Sunday Girl

by Ella Craig

  ‘Why bother?’ He nibbled her neck. ‘Forget about work, let’s stay here for a little longer; go out to lunch and back to your flat. Come on, Kath, we need time to get to know each other again.’

  Kath shoved him away. ‘We do, but not now. I am imposing boundaries, and I refuse to jeopardise work, family and friends, just for a stolen day with you. These brief hours are enough to start with.’

  ‘What if I drop you at work after lunch?’

  ‘We are short-staffed at the moment,’ Kath said in a firm voice. ‘They depend on me to turn up.’

  He sulked but agreed to drive her to work. She kissed him on the nose, and he kissed her on the mouth. Kath was as much to blame as Tony for they made love again, not with as much haste, but with the same passion as before.

  ‘You are very chipper for one who spent the morning at the dentist.’

  ‘No fillings required, Maggie, which is why I am smiling.’

  ‘And you get to keep your smile because you made it in for eleven, but try to remember to tell me about your appointments in the future.’

  ‘Sorry, I forgot, and I promise it won’t happen again.’

  ‘I am glad to hear it because if it does, you are on a verbal warning.’

  Kath slunk off to the locker room to grab her lab coat, but she still grinned despite Maggie’s bollocking. She found Neville in the mess room making a cup of tea.

  ‘Boy, are you in trouble,’ he told her cheerfully.

  ‘Not anymore, and Maggie will calm down now she’s done her shouty bit.’

  ‘Maggie is the least of your worries because the man you love rang this morning, and he is not happy with you,’ Neville tutted and shook his head.

  ‘Tony called me at work?’

  ‘Whoever Tony is, he didn’t call you, but Miles did.’ Neville stuffed a biscuit in his mouth. ‘How many men have you got on the go? Really, Kath, you have the morals of an alley cat. I am so disappointed with you.’

  Kath’s euphoria turned to despair and morphed into guilt. So much for the boundaries lecture, she gave Tony this morning. So far, so crap, she lied to her boss, had it off with Tony, barely thought about Miles and never considered the consequences of alfresco sex with a married man.

  ‘Tony is my cousin’s boyfriend. I thought he might call me about a surprise party he is arranging.’ Kath crossed her fingers over the lie. ‘What did Miles want?’

  ‘To tell you he can’t live without you and every minute apart is pure torture.’

  ‘Please stop taking the piss, Neville.’

  ‘If you insist, you are such a killjoy these days, but your man wanted to know if you are still up for the pub quiz tonight. He also expressed surprise when I told him you were at the dentist. Miles told me you only went last week for a check-up.’

  ‘People are allowed to visit a dentist when their teeth ache, and we will both be there to make up the numbers for your team.’

  ‘You better be because none of us will be happy if you don’t turn up. We are all relying on your self-professed knowledge of British history.’

  ‘Thanks to a childhood spent reading Look and Learn magazines.’

  ‘That must be what Miles sees in you or did your beauty and wit captivate him?’

  ‘Stop yapping, and do some work, you two.’ Maggie appeared in the mess doorway. ‘And you are both docked ten minutes from your lunch breaks.’

  Kath scurried to her lab bench, annoyed at her second scolding of the day, but happy to escape Neville and his constant teasing. Trust Miles to call her at work today of all days, but she had promised to ring him during her morning break. Kath marvelled at the fact that, despite her best intentions, she constantly made a balls-up of her life. Now she had to find a way to keep Tony at arm’s length while she sorted out her feelings for Miles. She didn’t want to lose him, but that would happen for sure if he found out about Tony.

  ‘Carry on daydreaming, and you can kiss goodbye to your entire break,’ Maggie prodded her in the side. ‘Come on Kath, pull your finger out and at least pretend to be busy, or tell me what is bothering you and maybe I can help.’

  ‘Too many late nights, and toothache,’ Kath gave Maggie an apologetic grin. ‘Would it help if I went down to the warehouse during lunch and took samples from the new deliveries?’

  ‘What a clever change of subject and a superb attempt at grovelling, but you don’t have to lose your whole lunch break in the warehouse.’

  ‘Thanks, Mags…’ Kath began.

