by Anna Jacobs
‘Louise.’
She had him in the nearest doctor’s surgery in ten minutes flat. ‘I’ll wait and drive you back.’
‘I’m really grateful.’ He smiled at her.
He had a lovely smile. It lifted his face from ordinary to attractive. She found herself responding to it and for a moment the two of them just stood there, smiling. Then the nurse came to take him into the small operating theatre.
A little later the receptionist came across. ‘The doctor wants to tell you how to look after your husband’s hand.’
‘He’s not my . . .’ But the woman was already leading the way back.
The doctor looked exhausted. ‘Ah, Mrs Crossley!’ He then proceeded to explain rapidly how to look after the hand. He had gone off to see the next patient before either of them could correct the misunderstanding.
Richard grimaced at her. ‘Sorry about that. I tried to explain, but no one would listen. They’ve had a bit of a busy day, I gather.’
Louise shrugged. ‘It doesn’t matter. I’m happy to help you. That’s what neighbours are for, isn’t it?’
‘I’m your nearest neighbour, actually. I have a two-acre block next to yours.’
As she parked she noticed that the gardens were stunningly beautiful, but the house had an unloved air.
‘It’s a bit messy,’ he said apologetically when she took him inside.
‘Never mind that. Come and sit down. You look as white as a sheet. I’ll make you a cup of tea.’
‘I prefer coffee, actually.’
‘So do I. Where’s your percolator?’
‘I haven’t got one, only instant. Will you join me anyway?’
Good coffee was her biggest weakness. She tried not to pull a face at the thought of instant coffee, but he looked so pale she didn’t like to leave him alone yet. Anyway, he seemed a nice man and it always paid to get on good terms with your neighbours.
As she made the coffee, she lectured herself. Stop trying to be sensible, Louise. You like him. You want to get to know him. Admit it. It was the smile that had done it. And the long, lean lines of his body. Attractive. She’d always liked tall men.
He sipped the brown liquid. ‘Aaah! I can never get it to taste like that. But then, you’re a trained cook, aren’t you?’
She shook her head. ‘No. But I do love cooking.’ It had been her secret passion for years. Luckily she was the sort who stayed slim, because she was famous for her chocolate cake.
‘If your prices aren’t too steep, I’ll probably come next door quite often for my meals.’ He gestured towards the window. ‘I’m addicted to gardening, but I don’t often bother to cook for myself.’
Within two weeks, Louise had the café open. Not for fancy meals, just snacks. Her own beefburger recipe; fresh salads; crusty bread; home-made cakes. It wasn’t hard to organize. She’d been working out her business plan ever since she signed the contract for the house.
She soon grew accustomed to seeing Richard every evening and began to look forward to it. He was her last customer, he always joked, there to help eat the leftovers.
It was lovely to have someone to talk over the day with, to laugh with over the absurdities of the customers, many of them from the holiday rentals just down the road, or passing traffic from cars. She and Richard had a similar sense of humour, as well as their mutual addiction to coffee and chocolate cake.
And when his body brushed against hers accidentally, well, he couldn’t tell how her pulse speeded up, could he?
When his hand was better, Richard asked, ‘What about the gardens?’
She was thinking out a new sandwich list. ‘Mmm? What?’
‘The gardens here. What are you going to do about them?’
She stared out of the window. ‘I’ll have to hire someone. I hate gardening, but I can’t leave it like that, I know.’
‘Can I apply for the job?’
‘You?’
He looked at her with that steady expression on his face. ‘Yes. Me.’
‘I can’t pay much.’
He grinned. ‘I’m fairly self-sufficient financially. I was thinking more of payment in kind. Meals. You’re a very good cook, Louise.’
‘Oh.’ And why she should start blushing, she didn’t know. For heaven’s sake, she told herself as she fussed over one of the displays. What’s got into you, woman? He’s only interested in your cooking.
When the colour in her cheeks had died down, she turned back to him. ‘Sounds like a good idea. We’ll give it a try.’
