The Chocolate Lovers’ Wedding Read online

  ‘Is it horribly expensive?’ I ask.

  The wedding organiser tells us and it seems quite reasonable too, compared to other places I’ve considered. But it’s still worryingly high for our meagre budget.

  ‘I’ve had a cancellation for June in the Belvedere,’ Yvette says. ‘You need to make your minds up quickly though, as I’m seeing another couple who are interested tomorrow morning.’

  Oh, I couldn’t bear it if this went to someone else. I know that it’s not all about the venue. It’s what comes afterwards that’s important – and I don’t even mean the cake. But this is perfect and I want our special day to be wonderful. I’m doing this once and I want to get it right.

  Then Yvette gives us her card, wishes us well and leaves us to think on it.

  When she’s gone, Crush and I stand looking at the area for a few minutes longer.

  ‘You like it?’ he says.

  ‘I do.’

  ‘That comes later,’ he teases.

  I slip into the comfort of his arms.

  ‘It’s beautiful. I could just imagine us getting married here. Can we really afford it, though?’

  ‘Just about.’

  ‘If we have a picnic afterwards, that will really keep the costs down.’

  ‘Are you sure you don’t want a sit-down meal in a hotel?’

  I shake my head. ‘This will be different. Fun. We can make up some hampers, sit on picnic blankets. Get someone to play a guitar or something.’

  ‘It sounds lovely,’ he agrees. ‘But what if it rains?’

  ‘There’s some shelter here,’ I point out. ‘Besides, it won’t rain on our wedding day. Even the clouds will be happy for us.’

  ‘I would opt for telling our guests to bring umbrellas.’ He grins and then kisses me deeply. ‘You are the eternal optimist. That’s why I love you.’

  ‘There’s just one little thing I need to talk to you about.’ Crush frowns at me. ‘Should I be worried?’

  ‘A bit,’ I concede.

  ‘I thought everything was going too well.’ He stifles a sigh. ‘You haven’t accidentally photographed yourself naked with any strangers recently?’

  He’s never going to let me forget that. In my defence, I was wearing some underwear and I was only trying to help Nadia get rid of her sleazy brother-in-law by posing for incriminating photographs with him. Perfect plan. Slightly backfired. Never meant for Crush to see them on the computer. Obvs. But he did.

  ‘You haven’t swallowed any diamond rings, either?’

  That too was a low point in our relationship and not entirely unrelated to the first one. It’s fair to say that Crush’s first proposal to me didn’t go all that smoothly. I ate the ring that was hidden in a chocolate. What was he thinking? Of course I was going to eat the chocolate! Still, they were very nice in Accident and Emergency. Maybe I should invite the nurse to the wedding?

  ‘You haven’t broken the company you’re working for? Yet.’

  ‘Ah,’ I say, in as enigmatic a way as I can muster. ‘Maybe we need coffee and cake.’

  ‘Oh, Lucy,’ he says with resignation and I lead him down towards the café, while I think exactly how I’m going to word this.

  We sit opposite each other on the terrace even though the sun has more or less given up the ghost. When I’ve plied him with a frothy cappuccino and a slice of paradise cake and he’s looking reasonably content, I pull my coat tightly around me and begin. ‘It wasn’t really my fault . . . ’

  He laughs, but it sounds a bit forced. ‘It never is, Gorgeous.’

  I met Crush when he was my boss at Targa, so he is well aware of my deficiencies in the workforce department. ‘I’m not cut out to be in an office.’

  ‘Many businesses across London have discovered that to their detriment.’

  I flick froth at him, but I can’t actually argue my case. I am not a born employee.

  He reaches out and takes my hands. ‘I know you’re missing Chocolate Heaven.’

  My mouth goes dry with anxiety. ‘I wanted to talk to you about that, too.’

  Crush’s face darkens and he shakes his head. ‘Please don’t tell me Marcus is behind this.’

  ‘Er . . . only slightly.’ Let’s face facts, it was only a matter of time before I got the bullet. One misdemeanour or another would have had me out of the door before long. Marcus just expedited it.

