A Wedding at Sandy Cove Read online

  A WEDDING AT SANDY COVE

  Part 2: Stitched Up

  Bella Osborne

  Copyright

  Published by AVON

  A Division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd

  1 London Bridge Street

  London SE1 9GF

  www.harpercollins.co.uk

  First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2022

  Copyright © Bella Osborne 2022

  Cover design © HarperCollinsPublishers 2022

  Cover illustration © Enya Todd/IllustrationX

  Bella Osborne asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

  This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

  Source ISBN: 9780008464936

  Ebook Edition © July 2022 ISBN: 9780008464974

  Version: 2022-05-03

  Dedication

  For Louise

  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Part Two

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Keep Reading …

  About the Author

  Also by Bella Osborne

  About the Publisher

  PART TWO

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Ella’s heart was thudding in her chest. What was she meant to do? Ella went over what had happened in her mind. She’d thought she was helping by getting the bride out of the dress before it got covered in sick but now that bride was all over the internet she felt awful for the part she’d played.

  ‘Hi,’ said the woman who had walked in for a scheduled final fitting. She gave an awkward wave as if sensing all was not well.

  Despite what had just happened Ella wasn’t the sort to let people down. She made a split-second decision to deal with this customer and then she would call Lucy. She’d know what to do – or at least Ella hoped she would.

  ‘Your customer I believe,’ said Wanda pointedly. She turned on her sensible heel, stalked to her office and closed the door. That woman was unbelievable. How could you sack someone one moment and then tell them they had to work their notice the next?

  Ella was hopping mad but she pushed it to one side. ‘Hello,’ she said to the customer. ‘Your dress is already in the cubicle if you want to go through. You know the routine.’ The woman went into the fitting room and Ella pulled the curtain across.

  Ella marched over to Wanda’s office and opened the door. ‘After I have dealt with this customer I am seeking legal advice.’ She shut the door again so Wanda didn’t have time to reply. She fired off a quick text with lots of exclamation marks to Lucy. This was a nightmare.

  Thankfully the fitting went well. There were a few tears but they were all happy ones. The bride was pleased with how Ella had added a series of hidden buttons and loops under the train so it could be lifted off the ground to create a bustle effect. Ella slipped the gown out of the cubicle while the bride was getting dressed and packaged it up in the carrier ready for her to take home.

  Wanda appeared as if from nowhere. Ella flinched and saw the glee in Wanda’s eyes. Had she learnt how to teleport? ‘I’ve taken legal advice too. You are in breach of contract if you do not work your full notice period which I believe is three months.’ Ella knew her face must have dropped because it felt like a bowling ball had been attached to her chin. Wanda couldn’t hide her self-satisfied smirk.

  ‘Three months?’ That couldn’t be right.

  ‘I believe so,’ said Wanda. Ella didn’t trust her at all. And the wording she was using sounded like she wasn’t sure.

  ‘I will check my contract this evening, when I go through it with my legal adviser.’ Wanda’s smug expression faltered. Ha, thought Ella, gotcha.

  They both slapped smiles on as the bride came out of the fitting room. Ella wished her well and sent her off with her precious dress. She skirted past Wanda and back to her workstation. She didn’t breathe out until she heard Wanda’s office door slam shut.

  Ella pulled out her mobile phone and ignoring the many text messages from Kit she dialled Lucy’s number.

  ‘You all right?’ asked Lucy.

  ‘No. Wanda has sacked me because a bride flashed her boobs at some kids who filmed it and put it on the internet and now the bride wants to sue Wanda and Wanda says I’ve got to work for her for another three months.’ Ella realised she’d not taken a breath.

  ‘Slow down,’ said Lucy. ‘Right. Point number one. Not your fault if a bride flashes someone. It’s her issue if there is video footage and she needs to take action to get it removed from the internet.’

  ‘But I took her dress off her in the middle of the shop because she was about to barf on it.’

  ‘Again. Not your fault. Assuming you didn’t hold her down and forcefully remove said dress then she was complicit in the action.’ Ella puffed out a huge sigh of utter relief. ‘Point three: if that is all Wanda is using as evidence for termination under gross misconduct then you can sue her for unfair dismissal. Point four: it isn’t usual for an employer to enforce a notice period after dismissal but they can. Anything else?’

  ‘Just that you’re blooming brilliant, slightly scary and I’m hugely grateful that you’re my friend.’ Ella felt much better after speaking to Lucy.

  ‘My pleasure. Three months’ notice feels like a lot for your line of work.’

  ‘I thought that. I’m sure it’s less but I’ll have to dig out my contract to check.’

  ‘Are you owed any holiday? You could use what you’re owed to cut down any notice period.’

  ‘Goodness. Probably loads. I’ll work that out this evening too. Are you okay?’

  There was a pause before Lucy replied. ‘I’m fine.’ Ella got the feeling that was a lie.

