by Anna Bell
Aidan looks around the room. ‘Has anyone seen Barney?’
‘He came out into the kitchen with me when I was doing the food,’ says Mum.
Aidan’s face falls.
‘And you left him in there alone? Was there any food out?’
‘I was just pulling out the vol-au-vents from the fridge. I think I might have taken the meat out.’
He leaps up and runs through to the kitchen and we all follow. The whole thing happens in slow motion as he dives through the door, shouting an elongated ‘Noooooo’. Barney’s got two feet propped on the work surface and he’s devouring the cold meat. At the sound of Aidan’s voice he turns and leaps down and hangs his head in shame. His tail and bum are wiggling and his ears are pinned back to the side of his face. He looks absolutely adorable.
Aidan is white as a sheet and he looks mortified. Mum clasps her hand over her mouth and stares at the huge near-empty plate that once held the giant turkey and ham that could have fed the whole street, or evidently one hungry Labrador.
It’s Dad who breaks the silence with a roar of laughter. He’s properly going for it and it isn’t long before tears appear in his eyes.
Barney looks delighted and creeps forward on his belly and nuzzles at his legs.
I look at my mum in horror, wondering if she’s going to explode but she’s looks like she’s in shock.
‘I’m so sorry,’ says Aidan. ‘I’m so, so sorry. Barney!’
He calls him in a stern voice and he’s back to being a subdued dog as he sits at his master’s feet.
‘Don’t be,’ says my dad, clapping him on the back, tears rolling down his cheeks. ‘That’s the best laugh I’ve had in ages. Plus I’m not going to have to eat turkey for the next two weeks. Thank you, Barney.’
‘I’ll have you know that I had new recipes this year,’ Mum says. ‘A Mexican dish and a tagine.’
It only makes Dad laugh harder.
‘I can buy you another turkey,’ says Aidan. ‘Or I can get the leftovers from my mum’s; it was an organic one from Waitrose.’
‘Don’t worry about it, Aidan. Clearly my husband doesn’t actually like turkey.’
I’m beginning to think Barney might have started World War Three, but then Mum starts to laugh too and Dad wraps an arm around her and pulls her in for a hug.
Aidan’s cheeks are red. I give his hand a squeeze before I lean down and give Barney a cuddle.
‘At least he didn’t touch the vol-au-vents,’ says Becca, picking up the plate that’s still wrapped in foil.
‘Now, that would have been disaster,’ I say. ‘So are we going to play Monopoly or what?’
‘Yeah, come on,’ says Dad.
‘Perhaps I should take Barney and go home.’
‘You’re not going anywhere,’ says Mum, ‘you’ve got to make sure that Izzy doesn’t cheat.’ She gets another plate of food out of the fridge and walks out of the kitchen along with Becca who takes the vol-au-vents. ‘Can you grab the bread sticks, Izzy.’
‘OK,’ I say, digging in the cupboard to find them.
‘I feel so awful,’ says Aidan. ‘This is the type of thing that you’re never going to forget. It’s always going to be the Christmas where a dog ate your turkey.’
‘And that’s why it’s so great,’ says Dad. ‘You’ve given us a proper Christmas memory, one that will make us laugh for years to come. I didn’t think that was going to be possible after Ben to have Christmases that we’d look back on fondly.’
I can feel tears collecting behind my eyes. He’s exactly right.
Dad walks out and I lean over and give Aidan a hug.
‘Do you think that he means it, that he’s never going to forget it? Bloody hell, I’m going to have to bake a bigger sourdough next year to make up for it.’
‘Next year,’ I say with a gulp. My heart might burst.
‘Yeah, I’m hoping so,’ he says, taking my hand. ‘I hate to break it to you but I think we’re a thing now.’
‘Right,’ I say, nodding. For once it doesn’t feel scary. ‘I wondered what this was and now I know it’s a thing.’
He leans over and kisses me.
When we eventually pull away I realise how right it feels. And it’s in that moment in the kitchen, with Aidan and Barney, whilst I’m holding the bread sticks, that I realise that I’m starting to fall in love.
