"Well, I'm never allowing myself to fall in love again," Nicole said with determination in her voice. "It's not worth the risk of ever feeling this bad again. I won't do it to myself."
"Oh, Nicole, life and love have a habit of sneaking up on us when we least expect it," Evette smiled as she gave her sister a tissue. Nicole blew her nose loudly.
"Shall I go and get your things?" Evette asked gently. Her sister nodded in between sniffles.
"I'll be right back," she said, patting Nicole on the back.
Nicole sat alone in the car looking unseeingly into the dark garage.
"Has my life really been reduced to this?" she asked herself.
She felt utterly desolate. Her world felt like a bleak, dark place without Paul and she mourned the loss of the hopes and dreams that she'd had for their future together. She was nervous and downright scared at the thought of being on her own.
It was the loneliest place she'd ever been.
"This is it," she whispered. "I'm back at the beginning again."
She'd known Paul since she was nineteen years old. He was her first and only love. When her friends were experiencing love and heartbreak she'd been happy in the safety of her relationship with Paul.
She sighed and thought about what her sister had said to her earlier. She knew that Evette was right and that she couldn't go back to Paul. She couldn't be weak.
Evette waved as she approached the car and Nicole got out to help her with the numerous bags that she was lugging behind her.
"Don't worry," Evette smirked. "I gave that moron a piece of mind. He won't be bothering you or making declarations of fake love again."
"Oh, Ev, I hope you weren't too hard on him," Nicole said doubtfully.
"Nothing more than he deserves," Evette grinned as she loaded her sister's luggage into the car.
"I've made a decision," Nicole announced.
"It's too early for decisions," Evette yawned loudly and struggled to sit up in her bed. "What time is it anyway?"
She reached out for her alarm clock and squinted to see the time.
"It's five o' clock in the morning! It's practically the middle of the night!"
She tried to protest at having been woken at such an early hour but her sister was having none of it.
"Here, drink this. It will wake you up."
Nicole stuck a steaming mug of black coffee under her sister's nose before she could make any further complaints.
"Hmmm, it will either wake me up or put hairs on my chest."
Evette peered into the dark abyss of the mug. She took a tentative sip and spluttered.
"Hairs on my chest," she smiled as she gulped down the coffee.
"Well, what's your grand decision?" Evette prompted.
Nicole took a deep breath and paused for dramatic effect.
"Spit it out. I can't stand the suspense any longer."
Evette placed her mug carefully on her bedside table and leaned back wearily against the pillows, doing her best to give her sister her full attention. This was the most animated that she'd seen Nicole in weeks. It was good to see her smile.
"I forgot you were such a happy morning person, like mom."
"It's the best time of the day," Nicole laughed.
"The birds are singing in the trees. The sun is rising in the sky. The day is fresh and new and we can start over again."
Evette made gagging noises.
"Ok, I get it. You're in an exceptionally, nauseating good mood. Please share your excitement with me."
"I've decided to start my own business."
"Ok," Nicole said, desperately fighting the sleep that was threatening to overwhelm her at any minute. It was much too early in the morning for her. She tried to force some enthusiasm into her voice.
"Fill me in on the details."
Nicole cleared her throat for dramatic effect.
"I've decided to start my own business," she repeated.
"It’s an excellent idea. Congratulations. Well done," Evette said sarcastically. "You couldn't have waited 'til a more civilised time of day to share your news with me?"
She snuggled further under the duvet.
"Sorry Ev. I was excited to tell you. I've been awake half the night thinking about it and putting my ideas together." Nicole looked crestfallen by her sister's reaction. She shuffled her papers together.
"It does sound like a good plan." Evette resurfaced reluctantly from her cosy, warm cocoon.
"You're so organised and efficient by nature, that I'm sure whatever you turn your hand to will turn out to be an absolute success. What exactly is your business idea anyway?"
Nicole's face brightened immediately at her sister's interest.
"I want to start my own wedding planning business and I want you to be my business partner."
