Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery
Page 64
‘I still think I should have had more notice and I wouldn’t have eaten all that toast and leftover canapés over Christmas.’
‘Shut up,’ said Kerensa. ‘You look beautiful.’
And she did. Exquisitely beautiful and perfect and gorgeous in the pale winter sunlight that reflected off the snow and streamed in through the huge windows overlooking the bay. Polly blinked as she watched the activity on the drive. Old Mrs Corning was being helped out of a large car by Pat the vet. Everyone was here.
‘How?’ she said. ‘Seriously? Everyone’s known about this for weeks?’
‘Yup,’ said Kerensa smugly.
Polly shook her head, bemused.
‘This is mad.’
‘I think it’s the funnest thing to happen to Mount Polbearne for ages.’ Kerensa peered out of the window. ‘Oh wow.’
‘What?’ said Polly. She glanced out. It was Huckle’s mum and dad, looking cheery and bemused, and with them was Huckle’s very troublesome brother DuBose.
‘Whoa,’ said Polly. ‘You really did get everyone.’
‘Just lock up the jewellery,’ said Kerensa. ‘Oh! I almost forgot. I have a present for you.’
‘On top of what?’ said Polly. ‘Oh my God, Kerensa, this is totally mad already.’
‘Sssh,’ said Kerensa. ‘Doing this has been about the only nice time I’ve had this year.’ She looked adoringly at the baby in the cot. ‘Worth it, though.’
She brought out a velvet jewellery case and handed it to Polly, who opened it. Inside was a delicate necklace on a platinum chain, with a tiny row of puffins, each with a little diamond. You couldn’t even tell what they were unless you got close; otherwise it just looked like a lovely piece of filigree.
‘Oh my God,’ said Polly.
‘Hah!’ said Kerensa. ‘I knew you’d like it.’
‘I love it!’ said Polly, her eyes filling with tears. ‘Oh my God, I don’t know what I did to deserve this.’
‘Everything,’ said Kerensa. ‘Come here. I told them to use the waterproof mascara.’
The two girls held one another tightly.
‘I’m going to do this,’ said Polly disbelievingly. ‘I’m actually going to do this.’
‘Unless you reckon anyone better’s going to come along,’ said Kerensa, and they both burst out laughing.
Doreen stood up cautiously, still a little nervous. Polly noticed that she had had her nails done and was even wearing a tiny bit of make-up. She had made the most massive effort. Polly blinked.
‘This is…’ Doreen swallowed hard. ‘This is all I ever wanted for you. No. I wanted whatever you wanted for you,’ she said with some difficulty. ‘And I should have been better at letting you see… letting you know that whatever you wanted was fine. And… I should have…’
‘Mum,’ said Polly. ‘Forget about that. Forget about everything. It’s fine. It’s all fine. Please.’
And they embraced too, just as a very trendy photographer in cowboy boots and a bald spot came in and started taking shots of them with an unnecessarily complex-looking camera.
‘Reportage,’ hissed Kerensa. ‘Nothing cheesy.’
‘Yes, because this isn’t at all cheesy,’ wept Polly. The photographer ignored them completely and kept snapping away.
‘Hang on,’ said Polly. ‘What about music? And readings? And all that stuff?’
‘Well you told me all that,’ said Kerensa.
‘What do you mean? No I didn’t. How?’
‘When we were at school,’ said Kerensa. ‘Remember? I made plans then. We wrote it all down in an exercise book. You helped.’
Polly went white.
‘You didn’t…’
‘What?’ said Kerensa innocently. ‘“I Want It That Way” is a perfectly good song to walk down the aisle to. I did actually speak to their management, so they’re on their way…’
‘YOU DIDN’T?’
Kerensa grinned. ‘I didn’t.’
‘Oh,’ said Polly, mostly relieved and a teensy-tiny bit disappointed.
‘Ha! I knew it! You totally look disappointed!’
Polly shook her head.
