‘Where is your boyfriend right now?’
‘In Cambridge. And Brighton,’ Willow added as an afterthought.
‘Two places at once, eh? Boy, he certainly gets around.’
‘It’s business.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes, of course I’m sure,’ said Willow indignantly. ‘What sort of question is that?’
‘A legitimate one. I’ve known you for a long time and, believe it or not, I’m very fond of you.’
Willow’s eyes widened. Anna was fond of her? Was this the same woman she’d shared numerous social occasions with only to be ignored while Anna cosied up to the men? From the other end of the line came a heavy sigh.
‘Listen, I need to leave for a breakfast meeting at the office. Before I go, can you promise me something?’
‘It depends what it is,’ said Willow cautiously.
‘I want you to promise me that you’ll never marry Charlie.’
Twenty-Five
Willow was so taken aback at Anna’s question, at first she couldn’t find the words to reply.
‘Promise me,’ Anna repeated.
‘Marriage isn’t on the cards, Anna’ – Willow eventually spluttered – ‘but even if it was, I’m not making such a promise.’
‘Well if the subject ever arises, think on. I’ve heard all about Charlie’s antics. Straight from the horse’s best mate’s mouth,’ Anna added.
‘W-What?’ Willow stuttered.
This couldn’t be happening. In a minute she’d wake up and think, “That was a peculiar dream, and featuring Anna of all people. How bizarre.”
‘Ask the man sharing your spare bedroom. And don’t say you weren’t warned. Anyway, I must go. Give me a call when you have some free time. We’ll do drinks. Toodle-oo.’
For a moment Willow didn’t know what to do. She lay there, staring into the gloom, her mouth hanging open like a dental patient who’d had one numbing injection too many. Her bemusement subsided and gave way to fury. How dare Anna cast doubts about Charlie’s character. He was good man, and a conscientious employee. Just look how loyal he was to his cantankerous boss. Heavens, if Drummond ordered Charlie to jump, Charlie’s response was, “How high?”. Her boyfriend was a grafter. The events of this week proved that. Home late for two nights in a row, then dropping everything to dash off and appease a tetchy client.
The more Willow thought about it, the more outraged she began to feel. Anna was bang out of order. Willow knew what this was all about. Anna had busted up with Ben and now she was feeling bitter. Oh, she might have casually mentioned there was a new man in her life, but Willow wasn’t sure she believed it. Why else would the woman try and cause trouble? Anna was festering over Ben not wanting to be with her. In turn, this had made her jealous of Willow’s enduring relationship with Charlie. There could be no other explanation.
Flinging back the covers, Willow stomped off to the bathroom only to find the door locked.
‘Won’t be long,’ Ben called from within. ‘Oh, and I’d leave it for five minutes if I were you.’
Great! And when Charlie was home, Willow would have not one, but two men ponging out the bathroom.
It wasn’t Willow’s nature to be grumpy. However, what with Anna’s feather-ruffling wake-up call coupled with a burgeoning bladder, she was starting to feel irritable. All Willow needed was a bad time at the library with Jean, and her mood would be set for the day – and it wasn’t even yet seven in the morning.
‘Sorry!’ Ben trilled against a backdrop of frenzied toilet flushing.
‘No worries,’ Willow sighed. ‘I’ll go and put the kettle on.’
Downstairs, she flicked on lights and drew curtains before filling the kettle. Her stomach rumbled. Finding the bread, she slotted a couple of slices into the toaster, then added another two for Ben. She had no idea if he was a marmalade-on-toast type of person or whether, like Charlie, he preferred to grab a cappuccino and croissant from the station café en route to work. Time would no doubt tell. After all, it looked like Ben would be under her roof for months, which made her feel even more annoyed. Willow wasn’t aware she was banging cupboard doors as she reached for cups and plates, until Ben came into the kitchen.
‘You’re cross,’ he said, just as the temperamental toaster catapulted its contents on to the worktop.
‘No, no, honest, I’m not,’ Willow lied, as Ben relieved her of the plates.
