A Summer Bay Wedding
Chapter Two
Geoff walked into the Diner to sit and wait for Irene to finish her shift. Colleen had brought him a coffee a while ago and it was cooling in front of him. She'd asked him about the wedding plans and how it was all coming along and he'd replied with a patient smile, that it was all going fine and he was sure Nicole would tell her all about it. He didn't mention that he was fed up talking about the wedding and that it was ALL Nic could talk about it.
Last night they'd had a three-hour discussion on Cakes.
'CAKES!' he thought savagely in uppercase.
Oh it wasn't that he wasn't excited, he could think of nothing better than standing in front of all their friends and family and saying his vows before them and God, but it was still months away and they had other things to talk about.
Like where they were going to live for a start. Martha, because of her pregnancy and her need to be closer to the hospital, had offered him the use of the farm for the interim. But when Nic had learnt of the idea she got that pinched sour look on her face and he'd known that she'd immediately thought about how far it was from the shops. NottomentionitwaswhereheandClaudiahadstayedforawhile.
'Woah Boy!' he thought to himself. 'Don't go there!' he cautioned, avoiding thoughts of that time in his life.
He would love to start their married life on the farm, the place where he and Annie grew up and where memories of his parents and Pops were, but knew that it just wasn't the solution. So here he was waiting for Irene so that he could talk it through with her.
Irene walked over to him and sat down at the table. She'd brought him a fresh cup of coffee and one for herself.
"Spill it!" she instructed, not meaning the coffee!
"The Wedding!" he said, careful of his tone of voice as Colleen was suspiciously taking her time wiping a table nearby. He indicated her presence with a movement of his eyes!
"For Gawds sake Colleen, that table is flipping well clean so take your flapping ears back to the kitchen!" Irene said to her.
She bustled away in a huff.
Irene and Geoff looked at each other and laughed.
"Well let's get this out the way." Irene said taking a sip of her coffee. "Are you having second thoughts?"
Geoff looked up startled.
"No, God no!" he exclaimed.
Irene laughed at Geoff using that particular phrase.
"I love her more than life itself Irene!" he finished, looking chagrined.
"Good love. I had a feeling that she would turn out to be the one all those years ago. And you've stuck together through some trying times."
He laughed.
"Yeah!" he said, "it's when it's easy we seem to stuff up. But this feels right Irene. I don't know how to explain it in words."
He drained the last of his coffee, not realising how much he had drunk.
"Its ok" she said putting her hand on his. "I've got eyes me boy! And I ain't that old."
"I'm not going to like myself for saying this but I feel as though I'll explode if I don't." Geoff looked down then up and met Irene's gaze. "There is more to life than a wedding and dresses and cake!"
"Lord love, don't let Belle hear you say there is more to life than cake, she'll skin you alive."
Geoff let out a long slow breath and then laughed. Laughed like he hadn't laughed for ages. A great big belly laugh.
"Thank you Irene." He said, wiping tears from his eyes.
"Feel better?" Irene asked.
"I do." He confirmed.
They both burst out laughing at his choice of phrase.
"I'll talk to her." He said when they sobered, meaning Nic. But he knew that he wouldn't do it tonight, she'd gone looking at dresses today and he didn't want to bring her down from the excited buzz she'd no doubt have.
"So what was the other thing?" Irene asked, when Geoff had texted her earlier asking for this chat he'd mentioned having a couple of things he needed to talk to her about.
"Somewhere to live." He confessed sheepishly.
"Strewgth!" Irene said. "No need to even ask, the beach house will always have a place for you. Not an ideal place to start married life I agree but its there if you want it. And no I won't be offended if Princess Nic wants to look for something else!"
Geoff looked at the older woman and once again said a silent prayer for her coming into his life.
"Thank you Irene, you have no idea how much it means to me."
"Well come here and give me a hug before you go." She murmured, sensing that he needed it more than she did, although one could never have too many hugs!
He embraced her squeezing tight for the merest second before wishing her goodbye and walking back to the beach house. His phone beeped and he read the message from Roman.
"No choice of dress yet… Please rescue me…. Please…she'smakingmetryonsuits!!"
Followed by a message from Nic,
"Ignore whatever he sent. Dresses ok but nothing Princess like. Did we talk about top hat and tails? TTFN Nic x"
"Hell no! " he said to no one in particular. "Hell No!" he repeated, "Over my dead body!"