After that, Richard seemed to be popping in at all times of day. It was nice. It was . . . neighbourly. He put in some fast-growing border plants and the gardens quickly began to look better.
The next time she went into town, she took the opportunity to buy herself some new clothes, younger styles, more attractive. She had a good figure, after all. Why had she not made more of it before? Because she’d been brought up to wear sensible clothes that lasted.
The change was nothing to do with Richard, it was just – well, you had to look smart when you were meeting the public, didn’t you?
Three months after Louise took over the café, her sister got back from Europe and came to visit within a couple of days. Until now, Louise had been free to do what she liked and it had been wonderful not to receive those sharp phone calls, not to hear Rosemary’s strident voice telling her what to do.
Typical of her sister! thought Louise, fuming. No warning. Turned up right in the middle of the busiest time, with her two teenage daughters in tow. And she expected Louise’s instant attention.
‘Lovely to see you,’ she said, showing them to the only empty table. ‘Can’t stop to talk till I’ve finished serving this family.’
She came back a few minutes later. ‘Sorry about that. Do you want a cup of something?’
‘The coffee smells heavenly.’
When she went into her kitchen, Louise leaned her head against a cupboard and thumped the wall with her fist.
‘Is something wrong?’
Two strong arms turned her round and Richard peered at her anxiously. ‘Are you all right?’
She leaned against him for a moment and it felt good. His body was every bit as firm as she had fantasized. Fool! She told herself. He’s just being kind to you. Will you never learn that men don’t think of you like that? You’re an eternal sister as far as they’re concerned. But she didn’t move away, because it felt so good to be held like that.
‘It’s my sister and nieces, actually,’ she confessed. ‘They’ve just turned up out of the blue and I’m rushed off my feet. Kerry couldn’t come in today. I think I’m going to have to hire a more reliable part-time waitress.’ The café was doing quite well, better than she’d expected at this stage.
‘Can I apply for the job?’ His voice was as gentle as ever, his brown eyes soft with concern.
‘Only if you’ll let me pay you. Could you manage a few hours at the weekend?’
He gave her a quick hug that sent her heart tangoing round inside her chest. It was a moment before she could speak and then her voice sounded softer than usual, but she couldn’t help it. ‘You’re hired, Mr Crossley.’
‘That’s great. It’ll give me plenty of time to see to the gardens during the week. Now, you get some coffee ready and I’ll take it out to your sister. Which one is she?’
They peered through the glass porthole together. His arm was still round her shoulders, and his body was still close to hers. Stop it! she told her imagination. Stop it right now! She pointed. ‘That’s her.’
His breath fanned her cheek as he spoke. ‘She looks a bossy sort.’
‘She is. People think I’m bad, but she’s worse.’
He grinned. ‘You’re not bossy, just efficient. I love to watch you work. You’re so neat about everything and you move gracefully.’
It was a long time since a man had given her a compliment. Any sort of compliment. Two compliments at once made her blush bright pink.
H
e chuckled and touched her cheek with his fingertip, painting a trail of liquid fire down it that had her gasping for breath. ‘And I like a woman who can blush, too.’
Bemused, she watched him carry the tray into the café. Was it possible? Was it really possible?
When the café was empty, Louise stood in the kitchen, reluctant to go out and talk to her sister. Richard seemed to understand. He stopped stacking plates in the dishwasher and came across to give her another hug. ‘Want me to stay around, in case you need help with the dragon lady?’
Louise nodded. ‘Please. I’m such a – a coward where she’s concerned.’
‘Family can be more difficult to deal with than anyone. Wait till you meet my Aunt Jennifer.’
‘Here I go, then.’ Louise drew in a deep breath, squared her shoulders and went to face Rosemary, grateful for his presence behind the scenes.
‘Ah, there you are at last, Louise. Who is he?’
‘I beg your pardon?’
‘Who’s the man? We all thought you’d gone mad when you bought this place, but I can see there’s more to it. Who is he?’
