Everyone deserted the dinner table and threw on their coats to run outside like excited children. But then again, that’s exactly what they were. Holly glanced down into the gardens lining the street and spotted the families of every household standing outside staring up into the sky.
Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her daughter’s shoulders and squeezed her tight. “Well, it looks like Denise will have a white Christmas for her white wedding,” she smiled.
Holly’s heart beat wildly at the thought of Denise’s wedding. In just a few days she would have to confront Daniel. As though her mother had been reading her mind she asked Holly gently and quietly so no one else would hear, “Have you thought about what to say to Daniel yet?”
Holly glanced up at the snowflakes glistening down from the black star-filled sky in the moonlight. The moment felt so magical; right there and then she made her final decision.
“Yes I have.” She smiled and took a deep breath.
“Good.” Elizabeth kissed her on the cheek, “And remember, God leads you to it and takes you through it.”
Holly smiled at the phrase. “He better, because I’m going to need him a lot over the next while.”
“Sharon, don’t carry that case, it’s too heavy!” John yelled at his wife, and Sharon dropped the bag angrily.
“John, I am not an invalid. I am pregnant!” she shouted back at him.
“I know that, but the doctor said not to lift heavy things!” he said firmly, walking around to her side of the car and grabbing the bag.
“Well screw the doctor, he’s never been bloody pregnant,” Sharon yelled, watching John storm off.
Holly banged down the boot of the car loudly. She had had enough of John and Sharon’s tantrums; she had been stuck listening to them bicker all the way down to Wicklow in the car. Now all she wanted to do was to go to the hotel and relax in the peace and quiet. She was growing quite afraid of Sharon as well, her voice level had raised three octaves in the past two hours and she looked like she was going to explode. Actually, by the size of her pregnancy bump Holly was afraid she really would explode, and she didn’t want to be around for that happening.
Holly grabbed her bag and glanced up at the hotel. It was more like a castle. It was the place Tom and Denise had chosen as the venue for their New Year’s Eve wedding, and they couldn’t have picked a more beautiful place. The building was covered in dark green ivy climbing up its aging walls and a huge water fountain adorned the front courtyard. Acres and acres of beautifully kept lush green gardens crept out around all sides of the hotel; Denise didn’t get her white Christmas wedding after all, the snow had melted minutes after it had arrived. Still, it had been a beautiful moment for Holly to share with her family on Christmas day, and it had succeeded in lifting her spirits for a short time. Now all she wanted to do was find her room and pamper herself. She wasn’t even sure if her bridesmaid’s dress would still fit her after she had piled on the pounds over Christmas. It was a fear that she wasn’t willing to share with Denise, as she would probably have a heart attack. Perhaps some minor alterations wouldn’t be too difficult . . . She also regretted telling Sharon she was worried about the fit as Sharon had screamed that she couldn’t even fit into the clothes she had worn the day before, never mind a dress she was fitted for months ago.
Holly dragged her bag behind her over the cobblestones and was suddenly jerked forward and sent flying as someone tripped over her luggage.
“Sorry,” she heard a singsong voice say and she looked back angrily to see who had almost caused her to break her neck. She watched the tall blonde as her hips went boom-boom heading toward the hotel. Holly frowned, that walk was familiar. She knew she knew it from somewhere but . . . uh-oh!
Laura.
Oh no, she thought, panicking, Tom and Denise had invited Laura after all! She had to find Daniel quickly so that she could warn him. He would be disgusted to find out she had received an invite. And then if the moment was right she would finish off that chat with him. If he still wanted to hear from her; after all, it had been almost a month since she had last spoken to him. She crossed her fingers tightly behind her back and rushed toward the reception area.
She was greeted with mayhem.
The reception area was crowded with angry people and luggage. Denise’s voice was instantly recognizable above all the noise.
“Look, I don’t care if you’ve made a mistake! Fix it! I booked fifty rooms months ago for my wedding guests! Did you hear me? My wedding! Now I am not sending ten of them to some crappy B&B down the road. Sort it out!”
A very startled-looking receptionist gulped and nodded wildly and tried to explain the situation.
Denise held her hand up in his face. “I don’t want to hear any more excuses! Just get ten more rooms for my guests!”
Holly spotted Tom looking perplexed, and she headed over to him.
“Tom!” she beat her way through the crowd.
“Hi Holly,” he said, looking very distracted.
“What room is Daniel in?” she asked quickly.
“Daniel?” he asked, looking confused.
“Yes, Daniel! The best man . . . I mean, your best man,” she corrected herself.
“Oh, I don’t know, Holly,” he said, turning away to grab a member of the hotel staff.
