Thirteen
Why did Erin have to be on shift, today of all days?
I sent her a text the moment I closed the front door of Far Cottage.
‘Please call me if you get a chance. Really need some advice. Have just had lunch with Sam!!!!!! Love you. Xx’
I shrugged off my jacket, checked my scarf and gloves were still in the pocket, and hung the jacket on the rack, then I kicked off my boots and dashed to the loo. After all that wine, I needed to pee.
Having washed my hands, and studied my reflection in the mirror to see if my cheeks were as red as they felt, which thankfully, they weren’t, I made my way to the kitchen, filled the kettle, and made a cup of tea.
I had just sat on the sofa to drink it when my phone pinged with a text. It was from Erin.
‘Why use one exclamation mark when six say so much more? Just lunch? Or is that a euphemism? Will call you asap. Taking a break in ten minutes. Wait by the phone!!!!!! Love you. Xx’
I laughed despite feeling like a nervous wreck, and then I counted the minutes until I could talk to my best friend.
It had only been about four until her name appeared on my screen.
‘That was a quick ten minutes!’
‘Time flies in The Met,’ she said. ‘Tell me everything.’
I told her how I’d bumped into Sam at the bar, how he’d looked, what he’d said, what Jenna had said, and everything else I could remember. I told her Sam had said he’d call and I’d driven myself half mad wondering when he might, even though he’d only just left, and then how he had called and how happy I was. I told her about the mix up with the stranger and the table, and then how Sam had made me feel when he’d arrived, about our conversation, the waitress and her constant interruptions, the wedding dress photos, Sam’s business, what he’d said about not having relationships, how he’d asked if I wanted to spend the week with him, and then how he had brought me back to Far Cottage, in a cab.
‘I’ve had a lot of wine, so I can’t recall it all word for word, but I’ve told you as much as I can. So what do you think?’
‘I think one of us will be having rampant sex this week, and unfortunately it won’t be me.’
‘Oh god, I hope so,’ I said. ‘I thought I’d blown it for a minute, but when he dropped me off, he asked the driver to wait, and he walked me to the door and waited until I’d opened it and stepped inside.’
‘Didn’t you ask him in?’ Erin sounded surprised.
‘Of course I did. But he said he had to go.’
‘What else did he say? How were things left?’
‘He didn’t say much in the cab. He just pointed out places we’d gone together ten years ago. But when he walked me across the bridge, he linked my arm through his and said that he needed to go and check that the photoshoot had gone as planned. And then he said that he had to meet his dad this evening, for a drink, and that he couldn’t get out of that because his dad had told him he needed to ask him something important. I said that was fine, and that I might have a nap this afternoon.’
Erin’s snort of laughter made me stop talking. ‘You told a sexy hunk of a guy that you needed a nap in the afternoon?’
‘No! I didn’t say I needed a nap. I said I might take a nap. There’s a big difference.’
‘If you say so.’ She laughed.
‘I do. And then I added that I’d been invited for drinks with the neighbours around six-ish, so he said he’d call me later.’
‘Did he kiss you?’
‘No. Well, yes. But only on the cheek. And it was more a brush of his lips against my skin than an actual kiss. But even that almost threw me into a frenzy of desire. If the cab driver hadn’t been waiting in the car parking area, I might well have dragged Sam inside and demanded sex on the spot. Why does he have to be so bloody hot? Anyway, I’m back to square one, aren’t I? Back to waiting for him to call me. Or not.’
‘He’ll call.’
‘How can you be sure? Don’t forget, I had too much wine. I said some stupid things. And, more importantly, he only wants sex.’
‘Don’t we all,’ Erin said with a sigh. ‘And, I may be wrong, but didn’t you just say you wanted to have sex with him in the hall. Pot calling the kettle black, don’t you think?’
I tutted loudly. ‘Okay. I admit I’m lusting after him. What I mean is, all Sam wants is another holiday fling, whereas I want something more. It’s been ten years and I’m still getting over the last one. Do I want to do this again, knowing that it might take me another ten years to get over him? Assuming I ever could. And having been with him today, I think it’ll be even harder this time. Getting over him, I mean. Might I be better off not having sex with him? Not seeing him again?’
‘And miss out on all that fantastic sex? Are you mad? Besides, I think the damage is already done, isn’t it? You want to spend the week with him, don’t you?’
‘Of course I do. But I also want a relationship. I want someone to love me, Erin. I want someone I can build a future with. I can’t do any of that with Sam. He’s made that perfectly clear.’
