Chapter 10
GEORGE
G eorge settled back into his chair and tried not to stare as Claudia fidgeted with her napkin. She’d ordered another glass of wine the minute their meals had arrived, and now she was picking at her food distractedly.
‘You know,’ he said, cutting into his steak, ‘Hattie will be mortally offended if you don’t at least try to look like you’re enjoying that.’
‘Sorry,’ said Claudia, startling slightly. ‘It’s lovely, really. I’m just… not very hungry.’
‘Nervous?’ said George, raising an eyebrow.
‘Kind of,’ she muttered.
‘About what?’ he said curiously. ‘I promise I won’t tell anyone you nearly committed vehicular manslaughter earlier.’
That earned him a small smile. ‘You’re terrible.’
‘Hey… at least I didn’t admit that the entire town already knows anyway!’ he clapped his hand over his mouth and widened his eyes in mock horror. ‘Oh, oops!’
Claudia let out a bark of surprised laughter.
George chuckled, unable to tear his gaze from her beautiful, wide eyes that were now crinkled at the corners with amusement.
‘Small town life,’ he said with a shrug. ‘You’ve gotta love it!’ ‘Anyway… are you going to tell me what’s really going on? Because I have a feeling this isn’t just a social call to introduce yourself to your future extended family. Is that what’s got you worked up?
Claudia’s fork clattered against her plate. ‘How did you know…?’
‘Well, for starters, you’re giving off the same grumpsome vibes you always had when your mum was in the middle of one of her lectures about “suitable young men with prospects”.’
‘Oh God,’ Claudia groaned, covering her face with her hands. ‘You remember that?’
‘Hard to forget,’ laughed George. ‘Especially as I was the unsuitable young man without prospects she was warning you about.’
Claudia peeked at him through her fingers. ‘She was always wrong about you.’
‘Was she, though?’ said George, doing his best to keep his voice light. ‘I mean, look at me. I’m still single, delivering post for a living and content with my little life. Not exactly what you’d call ambitious.’
‘Stop it,’ said Claudia sharply, dropping her hands. ‘Don’t do that.’
‘Do what?’
‘Talk about yourself like that. Like you’re… less than .’ Her eyes flashed. ‘You’re happy, aren’t you? You said you love your job, and you love this place. You’ve got friends who clearly adore you. Do you have any idea how rare that is?’
George blinked, taken aback by the passion in her voice. He opened his mouth to make a joke and change the subject.
‘Don’t joke it away, George, I’m serious!
’ said Claudia. ‘Do you know what I’ve been doing for the last ten years?
Trying to live up to everyone else’s idea of what my life should look like.
I’ve had two marriages to men my mother approved of.
Two spectacular failures that have left me feeling like a complete fraud. ’
‘I’m so sorry,’ said George quietly. ‘That must have been…’
‘Rubbish,’ said Claudia. ‘The first one treated me like a decorative accessory and the second one… well, let’s just say that he had some very traditional ideas about what wives should and shouldn’t do.
He’s the reason I gave up my job in design—the one thing that was really mine.
Anyway, in hindsight, I don’t think either of them even liked me very much.
They liked the idea of me. The posh accent, the family connections… but not the real, messy, human me.’
‘Then they were clearly idiots,’ said George, surprised at the sudden wave of protectiveness that washed over him.
‘Yeah, but I was too, for thinking I could just turn into what they wanted me to be,’ said Claudia, picking up her wine glass and taking a gulp.
‘Things have been really tough since the second divorce came through. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret it…
but it pretty much cleared me out. I had to move back in with my mother and stepfather. ’
‘That must be… interesting?’ said George, doing his best to hide his horror.
‘Something like that.’ She huffed out a mirthless laugh.
George nodded, not sure what to say. He’d always liked Claudia’s dad, and he’d been gutted when he’d heard on the grapevine that he’d passed away. From what Claudia had told him so far, though, it sounded like her stepfather couldn’t be more different if he tried.
‘Is your mum still in the same place?’ he said, thinking of the vast property with its five bedrooms and sprawling gardens.
‘Yes… but when I say I moved back in , they’ve put me in the pool house,’ said Claudia. ‘I’m not exactly welcome when they’re entertaining guests. I’m the family embarrassment.’
‘Blimey, Claudia…’
‘And now they’ve got me running errands and doing their dirty work like some sort of unpaid private investigator,’ she continued. ‘Because heaven forbid Freya should marry into a family that isn’t “suitable”.’
George set down his fork. ‘So they’ve sent you here to what… spy on the Pepper brothers?’
‘Something like that,’ said Claudia miserably. ‘Mother wants me to find out about their family background, their financial situation, whether they’re “our sort of people”.’ She made air quotes around the last bit, rolling her eyes. ‘As if any of that matters as long as Freya’s happy and in love.’
‘Your mother’s not convinced, I take it?’ said George, trying to keep his voice light.
‘She doesn’t believe in love,’ said Claudia flatly. ‘She believes in strategic alliances and social climbing and making sure the family name stays respectable.’ She paused, then added more quietly, ‘She’s never forgiven me for not being more like her.’
‘You know what I think?’ said George.
‘What?’ said Claudia.
‘I think your mum’s an interfering old bat who wouldn’t know happiness if it bit her on the behind.’
