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Authors: Vanessa Greene
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night out. I’d never dream of
using it against her, but she didn’t know that. I noticed that he still gave her a wink when dropping off her letters in the
morning and more than once I’d seen her shrink behind her computer screen. Although Ryan
had
proven his initiative by speeding around the office in a swivel chair – halving his delivery time – he was still just the
teenage postboy and shagging him wasn’t something you’d really want to shout about.
‘Tangfastic?’ I reached for the bag on my desk and offered it up to Zoe. She peered into the bag and pulled out a sugar-frosted
ring and some cherries.
‘Mmm,’ she said, chewing, her heavily lined eyes squinting a little at the sourness. ‘I’d forgotten how good these are.’
I pushed my chair back and straightened out my red skirt. ‘I think it’s time for a tea. Fancy one?’
‘Why not,’ Zoe replied, reaching past me to retrieve a couple of sugary cola bottles before sitting down at her desk and turning
her back.
As I waited for the kettle to boil, I unfolded the little list I’d drafted over breakfast that morning while Dan was in the
shower.
Dan and Jenny Get Hitched – eleven weeks to go!
•
Invite ideas – show them to Chris
•
Grandma Jilly – don’t want a repeat of cousin Rosie’s wedding. Get someone (Dad?) to be on booze-diluting duty?
•
White lace basque for wedding night. Too Playboy? Am marrying Dan, not Hef, after all. Ask Chloe
•
Wedding favours??
The kettle clicked off and I filled two mugs. That reminded me, at least I was starting to make headway with one of the most
important things: the teacups.
Despite the shaky start, my weekend bargain hunt had actually worked out quite well. After asking the stallholder to put
a hold on the teaset, Maggie the willowy redhead, Alison the retro-styled brunette, and yours truly had ducked into the refreshments
tent. With 99 Flakes in hand, we’d talked through our plans for the crockery. I told them about my wedding in August, the
vintage tea party theme, and my plans to collect enough teacups for all the guests to drink out of.
Alison had loved the idea; Maggie nodded along positively too, but a wedding reception at the old school house can’t have
seemed much cop compared to the lavish do at Darlington Hall she was arranging flowers for.Alison wanted the set for a different reason – to make the gorgeous teacup candles I’d seen for sale in the boutiques in town.
It was Maggie who came up with a solution to our predicament. It was a very English agreement; we’d buy the forget-me-not
teaset together, and take it in turns to use it.
I’d have the teaset for my wedding first, then Maggie would use the cups for her
Alice in Wonderland
garden. She’d then pass the tea things on to Alison, who’d keep the cups to turn into candles. All in all, it wasn’t a bad
compromise. And it was more than just that – we decided we would join forces, scouring charity shops and auction sites, to
find more teacups that we could all use. An hour later, a little untidier for ice-cream drips, we were handing over a tenner
each to the stall owner with smiles on our faces and each other’s phone numbers noted down. Alison had offered to store our
finds in her studio, and we arranged to meet for lunch at hers next Saturday to catch up.
Dan had laughed when I’d first mooted the tea party theme. ‘I always thought weddings were supposed to be about getting drunk?’
he’d said, only half-serious, his warm brown eyes crinkling at the edges. But once I’d put together the scrapbook to show
him what I had in mind he seemed to warm to the concept. Though perhaps that was because I was blocking the screen when he
was in the middle of playing Grand Theft Auto.Eventually he put the controller down and pulled me on to the sofa for a hug. ‘Jen,’ he’d said, holding me close. (He was
wearing that old Rolling Stones T-shirt – the one I could
using it against her, but she didn’t know that. I noticed that he still gave her a wink when dropping off her letters in the
morning and more than once I’d seen her shrink behind her computer screen. Although Ryan
had
proven his initiative by speeding around the office in a swivel chair – halving his delivery time – he was still just the
teenage postboy and shagging him wasn’t something you’d really want to shout about.
‘Tangfastic?’ I reached for the bag on my desk and offered it up to Zoe. She peered into the bag and pulled out a sugar-frosted
ring and some cherries.
‘Mmm,’ she said, chewing, her heavily lined eyes squinting a little at the sourness. ‘I’d forgotten how good these are.’
I pushed my chair back and straightened out my red skirt. ‘I think it’s time for a tea. Fancy one?’
‘Why not,’ Zoe replied, reaching past me to retrieve a couple of sugary cola bottles before sitting down at her desk and turning
her back.
As I waited for the kettle to boil, I unfolded the little list I’d drafted over breakfast that morning while Dan was in the
shower.
Dan and Jenny Get Hitched – eleven weeks to go!
•
Invite ideas – show them to Chris
•
Grandma Jilly – don’t want a repeat of cousin Rosie’s wedding. Get someone (Dad?) to be on booze-diluting duty?
•
White lace basque for wedding night. Too Playboy? Am marrying Dan, not Hef, after all. Ask Chloe
•
Wedding favours??
The kettle clicked off and I filled two mugs. That reminded me, at least I was starting to make headway with one of the most
important things: the teacups.
Despite the shaky start, my weekend bargain hunt had actually worked out quite well. After asking the stallholder to put
a hold on the teaset, Maggie the willowy redhead, Alison the retro-styled brunette, and yours truly had ducked into the refreshments
tent. With 99 Flakes in hand, we’d talked through our plans for the crockery. I told them about my wedding in August, the
vintage tea party theme, and my plans to collect enough teacups for all the guests to drink out of.
Alison had loved the idea; Maggie nodded along positively too, but a wedding reception at the old school house can’t have
seemed much cop compared to the lavish do at Darlington Hall she was arranging flowers for.Alison wanted the set for a different reason – to make the gorgeous teacup candles I’d seen for sale in the boutiques in town.
It was Maggie who came up with a solution to our predicament. It was a very English agreement; we’d buy the forget-me-not
teaset together, and take it in turns to use it.
I’d have the teaset for my wedding first, then Maggie would use the cups for her
Alice in Wonderland
garden. She’d then pass the tea things on to Alison, who’d keep the cups to turn into candles. All in all, it wasn’t a bad
compromise. And it was more than just that – we decided we would join forces, scouring charity shops and auction sites, to
find more teacups that we could all use. An hour later, a little untidier for ice-cream drips, we were handing over a tenner
each to the stall owner with smiles on our faces and each other’s phone numbers noted down. Alison had offered to store our
finds in her studio, and we arranged to meet for lunch at hers next Saturday to catch up.
Dan had laughed when I’d first mooted the tea party theme. ‘I always thought weddings were supposed to be about getting drunk?’
he’d said, only half-serious, his warm brown eyes crinkling at the edges. But once I’d put together the scrapbook to show
him what I had in mind he seemed to warm to the concept. Though perhaps that was because I was blocking the screen when he
was in the middle of playing Grand Theft Auto.Eventually he put the controller down and pulled me on to the sofa for a hug. ‘Jen,’ he’d said, holding me close. (He was
wearing that old Rolling Stones T-shirt – the one I could
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