Pushing her legs to go faster, Julia felt hot and sweaty and even though her heart was beating rapidly against her chest there was no way she was slowing down until she got to Anais. She arrived back at Tollgate Cottage at a super-speed and flung open the garden gate to the honey-coloured stone terrace.
Hoping for Anais’s sake that this was all just down to last-minute nerves – even though there wasn’t any time for wobbles, they were all due at the hairdressers in just under an hour and the church in four hours’ time – Julia burst through the front door. ‘Where are you?’ she bellowed, kicking off her trainers and hurrying up the hallway towards the living room.
Catching her breath, with her hands on her hips, her eyes widened and her jaw fell open. Julia was rendered momentarily speechless. There lying on the floor was Anais’s wedding dress cut to shreds, now barely recognisable. Anais was curled up in a ball on the floor, hugging her knees, the tears sliding like a tsunami down her cheeks. Mia was sitting next to her, clutching a box of tissues.
After saying ‘Christ on a bike!’ (twice), Julia dropped to her knees. Anais looked so dejected and Julia grabbed her hands and forced her to look at her.
‘What the hell has happened here?’ asked Julia, not beating around the bush. She wanted answers. ‘Mia?’
Mia shrugged. ‘I was in the shower and came down to this,’ her eyes swept around the room.
Anais’s swollen eyes bulged, and she swallowed. ‘He’s gone. It’s over,’ Anais blurted, taking gulps of air as she tried to catch her breath.
Julia heard the words but didn’t understand. ‘What? Why? How? I’ve only been gone twenty minutes or so.’
‘And that’s all it took. He swanned in here and right back out again after delivering his news.’
‘And the news is…’
‘He’s seeing someone else.’
Julia exhaled. ‘No! Flynn seeing someone else? But he’s devoted to you. You told us he was devoted to you. He was the one, you were the one.’
‘Well, not any more he isn’t.’
‘And he thought the only time to tell you would be today, on your wedding day?’ Julia was perplexed. What an absolute rat. Julia knew that the man was ruthless and not to be trusted. Look at the way he’d conducted business with her, and now this. Maybe, just maybe, Anais had had a lucky escape, even though it really wasn’t the right time to be pointing this out to her.
Through her tears, all Anais could manage was a nod.
‘Who… how long?’ Julia had lots of questions spinning around her head.
Mia held the box of tissues towards Anais who grabbed a handful, blew her nose and shrugged. ‘Some girl and I’ve no idea.’
‘What – you didn’t ask him?’ continued Julia, probing gently.
‘He didn’t give me a chance, he told me the facts then left.’
‘Did you not try to stop him?’ Julia looked towards Mia.
‘I never clapped eyes on him, he was in and out before I’d even finished my shower.’
Julia was shaking her head in disbelief. ‘Ring him, we need to find out the answers.’
‘No,’ insisted Anais. ‘What’s the point? He’s cheated on me… He’s seeing someone else. I wouldn’t have him back now anyway, or give him the satisfaction of thinking I’m bothered.’
Even though Julia hadn’t favoured Anais’s marriage to Flynn she still felt distraught for her friend. She knew in a few hours’ time there was going to be a church full of people waiting to celebrate their marriage. Anais’s mum was already at the hairdressers and her dad was currently on the way to the florist to pick up the bouquets and buttonholes… this wedding had cost a fortune and Flynn was walking away, leaving Anais to cancel everything and deal with the aftermath. What type of person was he?
‘What about all the guests? What do you want me to do?’ Julia’s voice was soft.
Once more Anais broke down and began to wail.
‘Sorry… sorry,’ said Julia apologetically, focussing back on Anais. ‘I didn’t mean to make it worse.’
‘How could he do this to me? How am I ever going to be able to show my face again?’ Anais wept.
Julia slid her arm around Anais’s shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. ‘Shame on him. He’s let a good thing go and one day he’ll regret it. You will find someone who worships the ground you walk on… someone that deserves you.’
‘Believe me, at this moment in time, I’m in no rush,’ sniffled Anais, giving a strangled sob before dabbing her eyes and reaching for the bottle of champagne on the table. ‘I need a drink,’ she said, her voice cracking as she passed the bottle to Mia who popped the cork then poured the liquid into the leftover cups that were still on the table from last night.
All of them took a very large gulp and sat in silence for a moment before Julia spoke. ‘Okay,’ she said, with authority, taking control, ‘we need to inform the guests, have you got a list? We can start ringing around.’
With a pained expression Anais nodded to the seating plan on the coffee table. ‘All the names are on there, but I wouldn’t have everyone’s phone number. Maybe the easiest thing to do would be to post in the Facebook event. The news will spread like wildfire… it gets it over and done with in one click.’
Julia felt just terrible for her friend and could see Anais’s heart was breaking. Julia thought this type of stuff only happened in the movies, she never thought it would happen in real life, especially not to someone she knew. Who the hell did Flynn Carter think he was? He might be a ruthless businessman, but this was another level. He’d humiliated Anais, kicked her to the kerb. It was unacceptable to treat anyone this way, especially on their wedding day. Julia didn’t know how she would cope if something like this ever happened to her – it was a girl’s worst nightmare.
The second Julia posted that the wedding was cancelled in the Facebook Group, Anais’s phone began pinging out of control with notifications. Once more, Julia took control and switched off the phone before topping up the tumblers of champagne.
Flynn Carter would get his comeuppance one day. Julia believed in karma.
Chapter One
Five years later
Julia breathed in a lungful of the late summer air as she arrived back at the bed and breakfast and sat on the wrought iron chair outside the back door. Closing her eyes, she felt the sun beating down on her face. The last person she’d expected to see in the pub in her little village of Heartcross that very morning was Flynn Carter. She’d frozen momentarily, in complete shock and had to look twice to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. She really wished she’d been hallucinating but he was very real, and he had been standing just a few metres away from her. Flynn was a face from the past she’d never expected to see again. He hadn’t acknowledged her even though Julia had recognised him the minute she’d set eyes on him. The man that had demolished her grandfather’s home and jilted her friend on her wedding day was now renting a cottage on Love Heart Lane for the next twelve months. What the hell was he doing in Heartcross?