The Promise of Summer

by Bella Osborne

  ‘Boomer!’ spluttered Kim. For the first time the dog seemed to respond. He turned around and jumped into the puddle with her, finishing off the job of covering the rest of her in mud.

  Adrian was laughing so hard she thought he’d rupture something. And she could imagine the sight she looked, which set her off too.

  ‘Come on, Boomerang,’ said Margaret sullenly, taking the lead from Kim and marching off ahead.

  Adrian helped Kim to her feet and she dripped muddy water back to the kennels.

  ‘I think that was positive,’ said Adrian. They both studied the mud dripping from Kim. ‘I meant specifically the part where he came when you called him Boomer.’

  ‘Maybe he doesn’t like his name,’ mused Kim.

  ‘I like Boomer better.’

  ‘Yes. Me too,’ said Kim, flicking some drips off her chin.

  By the time they got back, Margaret had already put Boomer back in his kennel and fed him.

  ‘The Yorkshire has been rehomed but the Labrador is still available and we’ve got a Beagle cross called Sherlock I don’t think you’ve seen,’ said Margaret, locking the pen.

  ‘Er, I’m only having the one dog,’ said Kim.

  ‘Wonderful.’ Margaret looked relieved. ‘Which one?’

  ‘That one,’ said Kim, pointing at Boomer who was now back to cavorting up and down the length of his enclosure.

  ‘You still want him?’ Margaret looked aghast.

  ‘Of course,’ said Kim. ‘He’s a handful but I’m not giving up on him just because of a bit of mud.’

  ‘Terrific. He’s come on leaps and bounds thanks to all your efforts. If you’re absolutely sure I’ll get the papers. And you can take him whenever you like.’

  ‘Great. But not tonight,’ said Kim, indicating her muddy coating, which was starting to dry in places, giving her a certain crusty quality.

  ‘Of course. Tomorrow?’

  ‘Yes. Okay.’

  ‘Wunderbar!’ said Margaret in a dodgy German accent and she almost skipped off.

  ‘I need to get home and in the shower,’ said Kim. ‘Oh, crap.’

  ‘Problem?’

  ‘My shower died on me this morning. Plumber can’t come out until Monday. Maybe I could get in the washing machine.’

  ‘Come over to mine. You can have a shower and while your clothes are on a quick cycle, we can have a take-away. How about that?’

  It sounded perfect. ‘I usually only do naked take-away on a Sunday but …’

  ‘I’m sure I have something that would fit you. Unless you really wanted to do the naked take-away.’

  ‘I could be persuaded as long as it’s nowt too hot …’ said Kim. ‘That’s a burn I wouldn’t want to have to explain at hospital.’

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The hotel bar was sumptuous and swish. Ruby was making her way through a bottle of wine when Curtis joined her, freshly showered and without a tie – his only nod to this being an informal meeting.

  ‘Does your wardrobe consist entirely of suits, shirts and gym kit?’

  ‘Pretty much.’ He scanned what he was wearing.

  ‘Drink?’

  The barman appeared. The bar was quiet and he looked keen. ‘Half a lager shandy please,’ said Curtis.

  ‘You might need something stronger once I’ve told you what I’ve discovered today.’

  Curtis pulled up a bar stool. ‘Let’s start with the shandy and I’ll see.’

  Ruby repeated the story she’d told at the nursing home, this time without the rubber chicken and without any interaction from Curtis. When she reached the end, she fixed him with a stare. Curtis remained attentive but gave no response. ‘So, what do you think?’

  ‘That Kim has lied to you.’

  Ruby rolled her lips together. ‘You reckon?’

  ‘Definitely, if the husband she said was dead is in actual fact—’

  ‘I was being sarcastic.’

  ‘Oh, I see.’ He sipped his drink.

  She needed to give him more pointers on the kind of interaction she was hoping for. ‘What I mean is: what do I do?’

  ‘It’s not really any of your business.’

  Ruby almost toppled off her chair in shock. ‘Seriously? Of course it’s my business.’ She was outraged.

  Curtis shook his head slowly. ‘No, it’s not. She’s your employer. This information has no bearing on your job.’

  Ruby became animated. ‘She’s my friend too. And she lied to me.’

