A PERFECT Match

With their daughter’s wedding fast approaching there was just one thing missing – the groom

You can’t go out looking for him at this time of night.’ Gemma placed a restraining hand on her husband’s arm as he reached for his car keys. ‘There’s no need. You’re being irrational.’

‘But I have to do something,’ Steve said. ‘Doesn’t it bother you that our daughter’s fiancé’s gone AWOL a week before the wedding and isn’t answering his phone? Holly hasn’t heard from him in three days.’

‘She isn’t unduly worried –’

‘Well, she ought to be, so close to the big day.’ He shook his head. ‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this...’

Gemma sighed. He’d had his doubts about their suitability from the start. They were polar opposites. Holly was a lawyer, analytical and meticulous, whereas Dan was a self-styled upcycler, a free spirit whose approach to life seemed haphazard by comparison. He divided his time between a city centre apartment and an old shepherd’s hut on a friend’s farm.

‘The arrangements have gone too smoothly,’ Steve continued, pacing the kitchen. ‘Dan’s agreed to all Holly’s ideas without contributing any of his own. He doesn’t seem interested. Makes you wonder whether he intends to turn up at all.’

‘That’s ridiculous.’ Gemma gestured impatiently. ‘They are devoted to each other, anyone can see that.’