Real Men Don't Break Hearts(23)

“Ally?”

She shook herself out of her reverie to find her sister regarding her with a slight frown. “I’m fine.” She waved her off. “Go home and rest.”

Instead, Jess cast a glance at the number of empty bowls waiting to be filled. “Now that you’re here,” she said to Ally, “we should be done in an hour.”

In fact, it was closer to two hours before all the arrangements were finished to Jess’s satisfaction and put into cool storage. Ally told her sister to go home and take a warm bubble bath before she took off herself. She needed a relaxing bath herself, she mused tiredly as she drove home. In the past few days everywhere she went she’d been confronted with reminders of the grand wedding coming up. All the hotels and bed and breakfasts had been filling up with guests, their fancy cars jamming streets already choked with delivery vans heading toward the Kerrigans’ spread.

The upside had been the brisk trade at her gift shop, just as Tyler had predicted. Tyler’s jewelry had been a big hit, and she’d almost sold her entire collection. Ally was pleased for her friend, and pleased with her own profits, but overall she would be glad when life returned to normal.

Saturday morning she went for her usual five kilometer run and was about to open the gift shop at ten when Brian rang, sounding hoarse with panic. While loading the floral arrangements into the van, he’d dropped an entire crate, and now seven centerpieces needed to be redone in short order. Cutting him off, Ally said she’d be there in ten minutes and grabbed her car keys.

At the store, Jess greeted her with a wan smile. She didn’t look any better after a night’s sleep.

“What happened?” Ally asked. “Rough night with the twins?”

Jess rubbed her red-rimmed eyes. “No, they were fine. It’s all these aches and pains I’ve been having. I couldn’t get any rest. I think I might be coming down with the flu.”

“Honestly, sis, you’re too stubborn. You should go see a doctor. Today.”

Leaning against the bench, Jess pulled a face and rubbed her abdomen. “Mm, maybe I should.”

Ally paused midway through gathering peonies, alarmed at her sister’s compliance. Jess hated seeing the doctor, so she really must be feeling ill. Ally cast around for Brian, but he’d gone outside. “Why don’t you go to the office and sit for a while? I can do these.”

“But there’re still five to do, and we were supposed to deliver the first lot half an hour ago.”

“Brian can drop off whatever he has now and then come back for the rest.”

Jess nodded. “Okay, that’s a good idea. I’ll go tell him, but first I need the toilet. I seem to be peeing every five minutes. The joys of pregnancy.” She limped out of the workshop, still rubbing the small of her back.

Alone, Ally concentrated on the flowers. A minute later Brian plunged through the door, bug-eyed and gibbering. “Come quick. It’s Jess.”

Ally ran after him into the office. Jess was crouched on a chair, her back bowed, her hands gripped around her stomach. She lifted tear-filled eyes to Ally. “I’m bleeding.”

An arctic fist closed around Ally’s heart. For a moment she couldn’t move, couldn’t react. All she could do was stare at her sister blanched by pain and fear, her agony all too familiar to Ally. Not Jess, too… Dread burned through her as she forced herself to move forward and drop to her knees in front of her sister.

“Jess?” She placed her hand over her sister’s. “You’ll have to go to the hospital.”

“No…I—I’m sure I’ll be fine. It—it’s just a bit of spotting, that’s all.” Perspiration dewed her ashen face. “Quite natural in the first trimester.”

That’s what Ally had told herself, too, when she’d begun to bleed and cramp eight weeks into her pregnancy. She’d forced herself to go about her daily routine, willing the symptoms to disappear. But the bleeding and cramping had worsened, accompanied by a sick, bloated fog that had enveloped and submerged her, until she’d lost the baby. The whole process had taken two days, during which she’d only had Seth to comfort her, and he’d been too frightened to be much use.

“I don’t care if it’s natural,” Brian burst out. Striding forward, he pulled Jess to her feet. “I’m taking you to the hospital whether you like it or not.”

“But Brian, the flowers,” she whispered.

“I’ll take care of them.” Ally grabbed her sister’s jacket and wrapped it round Jess’s shoulders. “Don’t worry; I’ll take care of everything. Just get to the hospital.” Ally dug into her pocket for her keys and tossed them to Brian. “Take my car. Go now.”