  ‘I hoped we’d seen the back of him. It’s been months now, Lucy, and you can’t say that our life hasn’t been a lot quieter without him in it.’

  ‘I know.’ Can’t argue with that. But here he is again. The bad penny. ‘He came to see me at lunchtime today,’ I confess. ‘He asked me to go back to Chocolate Heaven.’

  ‘And you, of course, told him no.’

  ‘I did . . . ’

  ‘Now you’re having second thoughts.’

  ‘I was good at running Chocolate Heaven. It’s the only thing I’ve ever done well in my life. His current manager is rubbish.’

  Crush looks unconvinced.

  ‘Completely unsuitable,’ I reiterate. ‘He offered me the chance to work there again.’

  ‘It would cost you dearly, Lucy,’ Crush points out. ‘Marcus would be right there in the middle of our relationship again. Exactly where he wants to be.’

  ‘I think he’s changed.’

  Crush guffaws at that. As well he might. Marcus will never change. Even I know that and I am blind when it comes to Marcus.

  ‘Shouldn’t I consider it? We’re getting married. Weddings are expensive – even on a budget. How can we go ahead with our plans if I’m not working?’

  ‘We’ll manage,’ Crush says tightly.

  ‘We could postpone it,’ I offer. Even though it’s the last thing I want. ‘Get married later in the year.’

  ‘No,’ he insists. ‘We should book it now. We’ll find the money. Call your temp agency tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll find something.’ He looks at me earnestly. ‘I know that you once loved Marcus . . . ’

  ‘But not anymore.’

  ‘I know that you love Chocolate Heaven, too. I also know that you feel cut loose without it, but there are other jobs. Jobs that don’t involve you being under Marcus’s thumb again. You can’t do it, Lucy.’

  ‘I know.’ I know that in my head. I do. But my heart is telling a very different story.

  Chapter Five

  Chantal opened the post. Before she slit the large brown manila envelope she knew what was in it, but she still had to steady herself against the kitchen counter. So that was it. The first batch of divorce papers had come through from Ted. Suddenly, it felt more real.

  The speed of it all was quite shocking. They’d paid some fancy lawyer a lot of money to fast-track the process and they were carving up their assets with alarming alacrity. Yet why not do this as quickly as possible? The only thing that bound them together now was their daughter, Lana. For her sake, they would have to maintain a civilised relationship and, if she was honest, she might have fallen out of love with Ted but had never really reached the point of disliking him. There was still affection there between them and they should, if at all possible, hang on to that. If they tried hard, it should be feasible to keep things amicable. It didn’t seem to happen often once lawyers and custody issues became involved, but they were trying to pick their way through it carefully. She wasn’t yet sure if it helped or hindered their relationship that he was now several thousand miles away in New York.

  He’d moved there to start a new job and a new life with his lover and her former friend, Stacey, and their daughter, Elsie. Theirs had been a very complicated setup. Ted had fathered Elsie when he and Chantal had been briefly separated and she’d done her best to assimilate the little girl into their family. Perhaps she’d done too much. She’d befriended Stacey, too, and it seemed that while they were friends, the woman had continued her affair with Ted behind her back when they’d both insisted it was over.

  In some ways she still missed Stacey, as they were so similar in
many ways. Elsie was adorable too. The girls were half-sisters and she’d wanted them to grow up together, have fun together, enjoy a stable family together. She realised now that was probably pie in the sky. Occasionally she spoke to Stacey when she called Ted for something to do with Lana or, more usually, the divorce proceedings. When Stacey picked up the phone instead of her ex-husband they were always pleasant with each other, but the warmth and closeness they’d once shared had all but gone. She wondered how Stacey was really settling in New York. On the phone she told Chantal that she enjoyed it, but the truth of the matter was that she probably hardly ever saw Ted and was on her own in a strange and busy city with a small baby. That was never going to be a bed of roses.

  Still, that was Stacey’s problem now. She’d chosen that situation and there was too much distance between them – emotionally and physically – for Chantal to be able to help her as she’d once tried. She couldn’t quite forgive her – not so much for taking Ted, but for not being straight with her about her feelings for him. It was clear that Stacey also felt guilty about the situation and kept her at arm’s length. Because of it, Stacey would be very much alone.

