‘Charlie, can you find Weston for me and ask him to come and help me get Abbie home?’
‘No need, here he comes,’ I pointed. ‘Wow, he even walks sexily. Look at that swagger. Does he have a brother?’
‘Honestly, I’ve no idea,’ she replied.
‘Ok, from the look on your face, something’s wrong, and this time I’m not taking no for an answer,’ Weston said. ‘Would you?’ he asked, holding out the lead of a small dog to me. I had to assume this was Bertie. Georgie had told me all about him. I swear she was as infatuated with this puppy as she was with Weston.
‘Why hot,’ I nodded. ‘Oops, not, I mean not. Not hot. Not that you’re not hot. You are hot, but I meant why not. I’m Charlie, by the way. No filter. I write sexy books and you kind of get used to getting it all out in the open. Words, that is, not my bits. I don’t do naturist breaks. I mean, who wants to see everything on display? It would be like working in a butcher’s shop all the time. Nothing would be appetising anymore, would it? Damn it. Can we just erase this meeting and start afresh at lunch tomorrow? Come on, cutie, let’s go for a walk before I make things even worse.’ I picked Bertie up and quickly disappeared, taking my blushing cheeks with me.
I headed over to the ice cream van parked up on Lord Kirkland’s gravel drive and chewed my lower lip as I tried to decide which of the tempting flavours I fancied, as Bertie licked at my jawline.
‘Steady boy, you need to ask me out on a date before the French kissing starts,’ I warned him.
‘Would you say that if a certain doctor tried his luck?’ a male voice said from behind me.
‘Pizzaman?’ I exclaimed, spinning around to find him grinning at me.
‘The one and only.’
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked him, giving him a quick once over. I’d never seen him in anything but his work outfit of black jeans and a white t-shirt, with the occasional jumper on top. Today he was in a pair of knee-length blue cargo jeans, blue Converses, and a very fitted, white short-sleeved Henley-style top that accentuated his muscular physique. I swallowed quickly and dragged my eyes back up to his face as I realised that they were lingering on his toned biceps. I felt like I was seeing him naked for the first time, so much of his upper arm was on display.
‘You said the other week that I needed to have more time away from my responsibilities, and as the whole friends thing is a work in progress, I thought I’d come and see my one and only friend and experience the renowned Dilbury fête myself.’
‘Well, you have perfect timing. I’ve been busy all morning helping Abbie, but I’m on a break. What ice cream do you fancy, on me?’
‘How about I get them? You seem to have your arms full and Mrs. Tibbles appears to have had a drastic makeover.’
‘This is Bertie, Georgie’s boyfriend’s dog. Here, you hold him. The ice cream is on me, I owe you so much more for looking after me,’ I reminded him as I passed Bertie over. He didn’t seem to be discriminative with his affections for anyone as he proceeded to wash Kitt’s face, making him laugh. I got us a salted caramel ice cream each, and Kitt set Bertie down and held his lead so that we could eat without the risk of our treat being wolfed by the pup.
‘I missed you last night. It’s rare for you not to order a pizza on a Friday. I would say the healthy eating regime must have started, but seeing the size of these, I’m thinking not,’ he observed as he licked at the heavenly ice cream.
‘I was all set for a night of writing, then a pizza on the bench with you, but Georgie dragged me out instead.’
‘You went into town?’
‘No, she introduced me to the quarterly karaoke night at the village hall. It’s quite the event around here.’
‘I had no idea you sang,’ he observed as we went to find a patch of vacant grass to sit down on and soak up the sun.
‘Well, everyone sings, don’t they? Even if it’s just in the shower, badly. Turns out I’m actually not as bad as I thought. It was a really fun night, not least watching the pensioners of Dilbury doing some of the more modern songs. You missed some Daphne classics earlier, in fact,’ I told him, filling him in on the morning and making him laugh.
‘I like the sound of this Daphne.’
‘You might change your mind when I introduce you. How long are you here for?’
‘As long as I want. Vicky’s with Mum now and then Brenda takes over for the night shift. I wanted to be near enough to go back if I’m needed, and I wasn’t sure if I’d outstay my welcome. I did kind of spring myself on you.’
