Chapter 13
A s I made my way to The Royal Oak, I regretted my chosen footwear.
The pavement was thick with ice, and in my one-inch heel ankle boots, I kept slipping and sliding.
It was a struggle to stay on my feet. To make matters worse, I felt slightly nauseous.
Not even the festive comfort of Settledown’s Christmas lights and Nutcracker window displays could ease my nerves.
I crossed my fingers inside my mittens. Having Alex as a tenant would be so much easier if he and Gideon got on.
As I approached the pub entrance, I scanned the vehicles in the vicinity.
Gideon had rung to tell me he was on his way and that he’d meet me there, but there was no sign of his car.
The knot in my tummy tightened. Please don’t let me down again.
Entering the building, I checked the time.
Much to my relief, Gideon wasn’t late; I was early.
From his position behind the bar, Alex looked up from his sketching. His smile grew as he watched me take off my coat. Putting down his pencil, he indicated my outfit. ‘Very nice.’
I, too, gave my attire the once over. Hoping to show Gideon what he’d be missing if he didn’t stick to his word and put us first, I’d teamed black skinny jeans with a fitted black polo neck and striking gold dangly earrings.
I’d pulled my hair into a tight ponytail that sat at the nape of my neck, and I’d even put on a little make-up.
The boots I wore might not have been as death-defying as the kind Julia preferred, but for a woman like me who was constantly in flats and had just free-styled along an ice-rink of a street, my choice was death-defying enough.
I wrinkled my nose. ‘Not too much?’ My outfit might have looked great in my bedroom mirror, but in Settledown’s Royal Oak on a weeknight, I suddenly felt a tad conspicuous.
‘Not from where I’m standing.’ Alex gave me a cheeky smile. ‘Although if you’ve changed your mind about me moving in, you only had to say.’
Confused, I jerked my head. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Why else would you be sabotaging my chances? No way is that man of yours gonna let me have a house key when he sees you like that.’
I grinned. My style usually garnered words like quirky, individual and off-beat .
People certainly didn’t give my appearance out-and-out compliments.
Alex was just being kind, but I had to admit his words were something of a confidence boost. ‘You won’t be saying that once you’ve seen me first thing.
My hair doesn’t get brushed until after at least one cup of coffee. ’
Alex winked. ‘Looking forward to it already.’ He indicated the various drinks available. ‘What will it be? A glass of white while you’re waiting.’
I nodded and as Alex set to work, wondered how a man as good looking as him managed to have a personality to match.
In my experience, men either had one or the other.
A pang of guilt hit me. Knowing how uncomfortable Gideon’s relationship with Julia made me feel, should I really be admiring the very man I was about to introduce to him?
Alex placed my drink in front of me. ‘You’re sure he’s okay with everything? Because seriously…’ Again he indicated my appearance. ‘I don’t think I’d be.’
A cold blast from the entrance hit and we both looked to the door.
‘You can ask him yourself,’ I said, smiling at Gideon as he came in from the street.
As my boyfriend walked towards us, I watched Alex’s demeanour turn serious. A reaction I found sweet; my soon-to-be tenant obviously wanted to create a good impression.
‘What’s the occasion?’ Gideon looked me up and down. ‘It’s not like you to get dressed up.’
I noted his attire in equal measure. Still in his suit, his tie sat off to one side and his shirt was creased.
Remembering how Gloria Chalmers’s husband had stopped putting in effort for her on the appearance front, my smile faltered.
But refusing to dwell, I counter-argued with the fact that Gideon had come straight from the office.
Alex continued to look uneasy. Anyone would have thought he was attending an interview or meeting his in-laws for the first time, not a flatmate’s partner.
Not that he needed to worry. Like I’d explained, Gideon wasn’t the jealous type.
‘Gideon, this is Alex, the lodger I was telling you about. Alex, this is Gideon.’
The two men stared at each other and as the silence between them grew, so did my discomfort. I leaned towards Gideon. ‘Aren’t you going to say hello,’ I said, nudging him into action.
‘Yes. Er, sorry.’ Gideon cleared his throat and puffed out his chest. ‘Pleased to meet you.’
‘And you,’ Alex replied, deadpan.
Watching them shake hands, I thought Gideon’s grip appeared overly firm, and I glanced around embarrassed, hoping no one else had picked up on that. Observing events from his favoured seat, it appeared Ted had and even he, with his farmer’s hands, winced. Alex, however, stood his ground.
‘Alex is an artist,’ I said, desperate to defuse the tension. ‘A creative like me.’
Gideon nodded to Alex’s sketchpad. ‘So I see.’
Embarrassed by his dismissiveness, my cheeks reddened. Gideon might have been a numbers man, but he could have at least pretended he was interested. To make matters worse, Alex clearly recognised disdain when he heard it and picking up his artwork, he moved it out of sight.