Chapter 29
‘Sit up at the table, everyone,’ I shout from the kitchen. I open the oven to pull the potatoes out, steaming my face in the process.
‘Do you need any help?’ asks Aidan, popping round the corner.
‘You could take the wine over and open it? Bottle opener’s in the top drawer.’
‘Got it,’ he says.
I try not to grin too much. We’re acting like a proper couple hosting a dinner party.
The potatoes are the last thing to be dished up and I pop them on the plates then start taking them through to our dining table.
‘This smells amazing,’ says Marissa. She’s seated at the table rocking the pram back and forth to keep baby Leah asleep.
‘Let’s hope it tastes as good as it looks.’
‘I’m sure it will,’ says Tim. ‘So, Aidan, do you follow Reading in the football?’
‘I’m more into rugby. I usually go and see London Irish a few times a season.’
Marissa gives me a little thumbs up and I wink back. I leave them discussing rugby whilst I get the other two plates of food.
I sit back down at the table and Marissa leans over to me.
‘They’re getting on well.’
‘Aren’t they?’
It’s a bit of a shame that Becca and Gareth couldn’t join us. She said that they had plans with his friends, but I wonder if it’s because she still hasn’t told him about Ben and she’s worried that we’d let something slip.
Marissa carries on rocking the pram and Tim leans over her food and cuts it up, which she eats one-handed. They’re like a well-oiled parenting machine, you’d never know that they’d only been doing it for a month.
‘This is delicious,’ says Tim.
‘It is,’ says Aidan. ‘We should do a toast.’
He picks up his glass and everyone else does the same.
‘To Izzy and her awesome cooking skills.’
‘To Izzy,’ everyone parrots back before we all chink and drink before we go back to eating.
‘So, has anyone got any new year’s resolutions?’ asks Aidan.
‘To get some sleep,’ says Marissa, causing us all to smile.
‘Mine too,’ says Tim. ‘How about you, Izzy?’
I have lots of resolutions, like to let myself fall in love in again, to stop lying to Aidan about Luke. None of them I can say publicly.
‘Er, to go to the gym more.’
Marissa coughs loudly.
‘Or to go at all.’
‘Bloody hell, what happened to us?’ groans Marissa. ‘I remember when we used to make resolutions like to stay up and watch the sunset more.’
‘To be fair we made those kind of resolutions,’ says Tim. ‘But we never went through with them.’
Marissa pulls a face and Aidan laughs at the gentle bickering that ensues.
‘Let’s all make a resolution as a group,’ says Marissa. ‘That we’ll try and do this kind of thing more often.’
‘I’d like that a lot,’ says Aidan and I swoon. It means so much to me that he gets on with my friends.
We’ve almost finished eating when I hear a knock at the door and I look over, confused. It’s rare for the door to knock without the intercom and I assume it’s one of our neighbours.
I excuse myself from the table and wander over
I look through the spyhole and see Luke standing outside. What is he doing here?
My heart starts to hammer in my chest. The sound of chatter from the dinner table drifts over and I know it’ll be fruitless to pretend to be not in.
I open the door a tiny bit.
‘Wha
t are you doing here?’ I whisper.
‘Bad time?’ says Luke, arching an eyebrow. He’s got a small smile on his face. He knew I was having this lunch.
I hear someone walking up behind me and turn to see Aidan.
‘I was just getting some water for Marissa,’ he says, looking at Luke. ‘Everything OK?’
‘Aidan, this is my work colleague, Luke,’ I say. ‘Luke, this is Aidan.’
Luke pushes the door open wider and outstretches his hand for Aidan to shake it.
‘I was just here to take photos of Izzy for our in-house magazine, but it seems I got the times wrong,’ he says, holding up his large SLR camera.
‘In-house magazine – are you going to be famous, Izzy?’ says Aidan smiling.
‘Ha ha,’ I say. ‘Not exactly. I’m sure it’ll keep.’
‘Actually, I was hoping to get them done as soon as possible,’ says Luke.