  ‘I suppose that may put a slightly different light on things. Although I assume she has a good reason.’

  ‘That’s the thing.’ Ruby leaned forward conspiratorially. ‘Vince says that after he had his heart attack, she wouldn’t have anything to do with him. Dumped him when he was in hospital. And since Kim has been lying all this time, I’m inclined to believe him. He said she had some sort of breakdown and even sold their house!’ She pulled her head back, expecting Curtis to react to her bombshell but there wasn’t a flicker from him. ‘You’re no fun,’ she said, finishing her wine and refilling her glass.

  ‘I am trying though. I made a concerted effort whilst I was in London to incorporate fun activities into my week.’ He looked quite pleased with himself. ‘I visited the Science Museum, which was most interesting. I crossed both Tower Bridge and the Millennium Footbridge.’

  ‘That’s great, Curtis. Well done.’ She offered her glass for him to clink and he did but very carefully.

  Maybe it was the wine. Or maybe sometimes things just fell into place. It felt like the right moment to ask him about being a donor. She swallowed hard. ‘Curtis, there’s something I want to ask you. Let me explain and then I’ll take questions at the end.’

  ‘I had something I wanted to share too. But it can wait.’

  ‘Okay.’ Ruby paused. Now she was intrigued. ‘No go on, you first.’ She waved a hand at him. She needed a moment to compose herself anyway because her palms were going all sweaty. She was once again at a pivotal moment in her life.

  ‘It’s sort of connected to the fun thing.’ He took a deep breath and she sensed he was nervous too. ‘You see I’ve very much enjoyed the time we’ve been spending together. Especially the trip to Cleethorpes. It was both enjoyable and informative. You’ve given me a great deal to think about and on some level, I have reassessed my life goals.’

  ‘Go on.’ Was this going where she thought it was? Perhaps she’d never need to ask her question. She gave herself a mental slap. Getting free sperm would be a deplorable reason to go out with Curtis. She looked at him afresh as he took a long draw of his shandy. Was that to steady his nerves? Bless him. He was classically good-looking in a Cary Grant black and white movie sort of way. She’d never met anyone like him – although this was probably because there literally was no one like him. He was sweet in a lovely, unspoiled way. He was also quite odd but there was something that drew her to him. Not least that she liked who she was when she was with him. His gaze seemed laden with something. Her pulse quickened as she imagined him leaning forward and kissing her. What was going on? Where were these feelings coming from?

  He cleared his throat. ‘The thing I wanted to say was that I’m considering embarking on a relationship … with Cordelia.’

  Ruby was glad she’d swallowed her mouthful of wine or she may have inadvertently spat it in his face.

  ‘Dressing gowns are underrated,’ said Kim, joining Adrian in the kitchen. She was wrapped in a thick white towelling one – it was so chunky she couldn’t turn the cuffs back so they covered her hands.

  ‘I never wear one. That was a Christmas present.’

  ‘Well, someone knows their dressing gowns. Washing machine?’ she asked, her dirty clothes bundled in her arms.

  ‘Utility room. It’s ready to go. Just sling in a pod and shut the door.’

  She padded off in the direction Adrian indicated. The utility room was standard and like the rest of the house it was tidy. As she turned around, she spotted a photograph on the
wall. Adrian and a woman. It was a selfie where they were both laughing and seeing it made her smile.

  ‘Is this Justine?’ she called.

  He appeared in the doorway. ‘Yes. That’s her.’ His eyes rested on the picture.

  ‘It’s a lovely photograph,’ said Kim, now looking at him rather than the picture.

  ‘It’s daft really. We were bored waiting for a train and started making silly faces.’ His mouth lifted at the corners.

  ‘You look so happy.’

  ‘We were.’ She loved how much he still loved Justine even if it did mean there was no chance of them developing a relationship. They exchanged smiles. ‘Cup of tea or something stronger?’

  ‘I’d love a gin but I’d better not.’

  ‘Sorry, no gin in the house but let me know what sort you like and I’ll get a bottle in for next time.’ The doorbell sounded. ‘That’ll be the take-away – perfect timing,’ said Adrian, going to answer it. Kim made herself comfy at the breakfast bar where Adrian had already laid out plates and cutlery.

