They both burst into giggles. ‘Trust me, you two have enough chemistry to set up a lab. It was clear even before you got together.’ Alice nudged her shoulder. ‘But I don’t think that’s the real issue, is it?’
‘No.’ Maggie sighed. ‘Is it terrible of me to wish right now you were my friends, and not his sisters?’
‘We’re both.’ Sarah squeezed her hand, just as Alice did the same. ‘But today we’re your friends, and friends don’t blab intimate secrets to their mate’s boyfriend.’
‘Okay.’ Maggie drew in a breath. ‘I want the people watching to believe in the performance. To believe that Seb, who’ll be a knock-out even if he turns up in jeans and T-shirt, is performing this dance of sensual, passionate love for me. And not because he took pity on a middle-aged woman at a dance class.’
‘That’s absolutely not—’
Maggie silenced Sarah. ‘I know it’s not how he feels now. But it is sort of how it started.’
‘It was never about pity, Maggie. From the moment he saw you, his interest was snared. Even when you were sniping at each other, he had a twinkle in his eye.’ Sarah let out a frustrated exhale. ‘Only you see the age gap as a problem.’
‘Actually, I don’t, not any more.’ There were more significant gaps, like outlook on life and where they saw themselves in six months. Stop planning, you ridiculous woman, enjoy now. Maggie straightened her back. ‘Right, GP to rumba queen; let the transformation begin.’
‘Looking at the state of that lot,’ Alice waved her hand towards the returning Maria, whose arms were laden with feathers, sequins and sparkle, ‘this is going to be a breeze.’
Of course it wasn’t. Maggie puffed, squirmed and squeezed into the costumes, mesmerised by the choice. Long or short, split to the thigh or higher. Low back, high back. How much cleavage to show.
Frazzled, she looked at herself in the mirror: hair sticking out of its ponytail, cheeks flushed. Twenty costumes later and she still wasn’t sure what was her.
‘Has Seb said anything about what he likes you in? Colour, style.’ Alice edged the curtain open. ‘Even my Neanderthal of a brother must have complimented you at some point.’
‘He likes my tattoo.’ Maggie smiled. ‘And my new underwear, though I do remember him saying me wearing nothing was—’
Alice put her hand up. ‘I know we said we’re your friends today, but there are limits. Discussing my brother’s sex life is gross.’
‘Noted.’ Maggie glanced at herself again in the mirror. ‘You know, he did send me a text the night of the Strictly final.’
‘I remember. He asked you whether he should buy a sheer black shirt.’
‘Actually, that wasn’t entirely true.’ Maggie held Alice’s eyes in the mirror. ‘He actually said he liked the idea of me in a short, black, thigh-high split dress.’
‘Wow, so that’s why you couldn’t take your eyes off your phone, even though it was the Strictly final.’
‘Umm, yes?’
Alice burst into laughter. ‘Well then, I think we can now safely cut the choice down.’
In the end there wasn’t a choice, because as soon as Maggie slipped on the knee-length black dress Maria found her, they all sighed. It had a low front and back, but was covered in a fine lace so it wasn’t too obvious. The split was daringly high, allowing her the freedom of movement she needed. It would also show off her legs, and Maggie was convinced they’d become more toned with all the dancing she’d been doing. The fabric was covered with tiny sequins, which sparkled under the lighting.
She felt like a million dollars. More, she felt like a woman who deserved to be dancing with Seb.
‘It feels like the day I found my wedding dress.’ When Alice and Sarah winced, Maggie shook her head. ‘I know that didn’t end well, but the day I put the dress on, it felt right. And when I walked down the aisle, I knew I looked like a bride should: radiant, the best she could be.’ How sad the marriage had never matched the fantasy of the day. Yet equally, how incredible that she could stand here and talk about it quite openly, without the anger, the despair, the rejection that had hung around her for the last few years.
She knew who she had to thank for that, and it wasn’t the man who’d come to see her last night. Paul’s frank talk about his own failings had soothed her ego, but the fact that her ego was alive and kicking at all was thanks to another man entirely.
