‘Are you okay?’ Stevie said a few moments later.
‘Yes. Why?’
‘Could I have my hand back then?’
‘What?’ I looked down. I hadn’t realised I’d taken hold of his hand or that I’d squeezed it until his knuckles turned white.
‘Sorry,’ I whispered, letting go. ‘I hope I haven’t just added a broken hand to your collection of injuries caused by me.’
‘The nose wasn’t your fault and you know it.’ He fixed those warm hazel eyes on mine. ‘I heard about Daniel. I’m not sorry it’s over, but I am for how it ended. What a tosser!’
‘Thanks. I should have taken your advice and dumped him after he hit you, but he seemed so genuinely distraught about it that I stupidly gave him a second chance. It seems he’s a pretty good actor. I should give him a part in one of our school productions.’
‘Who’s a good actor?’
‘Ben!’ I stood up and gave him a hug. ‘It’s been far too long. How’ve you been?’
‘Pretty good. Well, apart from a house full of women’s products and lingerie thanks to this one moving in.’
‘Oi. It’s just grand having me there. You’re getting a new kitchen on my Company thanks to me slumming it with you instead of living the life of Riley in a hotel, so just you be grateful.’ Clare playfully punched him on the arm. ‘Hi Elise. Hi Curtis.’
‘Hi,’ we said together.
‘And you, young man, will you not have a hug for your favourite Irish person?’
‘Of course.’ Stevie stood up and gave her a big hug. I found myself wishing it was me and shook my head. I had to stop obsessing about his super-hugs.
Ben and Clare sat down. Thankfully the question of who was a good actor wasn’t raised again. I didn’t want talk of Daniel to sour what promised to be a great evening.
‘Do you mind if I join you?’ said a familiar voice about fifteen minutes later.
My pulse quickened and then raced when I turned round and saw him all smart and sexy in a suit instead of his usual jeans and T-Shirt combo. ‘Michael. Hi. Of course.’ I quickly did the introductions round the table. ‘Sit down. You’re in luck. There’s one seat left.’ I saw Michael glance across to the far side of the table where the empty seat was. Was that a look of disappointment?
Curtis stood up. ‘You can have mine for a moment, mate. I’m nipping out for a wee smoke.’
‘Curtis! I thought you’d given up.’
‘I had, but I’ve fallen off the wagon. I’ve had enough stick off my staff about it so zip it, Red. I’m on holiday.’
He headed for the door, pulling a packet of cigarettes out of his suit pocket. Michael sat down beside me.
Then something strange happened. Michael asked me a question so I twisted in my seat to answer him. But then Stevie asked me a question so I twisted the other way. Then Michael. Then Stevie. I pushed my chair away from the table so I could get eye contact with them both, but it wasn’t a conversation involving the three of us. Instead, it seemed as though they were competing with each other to get my attention by bombarding me with questions. Surely not.
Curtis returned and hovered nearby, watching. I caught his eye and shrugged apologetically. ‘It’s okay,’ he said. ‘I’ll sit next to Legs. I want to see if she’s up for clubbing again later.’ He walked round the table and sat in the spare seat beside Clare.
By the time the opening of the buffet was announced, I felt quite exhausted from the barrage of questions coming from both men. I excused myself to go to the ladies. On my way back, Curtis grabbed me and steered me towards the queue for the buffet table. ‘Well, well, well,’ he said. ‘Who’s got the boys fighting over her?’
‘What?’
‘Don’t play Little Miss Innocent with me, Red. I’ve been watching them. Dimples and Camera-Boy are falling over each other to get your attention. So who’s going to win?’
I felt colour flood my cheeks and my stomach flipped. Could he be right? Well, Michael and I had nearly kissed and there was definitely some chemistry there. But Stevie? He’d turned me down in Stardust, but he had said that I was attractive and it was only a bad idea because I was drunk and on the rebound. We’d hugged on several occasions since, but he’d never tried to take it further. Mind you, I’d been still on the rebound that time in his kitchen, and I’d been with Daniel that time on the beach so neither occasion would have been appropriate to take further. He knew it had ended with Daniel and he’d not suggested anything. Did he think I was on the rebound again? No! He’d never suggested anything because we were just friends.
