by Katie Ginger
Stella paused. She’d had a few work friends back in Oxford but she only saw them on the odd staff night out. There was her sister, but she hardly went out now she had the kids as she hated leaving them with babysitters. Stella’s heart pulsed a feeling of warmth around her whole body. She never dreamed she would make friends so quickly.
‘If you’re busy then that’s fine,’ Lexi said, a slight blush forming on her cheeks.
Stella realised that having taken a while to reply, it must have seemed like she was thinking of an excuse. ‘No, no. I’d love to. That would be lovely. What time?’
The blush faded and Lexi brightened. ‘One o’clock?’
‘Sounds great.’
A petite woman from the group came over to the counter. ‘Excuse me. I’d love to take that painting, please, if it’s still available.’
Stella beamed. ‘Of course.’
As Vivien and Lexi left, Stella made her way to the ladder tucked in the corner, ready to take down the painting. Eyeing the price tag once more, Stella decided she might need to do another happy dance. It was a good sale and maybe tomorrow she could go and buy a bed. All the worries and doubts created by the first few days’ troubles and the hours and hours of hard work faded a little more. Things were definitely looking up.
Chapter 5
Lexi awoke on Sunday morning and her stomach squirmed, but it wasn’t due to the half-bottle of wine she’d consumed the night before. She was nervous about having lunch with Stella. Rubbing her eyes, she tried to calm the silly fizzing in her tummy. The sun was shining in through the window of her bedroom, and she stretched out her arms and legs. Nothing beat a good lie-in.
Yesterday, after doing Vivien’s shopping, she’d come home and had a long hot bath with candles and her favourite music playing, before curling up on the sofa with a face mask plastered on and giving herself a mani-pedi. Matthew Macfadyen in the film version of Pride and Prejudice had been her date for the evening. She loved the original TV series but who had something like eight hours free to get through it?
Climbing slowly out of bed, Lexi dressed in some capri trousers and a cute twinset. She loved a vintage look and felt that it suited her curvy figure. Her tummy wasn’t exactly flat after two kids. Without clothes the stretch marks made her skin look more like an Ordnance Survey map, but she didn’t care. Her body had delivered two amazing, if somewhat monstrous, children who she loved more than anything else in the world. She combed her hair and applied some make-up. She didn’t wear too much on Sundays preferring to let her skin breathe, so it was a quick brush-over with some powder, a flick of eyeliner and a coat of mascara. Before long she was ready to go.
The Admiral Drummond did, without doubt, the best Sunday roasts in town. No fiddly little portions or elegant displays, just a mountain of food on a large plate covered in gravy. Lexi’s stomach rumbled just thinking about it and by the time she had walked into town, she’d have earned it. She couldn’t afford lunch and petrol so walking was her only option but at least it was another gorgeous day. After the weird cold snap they’d had a few weeks before, spring had finally started and the bare trees were showing real signs of growth, the world bursting into colour again. Lexi lived at the opposite end of town to the café, amongst the little terraces and cul-de-sacs.
Walking along, she passed the park where her children played at weekends in the summer, and she inhaled some of the fresh, clean air. Along the verges, clumps of daffodils planted by the local council were opening up, the gorgeous yellow heads bright and cheery. The brisk walk brought a chill to her cheeks as she took the road along the seafront. Every few yards a bench tempted her to take a moment to rest. Each had a small memorial plaque on them and Lexi enjoyed reading them as she passed. She liked walking on her own; it was far less stressful than walking with the kids. Ralph always tried to climb everything and Taylor spent most of the time trailing behind, twirling and singing as she went. Stretching out her fingers, Lexi suddenly missed their little hands in hers and her heart soared at the thought of seeing them again in a few hours.
The heavy wooden door of the pub required a good heft of the shoulder and Lexi pushed hard to get it open. It was a little darker inside and her eyes took a moment to adjust to the dimmer light. In the corner, Stella looked up and gave a smile. Thankfully, a bottle of white wine was already open and chilling in a wine cooler on the table. Lexi waved back. Stella was definitely turning into her type of girl. The pub was busy and loud with chatter and the scrape of chairs. The smell of roast beef floated on the air, making her mouth water.
