‘Hmm, pity,’ she said, frowning for a moment before her brow cleared and a gleam of hope flickered in her eyes. ‘But you’re here. With Dan. And that’s a definite improvement.’
‘Please don’t get your hopes up,’ said Zoe, injecting a hint of firmness into her voice as much for her benefit as Dan’s mother, ‘because I’m really not sure it means anything.’
The gleam flickered more strongly. ‘It might mean grandchildren.’
OK, enough, thought Zoe, mentally stiffening her spine. She definitely needed to nip this in the bud because it really wasn’t fair to allow his mother to think this might be a possibility when in all likelihood it wasn’t. ‘Absolutely not.’
The older woman’s face fell and she looked so crestfallen that even though she had no reason to Zoe nevertheless felt awful.
But then she rallied and smiled, and Zoe slowly let out the breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding. ‘Oh, well, never mind,’ Mrs Forrester said airily. ‘Perhaps I’ll have better luck next time.’
Next time? Next time? For some unfathomable reason the thought of Dan with someone else had bile suddenly rising up inside her but Zoe swallowed it back because of course there’d be a next time. In the absence of any discussion about the future, she’d always assumed that once they’d had enough of each other they’d both move on. Didn’t mean she had to like it, though, did it? ‘I do hope so,’ she said, just about resisting the urge to grind her teeth.
Catherine Forrester glanced around at the rapidly filling church and straightened. ‘Well, I’d better go and sit down. It’s been delightful to meet you anyway.’
And with that she patted Zoe’s hand, and was off.
* * *
By the time Dan had managed to shake off Beth, the chief bridesmaid, with the vague promise of a dance later, and had tied up a few last-minute best-man duties everyone had decamped to the marquee for the reception. With the sheer number of guests it was quite a while before he found Zoe, but eventually he spotted her on her own studying the table plan.
When he’d spied her in the church, once he’d recovered from the oddly intense wave of relief that she was actually there given her original reluctance and the whole mess he’d made of things before, all he’d been able to see was the black and pink pillbox hat perched on the side of her head and the hint of a pale pink outfit.
Now, from behind, he could see that her hair was up in a chignon thing that his fingers itched to unpin and that the hint of pale pink was a coat that flared out from her waist to her knees and made him want to find out what lay beneath it.
As he walked towards her he saw her straighten and, he thought, tense a little. When he reached her he put a hand on her neck, where it met her shoulder, felt her shiver and heard her breath hitch.
‘Hello,’ he said softly against her ear.
‘Hi.’
‘OK?’
She leaned back against him and smiled. ‘Much better now. How’s the best man?’
‘Bearing up.’
‘The groom?’
‘Besotted.’
‘And how was the chief bridesmaid?’
‘Limpet-y.’
‘Yes, she did seem almost surgically attached to you as you escorted her down the aisle. Rather beautiful, though, in a louche sexy kind of way.’
The hint of jealousy in Zoe’s voice made him want to punch the air with something like triumph, which was strange given that displays of jealousy generally brought him out in a rash.
‘Perhaps,’ he conceded, because whatever else she might be Beth was beautiful, and to deny it would only insult Zoe’s considerable intelligence. ‘But she has a laugh like a hyena and isn’t afraid to use it.’
‘How unfortunate.’
‘It’s more than unfortunate. It’s been absolute agony. My eardrums are only just recovering.’
In her three-inch heels, Zoe only had to lift herself onto her toes then angle and tilt her head and her mouth was at his ear. ‘Want me to kiss you better?’
Dan’s pulse spiked. ‘That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard in hours,’ he muttered, and unable to stand a moment of not touching her properly any longer he slid his hand down to the small of her back and guided her round the eight-foot high easel upon which sat the giant board.