Chasing the Groom

Chapter Two

“Of course it’s ludicrous.” I cram some more clothes into my expanding suitcase. “But it’s the only chance I’ve got, Lou. What else am I supposed to do?”

My sister perches on the end of my bed and mutters something about how I shouldn’t be chasing after a man. Honestly, he’s hardly some bloke I met in a bar, is he? And anyway, Louise is happily married to an accountant from Oxford and they live in a three-storey house with an apple tree in the garden.

“And you know what you’re doing?” Lou asks for about the hundredth time. “You’re really sure?”

I’ve recited the plan to her enough times by now. I’m going to fly to Barcelona, where Sharon said Drew was staying. And I’m going to find him and drag him back home. Back to our wedding. Back to our life together.

“Maybe I should come with you.” Lou takes her BlackBerry out of her bag.

“Amy’s coming with me,” I remind her.

She lifts her eyebrows. “That doesn’t fill me with confidence.”

Amy Hill is my best friend. And she might be a little flaky, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t any good in a crisis. She has a loud voice and lots of opinions and she’s the best person you could have fighting your corner. And she knows what to do. She always has a plan, even if she doesn’t stick to it.

“You’ll probably lose Amy the moment you step off the plane,” Lou continues. “And then she’ll turn up on the way back as if nothing happened, asking if you found Drew.”

I fix her with a look. “Don’t you think you’re exaggerating her bad points?”

“Her bad points?” Lou shakes her head. “I haven’t even got started. I mean, the girl changes her hair colour as often as her knickers. Assuming she wears underwear at all.”

I force my makeup bag into the suitcase. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Are you really sure about this?” Lou ignores my question and reaches for her BlackBerry again. “I could book myself a ticket on the flight.”

I drop the skirt I’m holding. “And who would run the bakery?”

“Well, we could ask Mum.”

I laugh. “Are you joking? After a week, she’d have turned the place into a tea room for her friends from book club.”

“Oh, come on.” Lou follows me as I head into the bathroom and gather up toiletries at random. “She’d love to do it. You know she would.”

“Who’d make Dad’s lunch?” I counter. “Or watch repeats of NCIS with him in the afternoons?”

“Really?” Lou folds her arms. “Is that your argument?”

I lift my head. “It’s a valid point.” I carry my collection of tubes and bottles back to the bedroom. “Anyway, you wouldn’t leave James for a whole week.”

“I don’t know.” Louise stands in the doorway and fiddles with her blouse collar. “I’ve been thinking about a holiday for a while now.”

“This isn’t a holiday!” I shriek. “This is about finding my fiancé and bringing him home.”

Lou peers at me from under her dark lashes. “How much do you actually know about this situation? You know he’s in Barcelona, but what about this woman he’s with? Who is she?”

My body goes rigid at the thought of Drew being with another woman. The only way to keep myself sane is to picture her as somebody much fatter than me with shorter legs and frizzier hair.