Evette shot bolt upright in her bed.
"You want to start a wedding planning business after everything that you've been through? Why on earth would you want to plan other people's weddings?"
"Why shouldn’t I?" Nicole retorted sharply. "I loved planning my own wedding and I've made lots of contacts in the area. Did you know that the wedding industry is worth an estimated seventy million dollars a year?!"
"I did not know that," Evette admitted. Her interest was piqued.
"You know how organised and thorough I am. I think it's an inspired idea. Now that I'm free and single again I thought it would be a good idea to set up my own wedding planning agency. Why not? I've gained a lot of knowledge from planning my own wedding. I've saved many ideas and I've made lots of contacts in the industry already. I love the idea of organising two people's dream wedding.
It would almost be cathartic in a way; just because my own dream wedding didn't work out, doesn't mean that I can't make other people happy. I know I would be a brilliant wedding planner. Every last minute detail would be perfect. I think it might even help to heal my own heart a little."
Nicole's face was alive with her new plans. It was the happiest that Evette had seen her in a very long time. She'd fallen into a deep despair after her last encounter with Paul and this was the first time that Evette had seen her sister smiling in weeks. She groaned inwardly as she forced a smile on her own face.
"Jack is a whizz on the computer," Evette said. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind building a website for us and Ben is a marketing guru. He could give us lots of tips on how to market and sell the website and our service. He won a trip to Paris last year after he led a campaign for his company that won them a very lucrative contract with a top clothing brand."
"Wow! Did he really?" Nicole clapped her hands in delight. "This gets better and better."
Nicole produced a notebook which was full of designs and drawings for the website.
"When did you start this?" Evette asked as she flipped through her sister's notes.
There were pages and pages filled with detailed lists and drawings.
"I saved the notebook with my own wedding plans and I've added more thoughts overnight. I've had the idea for a few days but I stayed up most of the night last night drawing and planning. I really want to move on with my life and I think that this is the way forward." "What about your journalism career?" Evette asked, glancing up from her sister's detailed notes for a moment. Nicole sighed.
"I like journalism. I enjoyed it to an extent, but it's not my passion," she said.
"Sarah and I had a conversation in the pub a few weeks ago and she really inspired me. She said that I need to let loose, start enjoying my life, that I need to find my passion. She was right. I've been living most of my life on auto pilot; always doing the right thing, being the perfect girlfriend, planning everything in the minutest detail. Well, my obsessive plans and doing the so-called right thing ruined my life. I've decided to pursue the unconventional. I have some savings set aside and I want to open my own business. I know I'd love it and I want you to be my business partner."
Evette hesitated. "I'm not nearly as organised as you, Nicole. What could I possibly bring to your business?"
"You would be a perfect balance to my obsessive nature," Nicole said quickly. "You are artistic and easygoing. You're in touch with yourself and your emotions. You'll be amazing and I want you to be on board with me. Say you'll do it."
Evette smiled and stuck out her hand. "It's a deal, sis."
"You are going to love me forever!" Evette burst into the bathroom, where her sister was trying to enjoy a relaxing bath.
"Do you mind?!" Nicole exclaimed. "Is knocking a completely alien concept to you?"
"Relax, sis, it's nothing that I haven't seen before. You'll never guess what I've just done."
Nicole's annoyance evaporated at her sister's infectious good humour and she couldn't help laughing as she watched her happy-dancing in the middle of the bathroom.
"Go on, guess," Evette insisted.
"You've won the lottery," Nicole guessed in a deadpan voice.
"Almost, actually, it's a possibility, but it's not strictly correct. Guess again."
"You've finally convinced George Clooney to go out on a date with you," Nicole tried again.
"No, but I might bump into him soon and who knows, he may fall for my sweet Irish charms. Guess again."
"No, Ev, just tell me, please!"
"Ok. We're going to Las Vegas baby!"
"What? We're going to Las Vegas? How's that possible? I'm broke and I know you're broke too."
