by Clare Lydon
She sighed. “I don’t know. Getting out of my marriage seems like the easy bit now. Meeting someone I want to be with is way harder than I thought.”
Scarlet frowned, studying Joy. “But have you even tried? I mean, really tried? Have you been on dates?”
“I went on two dates.”
“With two different people?”
“Yes.” Joy exhaled, annoyed.
“So you’ve never had a second date with a woman?”
“No. I’ve had two dates and slept with two women.”
“Ouch.”
“What?” She narrowed her eyes. What exactly was Scarlet getting at?
“You need to sleep with someone who gives you better sex. You slept with two women, which should have been a eureka moment.”
“It was!”
“I’d say it wasn’t that much of one, otherwise you would have gone back for more, am I right?”
Joy shook her head. “Not really — I wanted to try it out, see if I was right in my assumption that I’m gay. And believe me, I was right. It just felt… right. Better. Different.” She paused. “But neither of the women I slept with were women I’d want a relationship with. I was attracted to them on some level, and I thought they’d be good for me to break my duck. And they were, but nothing more.”
“Wow, you make sex sound like a science experiment. You’re way more matter-of-fact about these things than I’ve ever been. Maybe that’s where I’ve been going wrong.”
“I don’t know about that,” Joy said, with a frown. “I don’t want you to think I’m cold-hearted and clinical about this — I’m not. I want what everyone wants, the full package, but I wanted to get the ‘first time’ bit out of the way before that. Because nobody likes a 38-year-old virgin, do they?”
“Wasn’t there a film about that?”
“They rounded up the age, it sounds better,” Joy replied.
Scarlet let out a bark of laughter. “I’d have liked it more if you’d been the lead, though — you’re way prettier than Steve Carell. And I think you’d have lasted longer than 30 seconds on your first time, too.”
Desire flooded Joy’s system as she formed an image of her and Scarlet in bed together, Scarlet under Joy, Joy taking full control. Her clit twitched as she did, and she couldn’t look Scarlet in the eye. Joy wasn’t sure when this conversation had taken the turn it had, but now she was all riled up and confused, too.
Was Scarlet a possibility for her? Was she thinking the same thing? Joy had absolutely no idea, and if she was, that scared the hell out of her. Because if Joy had the possibility of having a relationship with someone who she liked and connected with, she might have to surrender herself: she might have to let herself go, live for the moment, fall in love. A compatible partner might just explode her world. Just like the image of a naked Scarlet was doing to her mind right now.
“Anyway, let’s get off the subject of my sex life, or lack thereof, shall we? Enough embarrassment for one night.” Joy paused. “But despite everything, this weekend has been kinda fun, and meeting you has been the highlight. Even if you do give me the third degree. I can’t believe we’ve lived so close to each other and yet never really met, not properly.”
“We did meet at the football, but you ignored me.”
“I didn’t ignore you!” Joy said, frowning. “The stadium deal has just been difficult. Really difficult.”
She’d known what the football club and the stadium meant to Scarlet and the others when she’d met them, but it hadn’t been her decision to approve the development, due to begin in three year’s time. If it was up to Joy, the plans would have been thrown out on the first hearing, but the building firm had some council connections, and she could always see the way it was going. Modern politics was a bit like life — it wasn’t about what you knew, it was who you knew. Whatever, Joy was glad she’d had the chance to meet Scarlet again.
“Meeting you has been far from difficult. It’s certainly made a change from reading the papers and going to the gym.” Joy circled her hand above the table. “I mean, look at this — I’m out on a Sunday night, drinking in a pub. Unheard of!”
Scarlet’s face crinkled as she laughed.
“You should do that more often, you know.”
“What?”
“Laugh, smile, let go. You light up when you do.” Joy felt a rush at her core as she said it, and she crossed her legs to take her mind off that fact. It was true, though: Scarlet had spent the weekend wallowing in misery, but when she changed her focus, her whole being changed.
“If you’re trying to embarrass me now, you’re doing a good job.”
Joy shrugged. “Just being truthful.”