‘And I’m glad you did. I’d love to hang out with you without a time limit like normal. Now that I know you’re not in a rush, I’m going to take you to The Cock for dinner, my treat and don’t object,’ I warned, holding my fingers up against his lips as he went to open his mouth. ‘You’ve been so good to me, it’s the least I can do.’
‘Drinks on me then?’ he mumbled.
‘Oh dear, you may regret that offer. You have no idea how much vodka I can down in a night,’ I laughed, removing my hand to give Bertie the belly rub he was demanding.
‘You don’t seem worse for wear after your night out.’
‘Because I only had two drinks. Daphne got slaughtered and we had to manhandle her home early, in the caretaker’s utility truck.’
‘I thought she was in her eighties?’ Kitt chuckled.
‘She is. Trust me, since moving to Dilbury, I’ve come to understand that age really shouldn’t be a hindrance to having fun. She’s amazing, I think you’re going to love her when you meet her.’
I laughed as Kitt and Bertie jumped when Reverend Potter turned on the microphone of the PA system and called for attention.
‘Come on, Abbie,’ I said, crossing my fingers as he started to read out the awards. ‘Yes!’ I shouted, making Bertie bark excitedly as I clapped vigorously to hear she’d kept her titles.
‘Wow, you guys take this thing seriously, huh?’ Kitt asked.
‘Abbie does. Come on, I’ll need to help pack up her tent, you can lend a bit of muscle.’
‘Who says I have any muscle?’
‘I’ve seen them now,’ I grinned, poking a finger into his firm bicep.
‘Watch out, I at least expect a woman to buy me dinner before touching me up,’ he winked, quickly standing up and brushing grass off his jeans.
‘You’re safe in my hands, I won’t ravish you against your will,’ I said, accepting the hand he offered to pull me up.
‘Unlucky me then,’ he drawled. I shoulder bumped him as I tugged on Bertie’s lead and we started making our way over to the tent. We were hampered by a crowd that was gathering around it, the sounds of shrieks and shouting reaching our ears.
‘My God, what’s going on?’ I gasped, as the people in front of us parted like the Red Sea and a God-awful smell made me crinkle my nose, seconds before Lady Kirkland stormed past, looking like someone had thrown a few chocolate milkshakes all over her. I pushed my way through to the tent to find Georgie scolding a smirking Daphne. ‘What happened? Lady Kirkland was covered in chocolate or something.’
‘That was no chocolate,’ Georgie huffed, glaring at Daphne.
‘What am I missing here?’ I asked as I flitted my eyes between them, while Georgie bent over to scoop up Bertie.
‘She had it coming,’ Daphne stated firmly.
‘No one has that coming, Daphne, no one,’ Georgie stated, before turning to fill me in. She looked horrified as I roared with laughter and threw Daphne a high five, which she returned, while Kitt stood speechless at the revelation. ‘Don’t encourage her, Charlie. It would be bad enough behaviour for a teenager, let alone an eighty-year-old.’
‘Stop using my age against me, Georgie Basset. Just because I’m old doesn’t mean I can’t have a bit of fun from time to time. Life is too short to be serious and boring. Now, is someone going to introduce me to this fine young man?’ she said, making it clear that the lecture was over.
‘Sorry, you threw me with the whole
shit shower debacle,’ I giggled. ‘This is my good friend, Kitt, also fondly known as Pizzaman.’
‘Ah, we meet at last.’ Georgie smiled and held out her hand. ‘I’m Georgie, I live next door.’
‘Hi, Georgie, great to finally meet you.’ Kitt took her hand and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
‘You too. If I’d known how cute you were, I’d have started ordering takeaways myself,’ she said, flashing me a look.
‘They don’t do rabbit food deliveries, Georgie. You’re too careful with your diet to order the calorific goodness that Kitt delivers. Kitt, this is my other good friend, Daphne.’
‘Pleasure to meet you, Daphne, I’ve heard so much about you,’ Kitt said as he bent over the table to kiss her cheek as well.
