CHAPTER SEVEN
It was Thursday evening. Second date night in a row with Trevor!
I’d been gardening all day, and I’d just had time to dash home and shower and wash my hair before Trevor arrived. His usual day to come round was Wednesday, and the night before, we’d gone to the cinema and grabbed pizza on the way back to mine. He’d driven back to London later, but as we parted at my door, he’d told me he couldn’t wait until next week to see me, so could he come round the next night as well?
‘It would set me up for a hard weekend, working on the house,’ he said, his arms around me. He did an impression of a melancholy clown and I laughed.
‘I’d love that,’ I said truthfully. ‘And ...’ I smiled up at him.
‘And?’ He pulled me closer and kissed me, and I melted against him.
‘And why don’t you stay over this time and drive back to London in the morning?’
‘Really?’ He looked so delighted at the idea, my heart did a funny little lurch of happiness.
‘Really.’
So it was decided. Trevor would stay the night.
I knew Ada wouldn’t object. She was still trying her hardest to get back into my good books. Before our fall-out, I’d always have checked with her first if I was planning to ask a boyfriend to stay over – it was her house, after all – but after her shocking deception, I felt I really didn’t owe her anything...
Trevor had phoned me earlier and had sounded really impressed when I’d told him I was going to make a steak pie from scratch.
‘Please don’t expect restaurant standard,’ I said nervously. ‘I’ve never even made a pie before. Let alone a steak one.’
He laughed. ‘Don’t worry. However it tastes, it’ll be a major step up in the gourmet stakes from microwave lasagne, eaten all alone in my flat.’
‘Aw, is that a tiny violin I can hear screeching in the background?’ I joked. ‘Poor old you.’
Actually, having a flat all to myself sounded like pure bliss these days, because living in the same house as Ada was a bit of a strain now. But I didn’t say that. However much I resented her, I’d never criticise Ada to other people – except to my sisters, of course, who were on my side in this.
When Trevor arrived, he presented me with a bakery box containing two slices of the most gorgeous chocolate mousse cake for our dessert.
‘I know you love chocolate mousse,’ he said, planting a kiss on my nose, ‘and everyone likes chocolate cake. So combining the two seemed like utter genius to me.’
I gazed at the amazing packaging – a pretty white box with a design of pale pink hearts on the top, along with the cake shop’s logo – and I thought of Skye and her determination that I should make the logo for my own business a priority. Maybe I’d give the marketing company she’d suggested a call – just to talk over the idea and find out about costs?
I smiled at Trevor. ‘This cake must have cost you a fortune.’
‘Oh, a week’s wages, at least,’ he joked. ‘So you’d better enjoy it.’
It’s fair to say, I really did enjoy that cake. And I loved the company even more. Ada went up to watch TV in her room, so we had the downstairs to ourselves and after we’d eaten, we lounged on the sofa together, watching movies and drinking the rest of the wine Trevor had brought.
Billy phoned at one point, when I was piling crisps into a bowl in the kitchen.
‘I went back to the Swan Bar tonight, early doors,’ he said. ‘And guess what? Jenna was there with a friend.’
‘Ooh, did you chat to her, then?’
‘I did. And when I left, she ran after me to ask if I fancied having dinner with her tomorrow night.’
‘Billy, that’s amazing!’
‘Is it? I don’t know. All I do know is that my feet haven’t touched the ground since.’
I snorted with laughter. ‘So you’ll be flying along to the restaurant tomorrow night, then.’
He groaned. ‘Probably. And I’ll be so nervous, I won’t be able to eat a thing.’
‘Rubbish. You eat more when you’re nervous, not less,’ I reminded him.
‘Hell, that’s even worse. I don’t want Jenna thinking I’m a total pig.’
‘Just stay calm and be yourself. She’ll love you, Billy.’
‘Well, here’s hoping.’
‘If she doesn’t, she’ll have me to answer to. Better go. Trevor’s here. I’m in the kitchen getting snacks.’
‘Oh, sorry. Go, go, go!’
‘Good luck tomorrow night. And phone me to let me know how it goes, okay?’
When the call ended, I noticed Trevor had left his wallet on the kitchen table and when I picked it up, a flimsy piece of paper fluttered to the ground. It was an invoice for the compost he’d ordered and I couldn’t help but notice the delivery address printed there. The house was in a place called Morton Sands, near Worthing.
Smiling, an idea forming in my mind, I tucked the invoice back into the wallet and took it through to him with the bowl of crisps. Now that I knew the address of his holiday home, perhaps I could surprise Trevor... present him with the water feature and some plants, and help him plan his garden? Or was it too soon to do something like that? Why was life so bloody complicated?
‘I hope it works out for Billy and Jenna,’ I murmured, after telling Trevor about Billy’s surprise date the following night. ‘Billy deserves the world. He’s such a good guy.’
Trevor stared into space for a moment.
I held out the bowl of crisps but he didn’t seem to notice. ‘Hey, are you okay?’
‘What?’ He turned. ‘Yes... yes, I was just thinking about your friend and his hopes for the future with... Jenna? He’s... lucky.’
I stared at him, confused. ‘Billy’s not the only one. I feel lucky, too.’
‘Do you?’
‘Of course.’ I laughed, taken aback by the intensity in his eyes.
Then he smiled, brushing off his sudden melancholy. ‘It’s just I can’t believe how happy I am when I’m with you. You’re an amazing girl, Blossom Sunshine. Come here and snuggle in, and let me feed you snacks.’
When it came to bedtime, it could have been awkward.
But Trevor could obviously tell that I was feeling a little nervous about taking our relationship to the next level, so he said he wouldn’t mind at all sleeping in Skye’s old room.
‘Oh, no.’ I frowned. ‘I wouldn’t want you to do that.’
‘Okay.’ He smiled at me, tucking a lock of escaped hair gently behind my ear. ‘So let’s share the same bed, have a cuddle and go to sleep. How does that sound?’
‘That sounds absolutely perfect,’ I said.
And it was perfect. I felt quite shy undressing in front of him but I could tell he meant every word when he told me I was beautiful. I slipped on shorts and top, and slid quickly under the duvet, and we kissed and held each other for a while.
Then I turned over and we spooned, which felt delicious, and I sank at last into a blissful sleep, feeling safe and happy with Trevor’s arms around me...