I filled my plate, but I scarcely touched it. The seating arrangements had changed with people getting up for the buffet so I was no longer next to Stevie or Michael, but I was next to Curtis and he kept whispering in my ear to let me know that one or the other was either staring at me, giving each other evil looks, or laughing a little too loudly then glancing across to see if I was watching. Allegedly. ‘Stop it, Curtis,’ I hissed. ‘You’re being ridiculous.’ I chased a piece of potato salad around my plate then gave up and pushed the plate aside. I didn’t want two men fighting over me. I didn’t even want one man after me. I wanted to be my own person. Single. Strong. Happy being me.
‘Game time,’ he whispered.
My stomach lurched. ‘No, Curtis, don’t start stirring.’
He coughed loudly to grab everyone’s attention. ‘Seeing as we’re all back from the buffet and food’s nearly finished, who’s up for a little game?’ Everyone looked intrigued. I cringed. ‘I’ll give each person the name of another person on this table. You have to say two things that you think are fabulous about that person then one thing you’d change about them. I know some of us have just met this evening so you’ll have to be creative. I’ll start to give a demo. This is directed at Legs over there.’ He blew a kiss towards Clare.
Clare smiled, placed her elbows on the table, and clasped her hands under her chin. ‘Bring it on!’
‘The first fabulous thing is obvious. You have legs that even I, as a gay man, would love to have wrapped round me.’ Clare beamed and everyone laughed. ‘The second fabulous thing is your hair. If I could do to all my clients whatever your hairdresser does to you, I would be able to retire next year.’ Clare tossed her hair which fell back perfectly into position, proving Curtis’s point.
‘And the thing you’d change?’ she challenged.
‘You’ve got a wee bit of chilli sauce on your cheek.’
Clare gasped and grabbed her napkin. Everyone laughed again.
‘Do you want to play?’ Curtis asked. His offer was met with an enthusiastic response, but my stomach churned again. I smelt trouble. ‘In that case,’ he said, ‘we’ll start with Nick. We need two fabulous things and one thing you’d change about Sarah.’
Nick smiled and took Sarah’s hand. ‘The first fabulous thing is your personality. You’re funny, intelligent, passionate, vibrant… I could go on and on. The second fabulous thing is that you agreed to be my wife and I get to spend the rest of my life with you. I’m the luckiest man on earth.’ A chorus of ‘awwww’ went round the table. ‘As for what I’d change, I was going to say absolutely nothing, but there is one thing. I wish you could see yourself through my eyes because you’d never again worry about your weight or your business being successful if you could see yourself as I see you: absolutely perfect.’ A tear fell down Sarah’s cheek at that point and she hugged Nick. I wiped at my eyes. Wow! I wanted to be alone for now, but if and when I felt ready to try another relationship, I wanted what they had. It reminded me of how things had been between Gary and me in our early days.
‘Ooh, pressure’s on,’ Curtis said. ‘Who on earth can top that? I think we’ll go to Sarah who can tell us all what she thinks of…’ He paused for dramatic effect, ‘… her brother.’
Sarah played the game then Curtis pretended to scan round the table as if
deciding who was next. But I knew it would be one of two people and they’d be talking about me. ‘Next up is… Michael. Telling us about… Elise.’
Michael’s eyes widened and he chewed on his thumbnail. ‘I haven’t known Elise for very long, but two fabulous things about her are…’ He looked down, no doubt thinking, ‘Ground, swallow me up, now.’ Poor Michael.
‘Go on…’ Curtis said.
‘Erm… It would be her gorgeous red hair and her wonderful laugh. And I’d change the first few times we met so that I wasn’t so hostile towards her because she didn’t deserve that.’ He grabbed his pint and gulped it as the group clapped.
Curtis put Clare on the spot next about Nick then, with a sinking feeling in my stomach, I knew where we were going next. ‘Stevie. Your turn to tell us about Elise too.’ Shit, shit, shit! Curtis was such a childish idiot sometimes.