  They’d decided on Mexican and as Kim didn’t know much about Mexican food Adrian had ordered while she’d jumped in the shower.

  ‘We have bean enchiladas, chorizo quesadillas, rice, and beef chimichangas. Dive in!’

  They helped themselves. ‘This is amazing,’ said Kim. The flavours were making her taste buds sing.

  ‘I’m glad you like it. We should go to the restaurant sometime. They have some great specials.’

  ‘I’d like that.’ Kim went to tuck some hair behind her ear as it was wet and dripping in her face.

  ‘I’m sorry I’ve not got a hairdryer,’ he said.

  ‘Don’t be daft. It’s better if it dries naturally anyway.’ Kim ran her fingers through her sodden mop. She probably looked a fright but it was better than the muddy dreadlocks she’d had earlier.

  They chatted and laughed their way through the meal until Kim couldn’t fit in any more. She was grateful she was wearing the dressing gown as it was very forgiving in that respect. It was a shame dressing gowns weren’t acceptable work wear. Although this one did have a habit of coming loose. She’d had to quickly tighten the belt a couple of times for fear of boob-flashing Adrian over his chimichanga.

  She sat back and then remembered that it was a bar stool just in time. Adrian reached out an arm to catch her and they both paused as he held her safely in place. ‘So, gin,’ said Adrian, righting himself and letting go. ‘What’s your favourite?’

  ‘Rhubarb, but I’m not fussy really. What’s your poison?’

  ‘Wine mainly and tea. I drink lots of tea. Talking of which, I’ll pop these in the dishwasher and then make some,’ said Adrian, gracefully sliding from his seat.

  ‘Let me help.’ Kim grabbed both plates and tried to hop down from the stool. It was easier than it looked. The stool turned slightly catching the open edge of the dressing gown and as her feet met the floor the dressing gown tie gave up and the gown opened. Her naked body was spotlighted perfectly by the kitchen lighting.

  Kim gasped, which made Adrian spin in her direction. His eyes went cartoon wide.

  At that very moment there was a loud rap on the kitchen window making them both look up. Hayley glared back at them. Kim really wished she’d use the front door like any normal person.

  Kim was still holding two dirty plates, which she promptly put down and then quickly gathered the gown around her, while mumbling apologies at Adrian.

  ‘What the hell is going on?’ demanded a slightly muffled Hayley from the other side of the window.

  ‘Hayley, love. You remember Kim,’ said Adrian. Kim had to admire his easy tone. She was sweating so much she’d need another shower at this rate.

  Adrian opened the back door. ‘Come in.’

  ‘Hello again,’ said Kim, trying to match Adrian’s breezy tone but failing. Hayley glared at Kim. ‘My clothes got muddy. They’re in the washing machine.’

  ‘I bought you that dressing gown for Christmas,’ said Hayley, speaking to her father as if Kim wasn’t there.

  ‘It’s very nice,’ said Kim, stroking the material and then stopping herself because it was quite a strange thing to do.

  ‘Anyway …’ said Hayley. ‘I dropped round to remind you about your suit fitting tomorrow.’

  ‘I know. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You sure you don’t want to stop for a cuppa?’ asked Adrian.

  ‘I wouldn’t want to intrude.’ She kissed her father and shot an icy glare at Kim before tutting and marching off.

  ‘Sorry,’ said Kim, grimacing.

  ‘It’s okay. She’s getting married in four weeks. She’s a bit stressed that’s all.’ He shut the door and turned to face Kim. ‘Umm, you might want to …’ He waved a finger in a zigzag up and down her body.

  Kim glanced down and saw the gown was gaping again and she was showing a few acres of cleavage.

  ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’

  Ruby ordered another wine and tried hard to arrange her thoughts. Curtis was looking quite pleased with himself and had almost reached the end of his shandy.

  Their drinks arrived and Ruby took a steadying swig. ‘When you say you’re considering embarking on a relationship with Cordelia, what does that mean exactly? You’re thinking about asking her out or …?’

  His brow puckered. ‘Do I have to do that formally?’

  ‘Not in writing, no.’