Claudia snorted out a laugh. ‘George!’
‘Tell me I’m wrong!’
Claudia shook her head.
‘You know what else I think?’ he continued. ‘I think you’ve spent far too long trying to please someone who doesn’t actually know how to be pleased about anything.’
Claudia nodded but didn’t say anything. Instead, she picked up her knife and fork and began cutting a chunk of steak as if her life depended on it. She popped it into her mouth and began to chew. ‘Oh… em… geeeeee!’ she murmured, closing her eyes in bliss for a second.
‘Hattie knows what she’s doing!’ said George with a grin.
Claudia smiled and grabbed a chip, dunking it into the thick, creamy peppercorn sauce.
‘So, said George, doing his best not to follow her every move, ‘what’s the plan, then? Are you going to report back and tell them the Peppers aren’t good enough for Freya?’
‘No way!’ said Claudia. ‘Matt and Ewan seemed lovely. Mildly terrifying… but then, I did stomp up to their front door and basically demand to know if they were worthy of my precious sister. I’m amazed they didn’t set the dogs on me.’
‘They don’t have dogs,’ laughed George. ‘Just Connie and Ewan’s baby… and I’ve been assured that Melody doesn’t bite.’
Just thinking about the chubby tot brought a smile to his face.
‘You like babies,’ she said. It wasn’t a question.
‘I like that baby,’ said George, feeling his cheeks grow warm. ‘Little Melody’s got this way of looking at you like you’re the most interesting person in the world. It makes you feel about ten feet tall.’
Claudia smiled at him, her eyes sad and soft. ‘Do you want kids?’
George hesitated. This wasn’t exactly a first-date topic of conversation, was it? But then, this wasn’t their first date. It wasn’t a date at all. He shrugged. She’d been honest with him…
‘I’ve never really thought about it,’ he said.
‘Not seriously, anyway. I mean, it’s not like there’s ever been anyone I wanted to have kids with .
’ He paused, then shrugged again. He might as well tell her everything.
‘I held Melody this morning, and something just… shifted. And… yeah. I think I do want kids.’
Claudia nodded slowly. ‘Now, that really would be an adventure!’
‘Right up your alley, then?’ he laughed. ‘You were always up for an adventure!’
‘I used to be,’ said Claudia with a sigh. She was quiet for a long moment. ‘George?’
‘Yeah?’
‘What was I like? Before, I mean. Back when we were together.’
George smiled. ‘You were brilliant. Completely Fearless. You had all these big dreams and this way of making everything seem like an adventure. Even something as simple as walking to the corner shop became this epic quest when you were involved.’
‘I don’t feel like that person anymore,’ said Claudia softly. ‘I can barely remember her.’
‘I’m sure she’s still in there somewhere,’ said George. ‘Maybe she just needs reminding that it’s okay to dream big again.’
‘Maybe, but I don’t think I’m really interested in travelling the world anymore.’
‘Hey, no one said the big dreams have to be the same dreams you had ten years ago!’ said George with a shrug.
‘I’ll toast to that,’ said Claudia, grabbing her glass and holding it out.
George raised his beer and took a sip.
‘I don’t want to go back,’ she said suddenly. ‘To my mother’s house, I mean. To that life. I can’t keep pretending to be someone I’m not just to keep the peace.’
‘So don’t,’ said George.
‘It’s not that easy…’
‘Isn’t it?’ said George. ‘You don’t need anyone’s permission to live life the way you want to.’
Claudia nodded slowly.
‘When were you planning to leave Seabury?’ he said, doing his best to make it sound like a throwaway question… though the fact that his knuckles had just turned white, and he was threatening to strangle his glass would give him away if she noticed.
‘Tomorrow,’ she said, looking thoroughly miserable.
‘So, stay a few more days,’ said George.
‘I mean, I wish I could,’ said Claudia, shaking her head, though her face had lit up.
‘I bet Lionel could fit you in…’ said George, barely daring to hope that he might be able to persuade her.
‘I…’ she blew out a heavy breath. ‘I don’t think I can justify it. I’ve already got to cough up extra for the train ticket back because I’ve abandoned that stupid car.’
‘I have a plan,’ said George, sitting forward in excitement. He did his best to ignore the fact that his heart was pounding as if he was about to leap from a great height. ‘Why don’t you stay at my place?’
‘I… I couldn’t,’ said Claudia.
George grinned at her because her words were saying one thing, but her sparkling eyes were saying the complete opposite.
‘Why not?!’ he said, raising an eyebrow. ‘I’ve got a spare room, I’m housetrained, you already know me… and if you stay until the weekend, I can drive you back home on my day off.’
‘That’s incredibly kind of you,’ said Claudia slowly. ‘But… it would be completely mad…’
‘It would be completely mad,’ said George with a grin. ‘But then, you always were completely mad. It’s one of the things I liked best about you.’
‘Liked?’ said Claudia, raising an eyebrow.
‘Like,’ said George. ‘Definitely like. Present tense.’
‘Good,’ said Claudia. ‘Because I’m pretty sure I like you too. Present tense. But… would you mind if I sleep on it and let you know tomorrow?’
‘Course not!’ said George, raising his beer again. ‘Here’s to figuring things out as we go along.’