Tell That to My Heart

by Eliza J Scott

  ‘Oh, right,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  Mim could sense the cogs of her friend’s mind going into overdrive, while Aidey just remained quiet. She didn’t know which was more unnerving.

  ‘So, what do they do?’ asked Anna-Lisa.

  ‘I’m not really sure; he didn’t say.’ In truth, he’d been pretty evasive when Mim had asked him. He’d managed to confuse her such that she felt if she asked more, she’d have made herself sound stupid. And she didn’t want to sound stupid to Caspar.

  ‘Well, if he was going to tell you, I dare say he’d have done it before now. After all, he’s had plenty of opportunity when you’ve been in the car together. He seems more than happy to share the details of everything else he does,’ said Aidey.

  Not quite everything, thought Mim. She couldn’t shake the feeling there was a huge black, swirling hole full of Caspar’s secrets.

  ‘Hmm, the Dark Count; just remember what we said about being careful, Mim,’ said Anna-Lisa. ‘There’s definitely something dodgy lurking behind those dark eyes.’

  Mim wished Anna-Lisa would ease up on the criticism of Caspar; it was having the unwelcome effect of galvanising her own concerns about him, and she hadn’t found the courage to face them yet. But she wasn’t going to fall out with Anna over it; she knew she meant well. ‘Hey, you two, I thought we weren’t going to spoil this gorgeous food by talking about work. I think we should change the subject to what we’re having for pudding. And, can I just say, there’s a cheeky salted caramel muffin winking at me from the cake stand over there on the counter. One of those in a bowl with a huge dollop of butterscotch ice cream beside it, drizzled with toffee sauce. Mmm-mm. Oh, yes indeedy.’ Mim rubbed her hand across her stomach.

  ‘I’m surprised you’ve got room, especially since you’ve eaten half of Aidey’s food,’ said Anna-Lisa, laughing.

  ‘Where salted caramel muffins are concerned, I’ve always got room.’

  15

  The tense atmosphere at Yorkshire Portions stood in stark contrast to the warm and happy one they’d just left at the Nutmeg Tree. The three friends exchanged unhappy glances as they made their way up the stairs and along the landing.

  ‘Where’ve you lot been? You’ve had way longer than an hour for your lunch break.’ They’d just got through the door to their office when Honey pounced. ‘And Catherine’s not very happy.’

  Oh, what now? ‘Why, what’s happened? And I haven’t had more than an hour for my lunch break, I didn’t leave here until I’d finished speaking to you, when you left to go and see Simon,’ said Mim.

  ‘Didn’t realise you were keeping tabs on us.’ Anna-Lisa shot Honey a black look as she shrugged off her coat. ‘And anyway, the three of us regularly work through our lunch break or work late; if we sat down and added it all up I think you’d find we’re owed weeks’ worth of time in lieu.’

  ‘It’s your problem if you choose to work late without running it by the bosses,’ said Honey.

  ‘I’m sure they wouldn’t begrudge us an extra ten minutes on our lunch today,’ said Aidey. ‘Anyway, what’s Catherine getting het up about?’

  All eyes were on Honey who was clearly getting immense pleasure out of delivering her news. ‘Her pen’s gone missing; you know, the expensive Tiffany one.’

  ‘It’s her pen now? She’s always loosing stuff, it’ll turn up,’ said Mim.

  ‘I don’t know why she insists on buying expensive things if she just keeps losing them. We must’ve wasted hours of work time looking for things she’s lost over the years,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  ‘Yeah, well she’s seriously angry about this, apparently it’s worth nearly two hundred quid. She said she hasn’t used it at all this morning so thinks someone must’ve been in her desk or her bag and taken it deliberately.’

  Anna-Lisa tutted. ‘Yeah, like one of us would seriously do that. She’s probably left it at home. And that’s a serious allegation, accusing someone of stealing; are you sure she actually said that?’

  ‘Of course I’m sure, I don’t just make things up you know. And she said she hadn’t left it at home, she brought it to work this morning. She’s had that new intern girl, what’s-her-name?’

  ‘Tamsin,’ said Mim.

  ‘Yeah, her, hunting all over for it.’

  ‘And no doubt you helped her look,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  ‘Me? No, I was too busy.’