Stevie fixed his eyes on me and smiled. Gosh, I loved those dimples.
‘Everything about Elise is fabulous,’ he said, fixing his eyes on mine. ‘If I had to really narrow it down to two things, the first would be the fact that she tries to see the good in everyone and every situation, even with people who don’t really deserve that consideration. The second thing would be her amazing passion for her job and the huge difference she’s made to others like my neighbour’s kid, Brandon. As for something that I’d change, I wish I could take away the last few months of pain and hurt because someone as fabulous as Elise doesn’t deserve to have gone through what she’s gone through.’
Curtis nudged me under the table. I ignored him, but I did notice the look on Michael’s face. He looked like a man whose lottery numbers had come up on the one day he’d forgotten to buy a ticket.
Waiting staff appeared to clear our plates, which thankfully brought a natural conclusion to the game. ‘Did you see Michael’s face?’ whispered Curtis. ‘I bet I can tell you exactly what was going through his mind: “Shit, why didn’t I say that?” Round One to Stevie I think.’
‘I’m going to the ladies,’ I whispered back. ‘And, when I come back, this stops. This is not a game. Playing with people’s emotions is not a game. I should know. Gary played with mine for years.’
I headed straight for the ladies and into the end cubicle. My legs shook as I lowered myself down onto the cool lid of the toilet and rested my hot forehead against the cold tiles, taking deep breaths. A wave of nausea swept over me. I leapt off the seat and raised the lid just in time. Damn! Why couldn’t I shake this illness? I dabbed my face with toilet paper and flushed. It would appear that Curtis was going to get his wish for an early pass, only it would be to go to bed instead of a pub crawl and clubbing. I felt a bit guilty that he’d travelled all this way, then I reminded myself of his childish behaviour and the guilt dissipated.
‘Elise? Are you in here?’
I opened the cubicle and smiled weakly at Sarah.
‘Oh my God! Are you okay? You look terrible.’
‘Thanks a lot! I spent ages getting ready.’
‘I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just—’
‘I’m joking.’ I washed my hands and glanced up at the mirror. Sarah was right. My eyes were red with huge shadows under them, my face pale and blotchy, and my hair was sticking up. I certainly didn’t do illness with dignity. ‘I’ve been sick again.’
‘No! Did you make a doctor’s appointment?’
I shook my head. ‘I got as far as picking up the forms to register with a new surgery, but I’ve been so busy with back to school that I never got round to it. I will, though, because it’s not improving.’
‘Good. Illness aside, are you okay after… well, after that little game?’
I shrugged. ‘I’m pretty mad at Curtis right now. He’s convinced that Michael and Stevie both fancy me, and I know he contrived that game to put them on the spot and embarrass the hell out of them. It embarrassed me, though. As if they’d both fancy me.’ I turned the hand dryer on.
When the drying cycle finished, Sarah said, ‘I think he may be right.’
‘Really? Why? Have they said something to you?’
‘Not as such. Or at least not something outright, but now that I think back, they’ve both asked after you quite a bit recently. When I was at Bay Trade on Monday, I got the distinct impression from Michael that something might have happened between you and—’
‘We nearly kissed the night I found out about Daniel.’ I leaned back against the sink unit and briefly told her about the night in the car park. ‘What about Stevie? You said he’d been asking after me too?’
‘Just general interest and concern for you, which I didn’t really think anything of until I saw the way he was looking at you tonight which was mirrored by the way Michael was looking at you.’
Damn! How on earth had that happened? I put my hands over my mouth and shook my head. ‘What a mess.’
‘You don’t like either of them?’
I removed my hands and looked at Sarah. ‘That’s the messy part. I think I may like them both, but I don’t want to have jumped from Gary to Daniel to one of them. I want some time alone. I need some time alone.’
A couple of Bay Traders burst through the door, giggling. Sarah exchanged greetings with them before they headed into the cubicles.
‘I think we’d better be getting back,’ I said. ‘Curtis is going to hate me for it, but I just want to go home. Would you mind me leaving early?’
‘Of course not, especially when you’re ill. I really appreciate that you came. You get home and get an early night. You look done in.’