‘Shh!’ Louise looked round, worried that Richard would overhear. Rosemary’s voice had such a carrying tone to it. ‘He’s just a neighbour.’
The two girls snickered and exchanged knowing glances.
‘What does he do for a living?’ Rosemary demanded, picking up the last little cake and taking a greedy snapping bite at it.
‘He does the garden for me. And serves in the café occasionally. Apart from that – I don’t know.’
Rosemary stiffened. ‘He’s after your money, then. I knew we shouldn’t have let you do this.’ She made no attempt to lower her voice.
Louise winced.
The door banged open and Richard came striding out of the kitchen, his expression very determined.
Louise stared at him in panic. He’d heard! Oh, heavens, he’d never speak to her again!
He walked across the café with a firm tread, winked at her when Rosemary couldn’t see and put an arm round her waist.
He wasn’t angry, then. Louise leaned against him gratefully. She had never been able to cope with Rosemary in this sort of mood.
‘Why don’t you introduce me, darling?’ he said in his deep velvet voice.
Darling! What did he mean by darling? Louise turned her head and Richard grinned at her mischievously. Biting off a protest, she played along, her spirits lifting.
Rosemary’s expression registered shock and the nieces looked like two baby birds, mouths open, waiting to be fed.
‘Didn’t Louise tell you?’ Richard said, easy and smiling. ‘We’re engaged. I’m Richard Crossley, by the way.’
‘No. She didn’t tell me. She didn’t tell me anything.’ Rosemary stared at him, eyes narrowed suspiciously. ‘This is all very sudden, isn’t it?’
‘That’s how it happens,’ he said. ‘You see a person and you fall madly in love.’ He nudged Louise. ‘Don’t you agree, darling?’
‘Yes,’ Louise said faintly. ‘Darling.’
Rosemary looked down at Louise’s hand. ‘Where’s the ring?’
Louise pulled herself together. She was not going to let Richard down. ‘We’re going to get it after the weekend rush. We want to take our time, find something really pretty.’ Suddenly she was dying to laugh. For the first time ever, she wasn’t afraid of her elder sister. Filled with mischief of her own, she stretched up to kiss Richard’s cheek.
He stared at her and, for a moment, the two of them seemed to be alone in the café, and though her sister said something, Louise couldn’t tell what it was.
Then he pulled her closer and kissed her back, a long, soft communion that was far better than any of her dreams. When he moved his head away, he mouthed, ‘All right?’ and she said the first thing that came into her head.
‘Wonderful.’
There was the sound of a throat being cleared, a sound that Louise had always dreaded. Now, it was nothing. She turned back to Rosemary. ‘We’ll let you know when we name the day. For the moment, we’re not rushing anything.’ She put her arm round Richard’s waist and leaned there while Rosemary talked at them.
A little later, as Louise escorted her sister and nieces out to the car, Rosemary asked, ‘Are you sleeping with him?’
‘None of your business.’
‘He’s rather nice,’ Kathy said suddenly. ‘For an old man.’
Louise glared at her niece. ‘Old? He’s not old!’
Her other niece smiled. ‘And I love your new clothes. Much more trendy. Good on you, Auntie Louise.’
‘Well, I think those clothes are far too young for you, but now you’ve bought them, I suppose you may as well get the wear out of them.’ Rosemary scowled sideways.
Louise chuckled. ‘Oh, I’ll definitely continue to wear them. Richard likes them, you see.’
When the car had driven away, she felt suddenly shy about facing him. But there was no avoiding it, so she turned and walked back into the café.
He was sitting at one of the empty tables. He gestured to a steaming cup of coffee. ‘I thought you’d need this after your encounter with the dragon lady.’
She sank into a chair. ‘I do.’ She raised her eyes resolutely to his. ‘I’m grateful to you for – for intervening. Rosemary is – she’s like a tank rolling over you sometimes. Mind you, her heart is in the right place. She’d do anything for her family.’ She realized she was gabbling and shut her mouth, stirring her coffee very carefully.
‘So you didn’t mind me saying we were engaged?’
