Chapter 9 #2
‘That was really you?’ He started to laugh, partly with relief that it hadn’t been anything more physical, because that would have been acutely embarrassing.
And partly because he’d had a sneaking admiration at the time for the owner of the voice, who’d pointed out calmly but firmly that what he was doing was a bit unkind.
‘It was me.’ Fen nodded.
‘You called me out. She was so insistent when she asked me, I couldn’t get away until I said I’d go. But I didn’t expect her to believe me. I felt awful about it afterwards, when you told me.’
‘That was the plan.’
‘I did apologise to her.’
It was her turn to look surprised. ‘You did? How?’
‘She’d messaged me on Instagram. I said I was really sorry I hadn’t been able to make it, and arranged for flowers to be sent to her place of work.’
‘I didn’t know that.’
‘It’s on her Instagram page. She tagged me in the post.’
Fen opened her phone, found Amanda and searched her grid.
And yes, there she was, clutching a bouquet and beaming like a competition winner.
Beneath the photo, she’d posted: Day made!
!! Look what was just delivered to my office, only the most fabulous flowers from Jamie Hamilton himself to say sorry he couldn’t make it to my birthday party!
Apology very much accepted, Jamie, feel free to slide into my DMs any time, and thank you! !! Xxxxxxx
‘I didn’t see this,’ Fen marvelled. She turned to look at him. ‘That was a nice thing to do.’
‘Thanks to you making me feel guilty.’
‘And did you? Slide into her DMs?’ Her eyes were bright with mischief.
‘No. But I’m glad I sent the flowers. It made me feel like a better person.’
‘Now I’m glad I told you off.’ She tapped her glass against his. ‘Cheers to both of us.’
‘Cheers.’ He tapped back, his wrist making contact with the side of her hand.
‘There’s a couple of men to our left looking over. I think they’re hoping to talk rugby with you. If you want to go off and have a chat with them, don’t worry about me. I’m fine here.’
It was the two Glaswegians he’d spent forty minutes with before dinner. Feeling he’d done enough for one evening, Jamie said, ‘I’d rather stay and talk to you.’
*
‘All done,’ Leon announced just over an hour later, appearing before them with his hair ruffled and a bottle of Peroni in his hand. ‘Panic over, problem sorted, time to relax. Did you miss me?’
‘With every beat of my heart. Here, you can have your seat back.’ Jamie moved over from the sofa to the chair opposite, so Leon could rejoin Fen.
‘What have you two been talking about while I was gone?’
‘All sorts. The way all our paths have crossed without knowing it. We go to the same deli.’
‘The one that sells the best Scotch eggs,’ said Fen. ‘Obviously.’
‘And every time Fen goes for a walk across the suspension bridge and back, she passes our flat.’
‘And I always admire your blue front door,’ Fen chipped in. ‘But my number one favourite is the bright red one further down the hill.’
‘We both used to play on the grabber machines at Weston Pier. I won a green toy monkey,’ said Jamie.
‘I won a purple lion with a wonky eye and no tail.’
‘And we get our Indian takeaways from the same restaurant. We’re practically twins.’
‘I’d struggle to tell you apart,’ said Leon.
‘Plus, remember that time I was out with a couple of guys from the rugby club and got told off by a woman because I’d been invited to her friend’s birthday party but didn’t want to go?’
Leon nodded. ‘She made you feel guilty, so you ended up sending flowers to the friend. That one?’
‘That one.’ Jamie pointed at Fen.
‘It was you?’ Leon applauded. ‘Excellent! Not many people have the nerve to tell him off.’ He drew her against him and gave her a congratulatory squeeze. ‘Well done, you.’
‘Here comes Disa.’ Jamie nodded as she appeared at the top of the steps and made her way towards them in a swirl of turquoise silk. Jokingly, he said, ‘Let’s hope she hasn’t come to whisk Fen away again like last night.’
But when Disa reached them, she didn’t take the seat he’d drawn up for her. She looked at Fen and said, ‘Sweetheart, is it OK if we go downstairs for a chat?’
‘Really?’ The joke was turning out not to be a joke after all. With a trace of suspicion, Fen said, ‘Will it take long?’
For a split second, Jamie’s gaze met Disa’s and he wondered if it had something to do with Molly from the restaurant.
‘I can’t really say. And I’m sorry to be dragging you away, but this is something we need to talk about.’
‘Starting to think Disa hates me.’ Leon’s tone was rueful as he watched them leave.
Someone else watching them leave was another mad-keen rugby fan, who promptly arrived at their table, plonked himself down opposite Jamie and blurted out, ‘I’ve been waiting for the chance to talk to you about that try you scored in the last minute at Twickenham three years ago.
Tell me, was that the best match of your career, or would you say it was the time you scored fifteen points against the All Blacks? ’
Jamie exchanged a fleeting glance with Leon, who was accustomed to such interruptions, then turned back to the eager rugby fan. ‘That’s a great question,’ he said with a nod. ‘But I guess it had to be that final minute at Twickenham.’
‘I was there!’ the man exclaimed. ‘I could hardly breathe!’
‘But I got there in the end.’ Jamie smiled at him. ‘And it was worth the wait.’