by Mandy Baggot
‘And which one of those situations makes you feel happiest?’ Joel enquired.
‘Both of them could, in different ways. If I took the exam and made it to partner, Bethan and I would never have to worry about money, but it would be hard work and longer hours and more dedication than I’ve been giving to Randall’s lately. But with the chickens it would be a simple life; it would be more time with each other, less things but more quality.’
‘OK, well, on Saturday night you might be standing on stage in London holding a £100,000 cheque. Gut instinct, what would you do with it? Buy into Randall’s or buy a French farm with a garden full of poultry?’
‘I really don’t know,’ Kate answered, her voice trembling.
Joel stroked her hair back away from her face and kissed her softly on the lips.
‘Will you hold me until I fall asleep?’ Kate asked him, burying her head in his chest.
‘Come here,’ he spoke, drawing her into him and enfolding her in his arms.
Twenty Nine
‘Oh why won’t this bloody computer do what it’s told?’ Kate screamed as she punched the keys in front of her, trying to get the system back into life.
‘There, there, calm down, we need to have you focussed and controlled for the big show tomorrow,’ Lynn spoke, putting some letters in Kate’s in-tray.
‘I can’t keep calm. Joel’s meeting some bimbo for lunch,’ Kate spoke, looking at her watch.
‘What? I thought he’d moved in? I was expecting lots of gushing over how wonderful he is to look at over a bowl of cornflakes.’
‘He’s only staying temporarily, until he’s better.’
‘Recovered from the beating Matthew so obviously organised. I mean it would take four men to get the better of Joel wouldn’t it? I mean he’s six foot and pure muscle isn’t he?’ Lynn carried on.
‘You don’t think that too do you? What is it with everyone? Matthew had nothing to do with it. And we know you watch too much ‘CSI’ and stuff.’
‘Have you asked him?’
‘I haven’t seen him. I don’t want to see him.’
‘Bet you a pricey cocktail at the bar tomorrow night that he did.’
‘Lynn!’
‘Sorry, so what’s all this about a bimbo? Who is she?’
‘I don’t know, someone called Marina that he used to go out with when he was with the modelling agency.’
‘Ooo, the agency in charge of finding models for those underwear commercials, yum; he should go back to modelling.’
‘Lynn, he isn’t a piece of meat you know,’ Kate remarked, not enjoying Lynn’s unashamed drooling over Joel.
‘No, sorry, getting a bit carried away. You were saying, the bimbo.....’
‘He’s meeting her for lunch at 1.00pm at ‘Piccolo’s Pizza’.’
‘Ooo, pizza, lucky her, all Darren bought me on our first date was a packet of crisps and a pickled egg.’
‘It isn’t a first date, it isn’t any date, it’s just two old friends meeting up to catch up.’
‘And she’s a model and he’s gorgeous.’
‘I need to see her don’t I? I need to see what she looks like,’ Kate spoke.
‘Dur! No! We need to see her, like get your coat because it’s almost 1.00pm,’ Lynn said tapping at her watch.
‘No, I can’t, it’s nothing, she’s just a friend,’ Kate replied.
‘Yeah, a friend, who’s blonde and thin and probably has a face full of Botox.’
‘We’re not going to make it into town by 1.00pm,’ Kate said as she hurried to put her coat on.
‘No and let’s hope they aren’t sat right at the back of the restaurant,’ Lynn answered.
‘This is mad, we shouldn’t be here,’ Kate spoke as she and Lynn approached the pizzeria.
‘I want to see what she looks like even if you don’t.’
‘I’m not sure I do, she’s a model she’s going to be…..’
‘Oh my God, they’re in there; they’re sat near the bar. What the Hell is she wearing?’ Lynn asked as she pressed her nose up against the window.
‘Out the way! Let me see!’ Kate demanded, pulling at Lynn’s arm and looking in through the window herself.
‘Now that is what I call a spray on dress! If she didn’t have the figure for it that would be nothing short of desperate.’