‘I’ll butter the toast,’ he said. ‘You make the tea. I’m really sorry you couldn’t get in the bathroom’ – he opened the fridge and reached for a tub of spread – ‘especially as I set my alarm earlier than usual. I thought I’d have showered and shaved long before you were up.’
‘It’s fine,’ said Willow, dropping teabags in mugs. ‘I’m not usually awake at this hour, so ordinarily a bathroom situation wouldn’t be a problem. The phone woke me up.’
‘Yeah, I heard it. Was it Charlie?’
‘No.’
There was a pause as Willow slopped boiling water into the mugs. A second later and a teaspoon clanked vigorously against the china as milk was added.
‘Something tells me the caller rattled you as much as you’re rattling those mugs,’ said Ben, trying to make light of Willow’s jerky movements.
‘Yes, she definitely did that,’ Willow muttered.
The teaspoon clattered down on the worktop.
‘She?’
‘I might as well tell you. It was Anna.’
Ben’s buttery knife paused mid-air. He looked astonished.
‘Whatever did she want?’
‘To warn me off.’
Ben’s mouth dropped open.
‘Does she think you and me…’ he trailed off.
‘No, nothing like that.’ Willow shook her head. ‘She wanted to know if I had any plans to marry Charlie and, if so, to think long and hard before saying “I do”.’
‘You’re joking, right?’ Ben looked flabbergasted. ‘Actually, scrap that. I can see you’re serious. Why on earth would Anna do such a thing?’
Willow passed Ben his tea.
‘You tell me,’ she said in annoyance.
‘What do you mean?’
‘According to Anna, I should ask you why Charlie isn’t a safe bet to marry.’
‘Eh?’
Suddenly Ben couldn’t look Willow in the eye. He took the tea from her and, head down, returned to buttering the toast.
‘Is there something I should know, Ben? Anna indicated that Charlie’ – she blew out her cheeks and imperceptibly shook her head – ‘I don’t know… gets up to no good. I’m assuming she’s dropping heavy hints about him chasing other women. But I’d know if he did something like that, wouldn’t I?’
‘Course you would,’ said Ben stoically, frantically buttering away.
At this rate there would be no spread left in the tub.
‘Got any jam?’ he asked, desperate to change the subject.
‘Cupboard to your right.’
‘Thanks.’
He peered inside the cupboard, anxious to hide his flaming face.
‘Why are your ears bright red?’
‘Are they?’ said Ben vaguely.
He grabbed hold of a jar.
‘Oh, look. Strawberry. My favourite. Is that all right for you?’ he gabbled.
‘Fine.’
Willow made a “whatever” gesture with one hand.
‘Spill the beans, Ben. What do you know about Charlie that I don’t?’
‘Shall we sit or stand?’ asked Ben, handing Willow her plate of toast.
‘I really don’t care,’ she said in exasperation. ‘I just want to know why your ex-girlfriend finds it necessary to ring me at the crack of dawn with a bizarre request to never marry Charlie, when the man in question hasn’t even proposed.’
Ben pulled out a chair and sat down heavily. He resisted the urge to lay his forehead against the table’s surface. God, here he was, in another house, Anna nowhere in sight, and yet the blasted
woman was still causing him problems. What the hell was she playing at?
‘My ex-girlfriend can be a bit of a nutter.’
‘She sounded pretty sane to me,’ Willow countered, sitting down opposite.
‘Look, if you’re questioning Charlie’s loyalty, then surely you should speak to him yourself?’
‘I’ve never had cause to doubt Charlie,’ Willow reasoned. ‘But you have to agree, it’s not very pleasant having someone you know lob a verbal missile at your relationship.’
‘Of course,’ Ben agreed.
How he wished he didn’t know about blasted Kev, or the real reason for Charlie being away right now. He liked Willow too much to lie.
‘So what do you know that I don’t?’ Willow persisted.
‘Okay,’ said Ben slowly as his mind scrabbled for a plausible explanation. ‘Well, there have been times when Charlie has said he’s working a teeny bit late and…’
‘Yes?’
Ben could hear the sudden anxiety in Willow’s voice.
‘We’ve gone to the pub after work. Just for a quick drink,’ he added.
He was telling the truth. The pair of them had done that on one or two occasions.
‘Right.’