‘I love you,’ she said, and blew me a loud and slobbery-sounding kiss. ‘But I hear what you’re saying, and yes, it’s a concern. Okay. Here’s what I think you should do. See this week as a final hurrah. Your goodbye to Sam, the past, and all things Sam-related. Have as much fun this week as you possibly can, but keep your heart out of the equation. Keep reminding yourself that this is purely a fling. Purely sex. And tell yourself that, as soon as you come home, you’re going to make a determined effort to find Mr Right. To find the guy you’re going to spend the rest of your life with. And that Sam Worth will be history after this week. No matter what. You can do it, Lucy. I know you can. Go into this with your eyes wide open, and don’t let him into your heart, just your bed.’
‘That’s easy for you to say.’
‘I know. But if you don’t sleep with him this week, you’ll only regret it. And let’s be honest, you know you’re going to, anyway, so why are we even discussing it? Just make sure that you keep your feelings out of it.’
‘Again, easy for you to say. But you’re right. I can’t spend this week here without seeing Sam. So I’ll put on my big girl’s pants and pull up the drawbridge to my heart, or some such crap, and I’ll have sex with him on my terms, not on his.’
‘Good for you. I should be off by midnight, so if you need to call me later, you can, but if I don’t hear from you tonight, I’ll call you tomorrow for an update. Just sex, remember. Love has no part in this. Your heart is under lock and key. And speaking of locks and keys, I suppose I’d better go and find some good for nothings to throw in jail. And you’d better go and have that nap.’ Erin laughed as she rang off.
I wasn’t sure why my taking a nap was so funny, but as hard as I tried to stay awake, I dozed off on the sofa. It was almost five when I awoke and my hair was a disaster.
I checked my phone, just in case, but other than a text from Mum saying she hoped I was having a lovely time, no one else had contacted me.
I decided I had two options. Have a shower, put on something sexy, or at least something that looked good, and then sit and wait for Sam to call, in the hope he’d suggest we meet up later. Or do the shower and dress thing and then go to join Adele and Marcus for that drink.
As I was doing this my way, the drink with the neighbours was the way to go.
Naturally, I checked my phone again when I got out of the shower – and tossed it on the bed. Then quickly picked it up again and checked the battery life. To be safe, I put it on charge before I did my hair and got dressed.
As this was originally supposed to be a romantic getaway for Ted and me, I had bought a few new items of clothing, including some sexy underwear. When I knew it was going to be me on my lonesome, I had planned to leave the underwear at home, but Erin had convinced me to bring it.
‘You might get lucky,’ she had said on Friday night, ‘and you’d hate yourself if all you had to wear were plain cotton knickers and two-year-old bras. Or you might be in an accident, and again, no one wants to see old undies. Take the underwear with you. And take the new togs too. Just in case.’
So I had packed the lot. And yet again, Erin had been right.
I was so glad I always took her advice. Well, almost always.
The black lace matching set did wonders for my self-esteem, and the black stockings added to that feeling. As did the fitted black crepe wrap dress which looked better on me this evening than it had in the shop when I’d tried it on last week. I had tied my blonde hair into a loose, low chignon, and I painted my nails a deep, glossy red to match my lipstick. The only jewellery I wore was a pair of pearl drop earrings, and my watch.
I took a final look at my reflection and I breathed in a satisfied smile.
I really hoped Sam would call and arrange to meet up later. I couldn’t remember the last time that I was pleased with the way I looked.
But I wasn’t pleased that it was six-fifteen. Where had the time gone?
I raced downstairs, grabbed one of the bottles of white wine I’d brought with me, from the fridge, and hurried into the hall. I slipped my feet into my ankle boots, threw on my jacket, and opened the front door. An arctic blast of air took my breath away. It was absolutely freezing out there.
Tilly, the elderly woman I’d met had predicted snow, and her words came rushing back to me, along with an icy gust of wind. “Stock up on provisions, my dear. There’s a blizzard on the way.”
It was dark outside; I’d forgotten how dark it gets in the countryside as opposed to the towns. Thankfully the streetlamps in Midwinter Lane, and in the car parking area opposite, provided enough light for me to see my way to End Cottage, and also to see that, although it was bitterly cold, there was no sign of any snow. At least, not yet.
I hurried down the path, hugging my jacket around me, dashed along the lane, and up the path to the front door of End Cottage. I rang the bell and a second or two later, Marcus flung open the door, smiling in greeting.
