She sighed. ‘Maybe I should ring Edward and tell him I’m sick.’
‘You can’t leave the poor guy to show up at a party on his own,’ said Maggie. ‘It’s not fair.’
‘Besides,’ said Violet, peering out behind the curtain. ‘He’s here.’
‘Oh God!’ panicked Kathy. ‘I’m not ready.’
‘Yes, you are,’ said Maggie. ‘We’ll let ourselves out. So, off you go. And smile! It’s a party!’
Kathy took a deep breath but found it didn’t calm her nerves at all as she headed down the stairs to meet Edward coming up. They both stared at each other’s costumes before bursting into laughter.
‘Hello, Batgirl,’ said Edward.
‘Hello, Batman,’ said Kathy.
She was smiling but inwardly she gulped. He wasn’t wearing the costume based on the Marvel Comics. This was modern Batman, sexy Batman. Batman in a rubber-looking suit that clung to his muscles. She had to clutch on to the banister to stop herself falling at his feet.
‘To the Batmobile,’ said Edward, heading down the front path.
Kathy could only stare at the brief glimpse of rubberised bottom as his cape flared behind him. She’d run away if her heels weren’t so high.
They made small talk on the way to the cricket club, chatting about her week in the shop and his week at work. As he drove the car into the car park, Kathy spotted the clubhouse all lit up in fairy lights.
‘How pretty,’ she said.
‘The committee kept talking about outdoing themselves this year.’
They got out of the car and walked towards the clubhouse. As they got closer, Kathy could see coloured tealights, which has been lit, as well as more twinkling fairy lights around the windows.
Edward held the door open for Kathy and she walked in. The lights were low enough for the candles to glow but not so low that she couldn’t see everyone else’s costumes. As they all came over to say hello, Kathy counted at least three witches, two sexy schoolgirls and two men dressed as nuns.
Everyone was very friendly towards Kathy as Edward introduced her. They were all oohing and aahing over their outfits.
‘Great idea,’ said the captain of the cricket team, who was dressed as Keith Richards.
‘Nice for a couple to have his and hers outfits,’ said his wife.
Kathy blushed. She and Edward weren’t a couple. But he didn’t correct them.
Edward asked her if she wanted a drink and they pushed their way through the crowds to get to the bar.
Unfortunately, Kathy’s good mood began to disappear at that point. The flirty barmaid was once again stationed nearby and her eyes lit up when she spotted Edward.
‘Nice outfit,’ she cooed, reaching across the bar to touch the rubber covering his chest. ‘You’ve gone from chunk to hunk.’
‘You’re looking good too,’ replied Edward with a grin.
And who could blame him for looking so happy, Kathy thought.
The barmaid was wearing a ye olde worlde wench costume which was very low cut at the front. And her boobs were pushed up so high she wouldn’t need a pair of earmuffs if the weather turned cold.
‘What’s your pleasure?’ she murmured, winking at him.
Kathy scowled at her as she ordered a gin and slimline. Edward treated himself to a pint of lager.
‘My first pint in a long time,’ he told Kathy,
As soon as he had handed over his money, Kathy headed away from the bar, desperate to put as much distance between her and the busty barmaid as possible.
The disco had just begun and a few sober souls had started to dance. But at least the music was loud enough that any long minutes of silence were drowned out by the beat.
‘You OK?’ asked Edward.
‘Fine,’ said Kathy, taking a big gulp of drink.
‘It should be a good night,’ he said.
Lord, I hope so, thought Kathy.
‘Hungry?’
Kathy nodded so they made their way over to the buffet table. The food was a dieter’s nightmare, with most things either encased in pastry or deep fried. But it wouldn’t do any harm for one night. Besides, she was past caring. And if she had another of these strong gins, she’d be past feeling her legs as well.
The evening passed slowly. Conversation was a bit stilted between Kathy and Edward; the easy bonhomie of the early days seemed to have vanished. But between sips of drink and scoffing sausage rolls, there was some dancing as well.