  He tilted his head. ‘We have been out. We had dinner together Wednesday night.’

  She found she was pouting. ‘How did that come about? Did you ask her? Were other people there?’

  ‘Just the two of us. There were meant to be a couple of others but they came for a drink and then left.’

  Ruby realised she was squinting and stopped. ‘Why was Cordelia there? Was she staying over in London too?’

  ‘No, she lives there.’

  ‘And how did it go?’

  Curtis’s eyes widened a fraction. ‘We ordered food. We ate food. We went to bed.’

  ‘Bed!’ Ruby shrieked the word out far louder than she intended. ‘Bloody hell, Curtis, you move fast. Sex on a first date.’

  His eyebrows jumped. ‘Not in the same bed and certainly not for sex. We went to our respective beds.’

  She wasn’t sure if she was relieved by that for her or disappointed for him. ‘Do you like Cordelia like that?’

  Curtis took an inordinate amount of time to think this through. Ruby waited and sipped her wine, now very aware that she’d eaten nothing and drunk a lot. ‘I have thought a lot about what you said.’

  ‘What I said?’ Ruby couldn’t think of anything she’d said about Cordelia. And was a little discombobulated that Curtis thought much about anything she’d said.

  ‘Yes. You said what you were looking for in a partner was someone you trust, makes you laugh, has the same interests as you, so that you have something in common and the same goals.’

  ‘I said that? I sound like a fortune cookie.’ Drunk Ruby was impressed with fortune cookie Ruby.

  ‘It’s actually very astute.’ She was slightly wounded that he was surprised by that. ‘I considered those points in relation to Cordelia. Do I trust her? Yes. She has given me no reason not to. In fact, she is highly respected both within the company and in her field.’

  Ruby snorted. ‘In her field. Makes her sound like a farm animal.’

  Curtis scowled at her and she went back to her wine. ‘Does she make me laugh? Not as much as you, but laughing is something I rarely do anyway. Do we share the same interests? Yes. IT systems. Do our goals align?’

  ‘Whoa! Back up there, buddy. The thing you have in common is IT? Nowt else?’

  ‘You didn’t specify how much we had to have in common.’

  ‘True.’ Her head was starting to swim. ‘However, usually you want to have a few more things in common like …’ She looked about for inspiration and caught sight of the car park out of the window. ‘Does she like cars? Or is she … autophobic?’ She gestured
with her hand as she thought of the word.

  ‘Autophobic?’

  ‘Fear of … automobiles.’

  ‘Autophobia is a fear of being alone,’ corrected Curtis.

  She screwed up her face. ‘Really?’ He nodded. She went to carry on but was still baffled by the autophobia revelation. ‘Nothing to do with cars?’ He shook his head. ‘Being alone. Seriously?’

  ‘Yes.’

  He really was a mine of information. ‘What I meant was have you got enough to talk about. If she isn’t interested in something you love it rarely works. I’m thinking that IT is very worky and you might want to leave that at the office. And then what would you have in common?’ She waved an arm expansively and almost threw herself off the stool. She gripped the edge of the bar. It was time to get a cab home. ‘I need to leave.’

  ‘Curtis checked his watch. ‘Perhaps we could continue this conversation another time.’

  ‘Sure, any time.’

  ‘I would value your opinion, Ruby.’

  ‘Blimey. I hope I remember that when I’m sober.’ He helped her steady herself and she waved him away. ‘Goodnight, Curtis.’

  ‘Actually. Didn’t you say you wanted to discuss something? Was it the ring?’

  ‘Umm … that’s going to have to wait.’ She tapped her temple. ‘That’s just one of many things I want to talk to you about.’

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Ruby’s head felt like someone had used it for football practice and then a bit of basketball for good measure. She opened her eyes. Everything was a bit fuzzy and the sight of cross-eyed Seymour up close wasn’t helping her focus. He yawned and his fishy breath made her gag. She groaned.

  ‘Good morning,’ said Curtis from the doorway.

  ‘Cwap!’ said Ruby through her mouthguard and it was louder than her aching temples could cope with. She glanced hastily at the other side of the bed. Surely they’d not? She spat out her mouthguard. ‘Curtis, what’s going on? How did I get home?’