Are You Ready? (34 page)

‘That sounds fab, Sarah. My sister the famous artist! Great stuff. I had better buy some of your work now, while I can still afford it.'

The girls started walking down the pier.

‘When Tom heard you were painting again he told me he wanted to buy a picture for his apartment,' Mel said. ‘He is a philistine and knows nothing about art, totally unlike Hugh. But I do know that he thinks you are great, and am sure he would give you a good price.'

‘Has he found someone to move in with him yet?' Sarah asked.

‘No. He asked again if you wanted to, but I told him about Galway and all. But then, it was funny because last night, when he was over for dinner and I
was telling the boys about you and Hugh breaking up, he actually seemed relieved that you were not going to Galway. John said he thinks Tom has always had a crush on you, but you being my sister made it a bit awkward for him. Of course I didn't tell John you used to fancy Tom as well. I know that was all years ago, but you never know, Sarah. Maybe something will happen. If it did, John and I would love it.'

Then Mel started telling Sarah all about Fiona's eating habits, but Sarah couldn't concentrate. Yes, she had only broken up with Hugh a day ago, but she couldn't help wondering if Tom really had cared about her moving to Galway.

The night before the wedding everyone had arranged to meet in Hennessy's, the pub near Ali's house. There was a big spread there, and Ali's dad was right in the middle of it all, welcoming everyone to Kilkenny. Ali had been busy all day, trying to get the house, marquee and herself all ready for tomorrow. It still all felt very surreal to her: surely it was impossible that tomorrow she would be a married woman! She had tried to talk to Robin all day, but with all their relations and friends ringing and arriving it had been difficult to exchange more than a few words. Robin was staying in a local hotel, and then tomorrow night they were both going to stay in the bridal suite of the nearest five-star hotel.

Ali was staying off drink tonight, but as she sipped on 7 Up, Robin was knocking back Guinness after Guinness, with seemingly everyone buying him pint after pint to help him celebrate his last night as a single man. It was only 7 p.m. and already Robin and the lads were singing and recalling old school days. Ali kept trying to remind him they still had some work
to do that evening, but Robin was too busy drinking. Ali got a call from her mother saying her sisters were not fast enough with the table arrangement flowers, and that they were ruining the ribbon with their inexperience. Ali realized she had to go home to help, so she went outside to ring her mum, and said she would be home in five minutes. While out there she got a another call from her sister Jill saying that she had just checked the marquee and the party hire men had left the tables and chairs all stacked, and how was she supposed to lift them all into place herself ? Ali put her phone down and felt a few tears roll down her face. She had underestimated how much work they had left to do. Just then Sarah and Molly arrived at the pub, but when they saw Ali looking so dishevelled and upset, they ran over.

‘What's happened?' Sarah asked.

Ali explained, and before she could even finish the two girls were pushing her towards the car.

‘We will come and help you, we can do the flowers. And Sarah, maybe you can grab a few guys to help with the marquee table and chairs,' Molly said.

‘No, Molly, you have been working on the food all day, you deserve the night off,' said Ali.

‘It is no problem, Ali, tomorrow is the biggest day of your life, so do not worry about it. You need to relax.'

Sarah ran into the pub, and went up to Robin to explain about the marquee, but he had people hugging and talking to him the whole time, and seemed to have had a good bit to drink, so instead
Sarah looked round the bar, and suddenly saw Ali's friend, Laura.

‘Hi Laura,' she asked, ‘do you know many of these guys? I need some of them to help us with the marquee.'

Sarah explained about the flowers, tables and chairs, and Laura, understanding the urgency, agreed to help.

‘You go with Ali,' she said. ‘We'll meet you back at the house. I'll get some of the guys.'

Ali, Molly and Sarah all headed back to the house, while Laura scanned the bar for nice, burly, yet not-too-drunk men. She spotted Ben O'Connor, who she hadn't even realized had been invited. He waved and made his way over to her; he seemed nervous and tried to make small chat. He had a pint in his hand, but Laura could see it was almost full and he was sober, so getting her courage up she asked him if he'd help her.