Edward was certainly the life and soul of the party, thought Kathy, as she watched him dance and sing. A very popular member of the team.
Late in the evening, the singing got louder as the drinks continued to flow. Kathy excused herself and headed for the bar with the intention of getting a soft drink. The barmaid was flirting with someone who, for once, wasn’t Edward.
Kathy tried hard to get her attention so she could order a drink but the woman was too busy pressing her cleavage together and laughing at some inane joke.
Kathy rolled her eyes and went to turn away but found her route blocked by a man slumped on a stool. It was one of the second eleven team who had obviously hit the beer early as he was now absolutely plastered – and into full drunken sleaze mode.
‘Are you Supergirl?’ he slurred.
Kathy gave him a small smile and went to sidestep him but he stuck his leg out to prevent her from going.
‘So you’re the one responsible for getting Ed from lard arse to fit, are you?’
‘No,’ said Kathy. ‘He lost the weight all by himself.’
‘I don’t blame him,’ slurred the man. ‘I’d want to look my best if I was with a gorgeous girl like you.’
Kathy gave him a lukewarm smile and looked for an escape route.
‘Why don’t you give Ed the heave-ho?’ he said, suddenly grabbing her around the waist. ‘I can tell what you need, cutie.’
‘Yes. I need you to piss off,’ muttered Kathy, prising off his hand and trying to pull away.
But he was too quick for her and held on tight. Because he was sitting on the stool, his face was very close to Kathy’s formidable chest.
‘Give us a feel,’ he slurred, drawing his face ever closer to her bust.
Suddenly Kathy was free from his sweaty hands and the drunk was lying on the floor with Edward towering over him, his hands clenched into fists.
‘You touch her again and I’ll be using your balls for batting practice, all right?’
The man scampered away on his hands and knees whilst Edward turned to face Kathy.
‘Are you OK? Did he hurt you?’
She shook her head. ‘I’m fine.’
‘We should have thrown him off the bloody team ages ago,’ he snarled, still angry.
Before she could say anything, they were joined by a few of Edward’s teammates and wives who all introduced themselves to Kathy and seemed very friendly.
‘That Chris is such a lech,’ said one of the guys. ‘About time someone floored him.’
‘And the wife’s no better,’ said one of the women to Kathy. ‘Have you seen her?’ She nodded at the busty barmaid.
‘She came dressed as a tart tonight,’ said someone else. ‘Not much of a disguise.’
‘She’s such a flirt,’ said Edward. ‘I’m glad she’s not my missus.’
Kathy’s mind was reeling. Was it possible that she’d been wrong?
Before she had a chance to think, one of the men turned to talk to her.
‘It’s a good turnout,’ he said, with a friendly smile. ‘We should raise a lot of money tonight.’
‘What’s the money going towards?’ she asked, thinking it would be new stumps or something similar.
‘The Alzheimer’s Society,’ replied the man.
Kathy turned to him, her mouth dropping.
‘Your fella’s idea,’ he told her. ‘Wouldn’t take any other suggestions.’
He was about to say something else but ‘Rockstar’ came on to the speakers and the team hit the dance floo
r to act out their Nickelback fantasies.
Edward came to stand next to Kathy. ‘For the team, it’s a night out,’ he said into her ear. ‘For their carers, it’s a night off.’ He pointed to where the air guitar solos were in full swing and grinned at his own joke.
But Kathy’s mind was elsewhere. ‘The money tonight is being raised for the Alzheimer’s Society?’ she asked him.
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘It seemed important to you.’
Kathy’s eyes pricked with tears as she stared up into his friendly brown eyes.
‘And what’s important to you,’ he told her, ‘is important to me.’
The way Edward was looking at her was making her pulse race.
She was still staring up at him when suddenly everything around them fell black and silent. The music stopped and only the glow of the candles filled the room.
‘Power cut,’ said someone close by.
‘I bet those dodgy disco lights have blown a fuse,’ said someone else.
‘Stay here,’ Edward told Kathy before disappearing into the darkness.
