‘Fine, thanks.’
‘I just asked Clemmie if she wanted to come for lunch at ours. She does.’
‘That would be great.’ Evie nodded.
‘You okay?’
‘I’ve got this bug that’s going around, but I’m all right, thanks.’
‘Would you like a cup of tea, Marie? I’m just going to make one for Mum.’
‘I’d love one, thanks, Clemmie.’
‘Wow, Evie.’ Marie whistled as Clemmie left the room. ‘Your daughter’s special. I’m still waiting for Lucy to make me anything in the kitchen department.’
‘Yes, she is, but she’s had to be, one way and another.’
‘She says she’s enjoying school anyway.’
‘Yes. I’m very relieved she’s happy.’
‘So . . .’ Marie perched on the end of Evie’s bed. ‘Have you heard the news about Posy Montague?’
‘No, I don’t listen to town gossip.’
‘She’s selling Admiral House.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. To her son, Sam.’
‘I see. And what will he do with it?’
‘Turn it into luxury apartments. I’m brokering the deal,’ Marie added. ‘I do feel sorry for that poor wife of his, though. It’s obvious that they’ve got no money, but . . .’
‘Then how can Sam be buying Admiral House, if that’s the case?’
‘Sam told me he has a sleeping partner, a chap called Ken Noakes. From what I gather, he’s seriously rich.’
‘Posy must be devastated, having to sell her lovely home,’ mused Evie.
‘Well, I hope to be able to find her somewhere nice to live in the next few weeks. I’ve already sent her some details. You know, she seems awfully fond of you, Evie. Why don’t you go and see her?’
‘I might when I’m better.’
‘And I’ll tell you who I saw driving out of town recently, in a vintage Austin Healey . . .’
‘Who?’
‘Nick Montague, Sam’s baby brother.’
‘I know who he is, Marie. I used to work for him, remember?’ Evie said coldly.
‘Yes, of course you did, sorry. Anyway, he must have done quite well for himself, being able to afford a motor like that.’
Clemmie brought up the tea and Evie decided seeing Marie was a bit like eating a McDonald’s; you looked forward to it, but then felt sick halfway through.
‘Thanks, Clemmie,’ said Marie. ‘Give me ten minutes and we’ll be off.’
‘Okay.’ Clemmie wandered out of the room.
‘Do you ever miss having a man around the place?’
‘Nope,’ Evie said firmly. ‘I like my own company.’
‘You always were different from me. I need people and chat around me all the time,’ Marie admitted. ‘I’d go mad living by myself.’
‘Sometimes I get lonely, but very rarely.’
Marie studied Evie for a while, then said, ‘Are you sure you’re okay? You look awfully pale, and even thinner than usual.’
‘Do I? Well, I’m not,’ insisted Evie.
‘And you seem . . . tense.’
‘I’m fine, really.’
Marie sighed. ‘Okay, okay, I get the message. Whatever it is, you don’t want to talk about it. I just worry about you, that’s all. I have known you for most of your life and I know there’s something wrong.’
‘Will you bloody well stop treating me like one of your kids, Marie! I’m a grown woman and I’m completely capable of looking after myself!’
‘Sorry.’ She stood up. ‘I’ll drop Clemmie back around five.’
‘Thanks. I don’t mean to be snappy and . . . yes, you’re right,’ she sighed. ‘I do have a . . . situation and it’s giving me sleepless nights, but I’ll be fine once I’ve sorted it out.’
‘Well, you know I’m here if you want to talk about it.’
‘Yes, thanks. And I’m really sorry I shouted.’
‘Don’t worry. We all have our bad days. Now you have a rest and I’ll see you later.’
Just after Marie and Clemmie had left, the telephone rang. Evie heaved herself up to answer it.
‘Hello?’
‘It’s me, I’m just checking in. How are you?’ he asked.
‘Okay.’
‘You don’t sound it.’
‘I’m okay,’ she repeated.
‘Having a bad day?’
‘A bit, yes.’
‘I’m so sorry, Evie, I wish I could be there for you more often. So are we still on for the weekend?’
‘Yes.’
‘God, I’m nervous.’
‘You’ll be fine, really,’ she reassured him.
