We made it to the bar at the same time as Juliet’s folks and her brother.
“Son, you look wonderful.” Juliet’s mother tucked her head under Gazza’s chin and hugged him tight. “Happy birthday, baby.”
“Hey, I thought I was the baby of the family?” Juliet jutted out her bottom lip.
Her father draped his arm across her shoulders. “You’ll always be my baby, sweetheart.” He kissed the top of her head and glanced at me. “You must be Tiffany.”
There it was again—that tightening in my stomach. Hiding my grimace, I smiled. “I am. It’s lovely to meet you. Juliet’s told me so much about you.” The second the words were out, I realised I should’ve stopped at ‘it’s lovely to meet you’.
“Oh, really?” Greg said. It was Greg, wasn’t it? Fuck. I was screwed. “All good, I hope.”
“Of course, and I can see where Juliet gets her good looks.” Although it sounded cheesy, I meant it. Juliet’s parents were good-looking people. Mid-fifties and in great shape.
Juliet’s mother turned to me. “Welcome to the family. We’ve heard good things about you as well. And it’s nice to see my daughter smiling.”
“Hey, Gary.” A guy slapped Juliet’s dad on the back, and I repeated his name three times in my head.
Gary, Gary, Gary. Thank goodness I hadn’t called him Greg.
Juliet leaned in close. “That’s Blake. Gazza’s best friend. He practically lived at our place as a kid.”
“And called your dad Gary?”
“No, not as kids. He used to call him Mr Price.”
“Your surname’s Price?” I feigned surprise. It didn’t feel right pointing out I had access to all the personnel files. I knew everyone’s full name, address, age, and more.
Ruby’s real name was Rhonda. I would no more disclose that than any other personal information I was privy to.
“Yeah. That’s why I keep it quiet at work.”
I tuned back in to Juliet, unsure what I’d missed. “Sorry. What?”
“Seriously?” She glanced around as if to check no one else was in hearing shot. “‘Hey, Mrs Price. Name your price.’ Me. ‘Fifty bucks.’ Client—”
“The price is right.”
“Bingo.” She snapped her fingers.
The bar fell quiet, and the music came to a stop. “May I have your attention, please?” a voice called out.
I swivelled my head, trying to see who was talking. My gaze landed on a lodge employee.
“Can you please start making your way through to the dining room?” He indicated to a doorway on our right. “Appetisers will be served shortly.”
The crowd gravitated in that direction, and we fell into step behind them.
“You doing okay?” Juliet asked.
I put my arm around her waist, holding her close as we walked. “Perfect, sweet cheeks.”
Although I’d been going for ridiculous, the huge smile Juliet flashed me was more rewarding than an eye roll. It was disconcerting as well. The desire to put some distance between us almost overwhelmed me. I mentally banished the urge. We were playing a game, and I didn’t like to lose.
Side by side, we entered the function room. There were six tables, each seating eight. Helium balloons bobbed in the air, and streamers hung from the A-frame rafters.
“Where do you want to sit?” Juliet asked.
“With us.” A voice came from behind us just before someone grabbed my hand. “Come on.”
I glanced over my shoulder and was met by Juliet’s mum’s smiling eyes. She dragged us over to a table by a tall window, giving us a spectacular view of Tongariro River and the mountains beyond. The four people we’d met earlier joined us, making up our table of eight.
“Have you met this lot?” Pam asked, gesturing with her drink.
“I have.” I tipped my head in greeting.
“So, Tiffany,” Gary said. “Where did you meet my daughter?”
Unprepared for the question, I had to wing it. I also had a plan. I just hoped it didn’t backfire. “It’s a funny story, actually.”
“Oh, do tell.” Fiona rubbed her hands together.
After giving Juliet what I hoped was a bashful smile, I placed our joined hands on the table. “You tell them.”
“Me?” Her mouth fell open, but she quickly recovered. “No, no. I couldn’t.”
“It can’t be any worse than our story.” David grinned at his partner, Shaun.
Fiona elbowed her brother. “Meeting someone who tattoos your arse is hardly a newsworthy story.”
“I don’t know,” Shaun said. “You should see his arse.”
For a minute, I wondered if they’d forgotten about the folks sitting at the table. I turned and met Gary’s gaze.
He was grinning, and his eyes hadn’t left mine. “Can you top that one?”
“Nope.” Off the hook! Phew.
“Good,” Pam said. “I don’t need to hear about my daughter showing off her derrière.”
Juliet scoffed. “Just when everyone thinks you’re cool, you go and use a word the queen invented.”
“Did she?” Pam asked.
“No, Mum. It was a figure of speech.”
“Derrière’s French, actually,” Fiona said.
Her husband nudged her playfully. “Now she’s showing off.”
A waitress appeared and placed some platters of food on the table. Everyone tucked in, and I was glad both Juliet and I managed to dodge the ‘how did you meet?’ question.