Scarlet studied her before replying. “And did I tell you about Dan, the guy at the hall today? He was offering me money to get back on my feet again. He’s the one with cancer and he was going to leave it all to a charity, but he’s decided to come to the community hall and give it away. I told him I couldn’t take it, but he was insistent.” She shook her head again. “All this kindness, it flies in the face of everything I’ve known over the past few years. And now I have it, I’m not sure what to do with it.”
Joy understood. When the world was against you, it was easy to fall into a pattern where you believed that’s how it always was and always would be. You tended to bunker down, just as Scarlet had. But it didn’t have to be so, and sometimes, you needed to look up and take a risk. She’d done it when she left Steve, and the world hadn’t ended. Sure, there was still a way to go until she was fully out, but Joy had a feeling Scarlet could help her find the courage to complete that journey.
“Bottom line is, people are generally nice,” Joy said. “That’s human nature.”
Scarlet smiled at Joy. “You know what, I think you were aptly named.”
Joy laughed. Yes, she could be sweetness and light, but she could be other things, too. “You do? Tell that to Steve.”
“Steve will get over it,” Scarlet said, laughing gently. “But you — you’re definitely a glass half full kinda woman. I might give it a try, but don’t expect miracles overnight.”
“I won’t,” Joy replied, just glad Scarlet wasn’t crying anymore. “And what about you?”
Scarlet wrinkled her face. “What about me?”
“Your name,” Joy said. “Is it an apt name for you?”
Scarlet let a slow smile spread across her face, then gave Joy a flirty wink. “Am I a scarlet woman? Now that would be telling.”
***
They got back to the house warm and full after another drink and a late roast dinner.
“I assume you want a whisky, even though I really shouldn’t as I have a very busy day being the mayor tomorrow.” Joy turned her body to Scarlet.
Scarlet let out a satisfied groan as her tired body hit the sofa. She checked her watch before nodding. “I don’t know why I was checking the time, the answer was always going to be yes,” she said.
“I knew that anyway, I was just being polite.”
A warm glow oozed through Scarlet’s veins. She loved that they were already quipping with each other, laughing at each other’s jokes. In fact, she loved a lot of things about Joy. Her deep blue eyes. Her soft features. Her honey-blonde hair. Joy was a genuine person, but more than that, she got Scarlet. And that hadn’t happened in a very long time.
The sound of crystal on glass interrupted her thoughts, and Scarlet looked up into Joy’s arresting, blue eyes.
“Remind me tomorrow, in between doing what we have to do, to get some bloody coasters for this table, will you?” Joy was pointing at the coffee table. “You promise?”
Scarlet smiled. “I promise.”
“Good.” Joy sat down on the sofa next to her.
The previous times they’d sat in the lounge together, they’d always taken a sofa each. Scarlet wasn’t complaining as they sat, almost thigh to thigh.
“You know, the last person I was this relaxed with was my wife.” Scarlet paused. �
�And that didn’t turn out so well.”
“Join the club,” said Joy. “Aren’t we a pair? Both divorced and hiding from the world.” She paused. “So you just upped and left?”
Scarlet nodded, an image of Liv in her mind. Liv crying, saying how desperately sorry she was for all of her gambling. For gambling away the money Scarlet had diligently saved up. Scarlet was just glad she hadn’t transferred the inheritance money into their joint account, otherwise that would have gone as well and then she’d have been left with nothing.
“Yep, packed up my stuff and got out. Once I’d secured my job of course — I needed an income. Especially after Liv gambled away all our savings, leaving me broke.” She shook her head, throwing a wry smile. “So that’s my sad story of how I ended up here.” Scarlet tucked a leg under her body, then pushed her hair behind her ears. “I wanted to get as far away as I possibly could, and escape the endless circle of sympathy. I couldn’t take it. So I made a fresh start by moving 200 miles up the country.”
“How did that turn out?”
Scarlet grinned. “Swimmingly.”
“Ha,” Joy replied.
