‘I suppose it’s pretty short notice now. For you to get married this summer, I mean.’ Because that was what they’d agreed. That was the plan. The two of them, both marrying the loves of their lives, starting their futures together, this summer.
‘I guess.’
‘You really should get a date confirmed, you know,’ Cora went on. ‘Even for a small wedding, you’re going to need the time to get it all sorted out. Maybe you could look at early autumn.’ That wouldn’t be so bad. She and Rhys would be back from their honeymoon, then, ready to pitch in and help get everything ready. Early autumn could work.
Lily gave her a very small, very tired smile. ‘You’re starting to sound like Edward. Or my mother.’
Lily had just compared her to Evelyn Thomas. Something was very, very wrong here.
But before Cora could find a response, Rhys clapped his hands together, grabbed the wine and said, ‘That’s it. No more wedding talk tonight. Let’s try and remember what we used to talk about before we got engaged.’
As Lily and Rhys started chatting about some new TV programme, Cora prodded at the remains of her salmon and thought about the only other time she and Lily hadn’t done things together, and how wrong that had gone.
She had to get Lily to set a date.
* * * *
Alex didn’t believe in wasting time. He’d promised Max a proper portfolio in less than a week’s time, so he’d better get on with compiling one. Pushing Gareth’s weirdness out of his mind, he headed home to his ramshackle cottage to dig out his equipment and student shots. And, two hours later, felt rather less enthusiastic about the whole endeavour.
No, he told himself, even as he opened a cold beer from his otherwise empty fridge. He’d come home to Felinfach to start a new life, and the photography was a big part of that. So he would bloody well make it work, one way or another.
Slumping back onto his sofa, he flicked through the photos again. Not good enough. Oh, they were fine for student work, and his teacher had loved them, but they weren’t going to cut it in the professional arena. He needed proper shots he could sell as demonstrations of his talent. He’d better hope the inhabitants of the Mill were willing to take him up on his offer of free publicity shots.
He slumped back against the cushions, wondering what had possessed him to buy such a huge sofa. It was practically the only piece of furniture he had bought since he arrived, mostly making do with his parents’ old stuff, and it dominated the lounge. He’d ordered it to be delivered the day he moved in, and it was a million miles away from the smart leather armchairs he’d left behind in his flat in London. Maybe he’d been imagining snuggling up with his prospective bride-to-be, or at least bringing someone home. So far, the only girl he’d spent any time at all with was Lily.
Which brought him back to tomorrow again.
Why was he resisting thinking about it? She was an old family friend, and a business opportunity. And if she’d glowed across the table at lunch, talking about her dreams and everything she and Max had achieved with the Mill, and how much more they wanted to do… Well, it didn’t matter. Because she was engaged to another man, and Alex took that sort of thing seriously. Very seriously.
No, this was a purely professional arrangement, he told himself, draining the last of his beer. And he was still telling himself that the following morning when he entered the wrought iron gates of the Mill. Right up until he walked into Tiger Lily and saw Lily’s eyes as she looked up to greet him. Red-rimmed and heavy-lidded, she obviously hadn’t slept. And, from his limited experience with such things, he was pretty sure she’d been crying.
All thoughts of portfolios and photography went out of his head. Alex dropped his bag by the door,
Well, it wouldn’t be Cora’s choice, but it was a perfectly serviceable venue. ‘I suppose it’s pretty short notice now. For you to get married this summer, I mean.’ Because that was what they’d agreed. That was the plan. The two of them, both marrying the loves of their lives, starting their futures together, this summer.
‘I guess.’
‘You really should get a date confirmed, you know,’ Cora went on. ‘Even for a small wedding, you’re going to need the time to get it all sorted out. Maybe you could look at early autumn.’ That wouldn’t be so bad. She and Rhys would be back from their honeymoon, then, ready to pitch in and help get everything ready. Early autumn could work.
Lily gave her a very small, very tired smile. ‘You’re starting to sound like Edward. Or my mother.’
Lily had just compared her to Evelyn Thomas. Something was very, very wrong here.
But before Cora could find a response, Rhys clapped his hands together, grabbed the wine and said, ‘That’s it. No more wedding talk tonight. Let’s try and remember what we used to talk about before we got engaged.’
As Lily and Rhys started chatting about some new TV programme, Cora prodded at the remains of her salmon and thought about the only other time she and Lily hadn’t done things together, and how wrong that had gone.
She had to get Lily to set a date.
* * * *
Alex didn’t believe in wasting time. He’d promised Max a proper portfolio in less than a week’s time, so he’d better get on with compiling one. Pushing Gareth’s weirdness out of his mind, he headed home to his ramshackle cottage to dig out his equipment and student shots. And, two hours later, felt rather less enthusiastic about the whole endeavour.
No, he told himself, even as he opened a cold beer from his otherwise empty fridge. He’d come home to Felinfach to start a new life, and the photography was a big part of that. So he would bloody well make it work, one way or another.
Slumping back onto his sofa, he flicked through the photos again. Not good enough. Oh, they were fine for student work, and his teacher had loved them, but they weren’t going to cut it in the professional arena. He needed proper shots he could sell as demonstrations of his talent. He’d better hope the inhabitants of the Mill were willing to take him up on his offer of free publicity shots.
He slumped back against the cushions, wondering what had possessed him to buy such a huge sofa. It was practically the only piece of furniture he had bought since he arrived, mostly making do with his parents’ old stuff, and it dominated the lounge. He’d ordered it to be delivered the day he moved in, and it was a million miles away from the smart leather armchairs he’d left behind in his flat in London. Maybe he’d been imagining snuggling up with his prospective bride-to-be, or at least bringing someone home. So far, the only girl he’d spent any time at all with was Lily.
Which brought him back to tomorrow again.
Why was he resisting thinking about it? She was an old family friend, and a business opportunity. And if she’d glowed across the table at lunch, talking about her dreams and everything she and Max had achieved with the Mill, and how much more they wanted to do… Well, it didn’t matter. Because she was engaged to another man, and Alex took that sort of thing seriously. Very seriously.
No, this was a purely professional arrangement, he told himself, draining the last of his beer. And he was still telling himself that the following morning when he entered the wrought iron gates of the Mill. Right up until he walked into Tiger Lily and saw Lily’s eyes as she looked up to greet him. Red-rimmed and heavy-lidded, she obviously hadn’t slept. And, from his limited experience with such things, he was pretty sure she’d been crying.
All thoughts of portfolios and photography went out of his head. Alex dropped his bag by the door,
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