He smiled and bent down, kissing her neck lightly and then gently grazing her skin with his teeth, so that she gasped. He grinned wickedly and said, “You’ve got five minutes to say your goodbyes and meet me by my car at Noel and Son’s car park. And then you’re mine.”

Good god! At this rate she wouldn’t make it as far as the cottage.

Her eyes scanned the clusters of revelers. Then suddenly a purple glitter hat pulled low over an elfin face rose above the crowd as Thomas lifted Lucas up and onto his shoulders. They were all together, thank god! Nory did a sort of half jog over to them and said her goodbyes.

“There’s nothing wrong, is there?” asked her mum.

“No, no, just bride-to-be stuff, you know Jenna,” Nory reassured her mum.

“I didn’t get a call,” said Ameerah, checking her phone.

“No, you wouldn’t have, it’s just for that thing, you know? The um, thing that I’d said I’d do and then I didn’t . . .” Fuck! Why am I such a shit liar?

“Well, I can drop you up there,” said Ameerah. “You don’t mind leaving, do you, Dev?”

“No, of course not.”

“Um, no it’s fine, you guys stay and have fun, there’s plenty more fun to be had! Fun, fun, fun!”

Ameerah was looking at her like she’d taken drugs.

“Are you all right, love?” asked her dad.

“Yes, god yes, I’m fine.” She was wasting time! “I’m— Actually, do you know what, I’ve just remembered Isaac said he’d give me a lift. That’s right, he totally offered me a lift, and then I forgot and now I’d better go, or I’ll miss that blinking lift.” She laughed too loudly and snorted like a pig and had no idea why she did it.

Realization plastered Ameerah’s face, and her eyes widened.

“Oh gosh,” she said, herding Nory away from her family. “You’d better get going. Jenna won’t want to be kept waiting. You know what she’s like. The bride is never wrong.”

Nory could have kissed her friend, but she really didn’t have the time. With blown kisses and goodbyes still lingering in the air, Nory hotfooted it through the throng and down the lane.