Joy’s focus was all on her — Scarlet wasn’t used to it, but she liked it. “What about you? How did you end up in Dulshaw?” she asked. “You don’t sound like you’re from here.”
Joy ran a hand up and down her thigh. “Actually, I grew up here.”
“In Dulshaw?” Scarlet was surprised — Joy’s accent or attitude didn’t seem strong enough. The locals were all fiercely proud northerners, with accents as thick as their coats.
Joy nodded. “Born and bred. But then I went to uni in Manchester and stayed, so my accent mellowed. Plus, I deal with international clients, so it helps if they know what you’re saying.” She shrugged. “My brother says I’m the posh one of the family, as does my dad. But I still shop at Aldi, so I don’t think I’m too out of touch.”
“That means you’re on-trend. Aldi is the supermarket of choice. I read it in the paper, so it must be true. My colleague at work calls it her European delicatessen.”
Joy let out a bark of laughter. Scarlet had heard it before, but tonight it seemed… cute. Joy was different to anyone she’d met yet in Dulshaw. And even though she was from here, she had a wider perspective on life, which Scarlet appreciated. Speaking to Joy was like throwing open the windows on Scarlet’s world, letting some air and light in. She sipped her whisky and smiled at Joy, who smiled right back.
A longing sensation fizzed down Scarlet’s body, causing her to shudder slightly. Scarlet steadied her breathing, but didn’t look away from Joy. Scarlet hadn’t been sure before, but she was definite now: she was attracted to Joy. The problem was, she had no way of knowing how Joy felt about her without asking her, and that was out of the question.
Nevertheless, an image of leaning over and kissing Joy on the couch whizzed through Scarlet’s mind, like a drive-by. It took her by surprise, but she suppressed the gasp that formed in her throat.
“And are you still in touch? With your ex, I mean?” Joy’s voice cut through Scarlet’s daydreams and she blushed. Caught in the act. She blinked, then refocused.
“With Liv? God, no. After the initial shock and devastation, I cut nearly all ties with her, bar a few financial things that took longer to sort out. She fucked me over so badly, it seemed like the easiest thing to do — even after eight years together. Plus, I was embarrassed. I mean, how did I not realise, not see what was happening right in front of my nose? It still wakes me up at night on occasion.” Scarlet shuddered.
“Sounds awful,” Joy said. “And did she ever say sorry, apologise for what she did?”
Scarlet let out a strangled laugh. “Fat chance,” she said. “No, I was just the latest in a line of suckers that fell for Liv’s charms — and she had some charms.” An image of Liv lavishing Scarlet with jewellery sprang to her mind, of wining and dining her in Michelin-starred restaurants, of bringing her home to complete the evening in their bed.
“I always thought she had piles of money, the cash always seemed to be there. Turns out, she’d run up credit cards and our overdraft, and I was liable for it.” Scarlet shook her head, then sat up straighter. “But it’s done now, the money’s paid back, and I can get on with my life. Life is duller on your own, but it’s also a heck of a lot more predictable, which is exactly what I’ve needed over the last couple of years.”
Joy smiled, her eyes radiating kindness. “For what it’s worth, I think you’ve done a sterling job. Make’s mine and Steve’s break-up look like child’s play.”
Scarlet smiled right back. “All break-ups have their tough points, but the toughest one is learning to be on your own again, making every little decision on your own.” She took another sip of her drink and let it go down before continuing. “But you get used to it. Now I worry I’m too set in my ways to have a relationship.”
Joy laughed, nodding her head. “I have that chat with myself most weeks.”
Scarlet rolled the last of her whisky around her glass, loving the way it clung to the sides. She tilted her head at Joy, raking her body with her eyes. She swallowed down hard as emotion washed over her. She wasn’t sure what she was feeling, but whatever it was, it was powerful, almost too powerful to ignore. Scarlet put the lid on it for now, but she wasn’t sure how secure it was.
“I know you see him all the time, but do you miss him? Steve, I mean. I know you don’t want to be with him anymore, but you were together for how long?”
