The Twelve Dates of Christmas (24 page)

She stepped out of the changing room and Joe beamed. ‘Look at you. You look beautiful, my love.’

‘You think?’

‘Like a Hollywood starlet. Perfect for a date. You could make any boy at the wedding weak at the knees.’ He winked.

What was he getting at? By the time Claudia had changed Joe was already holding an empty bag and the receipt.

‘There you go, love, pop it in here.’

‘Dad! You didn’t have to pay for it, really.’

‘I wanted to. It’s Christmas. So hush.’

She gave him a huge squeeze. ‘You’re just brilliant. I kind of wish I could stay and hang out with you and Christine.’

‘No, you don’t, you’ll have a great time today. And if it’s eventful, it’ll make for some funny stories around the Christmas dinner table in the future.’

There were just two topics of conversation among the guests in the ceremony room of the country hotel where Ellie and Emma were to be married. One was how lucky the happy couple were to be having such a picture-perfect winter wedding, now the sky had cleared to a bright blue and the snow was deep and Tippex white. The other was how blooming annoying pashminas were, and how at the next winter wedding everyone would opt for a cardigan.

The room had large windows that looked out over the glistening grounds. Bunches of fir cones, thistles and holly leaves decorated the ends of the rows of seats and a string quartet played Christmas classics softly in the background.

Claudia waited nervously, her heart jumping every time someone new entered the room, as edgy as the brides-to-be. Beside her was her eleventh date of Christmas, Seth, taking selfies while she wished he was someone else. Neither Nick nor Penny had arrived yet. How early in the day could she get Nick on his own and ask him exactly what that text was about? Her conflicted feelings couldn’t stop squabbling until she knew where she stood with that. And once she knew the answer she either had some serious grovelling, or serious heart-mending, to do.

The door opened and Claudia turned in her seat.

Billy?
What was he doing here?

He caught her eye and threw her a huge wave across the room. Behind him, holding his other hand, walked Penny, who looked directly at Claudia with a look of defiance, and then her jaw dropped.

Claudia was so bowled over by Billy being there with Penny that it took a moment to notice why Penny was staring at her dress.

It was because she was wearing the exact same one.

Oh, for crying out loud.

Penny composed herself and pushed Billy into a row of seats near the back. Billy kissed her on the cheek and took her hand with such affection it nearly made Claudia smile tenderly at her best friend. What a good match. But then she remembered that they currently disliked each other and were wearing the same outfit. She turned back to Seth.

‘Penny’s here.’

‘Is she?’ he said, uploading one of his photos of himself to Facebook.

‘She’s wearing my dress.’

‘Tell her to give it back.’

‘No, not
my
dress, the same dress as me.’

‘I’m not surprised; you two are always borrowing each other’s clothes. You have the same taste, so buying the same thing was bound to happen some time. What’s the problem?’

Claudia stole another glance at Penny, just as Nick walked in. She caught his eye. Last time she’d looked directly into his eyes they’d been inches from hers, in her bed.

He looked sad as his eyes shifted to Seth. Claudia’s heart ripped. That didn’t look like the face of someone who’d dodged a bullet.
Penny was right.
She didn’t know for sure, but something in his look made her question how she could have ever jumped to the conclusions she did. Had she completely misinterpreted that text? And if so, was it possible she could apologise enough? She was about to mouth ‘
We need to talk
’ when the string quartet switched to the bridal chorus.

Nick ducked into an empty seat and avoided looking at her again.

Then in walked the bridesmaids.

Seth sniggered. ‘
Now
I see the problem!’ he whispered in her ear.

Four bridesmaids, all wearing that same green dress.

Now not only did the Claudia and Penny look like everyone’s wedding nightmare, they also now looked like two spare bridesmaids who weren’t special enough to be part of the wedding party.

Claudia caught Penny’s eye and despite everything they shared a tiny moment of amusement, which fluttered her heart like breeze over a feather.

The brides stepped into the room together, dragging their eyes from each other to beam at their guests. Both dressed in off-white gowns that perfectly matched their different, but complementing, personalities.

The wedding was beautiful, funny and filled with anecdotes about the two brides that had Billy roaring with such loud laughter that Claudia had to smile.