‘Hi,’ Lexi said as she approached the table. A sudden surge of nerves flared up but she pushed it down and faked confidence. Slinging her bag down onto the floor, she kissed Stella’s cheek.
‘Lovely to see you,’ said Stella. ‘Thanks so much for inviting me.’ A blush crept over Stella’s cheeks, which made Lexi feel better; she was clearly a bit anxious too. Lexi sat down and poured them both a glass of wine.
‘Thanks for ordering some wine. You have to have a glass with a big Sunday roast, don’t you? How was business yesterday afternoon? Did you sell much more?’
Stella nodded as she sipped. ‘Yep, I sold loads of Herbert’s old crap and now I can source some new stuff. Nearly all the rugs went and most of the crocheted cushions though I’m still stuck with that horrible statue of the woman snogging a fish. I don’t think any normal person’s ever going to buy that.’
‘It is hideous,’ Lexi replied. ‘I can’t imagine what possessed Herbert to buy a lot of that stuff.’
‘Weirdly, I think he was on track with some of the paintings and the ceramics. I just think his tastes were a little bit …’
‘Rancid?’ Lexi offered and Stella laughed.
‘Yeah. But then, he’s a man so I suppose we can’t blame him.’
‘And from the paisley generation,’ added Lexi. ‘And even I don’t wear paisley.’ Her nerves disappeared as they decided to forgo starters to make sure they had room for pudding. They each ordered a full roast beef dinner and as the waiter moved away to see to another table Lexi asked, ‘So, come on then, Stella. I want to know everything. What brought you down here away from your friends and family?’
‘There’s not much to say really.’ Stella studied her wine. ‘I was twenty-five when I married Isaac and we were together for ten years but then last year we split and he moved someone else in. Our divorce was finalised about a month ago.’
‘That’s rough, honey. This new relationship probably won’t last. He’ll soon realise everything he’s lost.’ Lexi thought about giving her a hug but not knowing her very well yet, decided not to. A look of pain flashed across Stella’s face. It was a feeling Lexi knew well.
‘I’ve got a sister still in Oxford, Abby, but she’s got her own family. When we split, she wondered why I was so surprised and quite helpfully pointed out that it had been on the cards for ages.’
‘That’s nice of her.’
‘Yeah. She’s no-nonsense but she means well. And my parents live just down the road from them. After selling the house and splitting things fifty-fifty, I invested everything in the Admiral’s Corner. There was nothing to keep me in Oxford. And as much as I love my family, a bit of distance is a good thing as far as they’re concerned. So, here I am.’
Though she ended the sentence on an upbeat note, there was an undercurrent of sadness to the way Stella spoke. She must be a bit lonely, or at least, had been. And she hadn’t talked of any friends. Lexi knew exactly how Stella felt. When the kids had started school she’d hoped she’d make some friends but it hadn’t happened, and with always missing the other mums at drop-off and sometimes even pick-up time because of work, she never really got the chance to speak to anyone. She didn’t have any brothers and sisters – only a mad mother who lived in Spain, and called every day to let her know she was still alive and hadn’t yet drowned in sangria.
‘Divorce is shit, isn’t it? Was it amicable in the end?’ asked Lexi.
�
��No,’ Stella conceded with a small, sad smile. Lexi had seen that same expression in the mirror. It was a smile of miserable acceptance and pain pushed down. ‘I threw things at him and left. Then we barely spoke. As we didn’t have kids we didn’t have to talk to each other and pretty much everything was done through angry emails or text messages from me, and sad, conciliatory ones from him. What about you?’
Lexi shuffled uncomfortably. She wasn’t quite ready to go into all the details yet, fearing judgement, so she settled on a more non-committal reply. ‘Similar.’ She stared down into her wine. ‘Except because the kids were so young we had to pretend to be civil to each other when we were both hurting like hell. It does make it quite difficult. There ended up being lots of late nights sobbing into pillows.’