Holly jumped to face him, blocking his view of the staff member. “Tom, I really need to know!” she panicked.
“Look, Holly, I really don’t know; ask Denise,” he mumbled, and he ran off down the corridor chasing the hotel staff member.
Holly looked at Denise and gulped. Denise looked possessed, and she had no intention of asking her in that mood. She queued in line behind all the other guests and twenty minutes later and a few sneaky moves to skip the queue, she reached the top.
“Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me what room Daniel Connelly is in, please,” she asked quickly.
The receptionist shook his head. “I’m sorry, we can’t give out guests’ room numbers.”
Holly rolled her eyes. “Look, I’m a friend of his,” she explained and smiled sweetly.
The man smiled politely and shook his head again. “I’m sorry, but it’s against hotel policy to—”
“Listen!” she yelled and even Denise shut up screaming from beside her. “It’s very important that you tell me!”
The man gulped and shook his head slowly, apparently too afraid to open his mouth. Finally he said, “I’m sorry but—”
“Aaaaaggghhh!” Holly screamed with frustration, interrupting him again.
“Holly,” Denise said, gently placing her hand on Holly’s arm, “what’s wrong?”
“I need to know what room Daniel is staying in!” she yelled, and Denise looked startled.
“It’s room three forty-two,” she stuttered.
“Thank you!” Holly yelled angrily, not knowing why she was still screaming, and she stormed off in the direction of the elevators.
Holly rushed down the corridor dragging her bag behind her and checking the door numbers. When she reached his room she knocked furiously on the door, and as she heard footsteps approaching the door she realized she hadn’t even thought about what she was going to say. She took a deep breath as the door was pulled open.
She stopped breathing.
It was Laura.
“Honey, who is it?” she heard Daniel’s voice call. Holly saw him walk out of the bathroom with a tiny towel wrapped around his naked body.
“You!” Laura screeched.
Fifty-one
HOLLY STOOD OUTSIDE DANIEL’S BEDROOM door and glanced from Laura to Daniel and back to Laura again. She gathered from their seminakedness that Daniel had already known Laura was coming to the wedding. She also assumed that he hadn’t informed Denise or Tom either, as they hadn’t been able to warn Holly. But even if they had known, they wouldn’t have considered it important to tell her. Holly hadn’t shared what Daniel had told her before Christmas with any of her friends. As Holly stared into the hotel room, she realized this meant that she had absolutely no reason to be standing where she was right then.
Daniel hung on to his tiny towel tightly, glued to the spot, his face a picture of shock. Laura’s face was stormy. Holly’s mouth had dropped open. Nobody spoke for a while. Holly could almost hear everybody’s brains ticking. Then eventually someone spoke and Holly wished it hadn’t been that particular person. “What are you doing here?” Laura hissed.
Holly’s mouth opened and closed like a goldfish’s. Daniel’s forehead wrinkled in confusion as he stared from one girl to the other. “Do you two . . .” He stopped asking the question as if the idea were totally ridiculous, but then thought about it and decided to ask anyway, “Do you two know each other?”
Holly gulped.
“Ha!” Laura’s face twisted in contempt. “She is no friend of mine! I caught this little bitch kissing my boyfriend!” Laura yelled and then stopped herself as she realized what she had said.
“Your boyfriend?” Daniel yelled, crossing the room to join them at the door.
“Sorry . . . ex-boyfriend,” Laura mumbled, staring at the floor.
A small smile crept across Holly’s face, glad that Laura had dumped herself in it.
“Yeah, Stevie, wasn’t it? A good friend of Daniel’s, if I remember correctly.”
Daniel’s face reddened as he looked at them both, seeming completely lost. Laura stared back at Daniel, angrily wondering how this woman knew her boyfriend . . . her current boyfriend, that was.
“Daniel’s a good friend of mine,” Holly explained, crossing her arms over her chest.
“So have you come to steal him from me too?” Laura said bitterly.
“Oh please, like you’re one to talk,” she fired at Laura and her face reddened.
“You kissed Stevie?” Daniel said, slowly getting the gist of the story. He looked angry.
“No, I did not kiss Stevie.” Holly rolled her eyes.
“You did too!” Laura yelled childishly.
“Oh, would you ever shut up?” She looked at Laura and laughed. “What does it matter to you anyway? I take it you’re back with Daniel, so it looks like everything worked out for you in the end!” Holly then turned to Daniel.
“No, Daniel,” Holly continued. “I did not kiss Stevie. We were down in Galway for Denise’s hen weekend and Stevie was drunk and tried to kiss me,” she explained calmly.
“Oh, you’re such a liar,” Laura said bitterly, “I saw what happened.”