  The rest of the afternoon Ella and Wanda stayed in their respective domains. Ella checked through her drawers and put a few things in her bag so if she had to exit at short notice, she wouldn’t have too much to gather up. The thought of leaving triggered polarised emotions. Could this be the shove she needed to start her own business? That seemed like such a huge life decision to make. She wasn’t sure she was ready to walk away from a regular income and job security although the latter was obviously now in question. Her phone pinged with another text from Kit. An image of him shot into her mind. A particularly sexy version of him. She shook it away. That wasn’t helpful. She’d abandoned his call after Wanda-gate and hadn’t replied to his many messages. She hoped he’d been able to put project diarrhoea into action without her.

  When the clock hit five Ella was out of the shop door without a backward glance. Wanda was still there, she could lock up for a change. Ella pulled out her phone an
d scanned Kit’s messages as she walked to her car. They were a mixture of support for her situation with Wanda and dismay at their plot to scupper their parents lunch plans being foiled. The last message made her smile.

  Hope you didn’t get too much flak from your boss. Feel partly responsible. Instead of waiting for my workforce to come free I can start your garage conversion at the weekend if that helps

  What did the smiley face mean? Was that a joke? She dialled his number and he answered it immediately.

  ‘Hi Kit. Do you mean it about starting the building work this weekend?’

  ‘Yes, if you don’t mind me bringing along a helper.’

  ‘Of course not.’

  ‘So you’re doing this?’ he asked.

  She took a deep breath. ‘Yes. I’d like to accept your quote.’ Inwardly she squealed.

  ‘Great. But maybe I should point out that my helper is four years old and his experience is limited to Play-Doh.’

  ‘Ah, Isaac.’

  ‘I’ve got him on Saturday as Mum is visiting her sister.’

  ‘Are you sure? Not Davine?’

  He laughed. ‘No definitely not Davine this time but they did meet up today. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop them. She’d already asked where I was working before she dropped it on me and I was stuffing my face with a doughnut at the time so I could hardly feign an upset stomach.’

  ‘Never mind. We’ll have to come up with something else.’

  ‘What happened with your job?’ he asked.

  ‘I’ve been fired although I don’t think she can lawfully dismiss me because I’ve not done anything wrong.’ She gave him an update on the vomiting bride and he went quiet. ‘Kit? You still there?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said, followed by a snort. ‘Blimey, hashtag naked bride – she’s gone viral. No wonder she was after Wanda. But she looks good in a thong. The bride, not Wanda. I’m guessing Wanda’s not a thong kinda gal.’

  It made Ella chuckle. ‘Poor bride though. I do feel sorry for her.’

  ‘There’s a lesson in not overdoing alcohol. What are your plans for the evening?’

  ‘Alcohol with friends,’ said Ella with a giggle.

  ‘Then I expect to see you in a thong and heels all over Twitter tomorrow.’

  Was he flirting with her? ‘I’ll do my best.’

  ‘I’ll be over by about ten o’clock Saturday morning, okay?’

  ‘Brilliant. See you then.’ She felt excited. But that was only because of the garage conversion. This was it. She was doing it. She’d started the ball rolling. The first step to being her own boss. What the hell had she done?

  ***

  Lucy was glad to have something to take her mind off the Maxwell case. Despite her best efforts it had been playing on her mind and she was extra cautious when leaving the office. And while there had been no repeat of the car invading incident she did keep getting the feeling she was being watched. More than once when she’d checked over her shoulder she had seen the same tall hooded figure somewhere nearby, but that could just have been her imagination in overdrive. The three friends had gathered at Ella’s for their usual evening of catching up over wine and food.

  ‘Auntie Rita has a fungal infection,’ said Brittany. ‘I hope we’re not doing a spa.’

  ‘For the umpteenth time. It’s more than my life’s worth to disclose what we are or aren’t doing on your hen night,’ said Lucy.

  ‘What are we doing?’ asked Ella. Lucy scowled at her. ‘Oh, okay. Tell me later.’

  ‘Anyway,’ said Lucy, raising a glass. ‘Congratulations on starting your own business.’

  Lucy was chuffed that Ella was striking out on her own. She’d been telling her for years that she was undervalued and despite how it had come about she was pleased to see her friend taking back control.

  ‘Thanks,’ said Ella but the way she retreated into the sofa told Lucy a lot.

  ‘Are you excited about it?’ asked Brittany.

  ‘Terrified,’ replied Ella, tugging at a hangnail with her teeth. ‘I don’t know the first thing about setting up and running my own company. Converting the garage is going to be an upheaval and that’s the easiest part of all because I’m paying Kit to do it for me. I’ve got to work everything else out myself.’ Her eyes were getting wider. ‘All the things that Wanda did at Frills, Frocks and Fairy Tales I’ll have to do. On my own.’

  ‘What did she do exactly?’ asked Lucy. From what she’d picked up from Ella over the years Ella was pretty much running the day-to-day business.

  ‘Well, all the payments in and out, managing the accounts, dealing with complaints and … um …’ Ella put a finger to her lips, she seemed to have run out of things.