Seconds later she was alone. She rubbed her hands over her face, trying to slow down the frantic pace of her heart. The chill hadn’t left her, and her fingers wouldn’t stop shaking. She walked back to the workbench and surveyed the buckets of flowers waiting for her. The room was cold like a tomb. For the first time in her life she didn’t want to touch the flowers. Their scent was too cloying, their coolness too repellent. Shivering, she rubbed the goosey flesh of her upper arms.

She couldn’t get all neurotic now. Jess was counting on her. For so long it had always been Jess helping her out, doing the big-sister thing. Now it was her turn to step up and do something for Jess. Whatever happened at the hospital, she wouldn’t let Jess down.

…

Easing a finger into his collar, Nate wondered why he’d turned up at the wedding so early. There was still an hour to go before the three o’clock ceremony, to be held outdoors in the Kerrigans’ garden, and it would be close to five before the photos were done and dinner started. He’d be stuck in this suit for hours. When he’d lived in the city he’d enjoyed dressing up, but now that he’d moved back to Burronga he preferred his casual gear.

He threaded his way across the patio and observed the grand marquee set up in the center of the garden. Groups of wedding guests dotted the lawn. As he watched, a statuesque redhead detached herself from the crowd and minced toward Nate, looking intent on collaring him. Lengthening his stride, he took off in the other direction and made for the marquee. As he ducked into its shady interior, he caught the tail end of a haranguing voice coming from inside.

“… disgraceful, quite disgraceful. I’m appalled.”

He made out Crystal Kerrigan’s figure, looming among the linen-clothed tables. Her back was turned to him, hiding the unfortunate person she was castigating.

“I don’t know how you can have the nerve to present me with something like this,” Crystal continued. On television she always spoke in dulcet tones, but here there was no pretense and no hiding her whiplash tongue. “It’s an absolute mess!”

Nate had no desire to witness someone getting a dressing down from La Kerrigan and began to inch backward, but he halted when the unseen person spoke up.

“I’m sorry you feel that way, but I’ve tried my best.”

His heart rate kicked up a notch as he heard Ally’s familiar voice sounding unfamiliarly brusque. Moving a few paces to the left, he saw her squaring up to Crystal, her face pale and set.

“You call that your best?” Crystal swelled with outrage. “Who are you, anyway? You’re not that Jess woman I’ve been dealing with. Where is she? I demand to speak to her.”

“My sister couldn’t make it—”

“Couldn’t make it? What sort of excuse is that? This is the most important day of my daughter’s life.”

Ally’s jaw tensed. “Jess isn’t well today, so I’ve taken her place.”

“Hardly! You’ve made a mess of things is what you’ve done. First you drop the centerpiece for the main table, and then you replace it with this…this sick joke!” She jabbed a finger at a crooked flower arrangement on the table next to her. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were trying to sabotage my daughter’s wedding!”

What little color there was in Ally’s face drained away. Her oak-colored curls quivered as she visibly battled to control herself. Nate found himself springing forward.

“Ally, what’s going on?”

Both women swung to stare at him. Ally’s lips formed a small O.

Crystal narrowed her basilisk eyes at him. “Nate? What are you doing here?”

The few times he’d met Crystal he hadn’t warmed to her, and the antipathy was mutual. Her crimped expression told him she thought he was interfering and this was none of his business, but if Ally was involved, then it was his business.

“What’s happened to Jess?” He directed his question solely to Ally.

“Like I said, she’s not well. Brian’s looking after her, so I’m delivering the floral arrangements.” She, too, ignored Crystal.

“Well, I’m certainly not paying for that piece of vomit! And if this is how she treats her best customer, your sister is never getting my business again.” Crystal swept up the offending centerpiece and, holding it at arm’s length as though it were contaminated, carried it out of the marquee.

Ally glowered after the woman. “What an impossible creature!” Then her chin began to tremble, and she groaned. “I’m such a klutz. I’ve ruined this job for Jess and Brian. As if they don’t have enough to worry about today.”