The Wedding Day (14 page)

However, that had changed hugely. Paul had become the centre of his own universe and he expected her to revolve around him and his needs.

The more successful and important he became in his career, the less time he had for her. He hardly listened to her anymore and his eyes would glaze over when she talked about her day.

She wondered if he was capable of changing, of going back to the old Paul, with whom she'd first fallen so madly in love. She didn't know, but she did know that she was willing to give him another chance.

She walked slowly to The Bistro. The closer she got to the restaurant, the more nervous she became. She forced herself to keep walking.

The city was crowded with office workers and students on their lunch break. It was a relief to have the company and anonymity of the crowd all around her.

Damn boots
, she swore under her breath as her stiletto heels began to pinch her toes.

She tried not to hobble as she slowed her pace.

"Need any help?" an amused voice behind her made her jump.

It was Paul.

"Hi," she grinned sheepishly.

"I'm ok. These boots are a little too tight."

"They're very sexy," Paul said appreciatively.

She squirmed at his compliment. It didn't feel right to have him talk to her like that anymore. It was too familiar.

"Thanks," she replied stiffly.

He noticed her awkwardness and shoved his hands in his coat pockets. They walked the rest of the way in silence to the restaurant.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to The Bistro."

A very pretty, young waitress greeted them as they entered the restaurant. She had long, platinum blonde hair tied back in a sleek ponytail. She wore a tight black tee-shirt and short black skirt. The uniform, although plain, still managed to accentuate her stunning figure.

Nicole stole a side-long glance at Paul to see how he would react to her, but he barely seemed to notice the girl.

The place was very busy with the regular lunch-time crowd but Paul had had the foresight to make a reservation.

"I've booked a table by the window, for two please, under the name of Schofield," he said matter-of-factly. Their waitress checked the restaurant log and quickly ticked their name off her list.

"Follow me."

She led the way to their table and handed them their menus.

"My name is Pippa," she smiled brightly at them. "I'll be back in moment to take your order."

Nicole was grateful for the distraction of the menu. She buried her head in it and studied the lunch-time specials. The silence that descended upon them was palpable and was only broken by Pippa's return.

"Are you ready to place your order?"

She looked at them expectantly, with her pen poised over her notebook.

"Yes," Nicole replied immediately.

"I'll have the garlic breaded mushrooms, followed by the Caesar salad and a portion of onion rings, please." She was trying to send Paul a message that there wouldn't be anything romantic happening anytime soon, if ever, between them.

"I'll have the same," Paul grinned at her.

Nicole couldn't help returning his smile. He knew her so well.

"What about drinks? Would you like to see the wine menu?" Pippa suggested.

"I'd like a white wine please," Nicole replied.

"What about you, sir?" Pippa turned her megawatt smile on Paul.

"Would you bring us a bottle of the Pinot Grigio, please, Pippa?" he smiled politely at her.

Nicole carefully studied their exchange.

It irritated her that Paul always felt the need to address everyone by their name. She knew it was a habit he'd had ever since she'd met him, but it bothered her to hear him use Pippa's name.

She tried to shake off her feelings of annoyance. She'd promised herself that she'd give their relationship a fair chance and she was determined to keep that promise.

Paul cleared his throat, a habit he had when he was nervous. Nicole wracked her brain for something to say, but she couldn't think of anything. She was grateful for the background murmur of the other clientele. Paul smiled nervously at her.

"How are your feet?" he asked.

"They're much better now, thank you," she answered quickly.

"It's a relief to be sitting down."

She forced herself to smile.

"The price we pay for fashion."

"Yes, indeed."

Nicole glanced out the window at the pretty view outside. The restaurant overlooked a canal and there was a boat moored at the water's edge. Paul followed her gaze.

"Lovely, isn't it?"

"I've always dreamed of living on a canal boat and cruising around the waterways."

"Have you really?"

He seemed surprised at her revelation.

"You never shared that with me before."

"Would you like to try the wine, sir?" Pippa reappeared suddenly, interrupting their pleasantries.

Nicole just about managed to repress a sigh of relief when she saw her.

The tension between them was palpable and Pippa's presence was a welcome diversion.

Paul did the honours with the wine and Pippa filled their glasses. Nicole took a long sip of her wine and waited for the alcohol to calm her nerves.

"You chose well."

"Thanks." Paul seemed pleased with her compliment.

The rest of the meal passed uneventfully. They continued their small talk and the tension between them began to slowly dissipate. The wine was probably helping them to relax too. They'd almost finished their second bottle by the end of the meal.

"Thank you for lunch," Nicole said, as she and Paul struggled into their coats and made their way back outside to the bracingly cold air.

The temperature had dropped quite dramatically in the past week.

"You're welcome. Thank you for meeting me," he responded.

Nicole couldn't help giggling suddenly. Paul blushed slightly.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry. It must be the combination of the wine and the fresh air," she tried to explain through her giggles. "We're being so formal with each other. It'd odd to me."

"Tell me about it."

Paul ran his hands through his hair.

"Thanks again."

She wasn't too sure if she should shake his hand or kiss him on the cheek or simply walk away.

"Would you like to go for a walk?" he suggested."Maybe you have other plans."

"Um, a walk would be lovely."

"Let's walk by the canal and we can investigate that boat you were drooling over at lunch."

"I wasn’t drooling."

They walked in silence down the few steps from the restaurant to the canal.

"I miss you," Paul said, suddenly breaking the silence between them.

"I miss you too," Nicole responded quickly.

She meant it. She missed seeing him every day. She missed his hugs and his kisses and just being part of a couple. It was lonely not having anybody with whom she could share her life. Evette had been wonderful and very supportive, but she had her own life and goals. Nicole missed the easy companionship that she and Paul had shared when their relationship was going well.

"You missed me?"

