by Harper Bliss
“Have you moved on?” Ash rested her light-brown eyes on Gloria. There was such kindness in her gaze. Gloria wondered if it was because she was meeting with her at this exact time in her life—a time in which Ash was searching for some peace, where she was trying to make sense of what had made her marriage fail. Maybe that’s what made her such a good listener.
“Not so much in the romantic sense,” Gloria admitted. “But of course I’ve moved on with my life. And I have a good life. I really can’t complain. My daughters are doing really well now. I love my work. I have a bunch of really good friends that I can always count on. It could all be so much worse.”
“I truly admire your resilience,” Ash said. “Your spirit. I can see it in your eyes.” She curled the corner of her mouth into a half-smile. “There’s something in them that just… I don’t know.” Was that a sudden blush on Ash’s cheeks? The low lighting in the restaurant didn’t allow Gloria to fully appreciate it, but she believed that Ash had just made herself blush. Gloria allowed herself an inner smile, because she must have contributed to it, although she didn’t really know how. And Ash had just paid her a compliment as well.
“Maybe it’s the company I’m keeping.” Gloria kept her gaze firmly on Ash. At least, she wanted to, but she had to avert it after a few moments. Things had taken a turn for the intense.
Ash chuckled and Gloria joined her to break the tension between them a touch. Had they just crossed over into flirting? If so, what was Gloria doing flirting with someone like Ash? Sure, she was very attractive and engaging—maybe charismatic was the best word to describe her—but Gloria was not in the habit of flirting with anyone, especially not with another woman. And especially not if that other woman was the daughter of one of her friends. But if Ash, like she had just claimed, thought there was something about Gloria and Gloria equally believed there was something about Ash, then, yes, perhaps this was flirting.
“What time’s your last train?” Ash asked, breaking the spell of the moment.
“Oh, sugar.” Gloria checked her watch. “It’s in half an hour.” She had completely lost track of time. “I’d best get going if I don’t want to miss it.” For a brief instant, she wondered if she’d prefer to miss her train. But then what? A prolonged night on the town with Ash? Maybe if she’d been fifteen years younger.
“We’ll get a black cab to the station.” Ash was already asking for the bill. She was efficient like that. “I’ll drop you off.”
Chapter Nine
“What’s your favourite Celine song?” Ash asked when they were in the back of the cab. She believed she’d had a good handle on the night. She’d taken Gloria to the right places. She’d abstained from drinking any alcohol. They’d had a good conversation. But fifteen minutes before they’d left the restaurant, Ash had felt like she’d lost her grip on things altogether. This was the only question she could come up with on the way to the train station.
“‘It’s All Coming Back to Me Now’,” Gloria said without thinking. “Best song ever made, in my humble opinion, which, when it comes down to it, no one ever respects.” She slung one leg over the other and, in shifting, skated her arm against Ash’s. “You didn’t have to drop me at the station. I’m a big girl, in case you hadn’t noticed. But I’m grateful, nonetheless.”
“Maybe I didn’t want the evening to end.” Ash looked out of the window, in which she could see Gloria’s reflection. She couldn’t really make out the expression on her face, but she did notice her smile. Ash quite liked the sensation of saying exactly what she meant in this context. It was thrilling to speak the absolute truth—because Ash truly didn’t want this evening to end—and get a kick out of it, instead of entering into another endless argument.
“I’ve had a lovely time too.” Ash felt Gloria’s arm against her own again.
What Ash really wanted to ask was whether they could do it again some time, but there was something final about being in this taxi on their way to the station. As though the train that Gloria was about to board would carry her right out of Ash’s life. Maybe the only reason Ash had said the thing about Gloria’s eyes—had effectively resorted to blatant flirting—was because of this anticipated finality. Gloria could never be a proper love interest to her. It just wasn’t a viable option for many reasons. Which left the door wide open for some harmless but immensely fun flirting.
Ash turned to Gloria. Her smile was broad, but there was a touch of sadness to it. “Let me know when you’re in London next.”
“Why? So you can give me another rubbish suggestion on what to do?” Gloria’s smile transformed into a cheeky grin.
“Maybe I should only give you tips on what not to do.”
“Okay. In that case, I’ll let you know.” Gloria patted Ash’s knee briefly. “Thanks for tonight. Next time will be on me. I’ll take you somewhere you can have a proper drink.”
Next time? Ash shook off the thought. The cab pulled up to the kerb.
“This is me.” Gloria leaned over, kissed Ash lightly on the cheek, gave her knee another quick squeeze, and exited the cab. Just like that, she was gone.
Ash gave her home address to the cabbie. As he pulled back into traffic, she tried to catch another glimpse of Gloria, but she had disappeared into the station.
“Beautiful lady.” The cabbie had suddenly turned chatty. “Good date?” he asked.
Ash was taken aback by his question. It was quite forward of the man to assume they had been on a date. They hadn’t. Objectively speaking, it had all the trappings of a date, but that didn’t make it one.
“It wasn’t a date,” she said.
“My daughter came out to us last year,” the cabbie said. He found Ash’s gaze in the rear-view mirror.
