Henry felt like a complete arse. He’d spent the last few days rolling his grief around an empty estate as if he was alone in that experience. As if no one could or would understand. Lily was right, it was under very different circumstances but it didn’t lessen, or take away from the loss of her own father.
He remembered the fishing accident that had taken Anthony Atwell’s life and devastated the small community of Hawke’s Cove. The vigil that had been held that morning, the sun not even broken over the horizon, as the entire town came down to the harbour, bundled against the frigid cold of the winter’s morning, with candles and a grief-stricken silence. He remembered watching the way that the people had parted, allowing Marion Atwell and her young daughter through the crowd to stand at the foot of the harbour, waiting and hoping to see who came back. The jagged sobs that had wracked Lily’s mother’s body as she’d taken one look at the captain’s face and crumpled onto the floor, while the people nearby had tried to help hold her up.
Grief, aching and hot, surfaced in his chest and horrifyingly he felt the hot press of tears against the backs of his eyes. For himself. For her.
She placed a hand on his arm, then reached for the bowls and retreated to the kitchen while he got himself under control. It was too much. Too close and he forced himself to remember why he was here.
By the time she’d returned, he’d taken a large mouthful of the not-surprisingly-delicious wine and swallowed his grief.
“So, are you up for dessert?”
“Actually, I had a proposal for you,” he interrupted, desperately attempting to get his plans back on track. To break the strange, awkward connection that seemed to be slowly forming between them. To get her on side, so that he could eventually leave. Return to New York and leave this all behind.
“Oh?” she asked, her head cocked to one side.
“Yes. Ah, it seems,” he said, trying to bluff his way through this, “that there is a tasting tour that I wasn’t able to cancel.”
“VIPs, huh?”
“Yup. That’s it. Very important.”
“And you can’t ask John because—”
“I sent him away.”
“Actually, I was going to say, because he’s in South Africa visiting family. But yeah, sent him away would just about cover it.”
“And Annabelle is—”
“Back up in Yorkshire with her friend Betty,” Lily concluded almost gleefully, as if realizing full well what this meant.
“So you’re my only hope,” he said, his tone so near begging it was almost embarrassing.
“Mmm,” she hummed, shrugging her shoulders.
“Oh, come on.”
“Really, Henry, I’d love to help. But I’m just sooooo busy.”
He bit his bottom lip. There was literally no one else who could do it. He knew it and more importantly she did too.
“OK. Out with it.”
“Out with what?” she asked, all mock innocence. It might have worked, too, if she hadn’t been practically bouncing in her seat. Her features had come alive, excitement sparkling in her eyes, and he was struck by wave after wave of beautiful glee.
“What’s it going to take?” And before she could plead any more unnecessary ignorance, he pressed on. “For you to do the wine tour.”
Once again he felt harpooned by her gaze. One that seemed to block out all else from his mind. He almost smiled at the sheer joy vibrating from her, it was oddly infectious.
“Just a teeeeny, tiny, little thing.”
“The wedding,” he concluded.
“Mm hm.”
“Lily, that’s neither teeny, tiny nor little!”
“Such a shame. I really would have loved to help with your VIP tour that’s happening…” She left it hanging in the air.
“Two days. It’s happening in two days,” he replied through gritted teeth.
“Two days. Ouch.” She grimaced, before plastering on a deeply insincere smile. “I’m sure you’ll find—”
“OK, OK, fine,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender. “The wedding for the tour.”
“Really?” This time she seemed genuinely shocked. “Really, you’ll do it? You won’t back out or change your mind?”
“No. A deal’s a deal.” He held out his hand and she grabbed for it, shaking so hard, it nearly dislodged his shoulder. “You want to jump up and down, don’t you?” He grinned.
“Nope. I’m good,” she replied, the lie obvious to his own ears. “You sure?”
“Yup.” This time she was biting her lip, the one that was trying really hard to pull into a smile from where her teeth anchored it in place.
“I’m going to go before I have to agree to anything else,” he said almost reluctantly. He was still smiling as she ushered him out of the door with promises that it would be the best wine tour ever. The bell tinkled as the door closed behind him and he looked out at the night sky above the harbour and sea beyond, taking a deep breath of cool air.
And then nearly choked on the laugh that erupted in his chest as he heard the high-pitched squeal of glee coming from within the restaurant behind him.
“You know I can hear you, right?” he called through the glass.
“Don’t care,” she called back. “Yes!! Yes, yes, yes!!”
He could see the shadowy outline fist-pumping the air behind the curtains and for the first time he could remember, he returned to the Hawkesbury estate with laughter in his heart, feeling lighter than he had done in months.
Excerpted from Meet Me at the Wedding @ 2022 by Georgia Toffolo, used with permission by Canary Street Press.
MEET ME AT THE WEDDING by Georgia Toffolo
Reuniting her “awesome foursome” of friends from Meet Me in London, bestselling celebrity author Georgia Toffolo’s charming enemies-to-lovers rom-com is an undeniably tart and sweet treat.
Lily Atwell loves living in Hawke’s Cove on the picturesque Devon coast, and planning her best friend’s wedding at the Hawkesbury estate is the icing on the cake. But when the estate’s owner dies, and his son cancels all bookings, Lily must face Henry Hawkesbury—the guy she hasn’t seen since that one fateful night ten years ago that changed her life for the worse. That changed her life forever.
Henry wants nothing more than to return to Hawke’s Cove, sell his estranged late father’s estate, and put all the history and bad memories to rest. He certainly does not want to host a wedding, or face Lily, who gets on with everyone—except him.
But when Henry needs Lily’s help to sell the property, she will provide it only on the condition that the wedding can go ahead as planned. Working together under less-than-amicable conditions means both must face their past and, in doing so, embrace their future. But can two people afraid of love acknowledge what they have always wanted?
Romance Contemporary [Canary Street Press, On Sale: July 18, 2023, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781335458179 / eISBN: 9780369736703]
Buy MEET ME AT THE WEDDING: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Play | Powell’s Books | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Love’s Sweet Arrow | Walmart.com | Target.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About Georgia Toffolo
Georgia Toffolo is a broadcaster and TV personality. She has been a firm favourite with the public right from the start of her TV debut, Made in Chelsea, all the way to winning over the hearts of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here fans by being crowned Queen of the Jungle in 2017. Georgia has been able to amalgamate the influencer world with her broadcasting career and has thus created a wonderfully loyal audience.
Georgia now regularly features on ITV’s This Morning and has dived into the world of fiction with publishing house Mills and Boon. She resides in London with her beloved Cavalier, Monty.
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM
No Comments
Comments are closed.