I felt it. ‘Thanks.’
‘And maybe you’ll feel clearer about… the situation… after a good night’s sleep. You know where I am if you want to talk.’
‘Could be a plan. How about The Chocolate Pot at some point tomorrow afternoon, providing I haven’t been sick again? I might need a sounding board to make sense of things.’
‘What about Curtis? Won’t he still be here?’
I shook my head. ‘He’s got something planned for the evening so he’s booked on the one forty to York. Any time after that would be perfect.’
Sarah smiled. ‘I’ve got no plans so I’m happy to help. I may even bring my post-it notes. People laugh, but they’re really helpful.’
I smiled as I reached to open the door. Sarah had made a couple of major life decisions using post-it notes — leaving London to take over Kay’s shop and deciding between Nick and her ex boyfriend Andy — and I have to say that they were two of the best decisions she’d ever made. Perhaps there was a method in her madness. ‘You know what, that might actually be a good idea.’
Chapter 28
Curtis was surprisingly compliant when I told him I wanted to call it a night. I didn’t even have to plead illness; he accepted the suggestion immediately, saying that he had a headache and could do with an early night himself. He also apologised if he’d taken things too far. Curtis never apologised. He’d done some pretty bad things over the years like abandoning me when he’d pulled, spiking my drinks to the point where I lost use of my legs and he had to call Gary to my aid, and making me spend the night in a neighbour’s shed after he’d lost his keys in a club in Glasgow. He’d always laughed and called it ‘an adventure’ rather than actually saying sorry, so this was unchartered territory. I decided to accept his apology with good grace and not have a go at him, especially as I suspected Sarah might have already done that before she found me in the toilets, judging by the dark looks they’d exchanged when we said goodnight. Good for her!
As I finished removing my make-up back at Smuggler’s View, Curtis knocked on the bathroom door. ‘I know I came with luggage this time, but I’ve forgotten my toothbrush, Red. Can I borrow yours? I promise I have no dodgy mouth infections.’
‘I can do one better than that. I’ve got a spare. I’ll leave it out for you.’
I opened th
e under-sink cabinet. Kay had cleared a shelf so I could store all my spare make-up and toiletries. I’m a bit obsessive about having spares of everything, just in case. I knelt down and moved a few shampoo and conditioner bottles to one side as I rummaged around at the back of the cabinet, trying to put my hand on the toothbrush. ‘Come out, come out, wherever you are,’ I muttered. ‘Ah, got you!’ As I closed my hand around the toothbrush, I knocked a bottle of shower gel and a box of tampons out of the cupboard. Tutting, I picked up the gel and put it back, then picked up the tampons… and my stomach lurched. Oh no! Oh crap! My heart thumped so fast, I felt light-headed. I sat down heavily on the floor and slumped against the bathroom wall. Relax, Elise, and think. I’d started my period the day I moved in with Kay. I was near the end of my next cycle when I’d tried on the bridesmaid dress for Sarah’s wedding because I could remember Clare joking about my big black knickers showing through the dress. What date was that? I shook my head. Mid July? And now it was the middle of September. I crushed the tampon box in my hands. Shit!
A gentle knock on the door made me jump. ‘Are you okay in there?’
I tossed the tampons back in the cupboard and jumped up. ‘I’m fine, Curtis. Sorry. Couldn’t locate the toothbrush, but I’ve found it now. I’ll just do my teeth then the bathroom’s all yours.’
As I brushed, I tried to convince myself that a missed period could be caused by stress and I might not be pregnant, but I knew I was. I rinsed my mouth, spat, then looked at my flat stomach in the mirror. I shook my head. Early days yet. I took one more look in the mirror. As Clare would say, ‘Gastric flu my arse!’
* To Sarah
Hope you had a brilliant evening. Sorry again for bailing early. And another apology… can we take a rain-check on Operation Post-it Notes today? I’m feeling a bit rough so think a duvet day’s in order. I’ll call you later in the week. Spend the day with that gorgeous man of yours instead. That’s an order! xx
Getting over Gary (Whitsborough Bay Trilogy Book 2) Page 22
