Page 39 of A Wedding in Tuscany

‘Yeah, I just … I feel like shit about the venue?like, total rookie mistake?and the dresses … I don’t know what I was thinking. I mean, of course you’re not going to wear black on your wedding day. You’re Cat Parsons not Angelina Jolie.’

‘Did she wear black? I thought she just let her kids scribble all over her dress when she married Brad Pitt.’

Jae snorts out a cynical laugh. ‘I think you’re right, but you know what I mean. You’re feminine and pretty and you need to look … ethereal on your wedding day.’

‘Ethereal? That’s, uh … I’d just settle for stunningly beautiful.’ We share a smile. ‘Look, I think you’ve put a lot of pressure on yourself?you and Sarah both?’

‘Are you talking about me?’ Sarah enters the room, phone in hand.

‘Talking about you, not to you,’ I quip?one of our childhood barbs.

‘Yeah, but what are you saying?’ she asks.

‘Just that you two have been amazing. Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for better wedding planners.’ Jae rolls her eyes, but I know it’s because she’s beating herself up. ‘I mean it. You’ve saved me from so many hassles.’

‘And caused some.’

‘Jaelee, enough of that,’ says Sarah. ‘We’ve got a wedding dress to find and I told Mum we’d be there in ten minutes, so wallow later. You two, in the car now.’ Another Parsons sister trait?breaking out ‘bossy schoolteacher’ mode as needed.

‘Well, I guess I’ve been told,’ Jae says to me.

Sarah goes over to the open glass doors. ‘Guys, we’re off!’ There are murmurs from the balcony and Josh appears at the doorway to kiss Sarah goodbye. I push past them to get my own goodbye kiss.

‘Have a good day, chérie,’ says my soon-to-be-husband.

‘You too.’ I have a thought. ‘Sorry, I haven’t even asked what you’re doing today?’

By now, Jae has joined us on the balcony. ‘Yeah,’ she says to Alistair. The men look almost apologetic.

‘Jean-Luc?’ I press.

‘Pffft. Désolé, mon amour, but we are going wine tasting.’

I backhand him in the chest. ‘Wine tasting? You’re going wine tasting in Tuscany and I have to go shopping for a wedding dress with Mum?’

He shrugs and I growl at him, then break into a smile. I’m only slightly jealous of the day he has ahead of him.

‘Excuse me!’ says Sarah. ‘We are going to Siena and it is amazing and we are going to have an incredible day. Besides, you can have all the Tuscan wine you want at lunch. Now, let’s go.’

We say our goodbyes, Jae’s including an instruction for Alistair to drive safely, then leave to collect our mother. And now that we’re on our way, I really am excited about the day. We’re going to Siena!