  ‘You can spend it recalibrating the pH meters, and then you can do the sampling.’ Maggie beamed at her and walked away.

  kissing with confidence

  The car pulled up at the kerb in a flurry of flashing lights, a honking horn and a muddy puddle. Kath leapt back to avoid the spray and shook her fist at the occupants. Someone flung the nearside rear passenger door open and, amidst hoots of laughter, she climbed in.

  ‘Neville, you are such a git at times, and thank you, Tom, for opening the door. Hello, Miles, riding shotgun again, I see.’ She planted a kiss on the back of his head.

  ‘Enough of that, we need to work on our game plan,’ ordered Neville. ‘Who do we nominate for the solo round? I did the first one with art and Miles did the last on world cinema.’

  ‘Which worked well for us and leaves,’ Miles checked a piece of paper he held in his hands, ‘science, history, music or sport. So, I nominate Kath.’

  ‘I second that.’ Tom and Neville shouted at the same time.

  ‘But we can’t vote without Mary or Pete,’ said Kath.

  ‘Pete can’t make it tonight, and Mary has laryngitis,’ Neville informed her. ‘And I suspect they’ll give us history or science tonight.’

  ‘I guess I have very little say in the matter. Go on; put my name down, but I hope you are right and it’s not sport.’

  ‘Don’t be a pessimist. Now, Miles, grab the packet of Triv cards and pass some to Tom. Kath, for the rest of the journey Tom will ask the history questions, and Miles will do the science ones. Remember, your first answer is the one they take.’

  ‘I know, think fast, ring bell, but speak slowly. Not a bad way to approach life.’ Kath patted Miles on the top of his head. ‘What do you reckon to that as a life aphorism?’

  ‘Drop the bell for a whoopee-cushion, and I might follow the rule. Are you ready, Kath? Here is your first question: Absolute zero is nought degrees Kelvin, what is the equivalent in degrees centigrade?’

  ‘Minus 273.15°C,’ said Kath automatically, while her mind filled with unease. At the last quiz night, she and Miles spent most of the drive to the pub ignoring Neville’s pleas to shut up and practice timed questions. The discussion on whether the plural of footstool should be footstools or feetstools led to them trying to come up with as many ridiculous examples as possible.

  Mary met them in the pub car park. ‘Hi, guys, are we ready to go for the hat-trick?’ Her voice was clear and bright with no sign of a croak.

  ‘I get the feeling you stitched me up,’ Kath turned on Neville.

  ‘Not my idea,’ he said and jogged off into the pub.

  ‘Miles?’

  ‘Mea culpa, Kath, but you ducked out of the last two and hinted you would be more than happy not to do a solo spot. I thought you ought to give it a go.’

  ‘Is this supposed to be a character building exercise?’

  ‘Didn’t you realise: we grow through adversity.’

  She followed Miles into the pub. This was more like it. They were back to bickering and bantering; tonight should be a good evening.

  They took their seats in the bay window, the spot reserved for the winning team from the previous quiz. Neville beetled off to collect the answer sheets, and Mary flirted with Tom. Kath changed seats, so she could sit next to Miles rather than be sandwiched between Tom and Neville.

  ‘I have some good and bad news for you, Kath.’

  ‘You’re pregnant, but I’m not the father.’

  ‘Nothing so dramatic. I fin
ish my temping job on Friday. They don’t need me over the weekend, and so we could do a valentine thing.’

  ‘Miles, I am so sorry, I thought you’d be working, and I arranged to go and see Jo. I leave tomorrow and won’t be back until Sunday.’

  ‘This is a bit last minute.’

  ‘They booked a cottage in the Peak District, but Simon can’t make it. Rather than lose their money Jo suggested I go in his place. If you can’t take your husband on a romantic weekend take your sister instead.’ Kath’s lie came all too easily. She was actually going away with Tony. Miles was supposed to be working until Monday, giving her and Tony the space for what promised to be their make or break time. It was exhausting having two men on the go at once, but in a few days, she would know which man she wanted. True to her warped moral code, she had not slept with either Miles or Tony. However, she doubted her ability to keep Tony at arms’ length for three nights in a two-berth caravan.

  ‘I hope you enjoy yourselves,’ Miles sounded resigned and pissed off.

  ‘I said sorry.’ She meant it because he looked so dejected. ‘You better tell me your bad news.’