‘Right, you lot,’ said the registrar to the guests. ‘These lovely ladies need to do the important signing-stuff part now. While that happens, the quartet are going to accompany you while you have a little sing-song.’

Muttering rippled through the room.

‘You’ll notice there are twelve rows,’ she continued. ‘And at the end of your row is a number. The numbers are all mixed up – it’s not one at the front, twelve at the back – and your number is the line of the song that your row will sing.’

‘What’s she on about?’ Seth said.

‘The song will be “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Lyrics are in your order of service. Row one, you kick us off.’

The string quartet started playing and row one, who were half way back, grudgingly stood up and mumbled, ‘
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree
…’

Claudia remembered with a flash her first date of Christmas. Way back at the Opera House. When she lost the man who was sitting next to her again now.

‘Row two!’ called the registrar.

Row two stood as row one sat. ‘
On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me two turtle doves
—’

‘
And a partridge in a pear tree!
’ sang row one, getting the gist and hopping back up in unison.

Her second date of Christmas – Starbucks. With the man at the back whom she’d since lost.

Row three contained Penny and Billy. Billy looked like he was having the time of his life, while Penny was just desperately trying to squeak out the correct notes. Claudia smothered a laugh at the exact moment Penny looked over. Her eyes narrowed.

Row four were mostly the elderly guests, who took a speedy vote to remain seated for their line. Row five really went for it with their line – the best one – and Billy couldn’t help himself so belted it out too.

Her fifth date of Christmas … Nick again. That perfect afternoon on the South Bank. The BFI, the pub, and then Penny saying she liked him.

Row six was Claudia and Seth. As Claudia started to sing she was aware of Penny doing an exaggerated snigger from behind her. She sang louder, and with as much X-factor as she could muster. ‘
Six geese-a-laying
…’

Her sixth date of Christmas: the Shard with Billy. She glanced over her shoulder at him warmly.

The rows bobbed up and down, up and down, Emma and Ellie in fits of giggles trying to focus on signing the register, and Seth getting increasingly huffy next to her. Claudia dragged him up by his jacket, her nails digging into his skin through the fabric. ‘Try harder,’ she seethed between lines.

Nick was stuck on row twelve, so only got to sing one line, and then it was all over. Sounded about right.

Would she even get a twelfth date of Christmas?

Mulled wine and cream fuzzy blankets were handed to guests as they went out for photos on the lawn. Groups of school friends and work colleagues huddled together, wrapped up warmly, while the photographer crunched about in wellies capturing the moments.

Seth was staring wide-eyed at the other guests.

‘What are you gawping at?’ asked Claudia.

‘Nothing, there are just so many ladies here.’

‘It’s a lesbian wedding; Emma and Ellie have a lot of lesbian friends.’

‘I’m going to go to lesbian weddings more often.’

Was he deliberately trying to irk her?

‘Can we get school friends of Ellie’s, please?’ called the photographer. Claudia’s heart started to race and she left Seth staring at a couple sharing a romantic kiss by the fountain. She couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact. Since Penny and Nick stood together to the right of the newlyweds, Claudia deliberately positioned herself on the other side, with a couple of men she hadn’t seen since sixth form.

The photographer snapped a picture and checked her camera. ‘No, that looks a bit crap. You in the bridesmaid’s dress,’ she said, pointing at Claudia. ‘Could you move to the other side of the handsome chap.’ She motioned to Nick.

Claudia froze, feet in the snow. ‘Now?’ she asked.

‘It’s not going to work if you wait until the next wedding.’ Claudia skulked over and stood stiffly, an arm’s length away from Nick.

‘Can you move in closer?’ asked the photographer. ‘Put your hand on his arm. Or on his chest. And handsome man, if you’re interested, I’m not a lesbian.’

‘Neither am I,’ called Nick, his mind elsewhere. Claudia saw him blushing, unable to look at her as she edged closer and pasted on a smile. But he didn’t look embarrassed. He looked hurt. She felt her armpits sweating against Nick’s suit jacket and was very angry at her nether regions for lighting up like an electric hob just because she was near him.

‘Try not to keep your eyes closed the whole time,’ she murmured to him, testing his reaction. It wasn’t what she’d been expecting.

