Page 82 of A Wedding in Tuscany

‘You’re welcome, sis.’ Her eyes flick to her phone resting on the dressing table. ‘I’ll quickly do my makeup, you do your hair, then you can help me with mine.’ Sarah’s the makeup aficionado, but I’m the hair guru so I’m DIY-ing.

Just then, there’s a knock at the door. ‘Caterers,’ we say together and Sarah goes to let them in. Only it’s not them.

‘Hi, we couldn’t wait, so we’re early.’

‘Well, Lou couldn’t wait …’

‘Hey!’ she says to Jaelee.

‘In here,’ I call out. An instant later, my bus besties appear in the doorway, each looking extra glam in their own special way. Lou is wearing a flowing maxi dress in a soft peach, her blonde bob in beachy waves, and Jae is wearing a cocktail dress in fuchsia, her hair a pin-straight sheet of black down her back.

‘Hiii!’ drawls Lou, crossing the room and leaning down to envelop me in a massive hug.

‘Hi, lovely,’ I reply, my voice muffled by her shoulder.

‘I know we’re, like, way early but I got so excited.’ She steps back and peers down at me. ‘Wow, you look super pretty,’ she says.

‘Sarah?genius with a makeup brush.’

‘On that …’ says Sarah who’s lingering in the doorway.

‘Go,’ I say, waving her away.

‘I thought you’d be dressed by now,’ says Jae.

‘It’s only four.’ She shrugs.

‘No, no, no?everyone will wait for the bride,’ says Lou. ‘Besides, you don’t want to sit around in your wedding dress?you put it on at the very last minute.’ As she’s the only one here who’s actually been married, I’ll be taking her advice.

‘Now, what did you decide for your hair?’ she asks.

‘Up. Actually, I was just about to?’ I’m interrupted by another knock at the door. ‘Now, that must be the caterers.’

Jaelee leaps up. ‘I’ll handle it,’ she says. ‘I’ve got it, Sarah,’ she calls out down the hallway.

‘Okay,’ Sarah calls back.

The chatter of voices echoes down the hallway and just as I’m about to start on my up-do, Jae appears at the bedroom door holding a gold giftbox with a red bow on top. ‘This is for you,’ she says, crossing to deposit it on the dressing table.

‘Oh, thank you. So, it wasn’t the caterers?’

‘Oh no, they’re here too. I’m gonna go supervise.’ She closes the bedroom door behind her, leaving me and Lou in relative quiet, the sounds of muffled voices and foot traffic receding into the background. I open the small white envelop affixed to the box?a bottle of my favourite champagne?and slide out the card.

So sorry I can’t be there. Happy wedding day! Lots of love to you both, Mich xoxoxo

‘Aww, that’s so sweet,’ says Lou, reading over my shoulder. It is sweet?it also makes me miss Mich even more. I so wish she could be here.

‘Mich is one of my besties,’ I say, leaning the card against the box.

‘I remember you saying. She teaches at the same school as you, right?’

‘Yes?she’s my partner in crime.’

‘Okay, I’m intrigued.’

‘Well,’ I say with a smile, ‘she’s very clever and an excellent teacher, but she’s also extremely naughty.’ Lou grins. ‘For instance, in our staff meetings?which are so deathly dull, they could practically put you into a coma?we pretend to “take notes” but, really, we’re writing to each other?whole conversations without saying a word. The hardest thing is not to laugh, which Mich is very good at and I’m terrible at, so she’s constantly getting me into trouble.’

‘How come she’s not here?’