‘Trust me, I am so round the bend with shock and terror, disappointment is the furthest thing from my mind.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Kerensa, squeezing her hand. ‘We’ve gone very trad.’
She glanced at her watch. It was coming up to two o’clock.
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘You know, I think it’s nearly time.’
‘Oh my God,’ said Polly. ‘Oh my God. I’m not ready. I’m not ready. Where’s Neil?’
‘He’s with Huckle,’ said Kerensa. ‘The groomsmen stick together. Don’t worry. And you’re never ready. Oh, and Huckle’s fraternity brothers are here too. I’m amazed you didn’t hear them before now. Reuben wouldn’t let them stay in the house; we had to put them up in a hotel.’
‘Because they’re frat boys?’
‘And he wanted to be one and they wouldn’t let him. He says he’s working on a disease to eradicate them all.’
Polly shook her head.
‘This is mad.’
‘I had a lot of displacement energy,’ said Kerensa grimly.
Marta came in, beaming and giggling, and exclaimed at Polly’s transformation. Polly hugged her too.
‘Mr Finkel says it’s time,’ Marta said. ‘He says come on, and bring the baby with you.’
Kerensa nodded. She hopped into the bathroom and shimmied into a pale silk slouchy dress that immediately eliminated all the lumps and bumps and made her look like she hadn’t had a baby at all. In fact she looked stunningly lovely, all her spark, her mojo right back.
‘Chief bridesmaid,’ she announced.
Outside the door was a tiny gaggle of children from the village, as well as Reuben’s youngest sister. They were an orgy of cream and flowers and giggles and gorgeousness, and as Polly emerged, they burst into spontaneous applause.
‘Hello, you lot!’ she said cheerfully. She crept forward and peered over the balcony.
Kerensa hadn’t been lying. Everybody was there. Absolutely everyone. The entire gang from school, and her college friends – obviously word had got out – all done up in their wedding best. Polly hated to think what would have happened if she’d said no. The logistics of everything were mind-boggling. She glanced down the big staircase, her heart beating terribly fast.
‘Shut up,’ said Kerensa. ‘You look beautiful.’
And she did. Exquisitely beautiful and perfect and gorgeous in the pale winter sunlight that reflected off the snow and streamed in through the huge windows overlooking the bay. Polly blinked as she watched the activity on the drive. Old Mrs Corning was being helped out of a large car by Pat the vet. Everyone was here.
‘How?’ she said. ‘Seriously? Everyone’s known about this for weeks?’
‘Yup,’ said Kerensa smugly.
Polly shook her head, bemused.
‘This is mad.’
‘I think it’s the funnest thing to happen to Mount Polbearne for ages.’ Kerensa peered out of the window. ‘Oh wow.’
‘What?’ said Polly. She glanced out. It was Huckle’s mum and dad, looking cheery and bemused, and with them was Huckle’s very troublesome brother DuBose.
‘Whoa,’ said Polly. ‘You really did get everyone.’
‘Just lock up the jewellery,’ said Kerensa. ‘Oh! I almost forgot. I have a present for you.’
‘On top of what?’ said Polly. ‘Oh my God, Kerensa, this is totally mad already.’
‘Sssh,’ said Kerensa. ‘Doing this has been about the only nice time I’ve had this year.’ She looked adoringly at the baby in the cot. ‘Worth it, though.’
She brought out a velvet jewellery case and handed it to Polly, who opened it. Inside was a delicate necklace on a platinum chain, with a tiny row of puffins, each with a little diamond. You couldn’t even tell what they were unless you got close; otherwise it just looked like a lovely piece of filigree.
‘Oh my God,’ said Polly.
‘Hah!’ said Kerensa. ‘I knew you’d like it.’
‘I love it!’ said Polly, her eyes filling with tears. ‘Oh my God, I don’t know what I did to deserve this.’
‘Everything,’ said Kerensa. ‘Come here. I told them to use the waterproof mascara.’
The two girls held one another tightly.