“And so did Charlie.” Holly ignored Laura and continued to face Daniel. “So ask him if you don’t believe me, but if you don’t believe me I really don’t care either,” she added. “Anyway, I came to have that chat with you but you’re obviously busy.” She glanced down at the skimpy towel wrapped around his waist. “So I’ll see you both later at the wedding.” And with that she turned on her heel and marched off down the corridor dragging her suitcase behind her. She glanced back at Daniel, who was still staring at her from his door, and she turned her head and turned the corner. She froze when she realized she had reached a dead end. The elevators were the other way. She kept on walking to the end of the corridor so she wouldn’t look completely stupid for walking past their door again. She waited at the end of the corridor for a while until she heard the door close. She tiptoed back up the hall, rounded the corner and sneaked past his bedroom door and rushed down to the elevator.
She pressed the button and breathed a sigh of relief, closing her tired eyes. She didn’t even feel angry with Daniel, in fact, in a really childish way, she was glad he had done something to stop them from having their little chat. So she had been dumped and not the other way around, as she was expecting. But Daniel couldn’t have been that much in love with her, she reasoned, if he was able to get over her and go back to Laura so quickly. Ah well, at least she didn’t hurt his feelings . . . but she did think he was a complete fool for taking Laura back . . .
“Are you getting in or what?”
Holly’s eyes flew open; she hadn’t even heard the elevator doors open. “Leo!” she smiled, stepping in and hugging him. “I didn’t know you were coming down!”
“I’m doing hair for the queen bee today,” he laughed, referring to Denise.
“Is she that bad?” Holly winced.
“Oh, she was just in a tizzy because Tom saw her on the day of her wedding. She thinks it’ll be bad luck.”
“Well, it will only be bad luck if she thinks it’s bad luck,” Holly smiled.
“I haven’t seen you for ages,” Leo said, glancing at Holly’s hair and making it very obvious.
“Oh I know,” Holly moaned, covering her roots with her hand. “I’ve been so busy at work this month I just haven’t had time.”
Leo raised his eyebrows and looked amused. “Never did I think I would ever hear you say those words about work. You’re a changed woman.”
Holly smiled and was thoughtful. “Yes. Yes, I really think I am.”
“Come on, then,” Leo said, stepping out onto his floor. “The wedding isn’t for another few hours; I’ll tie your hair up so we can cover those awful roots.”
“Oh, are you sure you don’t mind?” Holly bit her lip, feeling guilty.
“No, I don’t mind at all.” Leo waved his hand dismissively. “We can’t have you ruining Denise’s wedding photos with that head on you, can we?”
Holly smiled and dragged her suitcase out of the elevator after him. That was more like it, for a minute there he was just being too nice.
Denise looked at Holly excitedly at the head table of the hotel’s function room as someone rapped a spoon against their glass and the speeches began. Holly fumbled nervously with her hands in her lap going over and over her speech in her head and not even listening to what the other speakers were saying.
She should have written it down because now she was so nervous, she couldn’t remember the start of it. Her heart beat wildly as Daniel sat down and everyone applauded. She was next and there was to be no running into the toilets this time. Sharon grabbed her trembling hand and assured her she would be fine. Holly smiled back at her shakily, not feeling at all fine. Denise’s father announced that Holly was going to speak and the room turned to face her. All she could see was a sea of faces as everyone stared up at her. She stood up slowly from her chair and glanced over at Daniel for encouragement. He winked at her. She smiled back at him and her heartbeat slowed down. Her friends were all there. She glanced down the room and spotted John sitting at a table with his and Gerry’s friends. John gave her the thumbs-up and Holly’s speech went out the window as a new one formed in her head. She cleared her throat.
“Please forgive me if I get a little emotional while I speak but I am just so happy for Denise today. She is my best friend. . . ,” she paused and glanced down at Sharon beside her, “ . . . well, one of them.”
The room laughed.
“And I am so proud of her today and delighted that she has found love with a wonderful man like Tom.”
Holly smiled as she saw tears fill Denise’s eyes. The woman who never cried.
“Finding someone you love and who loves you back is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. But finding a true soul mate is an even better feeling. A soul mate is someone who understands you like no other, loves you like no other, will be there for you forever, no matter what. They say that nothing lasts forever, but I am a firm believer in the fact that for some, love lives on even after we’re gone. I know a thing or two about having someone like that, and I know that Denise has found a soul mate in Tom. Denise, I’m glad to tell you that a bond like that will never die.” A lump formed in Holly’s throat and she took a moment to compose herself before continuing. “I am both honored and petrified that Denise asked me to speak today.”
