Page 101 of Outlier

“I love your beard!” she shouted, and I decided that was enough.

I extracted my mum from a terrified Jimbo, and then Felix and I herded them all into our cars.

Ollie had picked Vicky up now and was striding over to his car where he’d already deposited his mum and Lottie. As they went past my windshield, Vicky looked straight at me, and I almost surged out of the car to get to her.

The sadness and longing in her eyes were painful to witness.

I gritted my teeth as I started the car and then shook my head to clear it, but I couldn’t get her voice out of my mind.

Love it. Love you.

Chapter 33

Carpenter-boy

Vicky

“What are you doing?”

I looked up to see a furious Lucy standing in front of me with her arms crossed, and I frowned.

“I’m watching you rehearse for your wedding.”

What was I supposed to be doing?

“From the very back of the church?”

I glanced up to the altar where Felix, Lottie, Ollie, Mike, Margot, Hetty, Claire, Emily, Hayley and Florrie were all gathered.

“Lucy, I think you’d better get back to the wedding party.”

She blinked at me.

“Vicky,” she said slowly. “Why do you think I asked you to come here today?”

I bit my lip and then blew out a breath. “To be honest, I’m not sure. I’ve never been to a wedding rehearsal before.”

“Didn’t you go to Claire’s?” Lucy asked with a frown.

I looked down at my feet.

“I…”

“No, she didn’t, because I’m an over-sensitive cow.” Claire had walked over to us now and was standing next to Lucy.

I shrugged. “I said your wedding dress looked itchy. It was the incorrect response.”

“I still should have asked you to the rehearsal.” Claire shifted uncomfortably then. “I let you sit at the back of the church on the day, too.”

“It doesn’t mat?—”

“Yes, it does,” she said fiercely. “I told myself that you’d probably be happier there anyway, but if I’m honest, I was still being a petty bitch, angry that Dad had left Mum and had another kid; angry at you for being there. Angry that I knew you’d be the most beautiful woman in the room, and nobody would be able to take their eyes off you when it was supposed to be my day. But I shouldn’t have excluded you. You’re my sister. It was wrong, and itdidmatter. Okay?”

She was so fired up, her face and her eyes were flashing. I thought it best to agree with a small, “okay.”

It didn’t seem to make her any less angry.

Lucy’s impatient expression had softened. “Vics, you’re part of the wedding party, you silly goose. So you can’t sit at the back of the church.”