‘I’m going to do this,’ said Polly disbelievingly. ‘I’m actually going to do this.’
‘Unless you reckon anyone better’s going to come along,’ said Kerensa, and they both burst out laughing.
Doreen stood up cautiously, still a little nervous. Polly noticed that she had had her nails done and was even wearing a tiny bit of make-up. She had made the most massive effort. Polly blinked.
‘This is…’ Doreen swallowed hard. ‘This is all I ever wanted for you. No. I wanted whatever you wanted for you,’ she said with some difficulty. ‘And I should have been better at letting you see… letting you know that whatever you wanted was fine. And… I should have…’
‘Mum,’ said Polly. ‘Forget about that. Forget about everything. It’s fine. It’s all fine. Please.’
And they embraced too, just as a very trendy photographer in cowboy boots and a bald spot came in and started taking shots of them with an unnecessarily complex-looking camera.
‘Reportage,’ hissed Kerensa. ‘Nothing cheesy.’
‘Yes, because this isn’t at all cheesy,’ wept Polly. The photographer ignored them completely and kept snapping away.
‘Hang on,’ said Polly. ‘What about music? And readings? And all that stuff?’
‘Well you told me all that,’ said Kerensa.
‘What do you mean? No I didn’t. How?’
‘When we were at school,’ said Kerensa. ‘Remember? I made plans then. We wrote it all down in an exercise book. You helped.’
Polly went white.
‘You didn’t…’
‘What?’ said Kerensa innocently. ‘“I Want It That Way” is a perfectly good song to walk down the aisle to. I did actually speak to their management, so they’re on their way…’
‘YOU DIDN’T?’
Kerensa grinned. ‘I didn’t.’
‘Oh,’ said Polly, mostly relieved and a teensy-tiny bit disappointed.
‘Ha! I knew it! You totally look disappointed!’
Polly shook her head.
‘Trust me, I am so round the bend with shock and terror, disappointment is the furthest thing from my mind.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Kerensa, squeezing her hand. ‘We’ve gone very trad.’
She glanced at her watch. It was coming up to two o’clock.
‘Okay,’ she said. ‘You know, I think it’s nearly time.’
‘Oh my God,’ said Polly. ‘Oh my God. I’m not ready. I’m not ready. Where’s Neil?’
‘He’s with Huckle,’ said Kerensa. ‘The groomsmen stick together. Don’t worry. And you’re never ready. Oh, and Huckle’s fraternity brothers are here too. I’m amazed you didn’t hear them before now. Reuben wouldn’t let them stay in the house; we had to put them up in a hotel.’
‘Because they’re frat boys?’
‘And he wanted to be one and they wouldn’t let him. He says he’s working on a disease to eradicate them all.’
Polly shook her head.
‘This is mad.’
‘I had a lot of displacement energy,’ said Kerensa grimly.
Marta came in, beaming and giggling, and exclaimed at Polly’s transformation. Polly hugged her too.
‘Mr Finkel says it’s time,’ Marta said. ‘He says come on, and bring the baby with you.’
Kerensa nodded. She hopped into the bathroom and shimmied into a pale silk slouchy dress that immediately eliminated all the lumps and bumps and made her look like she hadn’t had a baby at all. In fact she looked stunningly lovely, all her spark, her mojo right back.
‘Chief bridesmaid,’ she announced.
Outside the door was a tiny gaggle of children from the village, as well as Reuben’s youngest sister. They were an orgy of cream and flowers and giggles and gorgeousness, and as Polly emerged, they burst into spontaneous applause.
‘Hello, you lot!’ she said cheerfully. She crept forward and peered over the balcony.
Kerensa hadn’t been lying. Everybody was there. Absolutely everyone. The entire gang from school, and her college friends – obviously word had got out – all done up in their wedding best. Polly hated to think what would have happened if she’d said no. The logistics of everything were mind-boggling. She glanced down the big staircase, her heart beating terribly fast.