He seemed surprised by her admission.

"Yes," she replied simply. "Let's grab a coffee. I'm freezing!"

They got two coffees to takeaway and continued their walk along the canal.

"I'm so happy that you're willing to give us another chance," Paul said.

Nicole turned and looked directly into his eyes for the first time that afternoon.

"I want to try to make us work," she admitted, "but I don't know how to go about rebuilding our relationship. Where do we start?"

"Well, I've been thinking. Actually, I've been doing some research online and I think we should see a relationship counsellor."

"Maybe," Nicole replied. "It might be a good idea."

"Are you sure? I don't want to put any pressure on you."

"I'm not sure about anything, Paul, but I'm willing to try. Counselling might help. I know we have a lot to talk about but I don't know where to begin. It might be helpful to have a professional guide us through a structured process."

Paul's face lit up.

"That’s exactly what I was thinking."

"Anyway, I should go. Thank you again for lunch. Call me."

She kissed him on the cheek and walked quickly away.

She willed herself not to look behind, even though every impulse in her body was screaming at her to turn around. At the last minute, she glanced over her shoulder, and just as she thought and hoped, Paul was staring after her. She waved at him and he blew her a kiss.

"I think I'm in love," Nicole sighed and stared dreamily at her computer screen.

"Pardon?"

Evette swung around from her desk at the other side of their "office", in other words, the dining room.

"I was thinking you seemed a bit distracted recently, but I assumed that your head was full of business plans."

"It's William," Nicole explained.

"William?" Evette pulled her chair next to her sister.

"William Kennedy. Remember, I'm planning his surprise wedding for his girlfriend. He wants to arrange the wedding for New Year's Eve. Then he's taking her on honeymoon to Niagara Falls and afterwards they're going to Norway to see the Aurora Borealis. He's just asked me to book the hotels and flights."

"Wow," Evette breathed. "It sounds completely magical and very romantic."

"I know. I've always wanted to see Niagara Falls and the Aurora Borealis is on my bucket list."

Evette glanced at her curiously but Nicole didn't notice.

"Which hotels have you chosen for them? Let's have an online tour."

Nicole pulled up the reservations with a few clicks on her computer.

"This is the Sheraton Fallsview Hotel," she said. "It's the closest hotel to Niagara Falls."

She sounded like an experienced tour guide.

"The views are breath-taking!" Evette gasped in awe.

"I've never seen anything like it. Imagine staying there. I'd never leave my room and I'd be glued to the window the entire time just staring at the falls."

Nicole laughed at her sister's excitement.

"Trust me. You'd definitely want to leave your room. There are helicopter tours over the falls. Apparently, it's the best way to see the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls."

"This just gets better and better."

"Oh my goodness, there's a Niagara wine tour! I'd certainly be signing up for that."

"You are incorrigible," Nicole slapped her sister's arm playfully.

"What's the Aurora Borealis?" Evette asked.

Nicole stared at her in pretend shock.

"You've never heard of the Northern Lights?"

"Of course I've heard of the Northern Lights! Why didn't you just call them that to begin with?"

"Anyway, William and his bride will be staying in the Norwegian town of Tromso, which was once known as the "Paris of the North." They'll be staying at the Radisson Tromso Hotel which is located by the quayside, ideally situated close to all the attractions. The hotel rooms have spectacular views of the Straits of Tromso and the Arctic Cathedral. I've booked them a snow-mobile safari which goes to Lake Tamok. Then they'll spend an afternoon reindeer-sledding and learning about the Sami culture."

"I want to marry William," Evette sighed. "He's so romantic. It's going to be the holiday of a lifetime. She's a very lucky lady and she gets all the fun of the wedding and none of the stress. Well, you're getting most of the stress."

"I'm enjoying it, to be perfectly honest with you," Nicole smiled. "It's fun planning someone else's wedding and William is the best client. Whenever I suggest something he rarely disagrees with me. It's like I'm planning my own wedding but with someone else paying for it."

"When are we meeting the elusive William?" Evette asked.

"He has work commitments until the day before the wedding, so we're not meeting until then."

"He must be a very trusting person," Evette mused.

"Well, lucky for him that I'm so trustworthy."

Nicole's mobile phone bleeped suddenly but she chose to ignore it.

"Who's that?" Evette asked inquisitively.

"I don't know. I'll have a look in a while. It's probably an email or a Twitter alert," Nicole answered nonchalantly.

"Ok." Evette wandered back to her own computer and started typing again.

"Would you like a coffee?" Nicole offered.

"Yes, that would be great, thanks sis. I could do with a caffeine fix."

Nicole grabbed her mobile phone and headed into the kitchen. She filled the kettle and poured instant coffee into their mugs. Then she peered around the corner to make sure that her sister was still busy and that she wouldn't be disturbed, before finally reading her message. It was from Paul.

He was confirming that he'd booked the relationship counsellor for the following Friday at four o' clock. He asked that she contact him if he couldn't make it so that he could rearrange their appointment. She quickly checked her diary and texted Paul to confirm her attendance.

Then she took a few deep breaths and got back to planning William's dream wedding.

"Where are you going looking so glamorous?" Evette eyed her sister up and down suspiciously.

"I'm meeting Ben and Sarah for a few drinks this evening. Is it too much?"

Nicole stared at herself in the mirror for the millionth time that evening.

She'd painstakingly applied fake tan to her face and body the previous night before bed and now her bare legs and arms had a lovely, golden glow.

She wore a black, sparkly mini dress and black stiletto shoes. A few silver bangles glittered on her wrists and she was wearing the chandelier earrings that her parents had given her for her birthday.

It felt good to make an effort, more for herself than for anyone else. She hadn't had an opportunity to get dressed up for ages and she was looking forward to going out on the town with her new friends.