  ‘There’s a shock.’ Anna-Lisa shot a knowing glance over at Mim and Aidey. ‘I don’t know about you two, but I’m not too concerned about this, it’ll just be the same as all the other times Catherine’s lost stuff. We can have a quick scout about, but I’m not going to waste too much time over it, I’ve got too much to do.’

  ‘Yep, same here,’ said Aidey.

  ‘Shame you were back late then, isn’t it? And I don’t think Auntie Catherine would be very pleased if she heard about your couldn’t-care-less attitude; if I were you, I’d be keeping my eyes seriously peeled for it.’ She looked pointedly in Mim’s direction. ‘We don’t want her to think we’ve got anything to do with it going missing, do we?’

  ‘And what’s that supposed to mean?’ asked Anna-Lisa.

  ‘Nothing, I was just saying. Auntie Catherine said the pen means a lot to her, that’s all, apparently it was a gift from Uncle Kenneth.’

  ‘If it means so much to her, it makes you wonder why she doesn’t take better care of it,’ said Aidey wearily as he switched on his computer.

  ‘My thoughts exactly,’ said Anna-Lisa.

  Mim hung up her coat and got settled back at her desk. The way Honey had looked at her just then, and the obvious pleasure in her eyes as she was reporting what had happened made Mim feel unsettled, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on why. If she didn’t know better, she’d say Honey had taken the pen; the girl’s covetous nature was nothing new, maybe she didn’t discriminate; men, jobs, pens. But then again, like Anna-Lisa said, theft was a serious allegation, and, much as she disliked Honey, Mim felt bad just thinking about it. No, she was sure the silly pen would turn up, just like it always did. At least, she hoped it would.

  16

  Caspar pulled up outside Pear Tree Cottage. He turned to Mim, the familiar glint in his eyes. He leaned in and kissed her, sending her heart leaping about in her chest. ‘Listen, why don’t we leave it a few minutes before you go and get the dog? You know how he doesn’t like me, and I’d like to have a bit of time, just you and me, without the distraction of him barking and snarling. I’m sure your friend won’t mind.’

  ‘Oh, right.’ Mim was distracted by the taste of him as she tried to marshal his words. How long was he intending to stay for? His request suggested not long. Had she read that right? She couldn’t stop thinking about the delicious effect his lips on hers had created, which was currently working its way through her body; desire fuelling the anticipation of picking up where they’d left off in the crumpled sheets of her bed on Saturday morning. How she wanted that so badly. Is that what he intended? Would Carly feel Mim was taking advantage of her if she didn’t go and collect Herbert straight away? As she processed her thoughts, all the while, snaking around them was a little niggle that he’d referred to Herbert as “the dog”, despite being well aware of his name. She didn’t like how he’d sounded dismissive, it rankled with her loyalty to Herbert. She pushed that peeve briskly away, choosing to ignore it, telling herself he didn’t mean anything by it; it was just his way, and she was just being petty by letting it bother her. But she knew, deep down, if anyone else had done the same, she’d have put them straight – albeit very nicely. Herbert was so much more than just a dog, as anyone who knew him would testify. And, much as it went against her better judgement that she’d be taking advantage of Carly, she found herself agreeing to Caspar’s request.

  Once inside the house, he pushed her up against the wall in the hallway, his lips pressing urgently on hers. She dug her fingers into his hair as he pushed her skirt up and tore at her tights. He fumbled in his pocket for t
he small foil packet, his mouth never leaving hers. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him, their love-making over with in a flash. ‘You drive me crazy, you know that, don’t you? I couldn’t wait a second longer for you,’ he said. His warm breath on her neck sent a thrill deep to the pit of her stomach.

  ‘That was amazing,’ she said, her heart still pounding as she smoothed her skirt down. ‘I’ll just get my breath back, then I’ll go and get Herbert while you make yourself at home by sticking the kettle on.’

  He pushed his floppy black fringe back with his fingers. ‘Ah, about that, you see, I can’t stop this time, but I so desperately needed a fix of you, Mim. And from what I could see, you felt the same; hit the spot, didn’t it?’ He kissed her again, fixing her with his dark eyes. She looked into them, trying to read him, but it was useless, all she could see were deep pools of black; it was anyone’s guess what was swirling behind them.