Kate swallowed as she saw Joel sat with a tall, blonde haired woman in her twenties wearing a very short tight red dress. He raised his head and looked over in the direction of the entrance and Kate hurriedly backed away from the window and pulled Lynn with her.
‘Well, now you know what she looks like,’ Lynn said.
‘Yes, I do and I wish I didn’t,’ Kate responded with a sigh.
‘It probably is just two friends meeting up over lunch but she was doing that thing the Lady Dragon does when she’s about to leap on her prey.’
‘What thing?’
‘The licking the top lip thing, haven’t you ever noticed her doing that?’
‘Maybe once or twice.’
‘When she’s been talking to Joel I bet.’
‘Why didn’t he invite me to lunch to meet her?’ Kate enquired, looking back into the window.
‘Dur! Because he used to date her and you can’t make your mind up who you want. It’s a Joel day today is it? Because yesterday I was sure you were leaning towards Matthew,’ Lynn spoke.
‘That’s not fair,’ Kate remarked.
‘It’s no wonder he’s taking someone else to lunch, the poor guy probably doesn’t know whether he’s coming or going.’
‘He does, we…..’
‘I just wonder what’s going to happen when this ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’ show has finished. No weekends away, no limelight, back to reality,’ Lynn carried on.
‘I don’t enjoy the limelight.’
‘Speaks the woman who paraded on stage in nothing more than her underwear and a feather boa.’
‘What are you trying to say Lynn?’
‘Look at him! In there, with Elle Macpherson! You said it yourself, why isn’t he having lunch with you?’
‘It’s complicated.’
‘£1 please?’
‘What?’
‘We agreed, I get £1 every time you say those words.’
‘We did not.’
‘Well we should.’
‘Don’t you start; I’ve got Hermione on my back enough as it is.’
‘Probably because we can’t see the problem, he likes you, you like him, what’s complicated about that?’
‘You don’t understand.’
‘No I don’t…. God, quick, hide!’
‘What?’
‘Joel’s coming out, do something!’ Lynn hissed.
Kate turned around and faced the menu board, hiding her face as best as she could and hoping that Joel didn’t notice her.
Lynn had pulled a notebook from her bag and had her head buried in it, pretending to be highly interested in the contents.
‘Hi Lynn,’ Joel greeted, immediately seeing her.
‘Oh hi Joel didn’t see you there. I was just…..’
‘Kate, fancy you being here,’ Joel said.
‘Oh, yes, well, Lynn has to organise a partners’ lunch and she er, wanted to get some menu ideas for catering and I was coming to town anyway to post some letters and, here we are,’ Kate spoke hurriedly turning to face him, red from the neck up.
‘Well, I could have picked up a menu from here for you, you should have called me,’ Joel said.
‘Oh well, I didn’t think and Lynn, you didn’t think of that either did you?’
‘No, I didn’t.’
‘So, are you having a nice lunch?’ Kate asked.
‘Well we’ve only just ordered, but everything that’s come out of the kitchen smells great, I just left my phone in the car,’ Joel said and he opened the door and reached in for it.
‘Oh well, we won’t keep you, we have to go to the deli next,’ Kate said, backing away up the st
reet and pulling Lynn with her.
‘OK, well I’ll see you later,’ Joel called.
‘OK, bye,’ Kate replied, waving her hand and smiling a ‘life is wonderful I’m getting on without him’ smile.
As soon as he was out of earshot Kate let out an exasperated breath.
‘How stupid do I feel? Do you think he knew we were spying on him?’ Kate enquired.
‘Er, I would say....yes, definitely,’ Lynn spoke with a nod.
‘Great.’
Joel smiled as he watched Lynn and Kate walk up the street in the direction of Randall’s. He dialled a number on his phone and made a call.
‘Mione, it’s Joel, yes, she was here.’
That evening Kate was still reeling from the embarrassment of being caught in the act of snooping. She had busied herself bathing Bethan and getting her ready for bed while Joel made dinner. But, now they were on their own there was no avoiding it.