‘I don't want to upset Ali's dad by telling him the marquee is not ready, and I want him to enjoy his night, but we do need to find a few more guys.'

‘No problem, Laura,' and with that Ben grabbed a few of the lads, and after he filled them all in, they put down their pints and headed for the farm and marquee.

When they got to the marquee Laura was surprised at how organized Ben was, he soon had all the guys lifting tables and chairs in military style, while Laura looked at the table plan and tried to work out which tables should go where. Laura and Ben worked well as a team and before long the room started to take shape.
And despite Ali's twenty-year-old sister Jill swooning over Ben, thanking him profusely for helping the family, Ben seemed only to have eyes for Laura. Laura didn't know if she was imagining it, but Ben seemed to have grown up a lot since they briefly dated, so when he asked her if she wanted a lift back to the pub so they could get a drink, she accepted. She hadn't forgotten that he'd hurt her before, but tonight he was being a perfect gentleman.

Meanwhile, in Ali's family home it was like a sweatshop. Ali's mum had set up a production line, and now that her sisters had been fired from it, Ali, along with Sarah and Molly, was now cutting ribbons and trimming roses. She was trying to relax, but was disappointed that Robin was out having fun while she was stressed and trying to make countless table arrangements. As the girls sat at the large kitchen table they chatted and caught up. Molly filled them in on Scott, and even though she didn't know what would happen they were all very excited. Even Ali's mum said that he sounded like ‘a keeper'. Sarah told them all about Hugh, and even though she didn't mean to get upset, she couldn't help thinking how Ali was getting married and Molly had just met someone and she was back to being single and lonely again. But she held herself together, and instead changed the subject to her new career path, and they were all delighted, especially Ali. She said again that the moment Sarah had designed her invite she'd known that Sarah should go back to being an artist. The flower arrangements
were looking great, and Ali took some photos for her wedding scrap-book. As they finished them off, Ali's mum opened a bottle of champagne and started telling all the girls about the day Ali was born, and how, even though they loved Robin, the family would miss having Ali all to themselves.

It ended up being a lovely evening, and as they carried the flowers into the marquee and set them on to the tables Ali looked around the farm, the family farm that she had grown up on, and loved. She thought that tonight was the last night she would just be someone's daughter. Tomorrow she and Robin would be a family of their own. It was a lot to take in, but when they got to the marquee, surrounded by mooing cows, Ali's mind went into wedding mode, and she and the girls started setting the table-numbers and place-names. The room really started to feel perfect, and as Ali tested the fairy lights she saw how the room would look the following night and started to get properly excited. Tomorrow was her wedding day!

Molly was wide awake by 7 a.m., and as Eve was due to arrive and help her at 9 a.m., she decided to get up and make her way to the marquee to make sure the kitchen was set up properly. As she dressed she received a good luck text from Scott. She smiled and thought already how different his attitude to her job was from Luke's. She was looking forward to being back in Dublin and seeing him again. She tied back her dark hair and said a quick prayer that her cooking and serving would all go OK today. And as she texted Scott back, she prayed that her love life would finally get some luck too, and that things with Scott would work out.

Sarah was also woken by a text, one from Tom, saying that as Mel and John were going away the following weekend he had agreed to mind Fiona in his house, and Mel had suggested that maybe Sarah might like to stay over, too, and they could look after their godchild together. Sarah laughed at how obvious her sister was: she and John must have planned this weekend away,
just to try and get her and Tom together! But Sarah wasn't complaining, and she agreed to it straight away. She was glad to have something to look forward to after a week of upset and uncertainly. Tom texted back to say he looked forward to seeing her, and that he would make sure he got some grown-up food and drinks in, too, ‘to celebrate your decision to stay in Dublin with us all'. As the day drew on, she hoped that maybe the weekend might lead to more than just looking after their godchild!