‘I wonder if my brother is putting the same degree of effort towards his costume,’ Alice remarked dryly as they squeezed themselves into the packed tube, huddled protectively round the dress.
‘I’ll ask him tonight.’ They looked at her. ‘What? I’m making him dinner.’
‘He comes back from work to a home-cooked meal.’ Alice smirked. ‘How cosy. Don’t tell me you greet him wearing an apron.’
‘Actually, if the girls are in bed, I might just greet him wearing—’
‘Aggh.’ They both put their fingers in their ears, and Maggie laughed along with them.
It was only later, as she was making the dinner – Tabby had requested spag bol – she realised how easy the day had been, with none of the awkwardness she’d once feared, dating the brother of her best friends.
In fact none of her original worries about dating Seb had come to light so far. He found her ways amusing, not irritating. He laughed off the age gap. He enjoyed her kids almost as much as she did. The only complication was something she hadn’t anticipated. That she’d fallen in love with the man who’d only ever been on loan to her.
He’s not said he’s leaving. She’d cling to that hope for all she was worth.
On Tuesday, Seb finally had a day off. The centre had been full on recently, what with his usual rota and the extra time he was putting in trying to get everything ready for Saturday. And… yep, there it went, his stomach doing its usual series of nervous twitches every time he thought of the competition. Only four days to go. Fingers crossed, everything was in place. Thanks to Belinda and her friends, he had a panel of judges. Thanks to old school friends he had a live band doing the music, with a back-up stereo for the less obvious requests. Competitors were lined up in all the age groups, including the youth group he’d been worried about. He’d had to work very hard not to fist bump when Hayley had handed him an entry form yesterday with her and Rylan’s names on it.
So the people were in place, the hall would be decorated Saturday morning and all the tickets had been sold.
It meant today, he didn’t have to get up or go anywhere. Yawning, he stretched, relishing the prospect of a lazy day.
A second later, Sarah burst into his room.
‘Christ, sis.’ He did a quick check to make sure none of his naked body parts were on show. ‘What happened to knocking first?’ He did a double take at the clock, which said eight thirty. ‘And why aren’t you at work?’
‘I’ve taken the morning off.’ She plonked herself on the end of his bed. ‘What are you going to wear on Saturday?’
It felt all sorts of wrong to have his sister sitting on his bed while he was naked beneath the covers. Self-consciously he shifted the duvet tighter around him. ‘I work on a one day at a time principle. I’ll work out what I’m wearing on Saturday, on Saturday.’
‘God, why are guys so dense.’ She stood up and began to pace. ‘Do you know what we did with Maggie last Saturday?’
Was this a test? He took his mind back to the weekend. Eating at Maggie’s on Saturday night, Tabby’s giggles as she sprayed them with sauce as she sucked up her spaghetti. Dancing with Penny, who was getting better than he was. Making love to Maggie, twice; once when they’d gone to bed, a second time before he’d left as daylight had started to creep through the curtains. ‘You went shopping?’ he hazarded.
‘Exactly.’
‘Err, is that meant to be a light bulb moment for me? Because I’ve got to confess, I’m not feeling it right now. Isn’t shopping what girls do?’
She let out a noise he imagined a cat might make if someone stood on its
tail. ‘Did you even ask her what she bought?’
‘Should I have done?’
‘No, yes. Aggh, what am I doing, trying to have a conversation with an imbecile.’ She waved her hands in exasperation. ‘When Maggie stands up to dance the rumba with you on Saturday night, she’s going to look a-ma-zing.’ Her eyes locked onto his. ‘How are you going to look?’
‘Well, I hadn’t given it much thought, but I reckon Maggie likes me in my jeans. I mean she’s not said as much, but I have seen her eyeing up my arse a few times…’ As Sarah raised her eyes to the ceiling, her expression one of complete exasperation, the penny began to drop. ‘Crap. I guess the jeans are out?’