A few people were staggering about drunkenly in the semi-darkness so she flattened herself against the wall out of the way.
It seemed an awful long time before Edward reappeared in front of her.
‘Can’t see what we’re doing to fix it,’ he told her. ‘The party’s over. Shall we go? Thankfully I’m not on the clearing-up committee.’
He put his hand in the middle of her back to steer her in the direction of the door. The cool night air washed over them and Kathy shivered a little.
‘There’s a taxi rank round the corner,’ said Edward. ‘We can get a lift from there.’
I’ll have frostbite by then, thought Kathy. But it was quite nice walking along in the moonlight, despite the cold.
They were halfway around the cricket field when the clubhouse behind them suddenly sprang into life. Music thumped out and the lights were back on inside.
‘They must have fixed it,’ said Kathy, stopping to look. ‘Did you want to go back?’
Edward shook his head as he looked down at her. ‘No. It’s actually quite nice to get you on your own for once. There always seems to be someone around these days. Maggie, Violet or the whole of the bloomin’ cricket team. It’s good to have you all to myself.’
The music in the clubhouse changed from a frantic beat to ‘The Power of Love’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. It was a perfect song for a chilly, moonlit night and there was nobody around. Just Kathy and Edward.
Kathy clutched her cloak around her, causing Edward to frown.
‘Are you cold? Sorry, I didn’t think.’
‘I’m fine,’ she told him, her teeth chattering as she spoke.
‘Come here,’ he said softly, drawing her close to him.
Edward grabbed the sides of his cloak and wrapped them around her, his arms encircling her. But he didn’t let go, didn’t release her. They were standing close to each other, so close that Kathy could smell his woody-scented aftershave.
Her heart hammering, Kathy forced herself to look up at Edward. He was staring down at her, a soft smile playing on his lips.
‘I think I got it all wrong,’ she told him. ‘I got so muddled.’
‘You should have remembered what I once told you,’ he said, his arms pulling her even closer. ‘Once I set my mind on something, I never waver. I always get what I want.’
‘And what do you want?’ asked Kathy, now a little breathless.
Edward bent his head down to meet hers, their lips tantalisingly close.
‘You,’ he said.
Then he kissed her, on and on, until her doubts finally disappeared.
Chapter Forty-eight
KATHY WOKE UP on Sunday morning with a start.
Various snapshots of the evening came flooding into her mind. Edward kissing her in the moonlight. A taxi ride of which she didn’t remember very much. Kissing Edward on every step leading up to her flat. Edward peeling his Batman suit off.
Kathy sat bolt upright and stared down at the empty space next to her in the bed. Had he crept off ashamed at having spent the night with her? Was he now bitterly regretting sleeping with her and thinking up excuses never to see her again?
‘Good morning,’ said Edward from the doorway.
He had a towel wrapped around his waist.
‘Hello,’ said Kathy, drawing the duvet up to cover her naked body.
‘Hope you don’t mind but I just grabbed a quick shower. I smelt of that damn rubber suit and wanted to get clean. By the way, is there something you want to confess to me?’ he asked with a smirk.
Kathy blushed. She hadn’t faked any of her orgasms if that’s what he was getting at. Edward drew out a packet of Rolos from behind the door.
Kathy sighed in relief. ‘Oh, that! Well, the chocolates are only small.’
Edward handed the tube of chocolates to Kathy who ripped open the packet. She offered him the first one but Edward shook his head.
‘That’s not what I’m craving this morning,’ he said in a husky voice.
He let the towel drop on the floor and suddenly Kathy lost all interest in the chocolate.
Maggie was cooking a healthy breakfast of dry-fried eggs and grilled bacon without the rind when Gordon came into the kitchen.
‘Smells good,’ he said, giving her bottom a quick squeeze.
‘Cheeky,’ said Maggie, but she was smiling.
‘What are we up to next weekend? We’ve no plans, have we?’
‘Not that I know of,’ Maggie told him, flipping the eggs on to the plates.
‘Good.’
Maggie suddenly realised he was grinning at her. ‘What?’