‘And I’ve not heard nearly enough about you. Are you single?’
‘Ermmm, yes,’ he replied cautiously.
‘Don’t worry, dear, I like myself a toy boy, but I’m not a cradle snatcher,’ Daphne reassured him as she gave him the once over. ‘He’s very good-looking, Charlie.’
‘He’s not a bull at the cattle market, Daphne,’ I laughed, feeling my cheeks colour up. ‘And he can hear you.’
‘Just saying. Don’t know why you’re chasing after that doctor of yours when you have a hot, young, single man like this interested in you.’
‘Daphne, honestly. He’s not interested in me like that, we’re just friends. Good friends, aren’t we, Kitt?’ I asked, batting his arm as I looked at him for some support.
‘Yes, just friends,’ he agreed.
‘I don’t get you youngsters sometimes,’ Daphne said with an exasperated sigh. ‘Well, come on then. If you’re not going to smooch in the corner, you can help us pack up.’
‘Seriously, you didn’t find the Lady Kirkland incident funny?’ I asked Georgie as we started lifting the empty boxes.
‘Hello, I’m human, of course I did,’ she giggled. ‘But she can’t be allowed to think she can get away with that sort of behaviour. Someone needed to show some disapproval.’
‘Honestly, Georgie, I don’t think Daphne cares what anyone thinks, and I kind of love that about her.’
‘Me too,’ she reluctantly agreed. ‘Do you think we’ll be that much fun when we’re her age?’
‘No,’ I scoffed. ‘I plan to be worse.’
‘Stop judging,’ I warned as I pushed my dessert plate to one side, Kitt shaking his head in amazement.
‘I’m not judging, it’s great to see a girl with an appetite like yours, I’m just … in awe at how much you can tuck away and keep your figure.’
‘Practice. Lots and lots of practice,’ I grinned, squinting at him as I felt the room spinning. I’d made up for last night’s lack of booze, but stupidly I’d done most of it on an empty stomach before our food arrived. ‘But I think I’m going to wake up one morning with an arse the size of a hippopatamousse.’
‘Hippopotamus,’ Kitt chuckled.
‘That’s what I said.’
‘No, it’s not. I think I’d better cut you off and get you home.’
‘But I’m having fun,’ I pouted. He shook his head and folded his arms across his chest.
‘Giving me that look won’t work. You need lots of water and an early night.’
‘Spoilsport,’ I huffed. I grabbed the bill out of Tony’s hand as he went to put it on the table, making sure Kitt didn’t get a chance to take it. ‘It’s on me, I said it was on me, Kitt, Kitt, you know what, I have no idea what your surname is.’
‘Fraser,’ he said with a smile. ‘I’d have thought you’d have asked about my Christian name before my surname.’
‘You’re telling me you’re not really called Kitt?’ I asked as I handed some notes to Tony.
‘You’ve given me a forty-pound tip, Charlie,’ he grunted.
‘Oops, my bad,’ I uttered, pulling a few notes out of his grasp. ‘How’s that? Still a tip?’
‘Yes, but I’m thinking I should have just kept quiet,’ he replied with a droll tone as he walked away.
‘So, Kitt Fraser, what’s your real name?’ I asked, as he stood up and offered me his arm.
‘That sort of is my real name, but my full name’s Christopher.’
‘Christopher,’ I mused as I grasped his arm and we made our way to the exit. ‘You don’t seem like a Christopher to me.’
‘Well, I assure you that I am, though the nickname Kitt stuck when I was younger.’
‘You ate lots of Kit-Kats, huh? A bit of a chocolate fiend? I hear you, Mister.’
‘No,’ he laughed. ‘Kitt’s an abbreviation for Christopher.’
‘Well, that’s silly, it doesn’t sound anything like Christopher. Surely you’d be called Christ, Topher, or Fur if someone was going to shorten it.’
‘Or simply Chris,’ he suggested with another chuckle. ‘It is to do with Jesus Christ, though. Actually, they’re both derived from connections to him.’
‘You’ll be telling me next that you were a vicar in your former life?’