After uttering the biggest sigh he’d ever heard, she picked up a pair of the said jeans from the towering dirty washing pile, and threw them at him. ‘Put your dubious arse in these. Your big sister is about to dig you out of a bloody great hole and take you shopping.’
Ten minutes later, feeling like he’d been battered by Storm Sarah, Seb sat in the passenger seat of his sister’s Audi and pulled out his phone.
Help. Sarah’s taking me shopping. S xxx
Maggie’s reply pinged back a few minutes later.
Why? M x
He frowned.
Only one kiss? S xxx
A few weeks ago she’d confessed to her worry about the first text she’d sent him, and how relieved she’d been when he’d replied with three kisses.
Sorry. Busy. M xx
Swallowing his disappointment, he replied.
Okay, will catch you later. S xxx
Immediately he got another text.
Never too busy to hear from you. M xx
He grinned, affection curling through him. How had he got lucky enough to get this lady’s attention?
B4 I forget Rylan and Hayley entered the competition. S xxx
A line of smiling emojis came back at him.
You’ve got a soft spot for that pair, haven’t you? M xx
He chuckled, fingers flying over the phone.
Nothing soft about me. S xxx
‘I hope you’re not going to act like a lovesick puppy all morning. It’s going to get really boring.’ Sarah glanced sideways at him as another text came through.
Obvs! So, why the shopping trip? M xx
‘What does Maggie want?’
He didn’t have to ask how Sarah knew who he was texting. No doubt the tongue rolling out of his mouth gave it away. ‘She wants to know why you’re dragging me shopping.’
‘Tell her your sister is making sure you don’t embarrass her.’
Chuckling to himself, he typed out:
Sarah thinks we need some sex toys. I told her I was enough for you, but she insisted. S xxx
He received a string of ??????? followed by emojis of monkeys hiding their face, puzzled expressions and finally an aubergine, which caused him to snigger.
‘For God’s sake, put the phone away,’ Sarah muttered. ‘You’re making me feel sick.’
Figuring he’d better not piss off the woman who was giving up her morning to save his arse, he sent Maggie a final message.
All will be revealed on Saturday (but the aubergine is FYE). S xxx
FYE? M xx
Okay, so he couldn’t not reply to a question.
For your eyes only. S xxx
Returning his phone to his pocket, he settled back to mentally prepare himself for a morning of clothes shopping. With his sister. ‘I can handle colour and don’t mind snug fitting, but frills are out. And sequins.’
‘What about feathers?’
He grimaced, but when he turned to look at her, he found she was now the one smirking. ‘Very funny. Just find me something Maggie will want to rip off later. With her teeth.’ Sarah shook her head. ‘What?’
‘She gave us the same instruction.’ She paused a moment, before adding, ‘Though she phrased it much more elegantly.’
Any comment he would have made – and for the moment he was feeling too buoyed by Sarah’s remark to think of one, was halted by an eerie sound coming from his mobile.
Sarah visibly jerked. ‘What the hell is that?’
‘That, dear sis, is a didgeridoo.’ He grabbed the buzzing phone from his pocket, not needing to look at the screen to see who was calling. The ring tone had done that for him. ‘G’day mate. How’s it going?’
‘Sunshine all the way,’ drawled Bruce, the mate he’d shared a house with in the Whitsundays. ‘I got a message saying you’d called. Figured you would, eventually, when you got sick of all that English gloom.’
Seb closed his eyes, picturing the place they’d shared, backing onto the beach. He’d almost forgotten the feeling of warmth on his face from the sun, the sparkle of the water. ‘It’s not all gloom here but yeah, I wouldn’t say no to a dose of sun. Are you going to be around first week in March?’
Chapter Thirty-Two
The day of the competition had finally come around, and Maggie gasped as she stepped inside the youth centre hall.
‘It looks amazeballs,’ Tabby breathed, her gaze jumping round the room.
‘It really does.’ Maggie gaped in admiration at the transformation from multi-use hall to ballroom. There were silver and purple balloons, purple velvet drapes covering the walls, fairy lights along the small stage where the band were setting up. Oh, and strings and strings of lights dangled from the ceiling, too. It wasn’t the chandeliers of Blackpool, but the effect was similar, casting a twinkling light that made the place feel special.