Please Lord, not his mother coming to stay.
‘I’m taking you to Blackpool. There’s a special dance on. Thought we could trip the light fantastic in the Empress Ballroom.’
Maggie stared at him in amazement. ‘You mean it?’ she finally managed to blurt out.
‘Of course,’ he said, taking her in his arms. ‘We’d planned to go, hadn’t we? All those years ago. But Lucy came along and that was that.’
Maggie threw her arms around him. ‘I can’t believe it.’
‘You’d better start thinking about what to wear,’ said Gordon, pinching her bottom.
Maggie bit her lip. She’d have to start going through her clothes after breakfast. And then go shopping after that, probably.
‘Come on,’ said Gordon. ‘Breakfast is getting cold.’
He added the bacon to their plates and took them over to the small table.
Maggie brought over their mugs of tea and sat down. She was just reaching for the ketchup when she spotted her passport propped up against the salt and pepper.
‘What’s that doing out of the safe?’
Gordon shrugged his shoulders. ‘Thought you might need it.’
‘For what? Blackpool?’ she giggled.
‘Well, you know how strict those American customs chaps are these days.’
Maggie blinked at him. ‘American who?’
He reached out and took her hand. ‘I thought that if we didn’t disgrace ourselves in Blackpool that I should take you to New York.’
‘New York!’ said Maggie, her voice several octaves higher than normal.
‘There’s a ballroom just off Broadway where I can show you off to those American fellas. Show them what they’re missing.’
Maggie’s mouth opened and closed but her brain had shut down.
‘I thought we could fly out on the twenty-seventh of this month. Christmas will be over and we can be back in time for Violet’s wedding on the thirty-first. What do you think? We could even try a bit of ice skating in Central Park.’
Maggie finally came back to life. ‘I’m wondering who are you and what have you done with my husband?’
Gordon nodded and smiled at her. ‘Does that mean you’re not against the idea?’
Maggie leapt up and rushed around the table to cover h
er husband’s face in kisses. Gordon grabbed her around the waist and sat her down on his knee, despite her protestations.
‘You’re as light as a feather these days,’ he told her.
‘I don’t believe it,’ she said. ‘When did you plan all this?’
‘It’s been on my mind for a while. The mortgage is nearly paid off and we’ve scrimped and saved for so long. Besides, I want to have some fun with you before I collect my pension and Zimmer frame.’
Maggie took her husband’s face in her hands. ‘I love you,’ she told him.
‘I love you too,’ he said, giving her a peck on the lips. ‘Now, let me have my breakfast, otherwise I won’t take you to Tiffany’s.’
Maggie ate her eggs and bacon with a huge smile on her face that morning.
Lucy stopped and drew a deep breath.
‘I can’t make it,’ she said.
Todd held out his hand. ‘Come on,’ he said. ‘You know it’s worth it.’
It was the same every Sunday morning. She would be fine going across the flat expanse of Regent’s Park but by the time she got halfway up Primrose Hill, she was exhausted.
‘I can see Kate Moss,’ said Todd, dragging her up the last steep bit of the hill.
‘Liar,’ she told him, but his words did cause her to speed up a little.
Then they were at the top and, as usual, ‘their’ bench was free. Lucy sank on to it, grateful for the seat and looked at the view.
‘It’s always worth it,’ said Todd.
And he was right. It was one of the best views in London, from looking down on to London Zoo in Regent’s Park and then further out to Canary Wharf, the London Eye and the Post Office Tower.
‘You’re a hard taskmaster,’ she told him, pulling her coat around her.
Lucy couldn’t believe it was winter already. Where had the year gone? One minute she had been fat, unhappy and lonely. Now she was slim, happy and having the time of her life in the greatest city in the world. University was incredible and her designs were flowing thick and fast.
And she had made some great new friends. Including Todd. He was only a friend, she knew that much. He had dropped her hand once he had finished dragging her up to the top of the hill. There had been no kisses, no moves made.
The Desperate Bride’s Diet Club Page 28