‘So, what did you have for lunch?’ Kate asked bravely.
‘I had pasta, carbonara sauce,’ Joel informed.
‘Was it nice?’
‘Yes, very nice.’
‘And what did Marina have?’ Kate enquired.
‘She had salad.’
‘Should have guessed,’ Kate muttered under her breath.
Salad! And she probably only ate a third of it.
‘So did you and Lynn get all the menus together?’ Joel continued.
‘What?’
‘For the catering for the partners’ lunch.’
‘Oh yes, yes, she has four or five to look at now,’ Kate answered.
She silently cursed herself for being so dim but smiled at Joel, trying to maintain face.
‘Good.’
‘Yes, good. So are you seeing Marina again?’
‘Yes, she’s going to come to ‘Knowing Me Knowing You’, she doesn’t actually live far from the hotel,’ Joel informed.
‘Oh, that’s nice,’ Kate replied.
No it wasn’t, it was shit.
‘So how was your day? Is Miranda behaving herself?’
‘She hasn’t spoken to me since you came to see her, well just a vague good morning and a one line sentence about client matters. It seems all the files of mine she altered have been corrected, so Lynn says, she’s installed some alert system which tells her when Miranda is logging in to my client matters. Lynn’s wasted as a secretary really; she would be an asset to MI5.’
‘That’s good.’
‘So what did you say to Miranda to make her have a change of heart?’
‘I can’t possibly say.’
‘Come on Joel, you have to tell me.’
‘I don’t.’
‘You want this?’ Kate asked, grabbing Joel’s plate of Thai curry and holding it away from him.
‘That’s not fair. Give me the food.’
‘Tell me what you said to her.’
‘Alright, alright, put the plate down.’
She waited for an explanation.
‘I told her I knew she wore a wig. I rang my old client, the one I told you about and she gave me the name of her wig maker. You should have seen Miranda’s face when I mentioned the company name, she went white, I thought she was going to be sick. I told her if she kept hassling you at work or if she told anyone at the contest that I was an escort I would let every one of her colleagues and every one of her clients know her little secret,’ Joel told her.
‘Oh my God! She really wears a wig? I can’t believe it! She’s so proud of her hair; she flaunts it so much,’ Kate exclaimed in shock.
‘Well there you go. So hopefully our secret is safe and you can get on with your work without her trying to sabotage it.’
‘Thank you.’
‘You don’t have to thank me; I did it for my own benefit as well, that 40% of the prize money,’ Joel answered.
‘Do you really think we can win?’
‘Yes, don’t you?’
‘It started out being something I was pushed into and now I can’t imagine my life without the show,’ Kate said with a sigh.
‘You’re going to miss being blindfolded and being asked what you would do if my mother-in-law’s brother was cheating on me?’ Joel enquired.
Kate thought for a moment.
‘That would be so gross.’
‘Decided what to do with the money yet?’
‘Pay back Aunt Jess the money she lent me, get her out of my life for good, clear my credit cards and throw the rest at the mortgage I guess.’
‘You could sell the house and buy your farm in France.’
‘How many chickens do you think I’d get?’
‘Enough to keep you in omelettes for the rest of your life.’
‘Ah, but I would need someone to cook them for me.’
‘That could be arranged.’
Kate smiled at him.
‘Eurostar is getting cheaper all the time, especially for weekend breaks,’ Joel replied, starting to eat again.
Kate swallowed, sensing the meaning in his reply. He didn’t want her.
Thirty
‘Mione it isn’t a real wedding you know, I don’t need a bouquet or a lucky horseshoe,’ Kate spoke as she and Hermione walked around Highbridge Mall.
‘Of course you need a bouquet, all the other brides will have one and anyway that’s already arranged, it’s being delivered to the hotel tomorrow afternoon.’
‘Good God,’ Kate exclaimed.
‘Right, we need to find earrings and something for your hair, maybe a fascinator,’ Hermione said, diving into a jewellery shop.
‘What on Earth is a fascinator?’ Kate shrieked, following her friend.