‘Of course not.’ A smile creased her face at the memory of Rosemary’s shock. ‘Actually, it was fun.’
‘My ex-wife used to hate my sense of humour.’
‘I like it.’ Oh, no, what had she said? She sounded as if she were encouraging him!
Now it was his turn to stir his coffee too carefully. ‘We could try it, if you like.’
‘Try what?’
‘Try being engaged.’
‘What?’ Louise goggled at him.
He looked at her with a quizzical grin. ‘Is that “yes” or “no”?’
‘Why?’
He didn’t pretend not to understand. ‘Because I like you, Louise. A lot.’
‘But I’m not – not pretty. And I’m too . . . brisk and managing.’
‘Only in the little things. And you are pretty. Especially now that you’re doing your hair like that and wearing more flattering clothes.’ He leaned closer. ‘I really do like you, Louise. Very much. I think it could develop into something permanent. What do you say we take a chance and find out?’
For a moment the room whirled around her, then she looked at Richard’s smiling face and took the biggest chance of her whole life. ‘I’d like to try it. I really would. Because – I like you, too. Very much indeed.’
His kiss only reinforced the rightness of her decision.
Then he held her at arm’s length and said, ‘We’ve both skated round the word, but what I really mean is, I love you. I vowed I’d never say it to a woman again, but that was stupid. I do love you, Louise.’
‘I didn’t take any vows about saying the word; I just didn’t meet someone to love. Till now. I do love you, Richard, but I didn’t realize how much until today.’
Possibilities
Anna’s Notes
OK, I confess. I love looking at the personal columns in the newspapers and trying to work out what the people are like who advertise.
I always think ‘Good for them!’ It’s too easy to sit at home on your own and feel lonely.
I’ve known several people who’ve found partners and friends that way.
Of course, the results of advertising may not always be as people expect. This one wasn’t!
Sara tossed the newspaper away. It fell off the chair – well, it had been that sort of a day. The pages scattered all over the floor and the one that settled near her foot said ‘POSSIBILITIES’ at the top in large black letters.
She kicked it aside. ‘Ha!’ She had given up on men, absolutely given up, and even if she hadn’t, no way would she advertise for a date like that. Never! You had to be desperate.
The following morning her mother rang her up at work. ‘Um – are you busy tonight, love? Want to have tea with me?’
‘Love to.’ Since her father’s divorce and removal to Sydney, Sara tried to see her mother a couple of times a week.
The minute she entered the house she realized her mother had been up to something. Well, you couldn’t mistake the bright mischief in her eyes. If Beth Greenby lived to be a hundred, she’d still have young eyes. Mind, at fifty, she wasn’t doing badly. Trim figure, russet hair only lightly threaded with grey. Sara just hoped she’d look as good as that when she grew older.
‘What are you plotting, Mum?’
‘Oh. Well – as it happens I’ve put an advert in that POSSIBILITIES thing in the paper.’
‘ Sara forced a smile. Just because it was something she wouldn’t do herself, it didn’t mean she should make her mother feel bad. After all, her father had been gone for three years now. ‘You old devil. Feeling like a bit of masculine company?’What?’
‘Not for me – for you.’
Sara lost all desire to smile.
‘It’ll be fun.’
‘No, it won’t, and I’m not doing it.’
But her mother was very determined and by the end of the evening, Sara had agreed to look at the replies.
Only as she was getting into bed did she realize she hadn’t asked exactly what her mother had put in the ad. ‘I’ll phone her tomorrow,’ she decided.
But work was crazy with the new project taking off, so she forgot all about the stupid advert until a week later, when she was summoned to inspect the replies.
‘There are seven.’ Beth waved a bunch of envelopes triumphantly.
Three were disgusting and went straight into the bin.
‘These two sound lonely.’ Beth sighed. ‘Poor things.’
‘Well, they can just stay lonely. What would I look like going out with a guy that much shorter than me? And I’ve never liked blond men.’
‘Which leaves two possibles. What does yours say?’