Tied Up With Love: A feel-good, romantic comedy to make you smile. Holly Martin

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СКАЧАТЬ never changes its spots.’

      ‘You’re so cynical for someone so young.’

      ‘And you’re so naïve for someone so old.’

      ‘Eight months Rebecca Dale, eight months older than you does not make me old.’

      ‘Look, your decrepitness aside, the whole Chase family is a bad lot from what I hear, one of them went to prison.’

      ‘Gizmo. Ethan’s brother. He’s been in prison.’

      ‘Sexual assault. I’m sure it was.’

      Izzy felt affronted on Gizmo’s behalf. ‘That definitely wasn’t Gizmo. He’s not the type to do anything like that.’

      ‘So rapists are all a type are they, tall, white, brown hair, evil look in their eyes?’

      ‘No, but Gizmo is … kind of innocent.’

      Izzy had chatted to him when he had driven her home earlier and it had become obvious very quickly that he had a sweet childlike naivety. He loved Ethan with a fierce loyalty that was incredibly endearing. He loved his job, loved the frost on the trees that clung to the bare branches like fur. He loved his dog Sampson so much that there were fifteen photos in Gizmo’s wallet that Izzy had seen. After ten minutes in the van with his exuberant enthusiasm Izzy had fallen a little bit in love with him too. There was no way he could be a rapist.

      ‘Of Mice and Men, that’s all I’m saying,’ Bex said.

      ‘He’s not stupid Bex, nor is he violent.’

      ‘You always like to see the best in people.’

      ‘And you always like to see the worst.’

      ‘I’m a realist.’

      ‘I’m an optimist.’

      Bex smiled. ‘And that’s why I love you. Just be wary of him, both of them, and if they lay one finger on you – you tell me and Gabe, we’ll sort them out.’

      Izzy decided, then and there, that she wouldn’t tell Bex how she had met Ethan and Gizmo in the first place.

      Bex fished around in her bag and pulled out a pot of green cream. She stuck her fingers in and scooped out a dollop which she rubbed into her hands. It stank of a peculiar combination of coriander and green tea. Bex was always carrying these homemade concoctions around with her, but her skin always looked radiant and blemish free so it must have some benefits. Bex had made cures for dry skin, spots, scars, burns and chapped lips to name but a few. Izzy was sure she probably had a truth telling ointment and one for eternal life somewhere up her sleeve. Five hundred years before, Bex would have been burned at the stake.

      ‘Do you have anything for sweat spots?’ Izzy sniffed at the green gloop.

      ‘Where are the spots?’

      ‘On my bum. I bought some new jogging pants and I wore them once and they made me sweat so much I came out in spots. Most of them have gone but one little bugger remains.’

      ‘You’re such a classy bird, I do wonder why you’re still single. Please tell me you’ve done something about your scary bikini line. Last time I saw it, it was like some kind of terrifying swamp monster was trying to escape from your pants.’

      Izzy blushed. ‘Admittedly I have let things lapse a bit lately. It’s hard to find the motivation when the only person that sees it is me.’

      ‘And me. And to be honest darling, that’s not something I ever want to see again. Come on then, show us your spot.’

      ‘I’m not pulling my jeans down in the pub for all and sundry to see.’

      Bex stood up and frogmarched Izzy into the nearest toilet. ‘Drop them.’

      Izzy rolled her eyes. She had known Bex since before she could walk. There were no secrets between them. Izzy unzipped her jeans and slipped them down a bit so Bex could inspect the spot.

      ‘Bloody hell, Iz, that’s huge. It’s got a life of its own that one. It probably has its own brain cells, its own thoughts. We should give it a name. Bert.’ Bex prodded it and Izzy winced. ‘Hello Bert.’

      Just then the toilet door swung open and a very glamorous women walked in. The Frog and Sausage had a very strict dress code. Jeans, t-shirts, hoodies, trainers, wellies and the occasional cowboy hat were all welcome. This lady looked like she’d come straight from Ascot with her tailored suit jacket and matching silk dress.

      She took one look at Izzy with her bum out and Bex bent over to inspect the spot up close and hurried back out again.

      Bex burst out laughing and Izzy groaned.

      ‘I’m going to the loo whilst I’m in here, get another round in will you?’ Bex handed Izzy a tenner.

      Izzy walked out into the pub and saw Ethan with the Ascot Lady. His eyes caught hers and Izzy felt something shift inside her.

      ‘I just walked in on two lesbians about to have sex.’ Ascot Lady was saying, pulling her jacket tighter around her as she looked around The Frog with disgust. ‘It’s obviously some kind of sordid gay bar. I’d like to leave.’

      Ethan still didn’t take his eyes off Izzy and Ascot Lady turned round to see what he was looking at. ‘That’s one of them,’ she hissed.

      Great. Just great.

      Ethan put his arm round Ascot Lady’s shoulders and ushered her out. He glanced back over at Izzy as he walked out and she was sure there was a smirk on his lips.

      *

      Izzy pushed open her garden gate and walked into the back garden. Bex had left her in the pub a short while before and had sped up the road with a great wheel spin, clearly with only one thing on her mind. Gabe. They were still in that honeymoon stage of not being able to keep their hands off each other. Something told Izzy they would probably never grow out of it. They were due to marry in a few weeks, on Valentine’s Day of all days, and then Gabe was taking her back to his little log cabin in the middle of the Canadian mountains and they would live out the rest of their lives surrounded by hundreds of miles of forests. Bex would die without her copy of Heat and her weekly visit to the nail salon but she was willing to give it all up for Gabe. Izzy was just trying not to think about the moment when she would finally say goodbye to her best friend.

      She let herself in through her Uncle Jack’s back door and smiled when she saw him sitting in his favourite chair with her beloved cat Pete curled up on his lap.

      ‘Traitor,’ Izzy said.

      Pete opened his eye and looked at her unperturbed, before going back to sleep again.

      She leaned down to kiss her Uncle Jack on his cheek. From the side facing her he looked like a sweet old man, a full head of silver hair, a brown cardigan and a pair of navy slippers. The other cheek had a horrific slash that looked like he had been knifed but in reality had happened in a car accident. It had never bothered him, he liked that people thought he was not to be messed with.

      In his current job though it was actually a bonus. СКАЧАТЬ