“How wonderful.” She looked away.
“My wife and I told her we love her just the same.”
This was turning into one weird taxi ride. But at least it took Ash’s mind off Gloria.
When Ash didn’t immediately respond, the driver said, “I’ve been doing this job a long time and it kind of looked like a date to me.”
Ash wasn’t sure how to reply to that, so she propped her chin on her hand and stared out of the window, hoping the cabbie would take the hint and leave her in peace for the rest of the ride.
Ash had barely unlocked the door to her flat, when Gloria texted her.
Thank you for tonight. Gloria xo
By the time she’d hung up her coat, there was another text message with a link to a YouTube video. Ash clicked the link and landed on a live performance of Celine Dion singing “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now”. She couldn’t help but smile.
She sat to watch the video, but then received another message.
Your eyes aren’t half bad either.
Ash sniggered. What was this? Had the evening with Ash made Gloria so gleeful that she was texting on the train like a giddy teenager? Ash would happily play along. After all, the evening wasn’t over yet. Tomorrow, when she woke up, in the cold hard light of the morning, she would put a stop to whatever this was. She texted back.
Shh! I’m listening to Celine.
While listening to the song, which was all bombast and long held notes and not that much to Ash’s taste—but she kind of liked it anyway—she anticipated a reply from Gloria. None came. She didn’t have the patience to listen to the entire song—it went on forever. Instead, she texted:
After you got out, the cabbie asked if I’d had a good date.
Ash got up and poured herself a glass of cold wine. Gloria’s reply came quickly.
Did you say yes?
Ash burst into a giggle.
Should I have?
Were they still flirting now? Gloria surely wasn’t holding back. They had the advantage of distance. It was easier to say these things with the subtraction of body language and the occasional lingering glance. Ash waited for Gloria’s reply with bated breath.
Do you like the Celine song?
Disappointment coursed through he
r. But one of them had to be the wiser one. Maybe it was only befitting that it was Gloria, seeing as she was older than Ash.
I already can’t get it out of my head. Thanks for that.
Ash waited for Gloria to reply, but she didn’t. It was late. She had a busy day tomorrow—a day that would allow her to forget all about tonight. Ash went to bed, but she took her phone with her nevertheless. All the self-help books she’d read post-divorce had one rule in common: keep your phone out of your bedroom.
She bet the authors weren’t newly single. Sometimes, when she woke up in the middle of the night, Ash indulged herself and scrolled through Tinder to see if any of the women on there could pique her interest. But she wasn’t ready for any of that. Sometimes, her heart would leap all the way into her throat when she thought she recognised a picture of Charlotte. But Charlotte wasn’t the type for dating apps. Or maybe she was now. Ash didn’t know. And she wouldn’t be asking her any time soon.
Just as she was about to turn off her phone, it buzzed with an incoming message.
Made it home safely. Sleep tight. xo
Gloria wasn’t stingy with the virtual kisses and hugs. The text left Ash so elated she feared she might not be able to sleep. But she turned off her phone regardless of sleep coming quickly or not. It was time to nip this in the bud before it turned into something she might find hard to control.
Chapter Ten
Gloria always slept with her phone on her bedside cabinet. That’s how it was when you had children, even if they’d left the house. She woke early on Thursday morning, even though she was working the afternoon shift.
She reached for her phone and scrolled through the messages she’d exchanged with Ash last night. Now that she’d slept on it, it was quite clear that they had well and truly flirted. There were no two ways about it. They had flirted in the restaurant, continued furtively in the taxi, and not-so furtively in their texts to each other. Gloria was holding the evidence in her hand. If any of her friends showed her a text message thread like that, she would be the first to confirm that some heavy-duty flirting had happened.
Now that she was able to acknowledge this, Gloria asked herself what it meant. And how innocent it was. Despite their differences in about every area of their lives, they had one big thing in common. They’d both lost someone they’d loved. But whether having something like that in common would ever be enough to bridge their differences wasn’t even a question Gloria could ask herself.
Because, as far as she knew, she was straight. But if she was, why had she flirted with Ash? And why was she looking at her phone as though willing a brand new message from Ash to appear on its screen?
She told herself to get a grip, got out of bed, and took a long, hot shower. When she emerged into the kitchen, she couldn’t help herself. She played the clip she’d sent to Ash via text last night.
She sang along to Celine Dion as she prepared breakfast and, again, her thoughts were pulled into Ash’s direction. Did she really never have breakfast? Gloria tried to wrap her head around that. No breakfast and no lunch? Gloria waited for a slice of toast to pop up as the kettle boiled.
Something in the music brought her thoughts back to what Ash had said about her eyes. Gloria wasn’t easily flustered, and she’d been able to hide it last night, but she was definitely having a delayed reaction this morning. Or maybe it was a hot flush. She opened a button on her blouse and pulled it away from her skin. Maybe it was the menopause that had made her reciprocate Ash’s flirting. She shook her head. Gloria didn’t believe in the notion that a change in hormones could have that kind of power over her. If she’d flirted back—and she had—it had been with use of her full faculties. And it wasn’t as if she could blame the drink either. Nor could Ash for that matter. Even though she never asked anyone to refrain from drinking in her presence, it had been very thoughtful of Ash to take her to two alcohol-free establishments. She seemed like a very considerate person in general. Easy on the eye as well. All the Coopers were olive-skinned, and the light colour of her hair made Ash’s tan stand out even more.