“Ten years,” Joy replied, a far off look in her eye. “But the honest answer, now, is no. I mean, I miss the companionship of being in a couple, but we were never right; I could just never work out why. He never made my toes tingle, I never craved him.” She paused, making sure she had Scarlet’s full attention.
Joy absolutely did. Scarlet was all ears, eyes, nose, mouth, whatever Joy wanted.
“My next partner is going to be all of the things — friend, lover, my one and only. Which is why I’ve hesitated and put it off, because it’s a lot to put on one person, isn’t it?”
Scarlet shook her head, allowing herself to wonder if she could be that person for Joy. Was it too far-fetched that she might end up with the town mayor, a pillar of society? Was it even more far-fetched she might be entertaining the idea of loving someone again?
“Not at all,” Scarlet said. “It means you’ve reached a stage in life where you know what you want, and you’re not going to settle for anything less. And that’s admirable if you ask me.”
Joy looked her in the eye. “That’s it,” she said softly. “I know what I want. And when I’m 100 per cent sure, I won’t hesitate, believe me.”
Her words rolled through Scarlet’s body like a thunderbolt.
Bang.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Scarlet met Eamonn at one of the few cafés that hadn’t been affected by the flood the next day. He gave her a hug as he sat down opposite her. “How are you?” he asked, scraping a hand across his grey-flecked stubble.
Scarlet gave him a brief smile. “Surprisingly okay,” she said. “Joy’s been brilliant and it’s been lovely getting to know her. I know the flood’s taken my home and your business, but that’s the one positive to come out of this — I’ve met some new people who I think I’ll stay friends with. Look on the bright side and all of that.”
The waitress appeared and they placed their orders of coffee and toasted teacakes, then Eamonn leaned back, assessing Scarlet. “Look on the bright side? That’s not the Scarlet I know and love. You never have a bright side.”
“I do,” Scarlet replied, affronted.
Eamonn laughed, a dimple showing on his left cheek as he did. “Nope,” he said. “You don’t. Ever. Ask Matt, he’ll back me up. Even when we were five-nil up against Bridgetown in the cup that time, you were still convinced we’d bugger it up somehow.”
“That’s got nothing to do with looking on the bright side. That’s just football.” Scarlet sat back and crossed her arms, tr
ying not to bristle. It wasn’t working.
“No, that’s you,” Eamonn, said, still laughing. “But I have to say, I like this new Scarlet, this bright-side Scarlet.” He paused. “And you forgot the bit about the flood buggering up our wedding, too. Don’t forget that.”
Scarlet held up her index finger. “That’s one of the reasons I wanted to meet you.”
“And there was me thinking it was my inherent charm.”
“Ha ha,” Scarlet said. “As I said in my text, I might have the answer to your reception dilemma.”
“I’m all ears.”
“Don’t be so down on yourself, you just need them pinning.”
Eamonn gave her the look that deserved.
“Anyway, it’s Grasspoint, the old people’s home at the top of Fairbank.”
Eamonn tilted his head. “What’s that got to do with my wedding?”
“They’ve got a brand-new function room they’re planning to hire out for events, and it’s available. It was only finished two weeks ago, so you’d be the first user if you want it. You’d have to clear it with Celia first, the manager, but she didn’t seem to think it would be a problem.” Scarlet smiled at Eamonn. “So, have I brightened up your morning?”
Eamonn gave her a puzzled look. “You have, and it’s weird. You’re looking on the bright side and coming up with a solution to my massive problem. I could kiss you.”
Scarlet held up a hand, laughing. “You could, but I wouldn’t advise it,” she said. “Besides, Steph would kill me and I don’t want to get on her wrong side. I’ve seen her when she’s dragging you out of the pub.”
“Wise woman,” Eamonn replied, as their food and drink turned up.
Eamonn scoffed his teacake in five bites before Scarlet had even picked hers up, then quickly ordered another one. “They are so good,” he said, wiping butter from his chin. “Seriously, though, this is a lifesaver, so thank you. How did you find out about it? I thought we knew every single venue this area and beyond had to offer.”