I put a slice of Camembert on a cracker and held it up to Juliet. She took a bite, and her mum mumbled, “Cute.”
Juliet picked up an olive and offered it to me. I hated olives. Fucking hated them. But wouldn’t a girlfriend know that? Of course they would.
“Thanks, babe.” She didn’t deserve that, but it was the closest I could get to letting her know I wasn’t impressed and not to offer me anymore.
I closed my lips around the offering, and the taste alone was enough to trigger my gag reflex. The olive flew out of my mouth and landed on the table with a splat.
Horrified, I thumped my chest. “Sorry. Tickle in my throat.” I grabbed my glass of wine and tossed it back like water.
Juliet picked up the offending olive and dropped it on her plate. Her mother’s hand shot out and wrapped around Juliet’s wrist. “Where’s your ring?”
What the fuck? Surely she hadn’t told her mother we were talking marriage. Actually, shouldn’t she be asking Nerine that? Oh, shit. That was right. They were yet to find out Gazza had eloped. My stomach flipped, and I suddenly wished I was anywhere but at Tongariro Lodge.
“Um.” Juliet chewed her lip. “At home. Somewhere.”
“What do you mean, somewhere?”
“It’s in my jewellery box.”
“But you always wear it. Especially to special occasions.”
“I know. But tonight’s about Gazza.”
“As if your grandmother’s—”
Someone tapped a mic, and everyone’s attention was drawn to the front of the dining room, where Gazza was standing on a raised platform with Nerine by his side. Juliet shot me a nervous glance before turning sideways in her seat.
I turned sideways in mine and rested my chin on her shoulder. My gaze was straight ahead, but I tipped my head slightly to the side and spoke into her ear. “I hate olives.”
A small smile pulled at her lips, and I was certain if we were alone, she would’ve giggled. I pinched the back of her arm and was rewarded with a glare.
“Thank you all for being here tonight,” Gazza said. “Turning thirty-five is a big deal.”
“Here, here,” David called out. “Some of us didn’t think you’d make it.”
Juliet leaned back in her seat and spoke out of the corner of her mouth. “He had a lot of accidents as a kid. When he was twelve—”
“Shush.” Pam shot Juliet a disapproving look, reprimanding her as if she was five. Juliet grinned, and I had the insane desire to slip my arm around her waist and hold her close. Instead, I removed my chin from her shoulder and sat up straighter.
“There’s something I wanted to say before everyone gets hammered.” Gazza reached out a hand, and Nerine took it, joining him at his side.
My heart was in my throat, and the excited energy radiating off Juliet added to that. I didn’t know what it was like to have siblings, but it was clear Juliet adored her brother.
Gary beamed at Pam and mouthed ‘baby’.
Oh, how wrong was he, but hopefully, he’d look just as proud.
“Five years ago, I asked this wonderful woman to be my wife.”
“And she said yes,” someone called out.
“And you’re yet to make an honest woman of her,” someone else yelled.
Nerine took the mic. “You’re wrong, actually.” She held up her ring finger, showing off a huge diamond.
“What. The. Hell?” Pam muttered, and I wished she’d turned in her seat so I could see her face. It was hard to tell if it was a happy, shocked, or less than pleased utterance.
A woman I used to work with was mad as hell when she found out her sister eloped. I didn’t get it, but she was of the mind if her sister didn’t want her to be a part of her big day, she could get stuffed.
“As of last week, we became Mr and Mrs Price. Tonight’s a double celebration. Please raise your glasses and join me in a toast to my wife.”
“Woot, woot.” Cheers rang out as everyone got to their feet and tipped back their drinks.
“Mum and Dad, please come up here.”
Pam wiped tears from her eyes and linked hands with Gary. Thankfully, once the shock wore off, they were over the moon.
“Did you know?” Pam asked Juliet as she re-joined us at the table.
“Know what?” Juliet grinned.
“Is that why you didn’t wear your ring?” Pam looked at Juliet’s hand again.
“Yeah, I didn’t want to steal the limelight from Nerine.”
Juliet’s mother might’ve bought it, but I wasn’t buying it. Wine was placed on our table, followed by our meals, and that was the end of that.
By midnight, I’d lost count of how many people had stopped by our table. I’d been introduced to them all and could barely remember a name.
“We’ll leave you kids to it.” Gary stood and held out a hand to Pam. She took it, and he steadied her when she swayed on her feet.
“Sleep tight, girls. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Oh, hell. Do it all. You’re only young once. Your father and I—”
“Mum.” Juliet grimaced. “I don’t want to think about what you and Dad used to do.”
“Who said used to? We still—”
“No, just no!” Juliet cut her mum off. “Dad, get her out of here.”
Grinning, he planted a kiss on her forehead. “She’ll be asleep before her head hits the pillow.”
“Hello? Right here!” Pam motioned to herself.
Shortly after they left, we did the same, making our excuses before heading back to our chalet. I’d been a big drinker when I was younger, but I had nothing on this lot.