He glanced down at her, surprised, looking directly into her eyes in a way that chilled her. He’d never looked at her so coldly before. ‘That’s the first thing you say to me? No apology?’

‘Shut up you two,’ hissed Penny.

Nick and Claudia went back to grinning at the camera. ‘I got your text,’ Claudia said quietly.

‘And I got yours. Don’t worry, message received.’

‘I mean your first text. About me. About us.’ She held her breath.

‘What are you talking about?’ He faced her again, clearly confused.

Just then an Australian accent rang out across the grounds. ‘Once a cheater, always a cheater!’ Claudia, Nick and Penny turned to see Billy and Seth having a glare-off.

‘Shit,’ muttered Claudia.

‘Thanks all,’ said the photographer. ‘Okay, the uni friends now please.’

The three of them walked as briskly as you can over snow in smart shoes. ‘Your new man seems to have a good head on his shoulders,’ Nick told Penny pointedly.

‘Billy,’ cried Claudia, reaching them first.

‘Hey Claud,’ said Billy with a big grin, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. ‘Good to see ya. Love your home town, it’s so quintessential.’

‘You know this guy?’ spat Seth.

Claudia ignored him. ‘I didn’t know you were coming today.’

‘Penny invited me. I was going to be spending Christmas with a couple of the guys from work – bit sad – but this lovely thing took me under her wing and is letting me spend Christmas with her. Isn’t she ace?’ He wrapped an arm around Penny, whose icy exterior melted a little as she relaxed against him. It was sweet.

‘She’s … something,’ Claudia agreed.

‘How you doing, Billy, isn’t it? I’m Nick,’ Nick said, reaching out to shake his hand.

‘All right, mate. Good to finally meet you. You’re looking sharp.’

‘You too. I’m quite jealous of your hair.’

Seth huffed. ‘Well this is all very cosy isn’t it. Shall I leave you all to catch up?’

‘Yes,’ chorused Billy, Penny and Nick.

Seth turned to Claudia, who was hesitating. ‘No,’ she said reluctantly. She saw Nick roll his eyes just before he turned and walked away.

‘Come on Billy,’ said Penny. ‘I’m feeling a bit of a chill here. Mind if we go inside?’

‘Sure, sweets. See you in a bit, Claud.’ The two of them left Claudia and Seth standing awkwardly far from each other.

The meal and speeches were a casual affair, thankfully, with a buffet and a lounge filled with free-for-all comfy armchairs and sofas near fireplaces. Claudia had been dreading a seating plan forcing them all together, but she ended up eating a large plate of profiteroles on her own in a corner, the hotel cat sleeping on her feet.

It had been a while since she’d seen Seth. She was aware of him staggering back and forth to the bar from time to time, but she’d kept her distance, hoping to run into Nick alone.

Well, that wasn’t going to happen if she sat in the corner like a crazy cat lady all night. She put the remainder of the profiteroles aside and plonked the grumpy mog in her place on the chair. She had to find Nick. Though it gave her an overwhelming urge to run away with a whole bottle of brandy, she had to talk to him.

Claudia smoothed down her dress and started across the room.

Emma appeared, enveloping her in a hug. ‘Thanks for coming today, hon, I love that you went all out with the colour scheme.’

Claudia laughed and took a step back to admire Emma’s dress. ‘Hey, I could have worn a wedding dress;
that
would have been awkward. You look gorgeous. Are you having an amazing day?’

‘Yes, it’s brilliant, my wife is such a drunk!’

‘Your
wife
,’ Claudia squealed.
Is that Nick in the corner?

‘I know. Claudia you have to get married really soon because then you can be the drunk wife we all laugh at. It’s making amazing photos for the new house.’

Seth sidled up, draping a heavy arm over Claudia’s shoulders and staring at her with drowsy eyes. Why couldn’t he just go away? It was her fault he was here, though. Everything was her fault.

Ellie danced over, her eyes twinkling with tipsiness. ‘I’ve taken off all my underwear! I feel so much more comfortable.’ She saw Seth. ‘Urgh, what are you doing here?’

‘Ladies, you look
beautiful
,’ Penny said to the newlyweds, appearing behind Claudia’s shoulder. She hissed into her ear, ‘We need to talk about something.’

‘I’m going to get another drink,’ sulked Seth, mooching off to the bar.