Stevie turned round and looked. ‘No, but they must be here because I can see Clare.’
My heart sank at the mention of her name. ‘Where?’
‘Opposite the bar. Talking to the guy in the red tie.’
I looked towards where he pointed. ‘Oh. That’s Chris – Sarah’s dad.’ And it was probably flirting rather than talking. I decided against saying that aloud, though, because Clare was Stevie’s friend and I wasn’t sure how much he knew about our mutual contempt for each other.
The paracetamol I’d taken hadn’t touched my headache and, with the increasing heat, I now felt even more nauseous. Hopefully Sarah would appear soon because, despite Stevie’s great company, handing over my gift and making an early exit for my bed was becoming more and more attractive by the minute.
The sound of a knife tinkling against glass silenced the crowd.
‘Good evening everyone,’ shouted Kay. ‘Thank you all for coming, especially at such short notice. I really appreciate it. Tonight is a very special evening for me. As you know, it’s my twenty-first birthday.’ She paused for laughter. ‘Okay, you’ve got me, it’s actually my sixtieth birthday today and I know you all think that’s the reason for the party tonight, but I lied to you as that’s not the main reason for inviting you all here. I’ve had some amazing birthday gifts but I wanted to share the best one of all with you. Nick…?’
Nick, looking very dapper in a dark grey suit with blue shirt and tie, stepped forward and gave Kay a hug. I looked round for Sarah and saw that she’d also appeared and was standing next to her parents. She looked gorgeous in a short, flared, peach dress with silver detailing round the waist, nude heels, and her dark curls tumbling down her back.
‘Thanks Kay,’ Nick said. ‘For those of you who don’t know me, my name’s Nick. Kay’s always believed that I’d be the perfect partner for her niece, Sarah, and I’m delighted to say that she was right. Sarah, will you join me?’ Nick held out his hand, smiling. My breath caught. Oh my goodness! Was he about to propose?
‘I’m even more delighted to say that, this afternoon, I asked Sarah to marry me. And she said yes!’
The room erupted. I leapt to my feet and turned to Stevie as I applauded the amazing news. ‘Did you know?’
He shook his head. ‘No. You?’
‘No.’ I could tell from his huge grin that he was as thrilled as me.
The cheering and applause finally died down.
‘The bar staff are making their way round the room with glasses of champagne,’ Nick said. ‘Once everyone has one, I’d like to propose a toast.’
Stevie took two glasses from a passing waitress and handed one to me.
‘How did he propose?’ shouted someone, quickly supported by several cries to tell the story.
Sarah beamed as she exchanged a few words with Nick. He nodded, then she turned to address the guests.
‘It was very romantic. Nick turned up at Seaside Blooms at lunchtime today with a picnic basket and Auntie Kay. He’d arranged for her to cover the shop while he took me down to South Bay for lunch. He told me it was to celebrate our first week of living together. There were some beach artists down there who’d drawn the words “will you marry me?” into the sand, using garlands of flowers and hearts. It looked like they were finishing things off so we stood on the prom and watched them for a while, discussing how romantic it was and wondering which of the couples on the beach it was for. They were doing something at the top of the message and it was only when they moved away that I saw that…’ Sarah’s voice cracked. ‘Sorry… I…’
Nick put his arm round her and kissed her head. ‘When they cleared the area,’ he continued, ‘we could see that they’d been writing the name Sarah. Sarah stared at it for a while then turned to find me down on bended knee with a bunch of flowers and a ring.’
Sarah wiped her eyes. ‘He’s selling himself short. It was a stunning hand-tied bouquet of white roses – our favourites – and there was an open ring box nestling among them containing the most perfect engagement ring ever. And he gave the most beautiful sp…’ Her voice cracked again.
Nick laughed and hugged Sarah to his side. ‘I think the word was speech, but I’m sure you’ll understand that I’m not going to embarrass myself by repeating it in front of an audience. I’m relieved to say that it worked and Sarah said yes.’ He looked round the room. ‘Has everyone got a glass? Then I propose a toast to Kay on her sixtieth birthday and to Sarah on our engagement. To Kay and Sarah!’
‘To Kay and Sarah!’
‘And to Nick!’ called Kay.
‘To Nick!’ shouted everyone.
‘I can’t believe he organised all of that,’ I whispered to Stevie. ‘What a romantic proposal.’
Stevie smiled. ‘It was. How did Gary propose?’
‘Nothing quite as romantic as that, but I liked it. Funnily enough, it was on South Bay too but at the other end, near the caves at Lighthouse Cove. Whenever I feel sad or want to think, I go there. It holds good memories for me.’
‘Sounds pretty romantic to me.’ Stevie stood up and reached for my hand. ‘Come on. Let’s offer our congratulations.’
‘Have you set a date?’ I asked Sarah after we’d made it through the crowd of well-wishers and hugged her and Nick.
‘Not yet,’ she said. ‘I don’t think it will be a long engagement, though, because I’m far too impatient to wait for long now that I’ve finally met The One. I know we’ve always discussed this, but I have to make it official. Elise Karen Dawson, will you do me the honour of being my bridesmaid?’
I beamed. ‘Of course I will. Thank you.’ I hugged her again. ‘I’m assuming Clare will be a bridesmaid too?’
Sarah’s smile faded. Perhaps I needed to work on my enthusiasm when saying Clare’s name.
‘Yes. And Nick’s sister, Callie. Can I trust you and Clare to play nicely?’
‘It’s never me who starts it.’
‘Elise!’
‘I promise to play nicely and collaborate with her on all things bridesmaid-ish.’
‘Sarah! Congratulations!’ More well-wishers appeared.
I lightly touched Sarah’s arm. ‘I’ll leave you to it for now, but I want more details. Are you free tomorrow or later in the week? I need to know the contents of that speech.’
She laughed. ‘We’re going out for a family engagement meal tomorrow so maybe Monday or Tuesday?’
‘I’ll ring you,’ I said. ‘I can’t believe we’re finally going to plan your wedding for real.’
‘I know! I was beginning to think it would never happen, but Nick was definitely worth the wait.’
I hugged her again then walked back towards our table with Stevie. As I was about to take my seat, a strong wave of nausea swept over me. Excusing myself, I dashed for the ladies. Another wave hit me as I pushed open the cubicle door. I sank to the floor, stomach heaving, face burning. When the feeling finally subsided, I slowly pulled myself up and sat down on the toilet seat, dabbing my sweaty face with some tissue paper. There was a sickness bug going round school. I hoped I hadn’t contracted it – I really didn’t have time to be sick.