Did The Earth Move?

by Carmen Reid

  Joseph could hear only the blood pounding in his ears as he reached the very edge of letting go. He was being rushed to the top of a mountain and aaaaaaaaaaah, pushed down over the other side into freefall.

  I'm coming . . . I'm coming . . . Eve,' he was sighing against her ear.

  'Yeeeeeah,' was her reply.

  'Oh ... you've no idea.' He wanted to let her know how good it was to come again. It had been so long. To feel the rushing and the relief!

  'Oh ... wow,' he managed. He didn't want to open his eyes yet. The earth was actually spinning and he would have to come back down slowly.

  He leaned back into the crushed sweet peas, realizing he'd probably stained the back of his new suit irredeemably but, fuck it, who cared?

  'Hey, lovely person,' she said and he prised his eyes apart to look at the smiley, fuzzy face pressed up against his.

  'You did, didn't you?' he asked.

  'Oh yeah,' she nodded. 'But sex isn't everything, you know.' Little laugh caught in the back of her throat.

  'No. But it's a very good start.'

  'How is this going to work, then? Have you thought about it much?' she asked.

  'I call it a day in Manchester and move back in with you,' he answered.

  But she shook her head.

  'No?'

  'We're going forward aren't we, not back?' she reminded him.

  'It's OK. I'm a changed man. I'm going to bike to work, recycle everything, save money ...' he told her.

  'Shhhh,' she grinned at him. 'Silly boy. Of course you are. But we can't live here. It's too small.'

  And all of sudden it seemed easy. She would stop struggling against all this stuff and just let go, let it happen. Make the changes. She would take the promotion at work, offered to her two days ago, she would sell the flat and the garden and maybe the four of them would move into the big house on the corner. The one she walked past almost every day and dreamed about. The solid but shabby square house with broken windows and the huge, wild, unloved garden. They would fix it all up and make it home.

  'Shall we buy a house together?' she asked him.

  'A house?'

  'Yeah. There is this house on the corner, three streets down. It's a mess, huge garden, totally wild ...'

  He saw the light in her eyes.

  'An expensive house? Big loan? Having to earn lots of money situation?'

  She was nodding at him.

  'And this isn't worrying you?'

  She shook her head, but said, 'Well a bit... But I've got you. You'll help me out of my little rut, won't you? Because we both have to change ... just a little.'

  'Put your dressing gown on before you freeze,' he said and kissed her on the lips.

  She tied the gown on, then turned to him, cupping his face in her hands, smoothing down his dark brows.

  'Is this really going to work? Can it be as good as it was?'

  'I love you,' he said. 'It'll be better. I promise. This is what I really, really want. And I'm not the only person.'

  He was right, Anna would love it and probably Robbie would too.

  'Don't answer this question now, Joe, don't say a word.' She put a finger over his lips, took a deep breath and asked the question that until tonight would have terrified her: 'Will you think about marrying me?'

  He pushed her finger away, face breaking into an irrepressible grin: 'Yes, yes, yes.'

  'Don't answer now!'

  'Why? Are you scared?'

  'Yes!'

  'Too bad. The answer's yes.'

  'You've only just got unengaged.'

  'I know, I'm like a toilet cubicle... Engage me, please.'

  She laughed at him, feeling even more of a fizz of happiness inside, and told him: 'It's just I really like the dress I wore today and I've got nowhere else to wear it.'

  'That would be a shame. So marry me.'

  'We'll see.' She knew she meant yes, just couldn't quite bring herself to say it... yet.

  'That's a very mumsy answer.'

  'Mumsy? I'm a granny now – which is quite scary and you should be warned.'

  'Not scary to me . . .' He clasped both hands round her back and leaned in to whisper in her ear, 'Less youth... more experience.' It sounded filthy.

  They kissed again mouth to mouth, eye to eye, holding hands, breaking off to laugh at each other. This was the way it was meant to end for them, or rather, begin again for them. They saw that now.

  'Are we really back together. Really, really?' he asked.

  'Honey, I don't just sleep with anyone,' was her reply.

  'Honey, that's not what I heard.'

  'How jealous were you of the vet, then?'

  'He took one look at me and threw in the towel,' he joked.

  She laughed at this and he held her in to kiss again.

  'Promise me all this isn't just about you feeling jealous?' she asked.

  'I promise. This is all about me doing what my daughter wants me to do,' he joked.

  'I know,' she smiled. 'We are but pawns in her paws.' Then she pulled him away from the wall and surveyed the damage. 'Oh the poor sweet peas ... completely mashed.'

  'Eve, this is all very picturesque but it's very cold and we have to go inside now,' he told her. 'And I'm still going to sleep on the sofa.'

  'Why!?'

  'Because you gave away our bed and the one you've got now is far too small for two.'

  'Too small to sleep in, maybe. But we're not going to sleep just yet, are we?'

  'Oh really! But we all have to fall asleep eventually, though. Even you.'

  'When I finally fall asleep today, I'm going to sleep so well, you'll have to make the kids breakfast.'

  'Deal – but first I'm calling in a few favours.'

  'If you make breakfast, you can have as many favours as you want, honey.'

  Their arms wrapped around each other, they hugged their way indoors, too caught up in the moment to notice the small face at the window watching them.

  Anna, woken up by low voices and laughter, had lifted the curtain to peek out and see what was happening. She had been amazed to see her parents together, kissing in the garden.

  Her first thought was that this was some sort of regression, relapse . . . nostalgia night on both of their parts. Then she saw them walk towards the door and she broke into a broad smile too.

  That look on both of their faces, she recognized it immediately, even though she'd only seen it in one place before: on the video clip, when her father had given her mother the little ring.

  'You see!' Anna was whispering to herself, there could be happy endings, or happy new beginnings if you had a little faith and maybe also a copy of 'The House of Bamboo'. Do, do, di do.

  THE END

  THE PERSONAL SHOPPER

  Carmen Reid

  Meet Annie Valentine: stylish, savvy, multi-tasker extraordinaire.

  As a personal shopper in a swanky London fashion emporium, Annie can re-style and re-invent her clients from head to toe. In fact, this super-skilled dresser can be relied on to solve everyone's problems ... except her own.

  Although she's busy being a single mum to stroppy teen Lana and painfully shy Owen, there's a gap in Annie's wardrobe, sorry, life, for a new man. But finding the perfect partner is turning out to be so much trickier than finding the perfect pair of shoes.

  Can she source a genuine classic? A lifelong investment? Will she end up with someone from the sale rail, who'll have to be returned? Or maybe, just maybe, there'll be someone new in this season who could be the one ...

  A fabulous read. A sexy read. A Carmen Reid.

  'If you love shopping as much as you love a great read, try this. Wonderful!'

  Katie Fforde

  9780552154819

 

 

 
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