Lexi looked back up at Stella. She was pretty, with lovely almond-shaped eyes. A little powder to take the shine off her nose and she’d look effortlessly amazing. In Lexi’s view, those who didn’t wear make-up had either tons of confidence and therefore felt comfortable enough not to, or didn’t have any confidence at all and therefore didn’t think they were worth it. She hadn’t decided yet which camp Stella fell into but the idea that she didn’t have much confidence made her incredibly sad and was something she wanted to change.
As the conversation lulled Stella asked, ‘So what did you get up to last night? Did you have a nice relax?’
‘Ah, it was blissful. After I got back from Vivien’s I chilled out a bit. The house was wonderfully quiet and I sat with a glass of wine and watched Pride and Prejudice. And then I made a skirt from the last of a pale pink material I bought in the January sale. With a full net underneath, it’ll look fabulous.’
‘I can’t believe you make your own clothes,’ said Stella. ‘That’s an incredible talent. But the big question is who do you prefer, Colin Firth or Matthew Macfadyen?’
‘Matthew Macfadyen of course.’
‘Good choice.’ Lexi grinned back just as the waiter brought over their food. ‘This looks amazing,’ said Stella, turning the plate slightly and studying the vast array there.
‘Now I have a very important question for you,’ said Lexi, popping her napkin on her lap. ‘Do you eat all your vegetables first to get them out of the way, or all the meat, or do you eat a little of everything as you go? I’ve found that dinner tactics are a very important indicator as to whether you’ll get on with someone.’
Stella paused, her face frozen.
‘I’m joking,’ reassured Lexi. ‘It doesn’t matter how you eat your dinner.’
Stella laughed. ‘Well, I love cheesy veg so I tend to eat that first. Then stuffing, if I’ve got some, because that’s my next favourite and then, once they’ve gone, I tackle the rest of my dinner in a little-bit-of-everything approach.’
‘I approve,’ said Lexi, taking another drink.
The two ladies consumed their dinner as if it was a military operation requiring concentration and stealth.
‘I’m glad my trousers have an elasticated waist,’ said Lexi, leaning back in her chair. ‘I feel like I’ve ballooned.’
‘Me too,’ Stella replied. ‘That was the nicest roast dinner I’ve ever had.’
Lexi patted her tummy like a pregnant lady. ‘I think I’m having a food baby.’
‘It doesn’t show. You have such an amazing figure.’
‘Really?’ Lexi couldn’t believe that anyone would say that of her. While she was perfectly happy and confident in her appearance, inside she gave a little fist pump. ‘But I don’t care how tight my trousers feel, I’m still having pudding.’ She watched the waiter bring out a treacle sponge and deposit it in front of another customer. ‘And I’ve already decided what I’m having.’
‘That does look good,’ replied Stella, following her gaze then perusing the menu. ‘But I think I’ll have trifle.’
They placed their orders and Stella topped up their wine. ‘Thank you for coming to see me yesterday and for lunch today. It’s made me feel really welcome here already.’
‘It’s been lovely,’ said Lexi. ‘And you’re very welcome.’ She spied a couple at a corner table flirting and chatting. ‘How long do you think they’ve been going out?’
‘Not long judging by how much they still like each other. Six months maybe? They’re very touchy-feely and flirty.’
‘Flirting? What’s that?’ Lexi asked with a smile.
‘I think you spy someone across the room then throw your knickers at them, like at a Tom Jones concert.’
‘Ah, yes. Thanks.’ Both women giggled.
‘I can’t remember the last time I went on a date,’ offered Stella, swilling her wine in her glass. ‘I don’t think I’d know what to do anymore.’
‘Me neither. It’d be terrifying.’
‘I know at some point I’m going to have to get back out there but I’m not sure I’m ready for it yet. Still, I don’t want to end up a lonely old dog lady.’
‘I thought it was cats?’ Lexi replied.
‘It is but I can’t stand cats. It’ll be me and Frank when I’m old and grey.’
‘You have the dogs; I’ll have the cats,’ Lexi said. The waiter presented dessert and they ate in a comfortable silence. Afterwards, checking her watch, Lexi slugged back the last of her wine. ‘Sorry to run but I have to get home before my horrible children arrive back.’
‘Have you missed them?’ asked Stella.
