Reggie walked towards the counter and back again, and silence fell in the café. A sense of horror washed over Edith. With every step, the shoes made a loud noise like someone had sat on a whoopee cushion.
‘He can’t wear those!’ Finn shook his head. ‘How can he walk down the aisle in them?’
‘I see your point,’ Edith agreed.
Reggie walked towards them again, his face flushed. ‘Bit embarrassing, right?’
‘Not so much party shoes asfartyshoes!’ Pearl said as she arrived with their drinks.
Edith met Finn’s eyes and watched as his face turned from a grimace into a full-on grin.
‘F-farty shoes!’ He sniggered, and Edith laughed too. She glanced over at Reggie to see that he was grinning now. They all laughed until tears ran down their cheeks, and Edith had to dig in her bag for a pack of tissues.
‘Oh goodness, me. I needed that.’ She sniffed. ‘But you are right; we need to sort this. Those shoes need to go back, for starters, and we need to find you an alternative, Reggie. Can’t have you farting your way along the aisle.’
Reggie shook his head in mock exasperation. ‘My mates will be there, and I can’t have them seeing me wear these. Or smelling them. I’d never live it down.’
‘You’d be the life andsoleof the party for sure!’ Edith said, stifling a giggle.
Reggie grimaced at her. ‘Really?’
Pearl, who was still at the table, said, ‘If Reggie walked down the aisle in those, the guests would think he was veryun-fart-unate!’
‘Oh, my god!’ Finn covered his face with his hands. He was laughing so hard he was shaking. ‘What if… when the time comes to say our vows, the celebrant says to the guests, “If any of you have any objections, fart now or forever hold your briefs?”’
Edith folded over and held her belly as laughter consumed her and her friends.
Finally, as the laughter ebbed, Edith steadied herself. She drank some of the elderflower lemonade, which was light and refreshing and helped her to cool down. Laughter really was the best medicine, and the joy hung in the air — a shared time of joking, a moment that would become a treasured memory. It was awful that the shoes were so bad, but it could be remedied. She would get on the case as soon as they’d finished their drinks and calmed down a bit.
When her phone pinged and she reached for it, she was still smiling, which made the message she’d received even harder to digest.
‘Oh god! Oh, no…Not that!’ she said, her phone sliding from her hand as a chill crept down her spine.
‘What is it?’ Finn asked.
She swallowed hard, not wanting to tell him but knowing there was no alternative.
‘The smelly, squeaky shoes… They’re the least of our problems.’
22
WYATT
Wyatt spotted Edith from outside the café. He could see her through the window, sitting at a table with Finn and Reggie. Pearl was standing nearby, smiling. He paused and for a moment, he imagined how things would have been if he had stayed in the UK and with Edith. Would they be married now with a child or one on the way? Would they live in Porthpenny in a pretty cottage with a sea view?
He watched as Edith stood up and turned to the window, but her eyes stayed glued to her phone. Her brow was furrowed, and she was shaking her head as if she’d just received bad news.
The urge to run to her, sweep her into his arms and make everything better swept through him like a tidal wave, and he clenched his fists at the thought that someone or something had hurt her. But then he remembered he had, in fact, hurt her and he had no right to be angry with anyone else for doing so. That would be hypocritical of him. And yet… This could be his chance for redemption, his opportunity to help her and to assuage some of the guilt he felt at causing her pain.
He stopped dawdling and hurried through the open doorway into the café.
‘Afternoon,’ he said, and she turned to him. When their eyes met, her pupils dilated, and her lips parted. ‘Edith, what’s wrong?’
‘I…’ She frowned. ‘I… need some air.’
Finn was standing too now, and he reached for Edith. ‘What is it? Has something happened?’
She shook her head. ‘I… um… need to speak to Wyatt for a moment. Won’t be long.’
