Chapter Twenty-Six
Lisa – having twisted our boss around her little finger for that long weekend in Spain – returned to work Tuesday lunchtime.
She drove straight from Gatwick Airport to the office. She didn’t walk into the office, rather she fizzed. She was like an energy drink. Bubbling over. The high spirits were due to hitting it off with one of her mate’s wedding guests. A man, naturally.
‘I’m not kidding you, Tilly’ – she paused to cram one of the Strawberry Shed’s caramel biscuits into her mouth – ‘Juan is gorgeous. Divine. I’ve only got to look at him and I swoon.’ That last word caused her to spray crumbs all over her keyboard. ‘In fact, I think he might be The One .’
I felt a frisson of anxiety, as if the inner sanctum of my world had been threatened. And then I told myself not to be ridiculous. To relax. After all, Lisa lived in Longfield. This Juan chappie lived in Barcelona. There was distance between them. Some fifteen hundred miles.
My bestie reached for another biscuit. The expression on her face was gooey, like the biscuit’s caramel centre.
‘I’m in love,’ she sighed.
‘You’re in lust ,’ I countered. ‘Not that there’s anything wrong with that. But think of Phil.’
‘Whatever for? He bogged off.’
‘Then think of your allegiance to Ronnie.’
‘Who?’ she frowned. ‘Oh, my rabbit. Well, that’s fine. Ronnie’s batteries have gone flat. Which is excellent timing. I no longer need a vibrator,’ she beamed. ‘I have the real thing.’
‘Yeah, but as Juan isn’t around, you might as well recharge Ronnie. And remember’ – I held up one finger – ‘there are lots of perks to having a pink rabbit. No smelly socks to pick up, for starters.’
‘Really, Tilly’ – Lisa shot me a wounded look – ‘I thought you’d be pleased for me.’
‘I am, I am ,’ I assured, reaching for a biscuit too. ‘It just seems’ – I shrugged helplessly – ‘like a whirlwind romance. I don’t want you getting hurt.’
Juan had likely already moved on. Realistically, what were the chances of Lisa seeing him again? She then said something that briefly winded me.
‘He said he’d try and come over this weekend.’
My head shot up. The caramel biscuit hovered mid-air.
‘What?’
The word came out like a pistol shot. Lisa rolled her eyes.
‘Look, I wasn’t going to tell you. Well, not immediately. But now you leave me no choice. Juan has told me he loves me. Now please don’t rain on my parade. He’s going to sort out some annual leave so he can stay in England for a bit.’
Bloody hell. Couldn’t he get a bit back home? Why did he have to come here for a bit – especially with me under Lisa’s roof. Two’s company. Three’s a crowd. Etcetera.
Lisa had a light in her eyes that I hadn’t seen for a long time. It was the inner glow of a woman who believed she’d found her soulmate. A twin flame. One that happened to look like an Adonis and was no doubt a stud between the sheets.
She licked some melted chocolate from her fingertips, then smacked her lips with appreciation.
‘Pass me another biscuit, Tilly.’
‘They’ve all gone.’
‘Have they?’ She looked momentarily appalled. ‘Never mind. Anyway’ – she straightened up – ‘I can’t wait for you to meet Juan.’
I inwardly sighed. Let Lisa have this moment. Juan probably wouldn’t show up. I mean, what would the travel costs be going backwards and forwards from Espana to Blighty? Humungous, that’s what. Perhaps he’d expect Lisa to stump up the readies to see him. Or maybe he secretly had a wife and three kids. It wouldn’t be the first time Lisa had got stung by a married man. No doubt he would let her down by text.
Leesa. Eeet is meee. Juan. The One. But I no more The One. Love Juan x
In which case I’d offer my bestie a shoulder. Give her wine to drown her sorrows. In fact, I could take her to the Starlight Arms. We could sit by the wood burner, and she could tell me all about the dastardly Spaniard who broken her heart. And I could tell her all about Milo and… and…
I paused. Tell Lisa what about Milo? Well, that he was a most annoying man. Although Milo was hardly in the same category as a boyfriend. He wasn’t even a friend, for that matter. And anyway, Lisa wouldn’t give a flying fig about my encounter with Milo. Or how he’d handfed sausages to his snooty dog. Or the way Polly had continuously found excuses to come over to our table. Bizarrely, that had irritated me more than itching powder.
My thoughts were interrupted by Lisa’s phone giving a loud dinggg.
‘Ooh,’ she squealed girlishly. ‘A text from my man.’
Uh-oh. Here it was. The message that would give her the brush off.
‘ Eeeep ,’ she squealed in excitement. ‘Juan says his boss has given him the thumbs up. He’s having some time off and – yayyy – he’s now coming to England tomorrow.’
‘Tomorrow?’ I bleated. ‘How did he manage to get a flight at such short notice?’
‘Silly,’ she tutted. ‘He doesn’t need to take a plane. Juan is an international lorry driver. He can drive to the UK. He says he’s leaving Barcelona right now. He can spend the next fortnight with me. He’s also looking at rejigging his contract so that all his driving jobs are in England.’ She paused to read the rest of the message. ‘Oh, how romantic,’ she beamed. ‘He says he can’t live without me.’ She hugged herself in delight, then sighed dreamily. ‘My gorgeous man will soon be with me.’
I nearly choked on my caramel biscuit. Lisa’s maisonette had one bedroom. And I was on the other side of a very thin wall, sleeping on her sofa. What if she brought him to the maisonette? What if Juan got up in the night for a glass of water and wandered naked through the lounge to the kitchen? This wasn’t good. Not good at all.
‘Tilly,’ Lisa hissed urgently. My thoughts fragmented. ‘Do you know that guy?’
I stared at her uncomprehendingly.
‘What guy?’
‘There’s a bloke standing outside the shop. He’s been there for ages, pretending to study the properties for sale in the window. He keeps looking this way and staring at you.’
‘Really?’ I frowned. ‘Why would he do that?’
‘How should I know? You’ll catch him looking if you turn… now!’
Intrigued, I swivelled my typing stool and locked eyes with a young man. Lisa was right. He was indeed looking at me. I wondered why. Was he a client, checking to see if I was in today? Was he dithering about coming into the shop for a one-to-one meeting?
I raised my eyebrows enquiringly. The guy hastily looked away. A second later, he’d turned on his heel, leaving me staring after him. I felt strangely disturbed but couldn’t think why.