‘Nothing too bad, eh?’ he said, smiling weakly.
He was damned if he was going to tell Willow anything else. Bugger Charlie for putting him in this situation. He would be having a few stern words when he next saw him. Or… hang on. What about manipulating this situation so that Willow scared Charlie? Brilliant idea! He took a deep breath.
‘Maybe you should also ask Charlie about Kev.’
‘Kev?’ said Willow, looking puzzled.
She’d never heard Charlie mention anyone from the office with that name.
‘Yes,’ said Ben, forcing a jovial chortle. ‘Kev can be a bit naughty, ah ha ha ha! Never happy with a swift half. Always wants the full pint.’
‘I see,’ said Willow. ‘So you’re saying this person is a bad influence?’
‘Totally,’ said Ben, nodding his head vigorously. ‘I’ve told Charlie to put his foot down. Unfortunately Kev can be very persuasive. However, I’m sure a few words from you will sort it out. But Mum’s the word, eh?’ Ben tapped the side of his nose. ‘You didn’t hear that name from me.’
‘Okay. And thanks,’ said Willow looking both relieved and grateful.
‘Good. I’m glad we’ve got that sorted.’
He shoved some toast in his mouth and tried not to gag. Thanks to his ex-girlfriend stirring things, he felt sick to his stomach.
Twenty-Six
Charlie settled the bill for his and Kev’s overnight stay at The Beagle and Bugle, handing over cash to avoid any recorded transaction on his bank statement. Willow wasn’t a snooper, but he was playing it safe.
Stuffing his wallet into his back trouser pocket, Charlie took Kev by the elbow to guide her through the foyer towards the exit. But Kev wouldn’t budge.
‘Can’t we have a final coffee by the log fire?’ she asked.
‘No, or I’ll be late to work.’
‘Just ten minutes,’ Kev pleaded.
Charlie was eager to be on his way, but he didn’t want to annoy Kev. An angry woman was a dangerous woman.
‘Sweetie, we’ve already had breakfast in bed together,’ he pointed out.
‘And very nice it was too. Did you like what I did with your sausage?’ she said playfully.
‘Of course. But now I need to go.’
‘To Willow.’
Charlie noted the sudden change in Kev’s tone. Truculence.
‘No,’ he said patiently. ‘To the office.’
‘When will I see you again?’
Charlie gazed at her incredulously.
‘But… you’re not. I mean… we’re not seeing each other again.’
‘Pardon?’
Her eyes flashed with anger.
‘We discussed this,’ Charlie cajoled.
He again tried steering Kev towards the exit, but she wasn’t having any of it.
‘You said we wouldn’t see each other – and I quote – just for a bit.’
‘Er, that’s right,’ Charlie nodded.
Oh for goodness sake. Fine. Let her think they’d resume things in a month or two. If that was what it took to make his escape, then so be it. He’d just fob her off if she rang or texted. Tell her that Willow was in the room. That he couldn’t talk. Or, even better, he wouldn’t answer her calls. Yes, fantastic idea. And then Kev wouldn’t be able to talk to him at all.
‘So let’s make a date,’ said Kev, fishing in her bag for her phone.
Charlie couldn’t believe he was hearing this. He’d given Kev a wonderful night to look back upon as a precious rose-tinted memory. The restaurant bill alone had almost brought him out in hives, not forgetting the price of the Bollinger. The pub’s mark-up had been astronomical. Then, this morning, Kev had demanded room service. A cooked breakfast and Bucks Fizz. Charlie had gulped down his food, mindful of the time and need to get to work. He’d barely put his knife and fork together when Kev had pushed him back against the mattress and writhed all over him. Whilst that had been nice enough, he’d been unable to stop himself checking the digital clock beside him. He’d silently willed Kev to hurry up and climax so he could get on with checking out. And now, after spoiling her rotten, here she was delaying him further in the foyer of this flipping pub with a well-manicured finger hovering over her electronic diary.
‘Tell you what’ – she chewed her lip thoughtfully – ‘let’s leave things for a fortnight to appease Willow’s suspicions. In which case… how about the twenty-sixth?’ She entered Charlie’s name in the diary. ‘You know, Charlie Bear, I really enjoyed coming here. Perhaps we should make this our regular place to meet up. Then there will never be any worries about being disturbed. I’ll book us in now.’