‘Something pretty to wear in your hair to spruce it up a bit Sweetie.’
‘Spruce it up?’
‘Well it’s a bit plain isn’t it? We need something floral, perhaps an orchid or how about a gerbera, aren’t they your favourite flowers?’
‘Yes they are,’ Kate answered.
‘I never knew, Joel told me.’
‘Hmm, it seems he knows almost everything about me,’ Kate replied.
‘Which is a good thing, seeing as you have a relationship contest to win tomorrow. So, how’s it been having Joel in your bed? Not that it’s for the first time,’ Hermione asked as she looked at earrings on the counter.
‘At first it was strange, but now it just feels normal, which is really weird,’ Kate said, admiring the bracelets.
‘Nice weird?’
‘Well it’s nice to have someone to hold when he isn’t writhing around and having nightmares, but....he hasn’t....you know....tried to, you know....at all.’
‘And that’s what you expected did you? With him being injured and everything and having been kept at arm’s-length while you still hold a torch for your ex-husband.’
‘No of course not, but it’s like he doesn’t feel that way anymore, like it’s just platonic again and the night we had together never happened.’
‘Maybe he’s just keeping his distance until you decide what you want. You can’t possibly blame him for that,’ Hermione said, beckoning a sales assistant.
‘No, I know, maybe,’ Kate answered with a nod.
‘So how was his lunch with Marina? She sounded a bit full-on from what Philip told me.’
‘He didn’t say much about it but she’s coming to the show tomorrow. Probably going to be dressed up to the nines and covered in make-up and fake tan,’ Kate moaned.
‘Philip said Joel used to date her.’
‘He told me. I like those earrings,’ Kate said, pointing at some small silver and diamanté ones and changing the subject.
‘Too small, they would never show up on camera. Can we have a look at these and these?’ Hermione told the shop assistant pointing at the ones she was interested in.
‘I hope none of this is going to cost too much, I am on a budget,’ Kate reminded.
‘She’s single,’ Hermione said, looking at her watch.
‘Who?’
>
‘Marina. Philip says she’s single and apparently she’s thinking of turning down the overseas jobs and staying in England, might even be buying a flat in Highbridge, her mother isn’t very well and she wants to be close,’ Hermione informed.
‘It sounds like Philip spent more time talking to her than Joel.’
‘I think Philip was eavesdropping actually. They were supposed to be playing darts but Marina just wouldn’t stop talking.’
‘Here we are Madam,’ the sales assistant spoke as she got the earrings out for Hermione.
‘So, which do you think Sweetie? The gold or the silver?’
‘What colour’s my bouquet?’
‘Yellow and white.’
‘Gold then I think.’
‘We’ll take these and that bangle,’ Hermione said, pointing at something else on display.
‘That will be £49.99 please.’
‘Fifty quid!’ Kate exclaimed.
‘It is for your wedding.’
‘Oh! Is it really? When is it?’ the sales assistant asked, getting gooey eyed.
‘Tomorrow,’ Kate answered.
‘God, tomorrow! You must have so much to organise.’
‘Not really, it’s all been taken out of her hands. We’ve got the dress, the flowers and a 7ft dove as a bridesmaid,’ Hermione informed her.
‘Don’t ask,’ Kate spoke, seeing the lack of understanding written all over the cashier’s face.
Hermione smiled and picked up the bag from the counter.
‘Come on, let’s go and eat, I’m starving,’ Hermione said, linking arms with Kate and hastening her out of the shop.
‘Eat? You didn’t say anything about eating? Its lasagne tonight, Joel’s cooking, with garlic bread and everything.’
‘Oh come on, just a small Chinese, I can’t remember the last time I had a meal out and we’ve done so well with the jewellery, we’ll manage a hairpiece in no time, come on,’ Hermione begged, pulling at Kate’s arm.
‘A Chinese? Oh I don’t know, I…..’
‘Call it a pre-wedding treat from me. I can’t believe you don’t fancy some prawn crackers and a bit of foo yung at least.’