  Turning to Lana in her high chair, Chantal said, ‘Hey, baby girl. What have you done there? Have you given yourself a new hairdo?’

  Lana had been left to her own devices with a small pot of yoghurt for a few minutes, but it was amazing to see just how much it had contained. She’d barely taken her eyes off her child to read the decree nisi, but now most of the yoghurt was in Lana’s hair, which stood up in clumps. It was also in her ears, up her nose and all over the highchair. She gently took the spoon from her daughter’s chubby fingers before she could do any more damage. Her daughter grinned at her proudly, clearly pleased with her efforts.

  ‘What are we going to do about that, missy?’ Thankfully, it wasn’t very long until her bathtime.

  It was tough bringing up a baby alone. Luckily, she and Ted had been well-placed financially, so that was one less thing to worry about. They were in the process of selling the properties they owned and Ted had been very fair in their settlement. It wasn’t often that she heard that from friends. Usually there was a terrible embittered battle over money, but Ted hadn’t indulged in that. Perhaps it was guilt that was motivating him. He had, after all, not just left Chantal but had essentially put his career ahead of seeing his daughter.

  Looking at her baby contentedly gurgling and talking nonsense to herself, Chantal wondered whether there’d come a day when Lana would be unhappy about the situation her parents had left her in, due to their inability to get along. All she wanted was for her child to be happy.

  Soon, she’d look for a job, but the settlement and a general downsizing in lifestyle meant that she had enough money for it not to be a pressing issue. She’d take her time, enjoy Lana and find something she’d like to do that could work round her daughter. The world of magazines might be too demanding. She’d had to travel a lot with her last job and there was no way she wanted to do that now. Maybe something online would be the answer. Perhaps Autumn’s partner, Miles, who was a website wizard, could give her some ideas.

  Plus, at the moment, she seemed to be so tired all the time, and though she’d been trying to lose a few pounds, the weight seemed to be dropping off her. Not that she was complaining about that, but perhaps she needed some vitamins or a herbal tonic to give her a boost. It had been niggling her for a few weeks now.

  Jacob came into the room. His hair was still damp from the shower and her stomach flipped. He was a beautiful man from head to toe, inside and out.

  ‘Feel better?’

  He nodded. ‘It’s nice to wash the day away.’ She handed him a glass of wine and he sipped it gratefully. ‘Just what the doctor ordered.’ Then he twined his arm round her waist and nuzzled her neck. It always felt so good to be held by him. Lana and Jacob gave the best cuddles. ‘Speaking of which. How are you feeling today?’

  ‘Still a bit tired,’ she admitted. ‘I managed to have a nap this afternoon when Lana did.’ It wasn’t often she managed synchronised sleeping with her daughter, but recently she’d become so fatigued that she’d tried to catnap when Lana did, rather than trying to race round to achieve something useful in her day. Achieving something useful, she hoped, would come later. ‘I feel a bit better now.’

  ‘Did you call the doctor?’

  ‘I don’t think it’s anything to bother the GP with. I expect all mums with young babies are permanently exhausted.’

  ‘I’d be happier if you made an appointment. You don’t seem yourself at the moment.’ Jacob frowned with concern. ‘Maybe the stresses and strains of life have piled up a bit. Don’t they say that divorce is one of the most stressful life events?’

  ‘Moving house is up there too and we’ll be doing that soon,’ she said.

  When the family home was sold, she and Jacob were going to move in together. She’d bought a small terraced house in a nice, quiet mews street not far from where she currently lived. This part of north London was nice and trendy with lots going on – not that she availed herself of it now that she had Lana, but it was still good to know that it was close to hand. She sometimes wondered whether Jacob minded being thrust into the full flow of parenthood, but he didn’t seem to. He’d made a fantastic surrogate father to Lana, who was too young to have noticed the transition from Ted to another man; that in itself was so sad.