She made to move towards the reception desk, but Charlie grabbed her arm and spun her round.
‘Darl-ing,’ he whispered, just as the landlord appeared.
‘Still here?’ he beamed.
‘We thought we’d have a quick coffee,’ said Kev, taking Charlie’s hand.
Suddenly he was the one being guided, but in the opposite direction to where he wanted to go.
‘Sure,’ said the landlord. ‘Go in and I’ll be right with you.’
‘Wonderful,’ she beamed. ‘We’ll have two cappuccinos.’
She propelled Charlie towards the sofa by the fire.
‘There,’ she said, sinking down into the sofa’s squashy depths. ‘Isn’t this nice?’
Her eyes bored into his, daring him to defy her.
‘No, not really. I’m going to be late to work.’
‘Nonsense. Just say the train was cancelled. Ten minutes won’t matter. Now then, where were we?’
Kev consulted her electronic diary.
‘Ah yes. Two weeks today. Another overnight stay here.’
‘It’s too soon,’ Charlie hissed.
‘Then when?’ said Kev, glaring at him.
‘A couple of months.’
‘But that’s eight weeks,’ she shrieked, just as the landlord appeared with their cappuccinos.
‘Here we are,’ he said, setting the coffees down on the table in front of them. ‘Enjoy.’
‘I fully intend to,’ said Kev, looking at Charlie meaningfully.
The moment the landlord was out of earshot, she swivelled round to face Charlie.
‘I’m not going without sex for two months,’ she said adamantly.
‘Can’t you use–’
‘Don’t even suggest it,’ Kev interrupted.
Charlie shrank back against the sofa. Kev was starting to look a bit wild about the eyes. He needed to try a different tack.
‘Look, angel. I really did mean it when I said we needed to cool it.’
‘And your point is?’
‘Exactly that. Now please don’t pin me down.’
‘I thought you liked being pinned down,�
�� she fired back.
Charlie reached for his cup. He made himself take a slow sip while his brain scrabbled like a frantic hamster. He needed to come up with something to say to Kev once and for all.
‘Please, try and see things from my point of view, darling. I have a heavy work schedule at the moment. Also, my best mate has just busted up with his girlfriend. He’s temporarily moved in with us and is really needy’ – Charlie lied – ‘and constantly wants a shoulder to sob all over. What with Willow asking twenty questions about my whereabouts plus demanding I marry her, frankly I’m exhausted. Can we just leave things for a few weeks?’ he wheedled.
Charlie gave Kev his best puppy-dog-eyes look. Her own were like two flints.
‘I’ll compromise with you,’ she snapped. ‘One month, not two.’
‘Okay,’ said Charlie wearily.
Picking up his cup, he drained it. Mentally he felt shattered. He’d dodge out of seeing Kev when the time came. At least for now he had a month’s grace. He told himself that a lot could happen in the space of four weeks.
Little did Charlie know how prophetic that thought would be.
Twenty-Seven
Charlie belted into work half an hour late. He was dismayed to see Drummond hovering by Ben’s desk.
Thankfully, Ben had switched Charlie’s monitor on. A calculator and pen sat on top of some artfully scattered papers. Ben had even placed a half-drunk cup of coffee next to everything, although Charlie reckoned the drink was likely now tepid.
Stealthily, Charlie slid his briefcase under the desk and slipped into his chair. Seconds later he was poring over the report as if he’d been in the office for hours.
‘Sterling work,’ Drummond was saying to Ben. ‘You know what this means, don’t you?’
Drummond sniffed the air, as if inhaling a heavenly smell rather than the sour whiff of Charlie’s armpits which were infiltrating the office. After his diabolical morning with Kev his deodorant had badly let him down.
‘It means money,’ said Drummond, clapping Ben on the back.
Their boss was smiling like a Cheshire cat whose saucer of semi-skimmed milk had turned out to be double cream.
Willow's Wedding Vows: a laugh out loud romantic comedy with a twist! Page 12