Baby It's Cold Outside (24 page)

‘And what did you say?' Jamie asked.

‘I told him I absolutely wanted to call it off and asked him to help me phoning all the guests.'

Jamie laughed.

‘What did you really say?' he said, throwing his arm round my shoulders. ‘Shall we sit down?'

We made ourselves comfortable on a large, flat rock and looked out over the frozen loch. It was breathtakingly beautiful – like a scene from the survival programmes Jamie loved. I half expected Ben Fogle or Bear Grylls to come bounding over the ice with a camera crew in hot pursuit.

‘I told him that I'd wanted to marry you since I was sixteen and I wasn't going to give up now,' I said, nestling into the crook of Jamie's arm.

‘Pleased to hear it,' Jamie said. ‘Have you really wanted to marry me since we were sixteen?'

‘Oh yes,' I said. ‘Do you remember the first day we met? You had found my cave and you were reading my copy of Pride and Prejudice?'

‘I do remember,' Jamie said. ‘I said I thought Lizzie was a drip.'

‘And I was really cross,' I said. ‘But you looked so right sitting in my space reading my book that I found I couldn't be cross for long. I thought then that we'd get married.'

Jamie stroked my hair.

‘I didn't think Lizzie was a drip,' he said. ‘I thought she was cool. You took me by surprise, standing there looking fierce in your little strappy dress with a T-shirt underneath and your hair all wild round your face. I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my life. I think I wanted to make you cross so I could be sure you would remember me.'

I laughed.

‘Later on you told me Lizzie reminded you of me,' I told him. ‘Then a couple of years later – after it all went wrong – I was in a seminar at university and I mentioned to someone that my ex-boyfriend told me Lizzie reminded him of me. She said she was amazed that I'd had a boyfriend who'd read P&P. I went home that afternoon and cried and cried because I missed you so much.'

‘We've had a rocky old road to get here,' Jamie said. ‘But this is it now. We've proved how strong we are and how much we love each other. And tomorrow we can draw a line under all the difficult stuff and just look forward to a peaceful marriage with no tricky bits.'

‘Erm,' I said. ‘I don't want to be contrary but firstly this situation with Parker is far from being resolved so I reckon we've got a few more tricky bits to come. And secondly, have you met my family? Peaceful isn't the word I'd use to describe them. And don't you think that would be a little bit boring…'

‘You're right,' Jamie said. ‘Okay. We'll have an eventful marriage, with lots of fun and laughter and things happening. But no more ex-girlfriends showing up, or friends of Harry's trying to seduce you away from me, or property developers trying to ruin the family business…'

‘It's a deal,' I said.

We sat there for a while, enjoying the air and the view and the closeness of each other. And then through the stillness of the night we heard voices and laughter and car doors slamming and we realised it was time to go.

We wandered back along the shore, pausing just before we got to the cafe.

‘I love you Esme McLeod,' Jamie said. ‘Sleep well.'

‘I love you too Jamie Brodie. See you tomorrow. I'll be the one at the front in the dress.'

Saturday

Chapter 37

‘You're getting married today!' Harry bounced on the end of my bed and despite my rude awakening I sat up straightaway.

Confetti was falling from the ceiling and covering my duvet. I laughed in delight. Lou, lurking by the door, was singing “Here Comes the Bride”.

‘I'm getting married today!' I sang. ‘Shut the door, Lou, in case Tansy's lurking and she clocks what Harry's up to.'

Lou kicked the door closed and came to sit on the bed too. Harry produced her iPad from behind her back.

‘I've worked out a schedule,' she said with a grin. I threw myself backwards onto the pillows dramatically.

‘Even on my wedding day, I'm not free from her organising,' I wailed.

‘Yeah?' said Lou. ‘Welcome to my world.'

Harry gave us both a good-natured shove and, undeterred, opened up her schedule.

‘Right team,' she said. ‘The ceremony is at three p.m. It's now seven a.m. …'

‘Oh man, it's only seven a.m.?' I said. ‘You could have given me another hour.'

Harry ignored me.

‘First on my list is showers,' she said. ‘Esme, don't wash your hair. I've sorted dressing gowns for us all to put on so we can get our hair done before we put our dresses on.'

I looked round.