"It's my little secret," Evette smiled covertly.
"You have to tell me or else I'm going to worry that you've gotten a bank loan or something equally irresponsible."
"Fine, I'll tell you. You and Paul have a joint credit card, right?"
"Right," Nicole replied slowly. She was beginning to dread what her sister might say next.
"Well, I correctly assumed the honeymoon was booked on that card."
"Ok."
"I remember you said that it was some very expensive and exclusive resort in Mauritius."
"Yes, our honeymoon was booked at the Heritage Awali Mauritius five star gold and spa resort, to be precise," Nicole interjected. "The travel agent told me that it was a honeymoon paradise. We were going to stay for twelve nights for the all-inclusive price of two thousand two hundred euro. It was going to be a holiday of a life-time and now all I have to show for it is a huge dent in my credit card, well, half a huge dent. Paul will have to pay half too."
"No, Nicole, that's where you're wrong," Evette continued mysteriously.
"You'll have a lot more to show for it than a dent. Don't ask me to fill you in on the details, but thanks to my superb snooping and research skills, I managed to convince your travel agent to exchange your honeymoon for a trip to Las Vegas!"
"How the hell did you convince them to do that?" Nicole asked incredulously.
"I lied and said that your fiance had died, so you had to cancel the honeymoon."
"Evie! You are incorrigible!" Nicole shrieked. "You said Paul was dead! I can't believe you lied about something so serious? You've probably jinxed him now."
"Jinxed, shminxed," Evette laughed.
"What if something horrendous happens to him? It'll be our fault!"
"Oh, get over it, Nicole. Let's not forget how badly he has treated you. A bit of pain and suffering wouldn't do him any harm if you ask me. Anyway, forget about Paul. Everything's booked. Hurry up and pack. Our flight leaves at midnight."
"It's eight o' clock now. How will we get to the airport on time?"
"Leave it with me, sis. Everything's under control. Ben is picking us up at half past nine to drive us to the airport. Las Vegas here we come!"
**~~**
"This is like a different world," Nicole gasped. She peered out the window as their plane was coming in to land.
"I know, it's amazing," Evette smiled smug, as if she had personally created the whole landscape.
One minute all they could see was desert, the next, their window was filled with brilliant views of neon lights, skyscrapers and lines of traffic.
"It looks like an island that's floating in the sand," Nicole breathed in awe. "It's completely crazy!"
"That's what we've come for, sis; the craziness. If we can't party in Vegas, then where can we party?"
"I wonder if it's going to be anything like the movie, "The Hangover". It was about a wild stag trip to Las Vegas."
"Some of my friends have been here before and they said that it's all about the clubs and nights out, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that these nightclubs are on a completely different scale to the clubs that we know back home. I read on the internet that some of them can accommodate thousands of people and are ten times bigger than the clubs in Ireland."
"There's no comparison really." Nicole was beginning to look a little nervous.
"Where are we staying?" Nicole asked her sister, as they made their way through customs and passport control.
"We're staying at The Hard Rock Hotel," Evette replied, struggling to push her overloaded suitcase in front of her.
"Is that part of the Hard Rock Cafe chain?"
"It sure is."
"I wonder if we'll meet any famous people?"
"Hopefully we will. I read that Snoop Dogg, Paris Hilton and Lauren Conrad from The Hills have all been seen there. Lady Gaga made her first Las Vegas appearance at The Hard Rock."
They hailed a cab which took them to their hotel.
"This place is huge," Nicole seemed totally awe-struck as they entered the hotel foyer.
"Yes it's totally awesome," Evette agreed. "It's the perfect place to lose ourselves for a few days. We can eat, drink and party as much as we want without having to worry about bumping into anyone we know from home. Las Vegas was the least romantic place that I could think to take you on holiday, but also the most fun."
"I'm sure we'll have a fantastic time, in fact I know it will be outstanding. I can feel the party atmosphere already."