  They’d got together at Christmas when she’d rented a huge farmhouse in the Lake District for everyone to stay in. It had taken some organising, but all the members of the Chocolate Lovers’ Club had come along. The cottage had been fabulous and they’d all enjoyed the snow, the roaring fires and spending a relaxing time together. After she and Ted had broken up, Nadia had invited Jacob to come along too as a surprise. The truth was that she’d loved Jacob for a long time, which had never helped her marriage. Now it was their chance to be together.

  Despite the pain of the looming divorce, Christmas had been a great success. If anything, it had helped her to fall in love more deeply with Jacob. All their previous time together had been snatched moments. In the seclusion of the cottage, they’d been able to spend time together as a couple.

  ‘I’ll start dinner,’ Chantal said.

  ‘I’m famished. Lunch was a quick espresso.’ Jacob’s event-planning business was keeping him very busy. He was quite often out a couple of evenings in the week and at the weekends, though he did his best to delegate those.

  ‘I have no idea what’s lurking in the depths of the fridge, but I’m hoping there’s something edible.’ As she turned away, she felt a sharp pain, high on her chest, that took her breath away.

  ‘Are you sure you’re OK?’

  ‘Just a twinge,’ she said, rubbing the area. ‘Lana’s getting very heavy to lift now. Perhaps I’ve pulled a muscle. I’m sure it’s something and nothing.’

  ‘Promise me that you’ll phone the doctor tomorrow.’

  ‘It’s impossible to get an appointment. You have to be on the phone from eight o’clock in the morning and sit in a holding queue of a dozen people. I’ll either be cured or dead by the time I get through.’

  ‘Try. Promise me.’

  ‘I will.’ She had no intention of doing so, but when the pain seared through her again, she thought that Jacob might have a point.

  Chapter Six

  Autumn held Flo’s tiny hand as they all came out of the cinema, both of them blinking as they hit bright daylight. Miles’s young daughter was happily singing the typically annoying theme tune to the movie. In the months that she’d been with Miles she’d become used to seeing more films featuring princesses than the usual rom-coms or soulful art-house films that she loved. But it was a small price to pay to be with a man who was as kind and loving as Miles Stratford.

  She felt as if she’d been looking for someone like Miles all her life. He loved her in the way she had always hoped existed. Their relationship was quiet, caring. There was no walking on eggshells, no
histrionics, no rollercoaster of highs and lows. They simply got along well, shared the same values, had similar interests. And if that all sounded a bit boring, there was passion – rather a lot of it – in all the right places. Autumn smiled to herself.

  ‘What are you grinning at?’ Miles asked.

  She threaded her arm through his. ‘I’m just thinking that I’m very lucky.’ ‘And here’s me thinking that you were happy that the fairy princess found her true love – even though it was an ogre.’ ‘That too,’ she conceded.

  They headed to the nearest restaurant for an early meal. It

  was a cheerful, fast-food type of place, but they gave Flo a rainbow range of crayons and a sheet of cartoons to colour in which kept her happy. Plus she’d get a balloon to go home with – no greater treat when you’re nearly four.

  When they were seated in their booth by the window, Autumn watched how Miles helped his daughter with her colourful creation.

  ‘The dog needs to be pink, Daddy,’ Flo insisted. ‘Pink is an excellent colour for dogs,’ Miles agreed, amiably. ‘You don’t see nearly enough of them.’ He winked at Autumn while Flo scribbled furiously, tongue out in concentration. She was a lovely little girl and looked just like her dad. She had his hazel eyes, his wiry chestnut-brown hair, his full mouth, the same smattering of freckles over the bridge of his nose. Two peas in a pod. Autumn had fallen as much in love with the child as she had with her dad.

  It was lovely to see how much Miles adored Flo – she was his life. Autumn knew that it was difficult for him to be a part-time dad, but he did a really great job. Miles was the first man she’d had a relationship with who she thought was excellent father material. He was a natural parent and, one day, she’d love to have children with him. As always, it made her think of her own daughter and how much she’d missed out on.

  Autumn had been forced by her parents to put her baby girl, Willow, up for adoption when she found she was pregnant at fourteen. It had been the worst moment of her life and there wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t regret her compliance. Recently, she’d started to come to terms with it and had begun to reach out to her daughter through sites that aimed to reunite separated families.