The Wedding Day Read Online Free PDF Page A

someone, but she couldn't quite think who.
     
    She had long blonde hair which looked like it needed a good brushing. Her hair hung loose around her shoulders and she kept pushing her too-long fringe out of her eyes. She had piercing blue eyes, framed with long, dark eyelashes and she wore very little if any makeup. She really was strikingly pretty.
     
    "It's nice to meet you all," Nicole smiled shyly around the group.
    "One red wine and one white wine spritzer as requested."
    Ben arrived back at their table and carefully deposited a tray which was loaded with glasses.
     
    The friends quickly resumed their chatter and bantering back and forth while Nicole smiled and slowly sipped her wine. She was glad for the distraction of the conversation around her. She didn't feel like saying very much, but she had to admit to herself that it was a welcome relief to be out in public again. She knew she'd spent enough time wallowing on her sister's sofa.
    “Penny for them,” Jack said gently, interrupting Nicole's thoughts.
    “Sorry,” she smiled apologetically. “I'm not very good company at the moment.”
    “You looked like you were lost in your own little world there,” Jack continued ooking at her thoughtfully.
    He really has the kindest eyes, Nicole noticed distractedly. They were a very light silver-grey colour, framed with long, thick black lashes, which most women would have killed for. His gaze was direct and unflinching, while at the same time full of compassion and warmth. She found herself gazing back at him.
     
    She coughed. “I suppose you could say that I am a bit lost at the moment,” she agreed.
    “Yeah, Ev told us what happened,” Jack patted her hand sympathetically. “You're better off without him. At least you found out what he's really like sooner, rather than later.”
    “Are you talking in cliches again, Jack?” Liv punched him playfully on the arm, as she casually eavesdropped on their conversation.
    “Probably,” Jack laughed, taking a long gulp of his refreshingly cold beer.
     
    “What kind of a man dumps his fiance at the altar?” Sarah suddenly joined in the conversation. “If he didn't want to marry you, could he not have told you in private, that morning? I don't know how you're still standing. The embarrassment would have killed me.”
    “Succinctly and bluntly phrased, as always, Sarah,” Ben said sarcastically.
    Ev glared at her friend, willing her to shut up.
     
    Nicole could feel the familiar lump rising in her throat as silence descended on the little group. She was tired of being the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons. She didn't know how much longer she could stand everyone's pitying, sympathetic glances.
    She prayed that she wouldn't start crying again, not in public. She'd had quite enough public humiliation for one lifetime. She wracked her brains for something to say, anything to break the deafening silence.
     
    “I'm going for a cigarette,” Jack said eventually, as if he was reading her mind. “Would you like to join me, Nicole?”
    “Sure.”
    “Would you like a Marlboro?” Jack offered Nicole once they were standing outside in the smoking area.
    “Thanks,” she took one of his cigarettes, grateful for the distraction.
    She noticed how strong and calloused his hands were as he lit her cigarette. They stood in companionable silence for several moments, breathing in the cold night air. The low hum from inside the pub added a pleasant background noise.
     
    “I'm sorry about earlier,” Jack said in between puffs.
    “There's no need to apologise,” Nicole insisted.
    “Sarah can be very direct. She tends to say what's on her mind without thinking of the consequences, but she really is one of the best people I know.”
    “There's nothing wrong with honesty,” Nicole sighed. “I wish I'd had more of it in my life, maybe I wouldn't be in the mess I'm in right now.”
     
    “You seem quite sane to me, considering,” Jack teased.
    “I'm not, trust