‘I’ll do my best.’
‘I know you will – please don’t worry.’
‘I’ll try not to. Anything you need, just call me on the mobile. Otherwise, I’ll see you both at noon tomorrow.’
‘Yes, see you tomorrow.’ Evie put the phone down, sank back onto the pillows and let out a long, deep sigh. How she would break the news to her daughter, she wasn’t sure – the thought of hurting her was like sticking a knife into her own heart, but she had no choice.
She closed her eyes, feeling nauseous at the mess she had made of her life and how that would affect Clemmie.
Some things were out of her control, but now she had to do everything to sort out her daughter’s future as best she could.
‘Hello, Amy, what a nice surprise.’ Posy looked up from her desk in the gallery. ‘How are you?’
‘Oh, much better, thanks,’ said Amy as she walked towards Posy and put a bunch of lilies down on the desk. ‘I brought these to say thank you so much for being so kind to me the other day and looking after the kids.’
‘That’s what family is for, Amy,’ said Posy, picking up the flowers and smelling them. ‘What time did you eventually wake up?’
‘The following morning,’ Amy admitted. ‘I slept right through, but it did me the world of good. I feel much more positive. And I also wanted to say thank you for the cheque. Sam told me you’d given it to him and it really is very kind of you. He’s put it in the bank and paid off some of the bills.’
‘Well, as I shall technically be a millionairess in a few months’ time, I thought it was the least I could do.’
‘As you can imagine, Sam’s over the moon about Admiral House. In fact,’ said Amy, ‘he’s a different person. I can’t thank you enough for giving him the opportunity, Posy.’
‘Actually, while you’re here, I have something for you.’ Posy reached down into her handbag and pulled out an envelope. ‘There.’
‘What is it?’
‘An invitation to the launch of Tammy’s boutique. She wrote to thank me for lunch and enclosed it for you. She said you and Sam were welcome to stay with her for the night at her house in London.’
‘That’s really sweet of her, except I can’t go,’ said Amy, opening the envelope and looking at the smart invitation.
‘Of course you can. I’ll have the children for you, then you and Sam could go together, make a night of it.’
‘That’s very kind of you, Posy, but I’ve got work.’
‘I’m sure you could arrange to swap shifts with one of the other girls, Amy. It would do you the world of good to have a break.’
‘Maybe, but I don’t have a dress to wear to some posh London party.’
‘Stop making excuses, young lady.’ Posy wagged her finger at Amy. ‘Leave it to me. I’ll come up with something, all right?’
‘You sound like my fairy godmother, Posy.’
‘Well, I do feel you’re entitled to a little fun occasionally, my dear. And talking of fun, guess where I’m going next weekend?’
‘Where?’
‘To Amsterdam!’
‘Goodness! Who with?’
‘A gentleman friend of mine. Do forgive me, Amy, but I just had to tell someone. Though I’d obviously prefer it if you said nothing to Sam. He might not approve.’
‘Well, I think it’
s wonderful. Are the two of you . . .?’
‘Goodness, no, but I do so enjoy his company. At my age, one just has to seize the day and not worry too much about the future, and,’ Posy added with a smile, ‘that’s just what I intend to do in Amsterdam.’
Chapter 18
Tammy kissed a dusty Nick on the top of his head. ‘How are things going?’ she asked as he stood up from examining the bottom of an enormous painted bookcase.
‘Woodworm, it’s got bloody woodworm! I can’t believe he didn’t notice it. Five grand and I’ll be lucky to see two!’
‘Hello to you too, darling.’ Tammy watched as Nick thumped the bookcase with his fist.
‘Sorry. Hello, sweetheart.’
‘God, it’s cold down here,’ Tammy remarked with a shiver. ‘The showroom upstairs is already starting to look good though.’
‘Thanks. I reckon I’ll be able to open the doors in about a month. God, I’m pissed off about that bookcase,’ he sighed.
‘Fancy some supper at the Italian round the corner?’ Tammy asked.
‘As a matter of fact, a bath and a take-away pizza in front of the TV hold more appeal tonight.’
