Cecelia Ahern - P.S. I Love You

“Yeah, I understand,” Sharon nodded. “It's good for you to get out and meet new people anyway.”

“So did you find out anything else about him?” Denise leaned forward, her eyes sparkling as she dug for gossip. “He's a bit of a dark horse, that Daniel. Maybe he's hiding some huge secret.

Maybe the ghosts of his army past are coming back to torment him,” Denise joked.

“Eh . . . no, Denise, I don't think so,” Holly laughed. “Unless cleaning his boots in training camp was a traumatizing event. He didn't last much longer than that,” she explained.

“I love yummy army men,” Denise drooled.

“And DJs,” Sharon added.

“Oh, and DJs of course,” Denise replied, laughing.

“Well, I told him my view about the army anyway,” Holly smiled.

“Oh no, you didn't!” Sharon laughed.

“What's this?” Denise asked.

“So what did he say?” Sharon ignored Denise.

“He just laughed.”

“What's this?” Denise asked again.

“Holly's theory about the army,” Sharon explained.

“And what is it?” Denise asked, intrigued.

“Oh, that fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.”

The girls burst out laughing.

“Yeah, but you can have hours of endless fun trying,” Denise quipped.

“So you haven't mastered it yet?” Sharon asked.

“No, but at every available chance, we try, you know?” Denise replied, and the girls all giggled.

“Well, Holly, I'm glad you get along with him, because you're going to have to dance with him at the wedding.”

“Why?” She looked at Denise confused.

“Because it's tradition for the best man to dance with the maid of honor at the wedding,” her eyes sparkled.

Holly gasped, “You want me to be your maid of honor?”

Denise nodded, full of excitement. “Don't worry, I already asked Sharon and she doesn't mind,”

she assured Holly.

“Oh, I would love to!” Holly said happily. “But Sharon, are you sure you don't mind?”

“Oh, don't worry about me, I'm happy just being a blown-up bridesmaid.”

“You won't be blown up!” Holly laughed.

“Yes I will, I'll be eight months pregnant. I'll need to borrow Denise's marquee to wear as a dress!”

“Oh, I hope you don't go into labor at the wedding.” Denise's eyes widened.

“Don't worry, Denise, I won't steal the limelight from you on your day.” Sharon smiled, “I won't be due till the end of January so that'll be weeks later.”

Denise looked relieved.

“Oh, by the way, I forgot to show you the photograph of the baby!” Sharon said excitedly, rooting through her bag. Finally she pulled out a small photograph of the scan.

“Where is it?” Denise asked, frowning.

“There.” Sharon pointed out the area.

“Whoa! That's one big boy,” Denise exclaimed, moving the picture closer to her face.

Sharon rolled her eyes. “Denise, that's a leg, you fool, we still don't know the sex yet.”

“Oh,” Denise blushed. “Well congratulations, Sharon, it looks like you're having a little alien.”

“Oh stop it, Denise,” Holly laughed. “I think it's a beautiful picture.”

“Good.” Sharon smiled and looked at Denise and Denise nodded at her, “Because I wanted to ask you something.”

“What?” Holly looked worried.

“Well, John and I would love it if you would be our baby's godmother.”

Holly gasped with shock for the second time and tears filled her eyes.

“Hey, you didn't cry when I asked you to be maid of honor,” Denise huffed.

“Oh Sharon, I would be honored!” Holly said, giving her friend a big hug. “Thank you for asking!”

“Thank you for saying yes! John will be so delighted!”

“Oh, don't you two start crying,” Denise moaned, but Sharon and Holly ignored her and continued hugging.

“Hey!” Denise yelled, causing them to jump from their embrace.

“What?!”

Denise pointed out the window: “I can't believe I never noticed that wedding shop over there!

Drink up quick and we'll go there next,” she said excitedly as her eyes darted from dress to dress.

Sharon sighed and pretended to pass out. “I can't, Denise, I'm pregnant . . .”

Forty-two

“HEY HOLLY, I WAS JUST thinking,” Alice said to Holly as they were reapplying their makeup“ in the toilets at work before leaving for the day.

“Oh no, did it hurt?” Holly teased.

“Ha-ha,” she said dryly. “No, honestly, I was thinking about the horoscope in this month's magazine and I think Tracey may have got it eerily right.”

Holly threw her eyes up to heaven. “How?”

Alice put down her lipstick and turned away from the mirror to face Holly. “Well, first there was the thing about the tall, dark, handsome man who you are now seeing . . .”

“I'm not seeing him, we're just friends,” Holly explained for the millionth time.

Alice rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say. Anyway, then there was the thing . . .”

“I'm not,” Holly repeated.

“Yeah, yeah,” Alice said, disbelieving her. “Well then, there's the . . .”

Holly slammed down her makeup bag. “Alice, I am not seeing Daniel.”

“OK, OK.” She held up her hands defensively, “I get it! You're not seeing him, but please stop interrupting me and listen!” She waited for Holly to calm down and listen. “OK, so the other thing she said was that your lucky day is Tuesday, which is today . . .”

“Wow, Alice, I think you're on to something here,” Holly said sarcastically, applying her lip liner.

“Listen!” Alice said impatiently and Holly shut up. “So she also said that blue was your lucky color. So today being Tuesday you have been invited by a tall, dark, handsome man to the launch of Blue Rock.” Alice looked pleased with herself as she summed it all up.

“So what?” Holly said, unimpressed.

“So it's a sign.”

“A sign that the color shirt I happened to be wearing that day was blue, which was why Tracey chose that particular color, which I happened to be wearing because everything else I owned was dirty. And she just picked the day off the top of her head. It means nothing, Alice.”

Alice sighed, “Oh ye of little faith.”

Holly laughed. “Well, if I am to believe your little theory, as screwed up as it is, then that also means that Brian is going to win the lotto and he will also become the object of every woman's affections.”

Alice bit her lip and looked sheepish.

“What?” Holly asked, knowing something was going through her bizarre little mind.

“Well, Brian won four euro on the scratch card today.”

“Whoopdeedoo,” Holly laughed. “Well, there's still the problem of at least one human being finding him attractive.”

Alice remained silent.

“What now?” Holly demanded.

“Nothing,” Alice shrugged and smiled.

“You don't!” Holly said, shocked.

“I don't what?” Her face lit up.

“You don't fancy him, do you? You couldn't possibly!”

Alice shrugged. “He's nice, that's all.”

“Oh no!” Holly covered her face with her hands. “You're taking this way too far just to try to prove a point to me.”

“I'm not trying to prove anything to you,” she laughed.

“Well then, I can't believe you fancy him!”

“Who fancies who?” Tracey asked, walking into the toilet.

Alice shook her head wildly at Holly, begging her not to tell.

“Oh nobody,” Holly muttered, staring at Alice in shock. How could Alice fancy the slimeball of all slimeballs?

“Hey, did you hear Brian won money on the lotto scratch card today?” Tracey asked them from the cubicle.

“We were just talking about that,” Alice laughed.