Gideon indicated my glass of wine. ‘Another one of those please, barman.’
Questioning if Gideon had had a bad day or if he wanted to humiliate me, I leaned into him again. ‘You mean “Alex”.’ I said, keeping my voice low.
‘Excuse me?’ Gideon clearly didn’t care who heard what.
I glared at him. ‘I don’t know what’s going on here, but it needs to stop now.’
Gideon harrumphed.
Placing a second glass next to mine, Alex stood in silence and as my gaze went from one man to the other, their increasing animosity towards each other showed no sign of abatement.
Gideon picked up our drinks and indicated a table. ‘Shall we?’
I shook my head, wondering what had got into Gideon.
Yes, Alex was tall, dark and handsome; qualities that could be deemed intimidating.
But they weren’t an excuse for Gideon’s behaviour.
Julia wasn’t lacking in the looks department either, but I’d never once taken out my insecurities on her.
More to the point, Gideon would have been furious if I’d tried.
This was not how I’d expected their introduction to go. I looked to Alex. ‘I’m so sorry.’
Following in Gideon’s footsteps, I watched him empty his trouser pocket of his phone and keys. Placing them on the table, he sat down, leaving me to take the opposing seat.
I frowned. ‘What was that all about?’
‘I don’t know what you mean?’
‘I’m talking about how awful you were just now?’
‘Was I?’ Gideon asked, drinking his wine. ‘I didn’t realise.’
Refusing to accept that for one second, I glowered. ‘You’re going to have to do better than that.’
His resolve dissipating, Gideon sighed. ‘If you must know, I don’t think he should be moving in. I mean, how well do you know him?’
I know he didn’t deserve the way he was just treated, I thought.
Alex was chatting amiably with Ted. Running through what I’d learned, I knew he was as close to his grandma as I had been my gran.
That he was a twin, and his family weren’t local.
I knew he was a budding artist and had a great sense of humour and a kind listening ear. ‘If you must know, not that much. But…’
‘So you could be inviting a serial killer into your home.’
‘That’s hardly likely,’ I replied.
‘And that’s not the point.’ Gideon again picked up his drink.
I stared at him. In all the time we’d been dating Gideon may have had the odd sulk, but he’d never reacted to any situation like this. ‘What’s really going on here, Gideon?’
Glass to his mouth, he paused for a second. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, I get that seeing Alex in the flesh might stir up some insecurities.’
Gideon let out a laugh and putting his drink down altogether, he crossed his arms.
‘But honestly,’ I carried on. ‘You’re worrying about nothing.’
‘You think I’m jealous?’ He nodded to the bar. ‘Of him?’
‘What else am I supposed to think?’ I indicated Gideon’s defensive demeanour. ‘You have to admit, you’re being very extreme.’
I wondered if he expected me to be pleased by his response to Alex.
Flattered even. However, aside from the fact that a man like Alex would never in a million years be interested in me, I felt confused by Gideon’s disrespect, and ashamed of it.
‘As for your thoughts on whether or not Alex moves in, I wasn’t asking for your opinion and nor do I need your permission. ’
‘Well excuse me for looking out for my girlfriend.’
I scoffed. ‘Until now, you’d forgotten you had one.’
Clearly we were as stubborn as each other and our conversation reached a stalemate. Hardly able to look at him, I, too, folded my arms. I couldn’t believe Gideon had ruined yet another evening.
His shoulders slumped. ‘Look, I’m sorry. I’m probably just tired. It’s been a long day.’
I shook my head. An apology and an excuse. Talk about covering the bases.
He rose to his feet. ‘Let me go and sort things out. I’ll get us another drink and we can restart the evening from scratch.’
Watching Gideon go, I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
Joyce’s words of warning swirled around my head.
Just like Gloria Chalmers’s husband, Gideon wasn’t just lacking in his appearance, he seemed to be causing a problem where there wasn’t one.
But it wasn’t just that. Recalling our bath versus shower conversation when I’d all but offered myself up on a plate, it seemed sexual intimacy was low down on Gideon’s priority list too.
I observed his interaction at the bar. As expected, Alex appeared stern. I wouldn’t have blamed him if Gideon’s words were too little too late.
Diverting my attention, my gaze fell on the belongings that lay in front of me.
I supposed on the plus side, unlike Gloria’s husband, Gideon wasn’t keeping his mobile under lock and key.
My eyes narrowed as I realised how quick and easy it would be to go through his messages.
I knew the passcode; I’d seen Gideon enter it enough times.
The handset seemed to stare back at me, as if enticing me to snoop.
Taking a deep breath, I placed my hand on the table. Breaking into his phone would certainly help clarify a few things. I looked over at the bar again and seeing him still stood with his back to me, I asked myself where was the harm? It wasn’t as if Gideon would ever know.