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conversation flowing.

      For the next half an hour Gloria tried to be grateful that four adults well under retirement age could converse in any way about cabbage roses because it meant that at least they weren’t talking about weddings but as Emma cleared away the starters and brought in the lamb – which looked decidedly sacrificial – Gloria could stand it no more.

      ‘So am I sacked or what?’ she asked as Jake began carving.

      ‘What?’ The terrine of vegetables Emma had picked up landed heavily back on the table. ‘Why on earth would you think that? Cocktails & Chai is doing really well.’

      ‘Not from The Clock House,’ Gloria said. ‘Sacked from your wedding?’

      Emma looked stunned. ‘Again—what?’

      ‘It’s why you asked me here tonight, isn’t it?’ Damn. She was meant to be being conciliatory, not adversarial. ‘I want you to know I get it,’ she tried. ‘I mean, after the whole Wedding Date-Gate debacle, it would be irresponsible of you not to.’

      She waited for Emma to take her opening but when she merely continued staring like a stunned mullet, the direct approach won out. ‘Only if any of us are to enjoy this lamb, I’m going to need you to actually say it so it’s done and we can go back to talking about compost and crap.’

      Seth chuckled. ‘Aren’t those two sort of the same thing?’

      Gloria bestowed a ‘Not helping’ look upon him and Seth chuckled some more.

      Emma and Jake looked at each other and then back at her.

      ‘All right,’ Jake said, putting down the carving knife and fork. ‘Since you brought it up …’

      Here it came.

      Namaste, Namaste, Namaste.

      Breathe in …

      ‘Yes, the date blunder was a bit of a shock,’ Jake continued. ‘But you’ve actually done us a massive favour.’

      … And breathe out.

      ‘We’d never have come up with the date ourselves,’ Emma explained. ‘It’s like you said, we were stuck trying to please other people and totally forgetting we need to please ourselves.’

      ‘We needed a good kick up the arse,’ Jake added. ‘So you providing a date and then telling the whole of Whispers Wood … genius. Thank you.’

      ‘Did you just say genius?’ Seth asked.

      Never mind genius. Gloria didn’t get it. They were saying, ‘Thank you and you’re fired?’ Maybe it was from the say-something-positive-before-you-say-something-negative school of management.

      ‘Credit where it’s due, Seth,’ Jake replied. ‘In one evening not only did Gloria come up with a perfect date – by announcing it publically we probably don’t even need to send out invites now.’

      Emma laid her hand over Jake’s. ‘We’re definitely sending out invites. It may be short notice but that doesn’t mean I want anyone thinking no thought or planning has gone into our big day.’

      Perfect date?

      Invites?

      Gloria wished she’d brought those nifty little stress balls she’d taken from Fortuna’s office with her. ‘Can I just clarify … you think it’s perfectly fine to get married on my—’ For God’s sake don’t mention it’s your wedding anniversary. ‘On a random date? Chosen, um … randomly? By some random?’

      Emma and Jake both nodded and then Jake looked a tad embarrassed as he added, ‘You’re not some random but we have to be honest. It does present us with a problem.’

      ‘Only a teensy-tiny one,’ Emma quickly assured.

      Gloria started to get a Very British Problems feeling. Emma and Jake were doing a spectacular version of talking around a subject without actually saying anything at all.

      Reaching for her wine glass, she took a healthy gulp.

      ‘You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned missing the deadline for the courtyard garden at the clock house,’ Jake said. ‘It has to be priority now along with getting the gardens ready to open here at the Hall.’

      ‘And to be completely honest, as well as Jake being swamped with work, so am I,’ Emma admitted. ‘I couldn’t ask for better revenue for Cocktails & Chai but what with the beer festival and the helping Jake and trying to finish up the screenplay … So you see the problem?’ She looked nervously at both Seth and Gloria.

      ‘Nope,’ Seth said.

      ‘Again, to clarify, I’m not sacked?’ Gloria got out.

      ‘Of course not,’ Emma said. ‘Quite the opposite, in fact.’

      Gloria’s eyes widened with shock and then immediately narrowed. ‘Opposite?’

      Emma took a breath. ‘We actually asked you both to dinner because … well, we’d consider it a lifesaving favour if you and Seth would help us organise our wedding.’

      Gloria picked up her glass and drained the contents.

      Seth picked up his glass and did the same.

      As soon as his glass hit the table, she deftly pushed her glass next to his so that he could refill them both.

      ‘Define “Help Us”,’ Seth asked.

      Jake took a sip from his own glass and then said, ‘We give you a general idea of what sort of wedding we’d like and you—’

      ‘Do everything to facilitate it?’ Seth helpfully supplied.

      ‘Not everything,’ Emma rushed to assure. ‘Definitely not everything. We already know our theme for instance, and that usually takes ages to decide.’

      ‘Eh?’ Gloria stared at her Janeite friend. ‘Won’t you be having a Jane Austen theme?’

      ‘See?’ Emma grinned. ‘You guessed right away. You’re a natural.’

      Seth laughed. ‘So now, instead of the standard bridesmaid/best man duties—’

      ‘Alongside,’ Jake corrected. ‘Alongside the standard bridesmaid/ best man duties, we’d like it if you could help us out by taking the organising off our hands. We want to get married on the fourth of October, but,’ He turned to direct his formidable stare to Gloria. ‘Gloria has put us in a bit of a bind. A ten weeks to go bind, to be precise’ he added.

      ‘And what have I done?’ Seth wanted to know.

      ‘Nothing,’ Jake said quietly. ‘But you’re the only other one with extra time on their hands.’

      ‘Unbelievable,’ Seth said with a shake of his head, and then after one more giant gulp of wine, added, ‘Okay. I’m in.’

      ‘Excellent,’ Jake said as if he’d never expected there to be an issue.

      ‘Oh, Seth I knew you wouldn’t let us down,’ Emma said.

      Both Jake and Emma turned to stare at Gloria.

      She took another gulp of wine.

      So Seth wasn’t going to let them down but obviously she was?

      Who was she kidding? Of course she was going to let them down.

      For their own good because no way did she have enough ‘nice’ inside her to be personally involved in planning their wedding.

      ‘Why not just ask Seth and I to get married for you and save us all the giant time-suck headache of “only ten weeks to go”,’ she said, reaching for her refilled glass of wine.

      As Emma’s expression went from appalled to intrigued, Gloria wanted to slap herself again.

      Why

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