‘I don’t see why the photos can’t be taken at work,’ I say, gritting my teeth.
‘We’ve been over this. Mary likes the magazine to focus on people and their lives outside of the office. Makes people seem more real.’ I’m wondering if he made up this pretend cover story before he got here or if he’s thinking on his feet.
‘Why don’t you let him take them now, it seems a shame he’s come all the way here,’ says Aidan. ‘I better get Marissa that water.’
He disappears into the kitchen and Luke gives me a wink. I want to throttle him but I know that Aidan will reappear at any second.
Luke gestures to the camera round his neck.
‘Where are we going to take these photos?’
‘What the hell is this all about?’ I whisper with a hiss.
‘Just thought that if you were cooking a big dinner party I could take a couple of photos for my feed, pretend I was there too.’
‘This isn’t fair, Luke. Aidan’s here.’
‘Funny, as that’s the point, isn’t it? He wasn’t supposed to be. You weren’t supposed to be dating anyone.’
‘Izzy, are you still not letting him in?’ says Aidan, walking past with the water.
‘I haven’t done my hair,’ I say, patting it.
‘I think you look gorgeous,’ he says, kissing me on the top of the head as he walks past, making me feel even more terrible.
‘He seems nice,’ says Luke, raising an eyebrow. ‘Now, are you going to let me in or am I going to have to stand out here and start talking very loudly about us?’
I sigh heavily and let him in.
We walk into the kitchen which is technically separate from the lounge, but the back wall has a large opening between the two rooms. I can hear the others chatting in the lounge and I’m mindful of how much sound travels in our little flat.
‘So I got an email—’ starts Luke.
‘Ssh,’ I say, pointing at the lounge. ‘They’ll hear.’
‘OK,’ he says in a quiet voice. ‘I got an email from a soft drink company that wants us to take some photos in January. I know you said that you wanted to stop taking on new things, but the money is good.’
‘I’m not interested.’
‘He’s really worth it then?’
I look out towards the lounge.
‘He really is.’
Luke nods and I wonder if him seeing me with Aidan has made him realise that it really is time for this to end.
‘Right, let’s take these photos.’
‘Are you actually serious?’
‘It’s going to be pretty fucking weird if I come round and then don’t. How are you going to explain to lover boy that there’s no clicking of the camera?’
I grunt and concentrate hard on the thought of all the money that we’re earning for Heart2Heart as I pick up a wooden spoon. I pretend to stir dirty saucepans as he snaps away, desperate for him to finish and leave.
‘Have you got them?’ I say sarcastically after a few shots.
‘Hmm, I could do with a few more,’ he says, walking out of the kitchen and into the lounge. ‘Hello, everyone, sorry to interrupt your meal.’
I quickly follow behind him and watch Marissa’s eyes pop out of her head.
‘I’m just taking a few photos of Izzy for our work magazine. Why don’t I get one of you and your boyfriend – was it Andrew?’
‘Aidan,’ he says.
‘Yes, Aidan. Why don’t you two sit on the sofa?’
‘I don’t see why he needs to be in the photo,’ I say.
‘Come on, this is supposed to be you at home,’ says Luke.
‘What about with her best friend instead?’ says Marissa.
‘I think boyfriend is a better angle.’
‘I don’t mind,’ says Aidan, shrugging.
He walks over to the sofa and sits down and I reluctantly follow suit. He slips his arm around me but I don’t sink into him like I usually would.
‘That’s lovely,’ says Luke, taking a couple of shots. ‘How about you give Izzy a kiss?’
I turn towards Aidan to tell him that we don’t have to and he leans over and gives me a quick kiss.
‘Wow, you two look great together,’ he says, putting down his camera. ‘Sorry again, Izzy, for getting the day wrong. And Aidan, thanks for all your help too. I’ll see you at work.’
‘Thanks,’ I mutter, still amazed of the gall of him to come and do this.
He gives Marissa and Tim a wave before he heads out the door and I sigh with relief.
‘I always expected from your stories that your work colleagues would be more fun,’ says Aidan.
