Page 31

‘They double booked the place,’ Jamie finished for him.

‘Double booked?’ Holly replied. ‘What does that mean?’

‘It means they’ve booked the same date for two couples…’ Fin began.

‘No, I know what double-booked means, but how could they have done this? You booked it months ago. You paid a deposit, didn’t you?’

‘That’s exactly what we said to them. And they said they’ll refund our money.’ Bitterness filled Jamie’s voice.

Just like Evan, Fin wasn’t short of a few quid. Having the money refunded was nothing compared to not having their wedding day.

‘I wouldn’t mind normally,’ Jamie continued. ‘But all of Fin’s family are coming over. They’ve paid for the flights. And they’re not refundable. And so many people were staying at the venue for two of the nights. Where are we going to find rooms in peak summer season? We’re not. It’s a disaster.’

Holly knew that when a friend said something like that, you were required to offer solutions. To provide the level head that was needed during such an emotional time and show them that the situation perhaps wasn’t as bad as they first thought. But Holly had nothing.

‘What about other venues?’ she said. ‘Have you tried? Perhaps someone’s called their wedding off last minute. Maybe you can get a space like that?’

‘As much as taking someone’s spot because they’ve cancelled feels like bad karma, we’ve tried,’ Jamie responded. ‘I’ve called over thirty venues since we found out this afternoon. None of them have a single date free on the days when both his aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, and grandparents are in the country.’Jamie let out a sigh. ‘We chose that venue because they’d make it all easy. They’d do the food, photography, the cake. The whole lot.’

‘And now, in one fell swoop, we’ve ended up with none of it,’ Fin said, and took another long sip from his wine. He winced, like he really didn’t like the taste at all, and was merely drinking it because it felt like the right thing to do.

‘Okay…’ Holly began to verbalise her thoughts as they came, hoping she might find a solution. ‘If you can’t get married there, what about mixing it up a bit? See if you can find a place to do a reception, people to do food, but then get married with registrar at a town hall somewhere else first. It doesn’t have to be all at one venue?’

The two exchanged a look, indicating that they’d already spoken about this.

‘That would be an option, yes – if there were any registrars free. But all the ones local to us are fully booked up. It’s the summer. It’s their busiest time. Unless they get a cancellation on the day, there’s no way they’ll be free. And we could look further away, but then everybody’s got to travel more; not that we’ve even found anywhere for them to stay yet.’

Holly could see her friend was at her limit, but as painful as that was to watch, it was equally nice to see the way Fin responded. He was now up out of his chair, holding Hope in one arm while massaging Jamie’s shoulder gently as he spoke.

‘Something is going to come up,’ he said, looking at them both as he spoke. ‘I know it doesn’t feel like it at the minute, but it will. Something will come up and this will all be fine. We just have to think outside the box, that’s all.’

28

For the next hour, Jamie, Holly and Fin worked together to brainstorm ideas, while passing Hope between them so that she didn’t get impatient.

Half an hour in, Holly knocked at next door and asked Ben to join them, too. However fearful she was that Georgia was going to open up the door, dressed in exquisite lingerie, she forced the thought down. From his days working in the bank, Ben knew more local businesses than anyone, and at that moment it was a case of ‘more brains, the better’. Thankfully for Holly, he was on his own, and Hope was more than happy to have her daddy there to give her even more attention, meaning that Holly could continue talking to Jamie.

‘Surely there are some people you’ve done work for…’ Holly suggested. ‘Renovations, that kind of thing, that have nice barns or gardens that you could ask?’

‘I could, but I’d rather not,’ Jamie replied. ‘I don’t want to become known as that kind of person.’

‘You wouldn’t. People know you well enough around here. They know you’d never ask for something unless you really needed it.’

‘I don’t think it’s that simple,’ Ben joined in. ‘You need to have licenses to hold weddings in the UK. Venues have to apply for them and I don’t think it’s something that’s that straightforward.’

‘Well, what about the place you had your engagement party?’ Holly asked, determined not to be beaten. ‘That was amazing. I’m sure they must have a license for weddings.’

‘They were the first place we rang,’ Fin replied. ‘But they’ve been booked out for the last two years. I know it’s the Cotswolds, and it’s beautiful here, but it’s insane how quickly these places fill up. It was a miracle we got a booking in the first place.’

‘Well, that’s the whole point, isn’t it?’ Jamie said with a resigned sigh. ‘We didn’t get the place.’

Silence filled the group, and Holly wondered if she was the only one with a question in her head, or whether Ben was thinking it, too. But given how damp the mood already was, she decided she might as well ask.

‘How did it happen?’ Holly said. ‘How did they make the mistake?’

At this, Fin and Jamie exchanged a look, both of them rolling their eyes.

‘Would you believe it? Fin has the same initials and surname as the groom they’ve booked for the day. Freddie Micklethwaite, apparently. I mean, what are the chances? It’s not even a million to one, is it? It has to be bigger than that.’ Jamie fought back the bitter laugh with a gulp of her wine.