‘No, not a vicar. Hey, hey, careful,’ he warned as I stumbled on one of the pub forecourt flagstones.
‘I’m feeling a bit drunk now that we’re in the fresh air,’ I complained, closing my eyes as everything started spinning.
‘Oh God,’ I heard Kitt say, seconds before I felt myself falling and everything went dark.
I groaned as I woke up, not sure how I’d ended up in my comfortable bed or why I had such a dry mouth.
‘Stop it, Tibbs,’ I moaned, batting away her paw as it brushed over my face.
‘Come on, drink some more water for me.’
‘Oh my God, how drunk am I? You can talk,’ I uttered, rolling onto my back as I tried to open my eyes. ‘And you have a really gruff voice for a girl, Tibbs.’
‘Because it’s Kitt, not Tibbs,’ came the voice again, laughing. ‘Charlie, you need to drink more water.’
‘Kitt, it’s you? Kitt, not cat?’ I giggled, then clutched my head as it hurt with the movement. ‘What’s going on?’
‘You virtually passed out on me. I had to carry you home, then hold your hair back as you were sick in the kitchen sink. I took your shoes off and carried you upstairs and put you to bed, but you need to drink some more water.’
‘I was sick?’ I croaked, propping myself up on my elbows as I squinted at him, just the soft bedside lamp illuminating his face.
‘Yes, but on the plus side, you now have extra room for a big breakfast in the morning. I do a mean fry up.’
‘You’re staying?’ I asked as I accepted the water he offered me.
‘I’ll sleep on the sofa. I don’t like the idea of leaving you when you’re this bad.’
‘This is nothing, though it’s been a long time since I got so drunk,’ I admitted. ‘What about your mum?’
‘I’d paid Brenda for the night, in case you were busy. I was going to go and have a few pints in town, then enjoy an early night and revel in not having to be on call.’
‘God, I’m so sorry, now you’re looking after me instead of her.’
‘It’s ok, it’s still relatively early. I’ll still get a good night’s sleep. I’ll just feel better if I’m in earshot, in case you’re sick again.’
‘Well, if you insist on staying, you’re not sleeping on my sofa. You can have the spare room, the bed’s really comfortable.’
‘Then we have a deal. I’ll go and get you some more water.’ He took the glass off me and headed over to the bedroom door.
‘Kitt,’ I called as I flopped back down onto my pillows.
‘Yes?’
‘You’re a really good friend, you know that, right?’
‘I know that, Charlie,’ he replied, then thudded his way down the stairs as I shut my eyes to stop the room from spinning again.
Chapter Nine
Progress
Two Months Later – September
‘YOU’RE KIDDING ME,’ I cried down the phone as Kristy, my agent, gave me the good news. Good was an under
statement. This news was … fantastical.
‘It’s a great offer, Charlie, and you deserve it. You did a stellar presentation yesterday and your work speaks for itself. It was just a matter of time before I found the right fit for you.’
‘Tell me the proposed advance again,’ I begged her, bouncing up and down on the spot with excitement. I screamed as she repeated it, then ran around my office like a lunatic as she laughed down the line. Years of hard work had finally paid off. My earnings had been great, far better than I’d ever expected when I’d started writing, and they’d crept up this year with me putting all of my focus into writing and getting more books out. But it still wasn’t quite enough to live off and be able to set aside a decent sum into a pension, or to build up a nest egg for a nice holiday each year. I’d been contemplating having to start looking for a job soon, but I wouldn’t have to if this worked out.
‘I’ll email the contract over. I’ve already made some annotations on it, suggestions that we counter with, in your favour. If they were that quick to write it, it’s obvious that they are desperate to sign you. This could be life changing, Charlie. If they launch your latest book and it sells as well as they anticipate with their marketing and publicity behind it, you could be looking at very lucrative future contracts, with worldwide travel for book signing tours.’
‘Stop, stop. I’m going to pass out, I’m so giddy,’ I squealed.
‘Well, take your time to read and digest it, don’t come back to me until after the weekend. I really want to make sure you’re happy and you’ve had a chance to think of any questions or concerns, but this is a great offer.’
The Best Medicine Page 13