‘What dressing gowns?' I said.

Harry waved her hand and a pile of super-soft robes appeared on the bed.

‘From the spa,' she said.

‘Ooh nice.'

‘Then breakfast,' Harry continued. ‘Then Chloe should arrive at ten a.m. and the hairdressers at ten-thirty a.m. Mum has sorted out a light lunch for us to be served at one p.m. and your dad is coming up about then too. Then we can put our dresses on and Douglas's brother Cameron is bringing the cars up at two p.m.. Not the hearses, don't worry. They've got a Range Rover that he's going to use and if his assistant is free, he'll come up in a car too. There are a lot of us so he'll do a few trips with you and your dad coming down last. I've spoken to Millicent already this morning and she's busy getting the food to the gallery. And Kirsty left me a message last night saying everything was fine with her preparations for the ceremony. It's all done. Now all you have to worry about is looking beautiful and enjoying yourself.'

She sat back, pleased with herself.

I gave her a hug.

‘You're brilliant,' I said. ‘Thank you for sorting everything out.'

Harry wriggled away from me but I knew she was pleased.

‘Right then,' I said. ‘I suppose we should get on. Remind me what was the first thing on the list? Was it lunch?'

Harry whacked me with a pillow and I giggled as I wrapped myself in one of the gorgeous dressing gowns.

The morning went by in a flash. We had our breakfast, sitting in our snuggly gowns in the kitchen, drinking proper coffee and nibbling on croissants and fruit. Then Chloe arrived, closely followed by the hairdresser, Lainey.

She did miracles. She put my blonde curls, Chloe's red mane and Harry's shiny brunette locks into similar 1950s-style rolls at the nape of our necks and stuck in tiny sparkly flowers. She pinned similar sparkly clips into Mum's crop, Louise's chic blonde pixie do and Suky's hair, which had grown back to just above her jaw after she lost it all during her cancer treatment.

Then she and her friend did our make-up. I didn't wear a lot normally so I wasn't keen on wearing too much today but she got it just right. I stared at myself in the mirror, hardly recognising the woman who stared back at me.

‘What have you put on my skin?' I demanded. ‘Is it bronzer? How have you made me glow like that?'

Lainey put her hands on my shoulders.

‘That's a special product,' she said. ‘It's called happiness.'

I laughed.

‘We should bottle it – we'd make a fortune,' I said. ‘Harry could sell it in the spa.'

‘I might,' Harry said, grinning at me in the mirror. ‘It's only twelve fifty-five p.m., but shall we have lunch now?'

‘Five minutes early,' I teased. ‘I'm not sure. What will that do to your schedule?'

We headed downstairs again. Mum had laid out sandwiches and some vegetable sticks with dips and cheese and crackers.

‘Dig in,' she said, gaily. ‘We won't eat again for ages.'

Tansy appeared at the back door of the kitchen. She too was wearing one of Harry's robes, with her snow boots on her feet. Her hair was sleek and shiny and her face made-up immaculately. She looked beautiful. And a bit worried.

‘Have any of you guys seen Parker?' she said. ‘I can't find him at Eva's. And he's not answering when I call him.'

‘That's weird,' I said. ‘I've not seen him come in here, though he could have I suppose. He's probably reading his bones book and can't hear you.'

Chloe gave Tansy a sympathetic smile.

‘I lost Olly once,' she said. ‘I was absolutely frantic. I searched the whole house and just when I was about to call the police, I found him curled up under his bed, fast asleep.'

Tansy looked relieved.

‘He's been very quiet all morning and I thought it was because we had such a late night. Maybe he's taken himself off to a cosy corner and gone to sleep.'

‘I'll come back with you, if you like,' said Chloe. ‘Help you look.'

‘Thanks,' Tansy said. ‘Michael's there but he's kind of jetlagged himself. Eva and Allan have gone down to town already.'

She flashed me a smile.

‘Your hair looks great,' she said.

‘Back in five minutes,' Chloe said. ‘Save me some hummus.'

But she wasn't back in five minutes. In fact, it was more like thirty minutes later when she finally opened the door and came in kicking the snow from her boots.

We all looked up from our empty plates.