‘They are. He’s not in our department.’
‘Izzy’s work colleagues are proper bonkers,’ says Marissa to Tim. ‘You should have heard the stories about their Great Office Bake Off. Has Mrs Harris calmed down after her win?’
‘Not yet. She keeps walking the trophy round the different floors just to rub it in.’
My heartbeat is slowing and I’m no longer sweating with nerves.
‘What are you going to do now that’s all over?’ asks Aidan.
‘Well, HR have decided to run another competition.’
‘Another Bake Off?’ asks Marissa.
‘No, no. They wanted it to be more inclusive. So next year they’re doing The Office Has Talent.’
‘What’s your act going to be, Izzy?’ says Marissa, chuckling.
‘Don’t,’ I say, groaning. ‘Mrs Harris’s trying to get us to enter with her. She wants to sing and have me and Cleo as her backing group.’
‘Can she sing?’
‘God only knows. We’ve all said no, but there’s another month until the first round and she’ll no doubt try and wear us all down.’
Everyone laughs a little too loudly and baby Leah starts to stir.
‘Probably time for her next feed,’ says Marissa, picking her up and settling with her on the sofa.
‘I’ll tidy up and get the dessert ready,’ I say.
‘I’ll help,’ says Aidan and we take the empty plates into the kitchen.
We load the dishwasher and when we’re finished Aidan takes my hands.
‘Thank you for this,’ he says. ‘I know that you want to take things slowly but it’s nice to get to know your friends. They’re as lovely as you are.’
I lean forward and give him a proper kiss, not like the forced one we had earlier in front of Luke.
I feel terrible lying to him, but it’s only a few weeks until the charity ball and auction and then I can end things with Luke and concentrate solely on Aidan.
We eventually pull away and he sets about making coffee and I prepare the dessert. I hope that Luke seeing us together made him get the message, as the sooner I’m out of the fake relationship and concentrating on Aidan, the better.
Welcome to January
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Happy New Year, My Precious Little Poppets! This year is going to be a good year, I can feel it in my bones. Let’s make it the best we can, huh? With a wedding coming
up and a wedding dress to squeeze into you’d think that I’d be making all sorts of resolutions to diet and to exercise but my only resolution is to live my life the way I want to at the moment.
Now, for a quick recap on the month. Luke and I had a wonderful time at his Christmas do, there was dinner and dancing and dazzling lights. Then we made the pilgrimage to Winter Wonderland, where we got tipsy on mulled wine, glided on the ice (mostly on my bum) and tried every food on offer. On Christmas Day we spent the morning together eating croissants and drinking champagne, before we headed off to spend time with our families.
New Year’s Eve went off with a bang. We had a small, intimate gathering of close friends. It made me realise how very blessed I am to have such lovely friends in real life as well as on here with all of you lovely followers! Love each and every one of you – big mwah!
Chapter 30
January is normally the worst month of the year: I’m usually broke, frazzled and my liver runs its own campaign for dry January. But this year, thanks to our #ad and #sponsored posts, I’m actually pretty flush and I even managed to pay my credit card off in full before the heart-stopping bill arrived in the post. It’s the last weekend of the month and in previous years at this point I’ve been kissing the cash machines as my pay packet hits my account, but this year I haven’t even bothered to check my balance to see if it’s come in.
Luke was right – this really does have the potential to change our lives. But I’ve realised that, as appreciative as I am, although my balance now appears in black rather than red, it’s not what I want anymore. Or at least I don’t want it if I can only have it by being half of a Z-list celebrity couple. If it wasn’t for the charity event I would have packed it all in ages ago. But that’s only a couple of weeks away now and our amicable break-up that’s going to follow is within touching distance.
It’s not only the money that’s made me beat the January blues; I have been spending more and more time with Aidan. I’m still trying to keep it low-key but today we’re off on a big walk and then tonight he’s taking me out to dinner.
My intercom buzzes and I’m excited knowing it’ll be him.
‘Hellooooo.’
‘Hiya, are you ready?’ says Aidan.