There he was – her ex – who had haunted her for years
Steve Beresford
Someone had mentioned he would be at the wedding. He was an old friend of the groom, just as she was, but Lisa had thought he was a no-show.
She’d looked around for him before the service, and hadn’t seen him in the church either. But now here he was, as the reception was winding up, wearing a smart suit, chatting to another guest outside the marquee.
Martin Floyd glanced up and caught Lisa staring. He smiled, nodded, and patted the arm of the man he was talking to, wrapping up the conversation as swiftly as he could. Then he wandered over across the lawn.
‘Hi there!’
‘Hello,’ Lisa said. ‘You’re either extremely late or you’ve been hiding in the shadows.’
‘Were you looking for me?’
‘No.’
He chuckled. ‘I was late, actually. Unavoidable. I got to the church just as everyone was coming out. I didn’t think anyone had noticed.’ He paused, as though making the point that she had noticed his absence. ‘Anyway, I’ve since kissed the groom and shaken the hand of the bride.’
Typical Martin, always joking his way through life.
‘I saw you fight to catch the bouquet,’ he grinned.
‘I did not!’
‘It was like you were going in for the winning header in the penalty area, knocking all the defenders out of the way.’
Lisa bristled. She had got caught up at the back of the cackling crowd and made a token effort to catch the bouquet, even though she didn’t want to.
‘I’ve missed most of the reception as well,’ Martin said. ‘Had to take a business call, which took forever.’
‘Poor you.’
‘No rest for the wicked, eh?’
‘Hmm.’
‘Can I say,’ he went on, ‘how beautiful you look today?’
‘You can if you like.’ She was wearing a flowery dress she’d bought specially. When Martin Floyd walked out of her life she’d lost weight – a result of stress, lack of appetite and immersing herself in her job to forget the pain. The new dress flattered her figure.
‘So was it a good wedding?’ he asked. ‘The ceremony, I mean.’
‘Nice. But too big for my taste.’
‘Ah, yes, I remember. You’re not keen on big weddings, are you?’
‘I’d prefer something less flashy. Just the two of us and a handful of guests.’ Immediately she realised she could have phrased that better.
‘Us?’ He raised his eyebrows, smiling. ‘Is that just a wish? Or a firm offer?’
‘I
