“All your clients probably have one.”

A sharp blast of wind blew through, almost taking Jordan’s breath away. It might be May, but seasons didn’t matter on the south coast. On the seafront, every day was gusty. Up ahead, she saw Walton’s, the café that always signalled the halfway mark of their run, where they turned and ran home. But today, with the sun battling to come out overhead and the clouds looking ominous, Jordan needed a break. As they drew up alongside the battered, white wooden café, she fluttered her eyes at Karen.

“Can we stop for a coffee?” Jordan clutched her side. “I’ve got a stitch and I really didn’t get all that much sleep last night. Adrenaline from the past month. What do you say? Can I ease back in slowly?”

Karen gave her a look, before nodding. “So long as we run back.”

“I swear on my life.” She had her fingers crossed, though.

Inside the café, Karen nipped to the loo. Jordan got them both a flat white, then took a seat by the window overlooking the sea. The air was coated with the scent of fried bacon and sausages, making her stomach rumble. But she couldn’t give in to her cravings. What Karen had said was true. She had an image to keep up, a story to portray. Being a professional bridesmaid was akin to being an actress who has to be on stage and in the spotlight for weeks at a time. What Jordan didn’t know about being a bridesmaid wasn’t worth knowing.

Karen slipped back into the seat opposite, her short, dark hair and piercing blue eyes sparkling as always. Karen was one of life’s happy people. She sipped her coffee before she spoke. “How was the grand finale of this job, anyway? We didn’t really get a chance to talk about the details last night. Any interesting tales to tell while I was making sure the country still had enough knickers to go around?” Karen was a lingerie buyer for Marks & Spencer, a job that always grabbed the attention of anyone who heard it.

Jordan ran through the past week in her head, playing it out like a movie. All things considered, it had gone fairly smoothly. She’d dealt with far worse than Emily.

“It went fine.”

“Nobody rumbled you?”

Jordan shook her head. She was still surprised that hadn’t happened yet. After all, the people who could afford her services had money, and those people tended to stick together. She was sure she’d seen a few of the same faces around, but Jordan had perfected the art of blending in very well. Plus, nobody was really looking out for a serial bridesmaid, were they?