Ben felt a little groggy that morning, but knew he needed to check in with the office. The firm had a deal going through that day that he needed to check up on. His secretary had promised to go in on Saturday morning to make sure things went smoothly. As he rang her he almost laughed. I really am changing, he thought to himself. Here I am, checking in with the office, worrying about work, tired after spending a night organizing a wedding marquee – he really was starting to fill his father's boots. Ben ordered room service and gave his dad a quick call to check that he was feeling OK. His dad was recovering well, and Ben thought the time was right for him to move out of the family home and finally buy a place of his own. He had made an appointment with a real estate agent for when he got back from the wedding and was looking forward to seeing what he could afford.

He showered and checked his appearance, because he wanted to look well today for Laura. He had forgotten how attractive she was, and couldn't stop thinking of
her big brown eyes and smile. He didn't know if he had imagined it, but he had felt last night that there had been a spark between them, and he didn't want to lose her again. He was through with playing the field, all he wanted was someone like Laura.

Ali was woken up by her whole family all peering in the door of her old bedroom.

‘Oh, great, you are awake! Now we can do the presents!' said Jill, as Ali's mum and dad walked in too and sat down on her bed.

‘How do you feel, pet?' asked her mum, giving her a big hug.

‘Did you sleep OK?' asked her dad, who was wearing his old pyjamas and dressing gown. Just seeing them all there, her whole family, with their excited faces and gifts, made Ali start to cry.

‘I don't want to leave this family,' she sobbed.

‘Ali, you are not leaving us,' her mum said. ‘We are gaining a gorgeous son-in-law, but you are not leaving us, pet. We all adore you, and today will be the happiest day of your life. Please don't be upset.' Ali wiped her eyes.

‘The gifts will cheer you up,' said Jill. Ali sat up, and opened them. Kate and Jill had gotten her a large framed photo of the three of them sitting on their old donkey Ned. They were all dressed in eighties clothes and Ali laughed as she saw their old wellington boots, which Jill had always refused to take off, and even tried to wear to bed.

‘It's so you won't forget all the fun we've down here,
Ali. Don't forget that this is your home always,' Jill said. Ali hugged her sisters and promised to hang the large silver photo frame in her living room in Dublin.

Next her dad handed her a small jewellery box, Ali opened it, inside was a heart-shaped locket on a chain.

‘I know Robin is after buying you that fabulous engagement ring and a wedding ring today, but you are my little girl and I can still treat you, too, and so I thought you might like a locket.'

‘He picked it out all by himself,' added her mum. Ali put the locket on, and smiled, it was beautiful.

‘I love you so much, Dad. I'm going to be so proud to have you walk me down that aisle today,' she whispered in his ear.

Finally her mum handed her a large rectangle-shaped package. Ali ripped open the paper and inside was a large hard-back notebook. On it was written ‘Ali's Memory Book'.

‘What is this, Mum?' Ali asked.

‘Well, when each of you was born I started a memory book for you, it contains everything: from how I felt when I was pregnant, to the story of the day you were born, to childhood anecdotes and old photos. I even wrote in what illnesses you had, so you would know for the future.'

Ali started reading the book and saw her mum had stuck in her hospital wrist band from the day she was born. It was so tiny.

‘Oh my God, Mum, this is amazing,' Ali exclaimed.

‘Can we have our memory books too, Mum?' asked Jill.

‘No, you can't, you have to find men first, and get married, so it will be a while yet I think,' her mum said crossly.

Jill sulked off to get Ali some breakfast, while Ali was left reading her book, and enjoying being spoilt on her wedding day.

Ali was sitting in the hairdresser's with a glass of champagne in one hand and her phone in the other. All morning she had been receiving text messages wishing her luck. It was all so exciting. She had gotten her nails painted the day before and fake tan put on, so today it was all about her hair and make-up. Her hair was short, and she wanted to leave it down, so the hairdresser was just going to blow-dry it straight and fix in her veil for her. Her mum had been taking photos of her all morning, and now as her hair was being brushed she could hear the camera clicking.

‘Mum, will you relax?' Ali said.

‘Relax? You are my first born, my eldest daughter, and this is the biggest day of your life. I'll not relax, let me have my fun. You just take care with that champagne, we don't want you drunk before the church.'