‘Okay, I’m easy. Come back to mine.’ She watched as Nick switched off the lights in the basement and they walked upstairs together. Tammy flung herself onto a huge four-poster bed placed in the centre of the showroom.
‘Good sir, come ravish me, right here, right now! Why not put this in the window with us on it? That would get the customers in,’ she giggled as she looked up at him and saw her joke hadn’t even mustered a grin. ‘Oh dear, you really do look totally stressed out.’
‘I am,’ Nick shrugged. ‘Sorry.’
Over a Neapolitan pizza and a bottle of wine in Tammy’s sitting room, Nick outlined his woes.
‘What with the shop to organise and open and all that entails, not to mention the sale of the business in Perth, I’ve got no time to do the rounds and actually do the buying myself. If I’d been at the sale, rather than phoning the bid in, I would have seen the woodworm on the spot. My reputation here in London will rise or fall purely on the quality of my stock. Anyway.’ Nick ran a hand through his hair. ‘Ignore me, as you said, I’m stressed. Tell me about you.’
‘I’m very happy. I really have managed to find the most wonderful back-up.’
‘You mean your neighbour’s mum, the Sari Queen of Brick Lane?’
‘I do, yes. Meena might be nearly sixty, but my God, she has more energy than I do. Her beadwork and sewing are just superb and totally put mine in the shade, but it’s more than that, Nick. She’s just so capable. I went in today at nine and Meena was already there, having addressed a further fifty envelopes on my party guest list. If she has nothing to do, she’ll find something.’
‘Can she come and work for me?’ murmured Nick.
‘Hah, no. She even brings me in little Tupperware pots of Indian food to feed me up. I’ve offered her a job as my second in command and if we get really busy, I’ll just employ someone else to do the repairs. Meena says she has lots of friends who would help.’
‘Is your stock all ready?’
‘Not yet, no, but at least with Meena on the case, I should have enough stock to open with. And guess what? Darling Janey has managed to organise a feature on me and the clothes in Marie Claire. I’ve also had a Sunday mag and a couple of dailies wanting to interview me too.’
‘That all sounds great, darling.’
‘Sorry, Nick, I don’t want to sound happy when you’re feeling low.’
‘Don’t be silly.’ He pulled her towards him and stroked her hair. ‘I’ll be fine once the business is up and running. The sign-writer’s coming in at ten tomorrow, so at least I’ll have my name over the window.’
‘That’s good. By the way, Janey called. She’s invited us for supper on Saturday night to celebrate their big news. Can you make it?’
‘I’m afraid I’ve already said I can’t. There’s an auction at a country house in Staffordshire on Sunday, with viewing on the Saturday. I’ll be away all weekend.’
‘That’s a shame, but never mind. Why don’t I come with you? I’m sure Janey and I can organise another night to celebrate.’
‘You could, but you’d be bored out of your mind. Talking of Jane, I really think it’s time I sorted out my accommodation situation. I know I spend most nights here, but my stuff is still there and it’s not fair on Jane and Paul. So I thought I should go house-hunting in the next few days.’
‘You could always move in here, you know.’
‘Could I?’
Tammy nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘That’s a big step. After all, we’ve only known each other a few weeks.’
Tammy felt suddenly irritated by Nick’s lukewarm response to her offer. It was a big step for her too, but obviously one Nick was not ready for.
‘Anyway,’ she shrugged, ‘it was only an idea.’
‘Thanks, and I really appreciate it, but I just think I might be hell to live with in the next couple of months. To be honest, I’d prefer to wait until things have settled down and I’m in a more positive state of mind about the future. Okay?’
‘Okay.’
‘What’s wrong, Tammy?’
Tammy looked up at Meena as she put a hot coffee on her desk in the tiny office at the back of the boutique. The older woman was immaculately dressed as always, her generous frame clothed in a bright pink suit with a multi-coloured scarf thrown jauntily over her shoulder. Her shiny ebony hair was pinned neatly into a chignon and her make-up was expertly applied.
‘Nothing, I’m fine,’ said Tammy as she sat opening the post. ‘We’ve received another ten acceptances to the party. I’m getting concerned whether there’ll be enough air for everyone to breathe in here.’
