Laura watched through the glass porthole in the kitchen door to see the two women’s reaction when they found the rings. Oh God!’ she gasped after her hands shot to her mouth.

Karen stopped folding the crepes Suzette she was preparing for table fourteen when she looked back at her friend. ‘What’s wrong?’

Laura looked tortured. Having watched Karen put the see through ring boxes in the relevant desserts, and having taken the rings from the hopeful fiancées in the first place, there was no doubt in her mind. 'I hate to tell you, Karen, but the rings have been taken to the wrong tables…’

 


     As Karen absorbed what Laura had just said, the blood drained from her face. ‘You’re kidding! How the hell has that happened?’

     Laura shook her head as she chewed her bottom lip. Whatever had caused the confusion, it was her responsibility to sort it out because she was obviously the only one who knew which ring should go where.

     ‘Back in a minute,’ she told Karen, before flying through the kitchen door and making her way to the two tables in the corner of the dining room where the two marriage proposals were about to take place.

     Fortunately, neither of the couples had started to eat their desert, so she gave the blond haired girl at table nine her sweetest smile as she scooped up the plated strawberry meringue nest from in front of her.

     ‘I believe you really wanted the chocolate soufflé, Madam, and I’m glad to say our chef has made some more. I’ll just take this back to the kitchen and get one for you,’ she told the girl before turning round to retrieve the soufflé from the next table. God knows what excuse she could give to retrieve that plate as well, but whatever happened, it had to be done.

     ‘Excuse me,’ the would be fiancée at table eleven called out to Laura as she turned around. ‘Would it be okay if I changed my dessert order to the strawberries with meringue? I couldn’t help noticing how gorgeous it looked when the waitress brought it to that other couple’s table. I’d be happy to swap it for mine.’

     The look on her boyfriend’s face was priceless. ‘Don’t be silly, Tanya, you love chocolate soufflé!’

     Tanya seemed determined. The strawberry meringue Laura held in her hand looked sumptuous. ‘Then we can share, can’t we? I don’t know why we both picked the same dessert in the first place. You know how I love to try something different to you; it’s much more fun that way… Here,’ she said to Laura as she picked up her plate. ‘You can give this to the other lady, and I’ll just have hers. That way, we’re all happy.’

     Happy was not a word that could be used to describe her future fiancée’s face. The thought that the beautiful, two thousand pound engagement ring he had picked with such care, could end up in someone else’s plate, had reduced him to a quivering wreck.

    Tanya held out her plate for Laura to take, before reaching for the strawberry meringue. Before Laura could stop her, Tanya had wrapped her thumb and forefinger around the rim, and pulled it towards her with a determined expression on her face.

     Laura refused to let go, and stood rooted to the spot as she tried to work out what to do for the best. Yes, swapping the two plates would solve the problem, but only momentarily. As soon as the two women found the rings, they would think they had the wrong one, so it would not only ruin the moment, but cause them to end up with the incorrect rings again.

     Not knowing what else to do, Laura resolutely held onto both plates as she pretended to sneeze so loudly, it silenced almost everyone at the tables around her.

     ‘Oh, I’m so sorry!’ she groaned as she looked down at the two apparently snot-drenched desserts. ‘I’ll just go and get you both a fresh one.’

     Laura’s sneeze was so convincing, Tanya didn’t argue with her. As for the boyfriend, he threw his head back and looked towards the ceiling as though he was mouthing a silent, thankful prayer…