  ‘I can’t make our trip to the cinema next week. The agency has lined up another job interview: temporary night receptionist at the Grand Hotel.’

  ‘Why would you want to work there?’

  ‘Because I am running out of money and need another job.’

  ‘Why don’t you look for permanent work instead of going for short-term stuff?’

  ‘I may do, or I can return to Aberdeen and go back to my old job.’ Miles looked intently at her.

  Kath stared back in dismay. ‘Find one here,’ she pleaded. ‘Don’t go.’

  ‘You want me to stay?’

  ‘Of course, I do, I would be lost without you.’ Kath grasped his hand and kissed his knuckles. He smiled, and his eyes sparkled. She moved towards him thinking, he’s going to kiss me now, only for a sheaf of papers to be thrust between their faces.

  ‘Cut that out,’ Neville withdrew the paper, ‘we need to concentrate.’

  ‘Here we go folks,’ the quizmaster was saying. ‘The first round is on American art and literature. Question one: Which famous painting by Grant Wood of a man, a pitchfork and a woman is housed in the Art Institute of Chicago?’

  The whole table turned to Neville, and Kath pulled herself together. The thought of missing a kiss from Miles left her flustered and disappointed, but there was no further chance of intimacy. Talk was reduced to hissed arguments about the answers until the break when Neville went to the bar, and Tom and Mary resumed their flirting. Kath dug her diary out of her bag.

  ‘Shall we fix another day to go to the pictures? We must be the last people on the planet not to have seen Back to the Future.’

  ‘Jim hasn’t either; maybe you could go with him.’

  ‘I hope that wasn’t a dig at me over the ruddy panto.’

  ‘Would I?’ Miles was a picture of innocence.

  Kath made a face at him. ‘We can’t do the Tuesday because of your interview, and I am working late for the rest the week.’

  ‘I’ll soon be a kept man if you keep putting in the overtime,’ said Miles.

  ‘Means you won’t have to worry about a job, but honestly work is mental at the moment. Maggie was not happy tonight because there was more overtime and both me and Neville left dead on five. And you would not believe the amount of college work I have to do.’ Not forgetting, finding the time to see Tony, she didn’t add. ‘Can you do Saturday week?’

  ‘Hot date with Barry, a rugby match and a pub crawl, I’m afraid.’ Miles screwed up his face in thought. ‘What about the Friday?’

  Shit, a potential Tony day. ‘Might be a goer, I’ll check how the overtime situation pans out.’ She took his hand in hers. ‘Bad timing but we do have your birthday coming up.’

  Miles squeezed her hand, but before he could say anything, the quizmaster called everyone to order.

  ‘Welcome back, folks, we will start with the solo round, so all soloists forward please.’

  Neville appeared at the table with a tray of drinks. ‘Don’t sit there like a lemon, Kath, move.’

  She stood up. ‘Wish me luck.’

  ‘You don’t need it.’ Miles raised her hand to his mouth and kissed it. Kath smiled gratefully, and to the surprise of them both leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. She took her seat with the rest of the soloists.

  ‘Fingers on buzzers for round six: Kings and Queens of England. Question one: Which king was overthrown in the Glorious Revolution of 1688?’

  Kath hit the buzzer and blurted out, ‘James the Second.’ Sod speaking slowly when you knew the answer. She flexed her fingers ready for the next question.

  Neville greeted her back at the table with an icy glare. ‘You do realise we will be docked five points if you are wrong.’

  ‘I am not wrong, and I will stake my life on it.’ She sat down with a thud.

  ‘You got the one about George the Third wrong,’ Neville pointed out.

  ‘I mixed up George’s two and three, but I got the rest of the questions right. All of them.’ Kath snatched up the nearest drink and chugged it down.

  ‘The landlord is upstairs trying to find an encyclopaedia because of you.’

  ‘Stop your grumbling, if I am right, which I am, we will get the point for the question and a further five points for a correct challenge. And we know what points mean?’

  ‘Prizes,’ Miles supplied for her. ‘You impressed me when you told them they had it wrong.’

  ‘I impressed myself, one minute I’m thinking: no, that’s not right and the next I’m arguing my corner.’

  ‘Quite vociferously.’ Miles lowered his voice. ‘Are sure Henry the Second married Eleanor of Aquitaine and not Eleanor of Provence?’