  Disappointment landed with a thud on her shoulders, dampening her mood. ‘Oh. You don’t even have time for a quick coffee?’ She hoped she didn’t sound needy.

  ‘Sorry, darling, I have to get to my parents’ house. Urgent business I’m afraid.’

  ‘Oh. Okay, of course.’

  ‘I’ll see you in the morning, usual time.’ He kissed her once more before he left.

  Mim closed the door, resting against it while her mind caught up with what had just happened. She couldn’t help but feel that her latest romantic encounter with Caspar was a little bit “wham, bam, thank you, ma’am”. Yes, her passion had matched his in urgency, and the experience had been hot and heady, but she’d hoped he’d at least stay for a coffee afterwards, not shoot off practically before he’d had time to pull his zipper up. Ah, but he’d wanted me so badly, even though he was pushed for time and in a hurry to get to his parents. He shouldn’t really have been here, or even given me a lift home, but he did, just so he could spend time with me.

  Mim’s thoughts had the pacifying effect she hoped they would; the last thing she needed after such a crappy day was to feel she’d been used, or worse, simply used for sex. She shuddered at that thought.

  ‘Right, I’d best go and get Herbert,’ she said aloud. She ran her fingers through her hair in attempt to straighten it, and headed through the door.

  As ever, Herbert hurtled towards her as soon as Carly opened the door, his tail wagging so hard his whole body wiggled. Mim couldn’t help but smile. ‘Hello, lad, I hope you’ve been good.’ His tail wagging came to an abrupt halt as he reached her, his nose sniffing at her legs, the happiness in his body language slipping away. Mim went to straighten her tights which were feeling a little uncomfortable, not to mention that things felt unusually draughty down there. She noticed Carly’s eyes drawn to her legs and followed her gaze to see huge, glaring holes looking back at her, accompanied by bold ladders running down the full length, all the way to her Dr Marten boots. ‘Oh!’

  ‘Been having fun?’ Carly giggled, arching a knowing eyebrow at her.

  ‘Oh, I, er, I’m not sure how that’s happened.’ She could feel her face flaming and hoped her friend wouldn’t notice in the soft hues of the light by the door.

  ‘I bet I could hazard a guess.’

  Carly’s amused smile made Mim giggle. ‘Uhh! Sorry.’

  ‘What on earth are you sorry for?’

  ‘For not calling straight round for Herbert when you’ve been looking after him all day.’

  Carly looked at her watch. ‘You’re not that much later than usual, and he’s no trouble at all. Must’ve been a real quickie.’ She gave a knowing smile.

  Mim clamped her hands over her face and groaned, her blushes intensifying.

  ‘Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that; I can remember me and Owen having to grab a few whenever the opportunity presented itself. Needs must and all that.’

  Mim laughed and pulled a face. ‘It’s just been a bit of a crappy day, and Caspar couldn’t hang around for long.’

  ‘You don’t say.’ Carly’s eyes twinkled with amusement. ‘And you do know you’ll have made the curtain twitcher’s day, don’t you?’

  ‘Oh, no, I hadn’t thought of that.’

  ‘Well, I wouldn’t worry about it; you’re a grown woman, allowed to do what you please as long as you’re not hurting anyone – which you aren’t. It’s not like you’re running naked down the street or anything.’

  ‘I can promise you, I have no plans to run naked around the village – or anywhere else for that matter! And on that note, I’ll get this boy home. Thanks again for having him, Carly, I really appreciate it.’

  ‘No probs at all, chick.’

  ‘That’s good to hear.’ Mim ruffled Herbert’s ears. ‘Right, come on, young man, let’s get back for a snuggle in front of the fire. See you, Carly.’

  ‘See you, hon.’