‘Come in, Lucy.’ He gestured me inside with his hands. ‘It’s freezing out there. I just popped outside to put some rubbish in the bin and I got the shock of my life after the sunshine and warmth we had today.’
He closed the door behind me as Adele stepped into the hall.
‘Hello,’ she said, smiling. ‘Can you believe this weather? But it is still February, after all.’
‘It was a gorgeous day, wasn’t it?’ I said. ‘But I met a woman called Tilly in town, and she told me we’d have snow this weekend. I thought she was joking. Now I think she might be right. It’s lovely and warm in here though.’
‘It’s certainly cold enough for snow,’ Adele agreed.
‘It’s highly likely,’ Marcus said. ‘Let me take your jacket.’
I handed Marcus the bottle of wine, and he smiled without even glancing at the label. I hate it when people look at the label, as if they’re checking whether you’ve brought plonk, and not a decent bottle, so that made me like him more than I already did.
‘Thank you,’ he said. ‘That’s good of you.’
I took off my jacket and he hung it up on a rather posh rack.
‘This way,’ he said. ‘We’ve got a couple of bottles of white, and also red, open, so which would you prefer?’
‘White, please. Although, I had a few glasses at lunch, so I’d better just have one.’
‘One at a time, you mean?’ he laughed as did Adele, and I joined in because their laughter was infectious.
A bell chimed, and Marcus turned back towards the door. ‘That’ll be Noelle, Alec, and Melody. We asked them to join us. Follow Adele into the sitting room and make yourself at home.’
‘I hope Far Cottage is warm enough,’ Adele said. ‘If not, just shout.’
‘It’s perfect, thanks,’ I assured her as I stepped into a spacious, open plan sitting and dining room.
Anyone would admire the sleek lines, expensive furniture and furnishings, and original artwork on the walls, and over to one side was a designer kitchen Erin and I would both kill for. The place was remarkably similar to Far Cottage, even down to the glass, sliding doors the width of the back wall. So Marcus had clearly redesigned Adele’s former home to a virtual replica of the home they now shared.
There was a TV on one wall that was three times the size of the one I had at home – and I thought mine was large – and the surround sound speakers were as stylish as the rest of the furniture. I wondered if the upstairs was also almost identical to Far Cottage. But I didn’t want to ask.
Noelle, Alec, and Melody were laughing as they came in with Marcus.
‘Hello again, Lucy,’ Noelle said. ‘I hear you met Tilly today. She’s a character, isn’t she? So we’re in for a blizzard, I hear.’
I thought she was making fun of me – or of Tilly, but I soon realised she wasn’t.
‘You told me she’s always right,’ Alec said to Noelle, as he swept Melody up in his arms. ‘So it looks like we might be making snowmen tomorrow, sweetheart.’ He planted a big kiss on the little girl’s cheek and she giggled loudly and melodically.
‘Snow people, Daddy,’ Melody corrected.
Alec winked at me as he placed her back on the ground. ‘My apologies. Snow people. If you’re not busy tomorrow, Lucy, feel free to join us.’
‘Do you really think we’ll have snow?’ I queried as Marcus handed me a glass of wine. A large glass of wine.
‘Yes.’ They all spoke in unison, as Marcus poured wine for everyone else, and then for himself.
‘If Tilly says it’ll snow,’ said Adele. ‘It’ll snow.’
Noelle nodded. ‘She and her husband, Willy, are the ones to ask if you want to know about the weather. But I hope it’s not a blizzard. Getting snowed in for your week away isn’t ideal, is it, Lucy?’
I grinned. ‘Tilly said I should make sure I am snowed in with someone I like.’
Everyone laughed at that, but they all nodded, even Melody. Although I don’t think she understood the real meaning behind that comment.
Marcus raised his glass. ‘Here’s to new friends, and to neighbours, and to being snowed in with people we like.’
We all raised our glasses and said, ‘Cheers’, to that.
‘And to snow people,’ Melody added, her glass of fruit juice still raised.
‘And to snow people,’ we all agreed, raising our glasses once again.
I wished Sam was with us. But I hadn’t heard a word from him.
It would be just my luck that I’d get snowed in up here on Midwinter Ridge, and Sam would be snowed in down in Fairlight Bay.
So near, and yet so far.
Again, the story of my life.
It wasn’t until more than an hour later, during our conversations, when I’d told them all I designed wedding dresses, and that I helped my mum run a bridal shop and an online business, and Noelle asked to see some photos of the dresses I’d designed, that I remembered I’d left my phone on charge in my bedroom in Far Cottage.