Gloria truly believed that a woman like Ash was a catch, once she felt ready to be caught in the claws of romance again. She couldn’t help but wonder what had truly happened in her marriage. Ash seemed to be shouldering most of the blame.
Her toast popped and she spread some salty butter on it. She should really stop thinking about Ash now. There was shopping to be done and a lawn to be mowed. She had patients to visit all afternoon, which was good. Keeping busy would keep her mind off things. Or maybe what Gloria needed was a strong incentive to stop flirting and allowing images of Ash to flood her brain. She should pop round Mary and Alan’s. That should snap her right out of it. She made a mental note to do so as soon as possible—maybe later, on her way home from the supermarket.
Then her phone buzzed and her good intentions flew out the window. But the message wasn’t from Ash. It was Sindhu, asking about her time in London. Maybe, instead of going to see Ash’s parents, as some kind of aversion therapy, she should stop at Sindhu’s. Her friend was as straightforward as they came. She would set her straight. But what would Gloria even say to her? I flirted with Mary’s daughter. We had a wonderful time. There was a moment in the taxi, just before I got out, that I thought I might kiss her.
She munched on the last of her toast. Gloria wasn’t going to say any of that to anyone. She would keep that very private—and momentary—inclination fully to herself for the rest of her life.
Gloria texted Sindhu back. She still had her phone in her hands and, as if on auto pilot, she scrolled to Ash’s messages again. Should she text something? Ash hadn’t replied to her last message. And why would she? More often than not, Gloria’s own daughters didn’t reply to her messages. Ash was an adult with a busy job and life—or so Gloria presumed. Why would she waste her time replying to Gloria now that their evening had ended? It had just been some harmless flirting. Best to leave it at that.
Chapter Eleven
“Are you humming Celine?” Lewis asked.
Ash hadn’t been aware she’d been humming that particular tune, but damn, was it hard to get out of her head or what? No wonder it wormed its way out of her mouth at inopportune times like this, when Lewis was around to grill her about it.
“Got some romance planned for tonight by any chance?” He tapped a finger against his two o’clock shadow.
“Nope. You?”
“Yep. Jonathan’s back from ten days in Asia.” He waggled his eyebrows. “So you know what I’ll be doing this weekend.”
“No brunch invitation for your best friend then?” Ash sounded more disappointed than she actually was. She’d been toying with an idea of what to do over the weekend.
“I made things out to be much raunchier than they actually are, darling. Jonathan’s parents are coming down for the day on Sunday. Of course, you’re welcome to join us. In fact, as your best friend, I might even insist you do.”
“No way. I’m out. You’re on your own with your in-laws.” Ash had let Lewis lure her into spending time with Jonathan’s family one too many times.
“Thanks for that. I’ll remember it come bonus time.” He winked at her good-naturedly. “Any other wild plans for the weekend apart from avoiding my in-laws?”
“I thought I’d go home. Spend some time with the family.” Ash sipped from the espresso she had just made. Its intensity made her wince.
Lewis arched up an eyebrow. “Weren’t you just home last weekend for Mary’s big do?”
Ash nodded. “Mum’s retired now. Maybe I feel it’s my daughterly duty to spend more time with her.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.” It wasn’t exactly true. Ash didn’t mind spending more time with her family and she knew they’d welcome her with open arms, no matter how impromptu her visit. Her dad would take her to the pub and her mum would ask her to join her on her daily walk, and it would all be very low-key and undramatic and just simply nice. But that wasn’t the re
al reason Ash was contemplating a visit to Murraywood.
Lewis squinted at her. He had a nose for things like this. He was the first person to ever dare ask Ash about the state of her marriage—long before Ash even realised how badly things were going with Charlotte.
“That party last weekend… did you run into an old flame or something? The first girl you ever loved? Nostalgia can be so overwhelming. Especially in the throes of heartbreak.” He had broken out his compassionate newsreader voice.
Ash giggled like a teenage girl, then shook her head. “First of all, I’m really no longer in the throes of heartbreak. I’m fine. But, no, nothing like that. It was just a bunch of family at Mum’s party.”
“Not at the party itself then. But you were there all weekend. Plenty of opportunity to run into someone you used to lust after. That’s what that song you were humming is all about, you know.”
“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” Ash said. “But I have no juicy gossip for you today. I’ve provided you with plenty of divorce drama over the past year, though.”
“True.” He took a step closer to her. “Still, this gay can tell, darling. You seem to be treading a little lighter in those comfortable shoes of yours this week.”
“Maybe it’s just time passing. Another week since the divorce. As you once said, I can’t mope about it forever.”
“Just promise me I’ll be the first to hear about it when there is something to say.”
“Who else would I tell first?”
“Baby, baby,” Lewis sang. “When you whisper like that…” He let his off-key singing devolve into laughter and exited the kitchen.