‘Terribly,’ Lexi replied, and a huge grin spread over her face. Even when she was calling them completely inappropriate names and moaning about the strange things they’d done, she did love them. ‘Shall we split the bill?’
‘Sounds good to me. I need to get back to Frank anyway.’
They parted ways at the door. Lexi started the walk back home, happy that she’d spent the money on lunch rather than petrol. The kids would moan about walking to school but the new blossoming friendship with Stella was worth every single penny if it helped to drive some of the loneliness out of her life. She never had time to think about it when the kids were around, but in the evenings, when they were in bed, there was no denying that it surrounded her till she felt like the last human being on the planet.
Chapter 6
Miles rolled over and draped an arm over Kiera. She was sound asleep next to him and hadn’t stirred at all when he’d arrived back late last night. Even asleep she was beautiful and he wondered again how he’d ever managed to find someone like her. Her skin, bronzed from weekly tanning sessions, glimmered in the bright sunlight pushing through the gaps in the curtains, and her long blonde hair flared out covering the pillow. It was funny that she insisted she couldn’t fall asleep if there was any light in the room and yet here she was sleeping soundly.
He rolled back the other way and looked at the alarm clock. It was just gone eight. And Monday again. How had another week gone by already? Another week where he’d been away rather than at home in his favourite place on earth. More meetings were being lined up for the weeks to come but at least for today he could relax. It was unusual to have had a meeting on a Sunday, but with clients over from the USA he couldn’t really say no. It was unusual for him to sleep so late too, but the drive home had been a nightmare. Something was always going wrong at the moment, it seemed.
Miles lay on his back and pushed his arms and legs away from each other, stretching out the muscles. He rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hands then raked them through his hair. He needed a shower. Leaving Kiera to sleep some more – she loved to get at least eight hours – he snuck out of bed and headed to the bathroom. By the time he was back, she had begun to stir and smiled sleepily at him from under long thick eyelashes. ‘Good morning, darling. What time did you get back?’
Miles rolled down the top of the towel circling his waist and took the one from his shoulders to dry his hair. Once he’d finished, he sat on the edge of the bed and gave her a long, lingering kiss. ‘Almost four o’clock. The journey was a nightmare.’
Underneath the covers Miles could feel Ki
era’s legs against him. The best thing about them both working from home was that she was often there when he got back and they could spend time together when they wanted. Unless, of course, she had clients to meet – being a personal shopper, she preferred to travel to the designer shops in London. If she didn’t work from home he wasn’t sure they’d ever actually see each other.
‘That was late.’ Kiera combed her fingers through her hair then examined her nails. They were a shiny pink. The last time Miles had seen them they’d been blue. She must have had them done again. ‘Do you like this colour? I can’t decide if I do or not.’
He’d hoped she’d want to know why he’d got back so late and how the meeting had gone. It was a big one for him. One that would have made the difference between a bonus or not, which made the result all the more galling. ‘I like the blue more. Shall I tell you what happened?’
‘Hmm?’ She stopped her examination and looked up, doe-eyed. ‘Tell me about what?’
‘The meeting yesterday. Shall I tell you how it went?’
‘Oh, yes, go on.’ She climbed out of the opposite side of the bed in her expensive silk pyjamas and Miles began to get dressed.
‘So, first of all, the clients had planned to see a West End show so they wanted the meeting wrapped up quickly. Then after the show – which was awful, some musical about a dancing policeman – they decided that despite assuring me they were interested in our new drug they didn’t really need it after all. Then—’ Kiera opened the curtains a little and stared down into the street. Miles frowned, unsure if she was listening. ‘Then there was a massive pile-up on the M20 and it took me about five hours to get home.’
‘I think we should go and see the lady who bought your shop this morning, don’t you? She’s opening up now.’ Kiera stood on tiptoes to get a better look. ‘She looks awful. I don’t know what she’s wearing. She looks like a mum. And not like Victoria Beckham mumsy – she looks like all those mums you see trudging to school, absolutely exhausted and pulling snotty-nosed children along. They all wear exactly the same outfit of jeans and jumpers; the jeans and jumper brigade!’ She laughed at her own joke. ‘The only mum who doesn’t look like them is that Lexi from the coffee shop and I think she tries too hard.’