  ‘For payments in you need to set up a business account at the bank and they’ll advise on easy ways to receive money. There’s loads of apps for bookkeeping and you are amazing at what you do so there won’t be any complaints. I think you’ll be fine.’ Lucy gave Ella a little nudge. ‘Cheer up. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to you. With the possible exception of the day the ice cream van came to our school playground.’ It was nice to see a smile return to Ella’s face even if it was only briefly.

  ‘And I’ll need a website.’ Ella bit her lip.

  ‘That’s simple, you can set one up yourself. You need to get the URL for the company name and you’re away,’ said Lucy.

  ‘What’s your new business called?’ asked Brittany.

  Ella bit down hard on her lip and winced. ‘You see I’ve not even thought about that. I literally have no idea what I’m doing.’ Ella ran her fingers through her long hair. ‘What am I doing? This was a bad idea, wasn’t it?’ Her eyes darted agitatedly between her friends.

  ‘No, it’s a good thing,’ said Brittany.

  ‘We’ll come up with a name now,’ said Lucy, putting down her glass so she could concentrate on being creative. It wasn’t her strong suit. She much preferred facts and figures. ‘I’m guessing we can think of something better than Frills, Frocks and Fairy Tales,’ said Lucy with a derisory sniff.

  ‘Aww I always liked that name,’ said Brittany. ‘At least it’s memorable. Puns are funny too.’

  She did have a point. ‘How about Thread Needle Street?’ suggested Lucy, quite pleased with her offering.

  ‘Isn’t that a place in London?’ asked Ella. ‘That might confuse people.’

  ‘Pins and Needles!’ blurted out Brittany.

  ‘Sounds like a Botox clinic,’ said Lucy. ‘In fact, I’ve a feeling we had a case against them last year.’ Brittany pouted. ‘You could try something factual like Wedding Dress Alterations.’

  Ella yawned. ‘Sorry, I wasn’t being rude. But that is a bit bland.’

  ‘It’s a Stitch Up!’ said Brittany excitedly. The others laughed. ‘Is that a no then?’ She looked disappointed. ‘What if you use the word sew – S.E.W. and play with it like … um … Crafty Sew N Sew.’

  ‘I like it, but it sounds more like a hobby shop,’ said Ella.

  ‘Or a dodgy divorce lawyer.’ Lucy laughed. ‘How about Sew Lovely?’ she suggested, running with the theme.

  ‘I like it, but what about Oh Sew Special?’ asked Ella, her eyebrows arched.

  ‘Bloody brilliant!’ said Lucy and they all drank to that.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  After a good chat with Lucy and Brittany Ella felt a lot happier about the huge change she was embarking on. They were enormously supportive and had both helped to allay some of the many fears she had about branching out on her own. Friday at work had been busy for both Ella and Wanda which thankfully had kept them out of each other’s hair. Most brides started looking for dresses about a year in advance. Any new sales Wanda made were for brides who would have someone else making their dress alterations which did feel kind of weird because she’d worked there so long.

  As it inched towards five o’clock Ella could feel trepidation squirming in her gut. She had rummaged through her important papers file the night before and uncovered
her contract. She wasn’t looking forward to challenging Wanda about it, but the deed had to be done. Her plan was to hit her with the facts and then run away for the weekend.

  Ella tapped on Wanda’s office door. She could see her sitting inside ignoring her. It didn’t help her stress levels. At last Wanda turned to glare at her through the glass. ‘Come,’ she said like a Victorian school ma’am.

  ‘Wanda. I found my contract. My notice period is two weeks.’

  Wanda pursed her lips. Ella wasn’t expecting an apology, but some admission of error would have been nice. Although she suspected Wanda knew all along that her notice period wasn’t three months, she had been trying it on. Taking her for the fool she’d been for the last four years to work for someone who didn’t appreciate her and treated her badly.

  ‘Any decent person wouldn’t leave countless dresses incomplete. The very least you could do would be to ensure this summer’s gowns are ready,’ said Wanda without even looking at Ella.

  Wanda was unbelievable. ‘My schedule is maxed out until October based on the number of brides you have booked in. You should have thought of that when you sacked me. I have calculated that I am owed eleven days holiday which means my last day was yesterday.’ She turned to leave.

  ‘Maybe I was hasty,’ said Wanda. Ella waited, still facing the door. ‘If I have your assurance that you’ll not act irresponsibly again then perhaps you can keep your job.’

  There had been a number of times over the last twenty-four hours when she would have happily accepted Wanda’s retraction, but things had changed. Thanks to Kit’s suggestion to convert her garage and the support of her friends, Wanda was dealing with the makings of a distinctly different Ella. She was still unsure as to whether she could pull off setting up a company and being her own boss, but she now knew she wanted to try. She spun around to face her boss. Wanda wore a nonplussed expression and was clearly expecting Ella to beg for her job back.

  ‘Are you reinstating me?’

  ‘I’m saying I’ll consider it. If I have an apology and confirmation that you take full responsibility for the naked bride incident.’