‘Great,' said Harry, brandishing her schedule. ‘Get some food Chloe, quickly, and we need to get moving. Esme's dad should be here any minute.'

Chloe shook her head.

‘We can't find him,' she said. ‘I promised Tansy we'd look here in case he's crept in.'

I felt a small glimmer of unease.

‘I'll go and check upstairs,' I said. ‘Maybe he's come back to his old room.'

‘I'll look in the living room,' Chloe said.

Together Mum and I went in every room upstairs, calling Parker's name and looking in the wardrobes and under the beds. He wasn't there.

‘There's nowhere else he could be, is there?' I asked Mum, who was beginning to look concerned. ‘No other rooms I don't know about?'

‘None,' Mum said. ‘But I can do a seeking charm if you keep Tansy downstairs for a minute. Just to be sure.'

‘Good idea,' I said. ‘Give me five minutes.'

I went downstairs to the kitchen where everyone had gathered. Tansy was looking less together – her sleek hair was ruffled where she kept pulling her hands through it. Michael, who was wearing his uniform again, had his arm round her protectively and was murmuring into her ear. Harry, Suky, Chloe and Lou stood round the table, looking awkward.

There was a knock at the door and everyone jumped.

‘I'll get it,' Chloe said.

As she went out into the hall, I felt the slight shiver that meant Mum had done the charm upstairs. Harry and Suky felt it too. They both looked up, then looked at me. I gave a tiny nod as Dad and Chloe came into the kitchen.

Dad came straight to me and hugged me.

‘Where's the little lad then, eh?' he said.

Tansy shook her head. I thought she was very close to tears.

‘We'll find him,' Dad said. ‘I remember we lost Mitch once, the little bugger. Fast asleep he was, in the garden shed.'

Though she forced a smile, I could tell Tansy didn't want to hear another story about a sleeping child. I put my hand on Dad's arm. Mum came down the stairs and into the kitchen.

‘He's nowhere in the house,' she said to Tansy. ‘I've looked everywhere.'

Tansy started to cry and Louise sprang into action.

‘Right,' she said. ‘Time's getting on and we need to find Parker as soon as possible. Michael, can you go and check if his coat and boots are still at Eva's please?'

Michael raced off across the garden to Eva's and came back just as quickly.

‘They're gone,' he said in his east coast twang. ‘Wherever he is, he's wearing his coat, his hat and his boots.'

Tansy gasped but Louise smiled.

‘That's good,' she said. ‘We know he went out deliberately and we know he's warm. I'm going to phone it in, though, just so we can get everyone looking for him. I think it's important to find him quickly.'

‘Phone the police?' Tansy said. ‘Yes, please do.'

Harry gave the clock on the wall a quick glance. I copied her. It was quarter past two.

‘Shall I call Jamie?' I asked. ‘We're going to be late, and he really needs to know what's going on with Parker.'

Tansy nodded.

‘I guess,' she said.

Chapter 38

Louise picked up her phone and scrolled through until she found the number she needed.

‘It's DI Baxter,' she said as someone answered, walking out into the hall so she could speak privately.

I found my phone too and called Jamie. Not wanting an audience, I ducked outside the back door and shivered in my robe while I waited for him to answer.

His phone went to voicemail. I hung up and rang again. Voicemail.

‘Jamie,' I said. ‘Darling, can you call me? There's been a hiccup. But don't worry – the wedding's still on. It just might be a bit late.'

As explanations went it was pretty rubbish. I wondered if I should phone him back and tell him about Parker – but how could I put that on a voicemail message? I turned my phone over and over in my hand thoughtfully, staring at the snow family Parker and I had made just a couple of days earlier.

‘Shit,' I said. ‘Shit.'

I slammed back through the door. Everyone looked at me in astonishment.

‘I know where he is,' I said. ‘I know where Parker is.'

Tansy stood up straight.

‘What do you mean you know where he is?' she said. ‘Where is he?'

‘I think he might have gone to my cave,' I said.

‘What. Cave?' Tansy said fiercely. ‘Tell me where my son is.'

‘When we made our den the other day, I told him about my cave,' I said. ‘It's where I used to go when I was young, a sort of quiet place where I could sort my head out. I said he should find a space of his own so if he wanted to think about things, he could go there. I think he might have decided to use mine.'