The Mini-Break. Maddie Please

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СКАЧАТЬ can’t please everyone,’ I said cheerfully.

      She gave me a sweet, nose-crinkling smile, pulled out the chair next to mine and sat down.

      ‘You don’t mind do you?’ She leaned across a little bit, just enough to block my view of Joe, and put her pint on the table. ‘How did you get that black eye? Been fighting?’

      I touched my cheekbone defensively. ‘Oh it’s nothing – just a little bump.’

      Ellie turned away to speak to Joe. ‘I was hoping to talk to you about Ivy.’

      ‘Yes, go on,’ Joe said.

      ‘You don’t mind?’ She shot me a look.

      ‘Well …’ Joe said.

      ‘Good. I was talking to Isobel the other day. She says Penny Barron has a grey. Lovely temperament. She wondered if you’d be interested.’

      ‘Yes I might be, but I’ll talk to her about it. After all it’s up to Ivy in the long run.’

      Ellie took a pull at her cider. ‘If you like I’ll go with her one day next week – she could have a look. Have a trial?’

      ‘Look, Ellie, I’ll ring Penny and have a chat, okay. And thanks.’

      ‘It’s no trouble, honestly.’

      Joe leaned forward to look at me. ‘Sorry about this.’

      ‘I’m fine,’ I said, wondering if it was acceptable to accidentally tip the remains of my meal over Ellie’s feet. And who was Ivy? And Penny?

      Pete returned with his tea towel tucked into his belt.

      ‘All done are we? Didn’t finish, eh? Looks like the little lady doesn’t have much of an appetite. Not for my cottage pie anyway! Them cottages takes a lot of catching too I don’t mind telling you. Ha ha ha!’

      ‘Delicious, Pete, as always.’

      ‘Dessert menus is it?’ Pete said, wiping his nose on his tea towel.

      There should be a hygiene certificate somewhere. I wondered what it said.

      ‘Um not for me thanks,’ I said.

      ‘Well it’s your loss, me duck. There’s toffee apple crumble on too. Betty’s best I call it.’

      ‘So what shall I say to Penny?’ Ellie said. ‘I’ll be seeing her next week. She’s bound to ask.’

      ‘No toffee apple crumble for you?’ Pete said. ‘You knows you likes it.’

      Joe stood up. ‘No, not this evening thanks; in fact I think we’ve got to go. I’ve got to be back by nine.’

      I looked at the clock. It was only eight twenty-five. He’d had enough.

      ‘Oh yes,’ Ellie said, darting me another look, ‘of course.’

      Joe paid the bill. I followed him outside and he walked me over to my car. I’d parked it ready for a swift getaway, facing the exit in case the evening turned into a disaster. Of course it hadn’t been a disaster; Joe was a lovely man. Easy to talk to, good company in fact. But—

      ‘I’m sorry about Ellie,’ he said at last as we came to a stop beside my car.

      Other vehicles surrounded it now that the car park had filled up. Most of them were massive four by fours. They made my little sports car look like a baby trying to join in with the adults.

      I shook my head. ‘You don’t have to apologise. I’ve had a lovely evening.’

      I just wondered who Ivy was. And what was Ellie to him?

      ‘Good, I just wanted to find out more about you. You’re a one-off.’

      I reached into my bag to find my car keys. ‘Is that a good thing?’

      Joe laughed. ‘Oh yes. Are you all right?’

      ‘Of course.’ I felt silly and brittle.

      I opened the car door and slung my bag into the passenger seat.

      Joe put one hand on my arm and I looked up at him.

      The night around us was dark and frosty and his breath steamed on the cold air. He had a red scarf this time, tucked in to the collar of his coat, and it scraped gently against his stubble as he shrugged his shoulders against the chill. ‘Thank you, it’s been a great evening. I’ve enjoyed your company.’

      ‘Thank you. It was lovely. I really enjoyed it too.’

      ‘Louisa—’

      I wondered for a mad moment if he was going to kiss me. Why would he do that? He wasn’t the sort of man to do that. Was he?

      Suddenly, I hoped he was.

      I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted to feel his lips on mine. I wanted …

      No I didn’t. What on earth was I playing at? I had a partner. I needed to get home, put on some warm pyjamas, make some hot chocolate and get into bed.

      On my own.

      I wanted a good night’s sleep, undisturbed by my usual complicated dreams of being back in school and trying to hide a burn mark in my sweater. Just before I came out I had discovered yet another plot chasm in Choose Yes. Tomorrow I would concentrate on solving it. I wanted nothing more than that.

      I absolutely didn’t want this big bear of a man to put his arms around me, press me back against my car and kiss the breath out of me.

      Of course I didn’t. I was already in a relationship. I had Benedict.

      ‘It’s fine, absolutely fine,’ I said. I could feel a stiff smile stretch across my face. He took a step back and the moment was lost.

      I got into my car and waved goodbye to him as I pulled out of the car park and my little car dived into the dark night.

       Chapter Six

      I got my wish.

      No not that wish, the other wish.

      I drove back to Barracane House, made some hot chocolate and went upstairs. It was only nine thirty. At home I’d be thinking of going out. I had this ridiculous feeling that Joe might suddenly arrive at the house with explanations and apologies and I didn’t want that.

      So I closed the bedroom curtains and put all the lights out and got into bed. I settled down with my laptop and was astonished to see that for once I had some Wi-Fi.

      Several emails arrived, most of them junk of course but two were from Sally, my agent, who was politely but firmly enquiring how I was getting on with my rewriting. There was one from Jassy СКАЧАТЬ