  Kath gave him a withering glance, but he stuck his tongue out at her. ‘Only joking.’

  ‘I’ll give you a joke on the back of my hand.’ She slapped at his wrist, but he caught both her hands in his, so she head-butted him in the chest. Because of their horseplay, they nearly missed the adjudication.

  ‘…Eleanor of Aquitaine. Six points to the Dirty Half Dozen Team.’

  Neville slapped her on the back, and Miles buried her in a bear hug. She spent the rest of the quiz sitting close to Miles with her hand on his leg. Every now and then, he tweaked her fingers, and she pinched his thigh. Usually at Neville’s frantic concern when the answers were not coming thick and fast. At the end of the quiz, the teams swapped answer papers for marking, and Miles clamped her hand between his knees.

  ‘I am doing this to prevent permanent injury,’ he whispered in her ear. ‘I enjoy watching Neville’s face when he realises we got something wrong, as much as you do, but you have sharp fingers, my dear.’

  ‘All the better to tease you with,’ said Kath and stuck her pinkie in his ear. ‘Come on; let’s play paper-scissors-stone, best of five.’

  ‘Excuse me, you two, would you like a drink?’ Tom poked them with a biro. ‘The quiz people are scrutinising the answer sheets, and Nev is in the bog, I think the pressure got to him.’

  ‘Shall I help you with the drinks, Tom?’ Mary batted her eyelids.

  Tom nodded, and they trotted off to the bar.

  Kath watched them go. ‘Has he asked her out yet?’

  ‘No, but he is thinking about it,’ said Miles. ‘He is worried she might say no.’

  ‘Is he blind or what? Mary is nuts about him. Tell Tom to stop fannying about otherwise he will miss his chance.’

  ‘It depends on Mary and her ex-boyfriend. He wants her back, but she isn’t sure.’

  ‘How do you find out all this stuff?’

  Miles tapped the side of his nose. ‘I have my secret ways, besides I quite enjoy playing agony aunt, it makes for an interesting hobby.’

  ‘Time to graduate to matchmaking because, joking aside, her ex was a two-timing bastard. If she ignores Tom for a knob like that, then she is seriously misguided.’


  ‘Some people won’t be told,’ Miles smiled ruefully.

  ‘When she next goes to the loo, I’ll go too and have a quiet word with her.’

  ‘You are most forceful and forthright this evening, Miss Beck, or should I call you Ms from now on?’

  ‘Sisters are doing it for themselves, buster,’ Kath ruffled his hair. ‘Three cheers for women’s lib, and down with patriarchy.’

  ‘You won’t think I am oppressing you if I remind you about my upcoming birthday?’

  ‘Not after I screwed you over first with the New Year and now Valentine’s Day. What do you fancy doing?’

  ‘As long as you are there, I don’t mind what we do.’ Miles looked into her eyes. Kath gave him a shy smile and blushed as a daring and exciting idea popped into her head.

  ‘Why don’t you come over to my place?’ She swallowed the mix of fear and desire building up in her throat. ‘We can cook a curry, drink fine wine and view the video of your choice.’

  ‘Are you asking me to a dîner romantique pour deux?’

  ‘Yes, you pretentious ponce, but leave your chaperone behind because we can stay up all night and watch the sunrise.’ Kath’s heart threatened to explode with anticipation, and she was glad when Miles took her hands; it stopped them from shaking.

  ‘I would like that very much.’ He licked his lips and moved in for a kiss. Kath did not duck away but closed her eyes in delighted anticipation. The kiss never came. She opened her eyes to find Neville shaking Miles by the shoulders.

  ‘We won again tonight,’ he lunged at Kath and wrapped his arms around her head. ‘By five points so, well done you for the challenge, you saved us from a tiebreaker.’

  Kath submitted to his embrace with as much good grace as she could muster, but was Neville on a mission to stop Miles from kissing her.

  There were group hugs all around with Tom and Mary exchanging more hugs than strictly necessary. Kath gave Miles the thumbs up, and he flashed her a V for Victory sign.

  ‘If you need a lift, Kath, I’m leaving now.’ Mary pulled on her coat. ‘I recorded tonight’s episode of Dynasty, and I want to go home and watch it before bed.’

  ‘Can’t you watch it another night?’