And God, speaking of special. Her heart stuttered as she caught sight of Seb. It had only been a few days, but it felt like forever since she’d last seen him.
As soon as he saw them, his face lit up. ‘My favourite people.’
Tabby hobbled on her crutch towards him, giggling as he pretended to swipe it away from her as she high-fived him. Penny showed none of her cautious side as she, too, exuberantly high-fived him and then, as he held her hand up, executed a perfect underarm turn.
Finally, his attention fell on her. ‘Hi.’
She grinned back with the foolishness of a teenager. ‘Hi yourself.’
Taking her hand in his, he looked around the hall. ‘So, what do you think?’
It was only then Maggie realised how tense he was beneath the casual clothes and the wide smile. ‘Tabby said it looks amazeballs.’
‘Yeah?’ He nodded, but his eyes searched hers. ‘What do you think?’
‘I think my daughter summed it up perfectly.’
He smiled, but still it wasn’t the Seb she knew. Lines she hadn’t seen before were etched on his face. ‘You don’t think it looks naff? There was so much we could have done, but it all cost and we’re here to make money, not spend it, so we tried to stick to stuff we could borrow.’ His breath came out in a fast exhale. ‘The theatre lent us the drapes, the DIY place donated the fairy lights…’
Maggie gave him a gentle nudge in the ribs with her elbow. ‘Seb.’ He turned, and she could read everything he was feeling in his expression. The fear it wasn’t good enough, that what he’d done wasn’t good enough. It brought her back to the night he’d come to her after his dad had died. I never made him proud, Mags.
This man was so special, so gifted in ways he couldn’t see: empathy, compassion, inspiring others, especially children. He wasn’t afraid to take a risk, to show his emotions, to make a fool of himself. To dive into life with his eyes open to new possibilities. ‘This is… God, it’s incredible. Not just what you’ve done with the hall, but the whole idea, getting the people here to agree to you doing it.’ She shook her head. ‘No, it’s more than that, you got the whole community to buy into the idea, young and old. You made it happen, Seb. You proved to everyone, but most importantly to yourself, what you’re capable of. Never, ever forget that.’
She watched his Adam’s apple move in the column of his throat. ‘Plenty of time for it to go pear-shaped.’
‘It won’t.’ She gave him another nudge. ‘Do I need to remind
you that you’re the optimist? I’m the one who’ll envisage at least a hundred things that can go wrong.’
His features finally relaxed. ‘True, but you’d also have at least a hundred plans in place to counter the issues. All I’ve got is this.’
He brought his hand up, and she burst out laughing when she saw he was crossing his fingers.
People began to enter the hall and sit on the seats that surrounded three corners of it. ‘I guess I’d better go outside and wait for Paul.’ Maggie checked her phone. ‘He messaged to say he’d be here in five minutes.’
Surprise shot across Seb’s face. ‘I didn’t realise he was coming.’
‘The girls told him I was dancing in a competition, and when he came round last week he said he wanted to come and watch.’
Seb’s jaw tightened. ‘To see what he missed out on, I presume.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘You said Paul never took you dancing.’ He gave her a half smile. ‘After tonight, he’s going to regret that, big time.’
‘I think it’s more a question of him wanting an excuse to escape his rented four walls for an evening.’ Seb raised an enquiring brow. ‘He told Isabelle he wasn’t sure he wanted to get married again and she threw him out.’
A muscle ticked in Seb’s jaw. ‘So you’ve been in contact with him then?’
‘He’s the father of my children. Yes, I’ve been in contact with him.’
Hearing the edge to her voice, Seb’s shoulders slumped. ‘Sorry. Jealousy is a pretty shitty trait.’ His eyes snagged hers. ‘I can’t say I’ve ever felt it, before now.’
Strictly Come Dating (The Kathryn Freeman Romcom Collection, Book 3) Page 27