Page 8 of A Wedding in Tuscany

‘And let’s plan a destination wedding-slash-birthday.’

‘Really?’

‘Of course!’

‘We weren’t sure how you’d feel about sharing your big day.’

I shrug. ‘It’s just a birthday.’

‘It’s forty, Sez.’

‘So people keep reminding me.’

‘You’re not upset about it, are you?’

‘No, I’m good with it?we’ll just have the birthday party and the wedding on different days. It’s all good.’

‘No, I mean?well, yay, that’s fab?but I’m asking if you’re upset about turning forty?’

‘I don’t know. I don’t want to think about that right now.’

‘All right.’ She pauses, obviously deciding whether to press me on it. She lets it go. ‘Now, you do realise that if we combine these events, Mum and Dad will be in Italy with us, right?’

‘Oh, right.’ Cat laughs. ‘Yeah, that makes sense,’ I say with a shrug. ‘It’s okay?a minor inconvenience.’

‘Um, it may be a bit more than “minor”. Mum’s going to want to help plan the wedding. When we told them the news, and I mean literally right afterwards, she started getting excited about flowers and dresses and then babbled on about readings, which we’re not even sure we’re having. I’m worried she’ll go full Mumzilla.’

‘Hmm, I can see that happening?and you hate planning things. How are you going to manage planning a wedding with Mum?’

‘Umm …’ She grins at me hopefully?raised eyebrows and all.

‘Really?’

‘You’re the most organised person I know!’

‘You just don’t want to spend the next few months arguing with our mother.’

‘Accurate … Please, Sez. It’ll be a really simple wedding, I promise?just, you know, rustic Tuscan chic.’ Whatever the hell that is, I think.

‘Pfft. Fine.’

‘Thank you! And, I promise, once we get to Italy, I’ll take over,’ she offers. ‘Run interference?focus all Mum’s energies on the wedding so you can just enjoy yourself. How does that sound?’

‘It sounds like a fantasy.’ Cat laughs again. ‘It’s okay, though. We’ll figure it out.’ What I don’t say is that she’s actually doing me a favour?planning a wedding is the perfect distraction from the whole ‘turning forty’ thing.

‘Oh!’ she says suddenly. ‘I’m such a muppet?I totally forgot.’

‘What?’

‘Will you be my Maid of Honour?’

‘Really? You’re not asking Mich? Or what about Jane?’ Like me, Cat only has a handful of close friends, but they’re almost like sisters to her and I don’t want her to feel obligated to choose me.

‘Sarah Jane, I only want you. You’re my sister. And my best friend in the whole world.’

‘Well, in that case,’ I say, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes, ‘I humbly accept.’

‘Brilliant.’ She grins at me.