‘That is good news, isn’t it?’ Meena smiled broadly, revealing a set of faultless white teeth. ‘So tell me, why do you look so glum?’
‘I don’t.’
‘Pah!’ Meena waved her be-ringed fingers in the air. ‘You have a call from Marie Claire to organise a photo shoot yesterday and you arrive this morning looking like the dog ate your favourite dinner. Tell me, what’s up?’
‘I’m sure I’m just being over-sensitive, that’s all. I suggested Nick move in with me last night and he said he wasn’t ready to. So I’ve ended up feeling like I’m pushing the relationship faster than he wants.’
‘Men!’ Meena sniffed. ‘He gets the offer of a warm bed with a beauty like you in it, and he turns it down because he is “not ready”. You mark my words, he will live to regret his decision.’
‘Will he?’ Tammy sighed. ‘I just don’t know. My relationship with Nick sometimes feels like one step forward, two steps back. There are times when he’s fantastic, and I feel very secure and happy and I really believe he loves me and it’s going to work out. Then out of the blue, he’ll do or say something that will really rock my faith. It doesn’t help that he’s spending so much time out of London hunting for stock either. I miss him, Meena. It makes me wonder whether I’m in far too deep.’
‘Oh, you are, there is no doubt about that,’ nodded Meena. ‘You love this man, that is obvious. Once you have it, you are stuck, like me and Sanjay. Just think, if I had not set eyes on a young man standing behind his stall at the Brick Lane market thirty years ago, I could perhaps have married a Maharajah, not a sari manufacturer.’
Tammy giggled. ‘Do you still love him?’
‘Yes, but more importantly, I like him and I respect him. He is a good person. And from what I have seen of your Nick, he is too. Seize the moment, Tammy. Enjoy the fact you are young, beautiful and in love, for in no time you will be like me, an old crone.’
‘Meena, if I look like you in my fifties, I will be thrilled,’ she said, studying her assistant’s unlined caramel skin. ‘So I mustn’t pull away from him, is that what you’re saying?’
‘No. Embrace it!’ Meena held out her arms wide. ‘The pain will only make the pleasure heightened. It
is what life is all about. And you are young enough to bounce back if it goes wrong.’
Tammy nodded. ‘Yes, you’re right. And if I end up an old maid with only my memories, at least I can say I’ve lived.’
‘Yes, Tammy. That is right.’
The front doorbell and the telephone rang at the same time.
‘Time to forget about love and become a businesswoman,’ said Meena. ‘I’ll answer the call, you let the delivery man in.’
Chapter 19
Amy was feeling more upbeat than she had for ages. In the past ten days, since Posy had arrived like the cavalry and given Sam the go-ahead on Admiral House, the atmosphere at home had lightened considerably. Sam had said last night that Ken Noakes, his partner, was so pleased Sam had managed to nab the project that he’d offered him a small weekly wage whilst he worked on the deal.
‘It’s still not a lot, and we won’t see the real money until I get my cut when the project’s finished, but I reckon we could maybe afford to move out of here in the spring.’
‘Oh Sam, that would make all the difference,’ Amy had said with relief as she’d served up their bangers and mash.
‘I know how difficult it’s been for you, sweetheart. Tell you what, when all this is over and we’re sitting pretty with the money in the bank, I’m going to take you abroad on a really special holiday.’
‘That sounds like bliss,’ Amy had replied, glad to see her husband so positive, and not drinking as much as usual either, which made her life so much easier.
‘By the way, I’m not going to be around tomorrow night,’ Sam had mentioned. ‘Ken is flying over from Spain and wants to meet me for dinner at a hotel in Norfolk. He’s got another project going on there at the moment, so he’s booked me a room for the night. I think he wants to celebrate the Admiral House deal.’
‘Okay,’ Amy had agreed, thinking Sam had so rarely been around in the evenings recently that a few more hours after midnight would make no odds. ‘You go and have a good time. You deserve it, darling.’
This morning, Amy had kissed Sam goodbye before she’d left for work and thought how she was looking forward to a night to herself. Marie was collecting the kids from school, and when she got home, she was planning put the children to bed, then curl up by the fire and finally finish Sebastian’s book.
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