  Mim was stirring a pan of baked beans on the hob, anxiety building inside her as her thoughts wandered on to her brief encounter with Caspar, and what Aidey and Anna-Lisa had said about him earlier. Was he really sniffing around Clarissa? The ringtone of her mobile phone drew her back into the present. She slid the pan off the heat and followed the sound, first checking her coat pockets before realising it was coming from her bag which was hanging on the hook beside it. She lifted it down and set it on the kitchen table but the ringing had stopped before she’d had chance to find it. Though her bag was new, it was already full of her usual junk as she’d simply transferred the contents of her backpack straight across to this one with the plan to sort through it all later. It was a habit she’d developed with each new bag, gathering clutter and detritus that just grew and grew. ‘I really must go through this lot. She pulled out empty sweet packets that had once contained Dolly Mixtures, one of which was now home to a dried out piece of chewing gum that she’d got tired of and had nowhere to get rid of so had just popped in the old paper bag with a view to putting it in the next available bin. Which, of course, never happened. ‘Well, that can get chucked for starters.’

  She opened the bag wide as she began rummaging around in the clutter. She pulled out a spare pair of knickers she hadn’t seen for months. ‘Why?’ They were followed by her favourite lipstick she’d thought was lost forever; on close inspection it might as well have been since the lid had come off and all sorts of unpalatable gritty bits were stuck to it. ‘I am such a minger,’ she said. She found an ancient manicure set. ‘Think I’ll keep this, who knows when it could come in handy.’ Her voice tailed off as her eyes alighted on the last thing she expected to see in there: a turquoise-blue pen. She lifted it out, her eyes taking in the details. ‘Oh, shit!’ Her heart started pounding hard against her chest as a feeling of worry prickled up her spine. It wasn’t just any pen, it was Catherine’s Tiffany pen.

  Mim leaned against the table, her hand pressed to her mouth, as panic flooded her body. ‘How the hell did that get there?’ Thoughts were running riot around her mind, none of them making any sense. What was going on? She’d never used the pen. Ever. She never would! And she hadn’t even set eyes on it today – until just now. The only time she’d touched it was when she’d found it in some random place a few weeks previously and taken it back to Catherine. Mim knew for certain she hadn’t put the pen in her bag. She was the first to admit she was a scatterbrain – messy, clumsy even – but she didn’t take other people’s belongings. Someone must have planted it there, and the more she thought about it, the more she began to realise there was only one person who would do something like that: Honey. She cast her mind back to the conversation they’d had in the office when Honey was telling them with such relish that the pen was missing. At the time, Mim had felt sure Honey was up to something devious, but it hadn’t crossed her mind that it would be something as potentially dangerous as this. Honey’s childish, playground behaviour had been cranked up several notches. Mim suddenly felt very scared.

  Sensing her distress, Herbert trotted over to her, his claws clicking on the quarry tiles. He sat beside her and looked
up with concerned brown eyes. ‘Oh, Herbert, I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m worried.’ He responded with a whimper and a swish of his tail. Mim bent to smooth his ears, his velvety fur soft and reassuring beneath her fingertips.

  She stood for a moment, trying to make sense of her thoughts, when her phone started to ring again, making her jump. She put the pen on the table and delved into her bag, finding her phone, relieved to see it was Anna-Lisa’s number. ‘Hi, Anna.’

  ‘Hi, Mim, are you okay? You sound upset.’

  ‘I am, upset that is.’ Mim’s voice wavered and she felt her eyes brimming with tears. ‘I don’t know what to think or why it’s even happened.’

  ‘Oh, chick, don’t cry. Is it Caspar?’

  ‘No, it’s nothing to do with him but, Anna, you won’t believe what’s happened. I’m just so shocked and scared, and I really don’t know what to do about it.’

  ‘What do you mean? Do you need me to come over? I can be there in half an hour.’

  ‘No, honestly, don’t trouble yourself, I’ll be fine, it’s just I’ve, well … oh, jeez, it’s Catherine’s pen … I’ve, er, found it.’

  ‘Well, we always knew it would turn up, you know what the daft old bat’s like. So, where was it?’

  Mim swallowed as a fat tear rolled down her cheek. ‘It was in my bag.’

  A couple of beats fell before Anna-Lisa answered. ‘Which bag?’

  ‘The bag I had at work today.’

  More silence.

  ‘Your new black bucket bag?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘How the hell did it get in there?’ Mim could hear the frown in her friend’s voice.

  ‘I have no idea.’ Mim’s heart was thudding so loud, she felt sure Anna-Lisa would be able to hear it. ‘I swear on my life I didn’t put it there, Anna. I hadn’t seen it at all today until just before you rang. It was when I was looking for my phone that I found it. Got the shock of my life.’