‘I’m afraid not, it’s a one-off,’ she says, smiling.
He looks more thoughtful. ‘Will you be getting any more in?’
‘Not like this one, it’s an original.’
‘Mm, I don’t know. I’d prefer to get her something new. Do you know of anywhere that might have them, like this, but new?’
‘Not unless you have a time machine to take you back to the nineteen fifties, sir.’
The comment goes completely over his head. ‘Okay, I think I’ll leave it for now.’
Muriel smiles again and takes the bag off him, raising her eyebrows skywards at me as he leaves the shop.
‘The fun has started early today, Muriel? I think you deserve a nice cup of tea after that.’ I go off to the back of the shop to put the kettle on and she follows me replacing the handbag on display on the way.
She appears by my side in the back room. ‘So, how was the date?’
I give her a little smile. ‘Oh, it was good thanks. We had a nice meal and plenty of wine.’
She looks at me expectantly. ‘And?’
‘And we’re getting back together.’ I start messing with the cups so as not to face her. ‘Just taking it easy though.’
Her eyebrows furrow up together like two caterpillars and she puts her hand on my arm to stop me from getting the tea bags out of the cupboard. ‘Are you sure that’s what you want?’
‘I don’t know, I think so, Muriel.’ I look at her helplessly. ‘How can I be certain?’
‘What does your heart have to say about it?’
‘Oh I don’t know, I think my heart is on strike, it’s not telling me anything.’
‘Well that statement speaks volumes, Lola. Just be careful, I don’t want you being taken advantage of. You’re too nice and people see that in you and take it as a green light to get away with murder.’ She looks thoughtful and then adds, ‘James especially.’
‘But he seemed so different, Muriel, like he really was trying.’
‘Just don’t go falling hook, line and sinker. Make sure he deserves you first.’
‘I will.’ I give her a big hug. ‘I don’t know what I’d do without you, Muriel.’
She returns my hug briefly then pushes me away again. ‘Just make sure you listen to my advice in this case, I don’t want to see you hurt again.’
As she disappears back in the shop I pour the water into the cups and watch it bounce off the puffed up tea bags, wondering whether I am making a fool of myself getting back together with James. Shouldn’t I have learnt my lesson the first time? I have told myself I am over him so many times, but I’m not sure whether it’s a mantra I am so used to saying in order to dull the hurt I felt when we broke up. Like wearing shoes that give you blisters, but you still wear them anyway and ignore the pain. I am still no closer to knowing what my heart wants, yet in the back of my mind something is nagging away at me, although I can’t quite put my finger on it. I have been turning this over and over in my mind for days now. I thought once we had been on the first date I would know what I wanted to do. As it is, it all feels a bit rehearsed, like I’m going through the motions. I shake my head and try to dismiss all thoughts of James and get myself into work mode instead. No good can ever come of over analysis.
From that point in the day, everything in the shop goes chaotic. We serve a long stream of customers and business is brisk. Coming up to closing time it calms down again so I let Muriel go early, to rest her aching feet and I serve the last few customers and then lock up the shop for the day. I feel quite pleased that business has been picking up, but to be fair that always makes me happy, although physically I feel exhausted. Chrissie had tried to get me to go out with her and Cal this evening, but I cried off as I just want to spend some time on my own and recharge my batteries. All I want to do now is lie in a massive bubble bath then watch a trashy movie in bed and hopefully drift off into a deep sleep.
When I pull up on the drive at home there is a strange car parked in my space, so I have to squeeze in behind it. God only knows where it has come from. I feel slightly irritated about it though, and lock up my car and let myself into the house, dropping my bags on the floor and my keys onto the table. My feet are killing me so I kick off my shoes and step onto the cold floor tiles, my feet sighing with relief.
A movement to my left side catches my eye and I nearly fly out of my skin as a Staffordshire bull terrier comes bounding out of the sitting room and crashes into my legs, knocking me flying against the wall. I scream and grab hold of the table to stop me hitting the floor.
‘What the hell...’ I shout, as the dog leaps up me with its big tongue lolling out of its mouth and its tail wagging furiously at the other end.
‘Harley, come back here.’ Robert, my new lodger, appears in the doorway, filling it with his presence. He bounds over, nearly as fast as his dog. ‘I’m so sorry. I thought the door was closed.’
He grabs his dog and I detach myself from the wall, trying to compose myself. ‘I thought you were moving in alone, why is there a dog here?’
He bends down and scratches the dog’s belly, which is now lying on its back with its paws in the air, laughing like only a dog can do. ‘Yeah, sorry about that, I was hoping a friend would look after him for a few weeks, but they haven’t got back to me yet.’ He looks up at me from his dog tickling. ‘You’re not scared of dogs are you?’
‘Only when they knock me flying in my own hallway,’ I say, running a hand through my hair in an attempt to look unflustered.
He is still concentrating on tickling the dog’s tummy. ‘He won’t hurt you, he was just excited to see you. I’ll make sure he’s gone by tomorrow.’
I look down at Robert’s dark tousled hair and notice he still hasn’t had it trimmed. He’s absorbed with tickling Harley, who clearly loves it and I feel myself start to cave in and soften quite a bit. ‘Okay, he can stay, but he’d better be a bloody good guard dog.’
Robert stands up to his full height and I feel miniature next to him. I spot a pile of cardboard boxes sitting on the floor in the corner of the hallway behind him. ‘I’m guessing you have moved in?’ I raise my eyebrows in enquiry.
‘Oh yeah, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to move this morning, I did call you a couple of times to let you know, but you never answered so I left you a message.’
‘I never got any calls or messages,’ I say, digging around in my bottomless handbag for my phone. I can hear ringing coming from the kitchen and I look up at Robert who is holding his own phone in his hand. He presses the end call button and the ringing in the kitchen stops also. He grins to himself which irritates me just a little. ‘Okay, so I forgot my phone this morning.’
‘So I see,’ he says, his eyes crinkle up at the sides with amusement.
We look at each other, and the moments tick away awkwardly. I haven’t been a landlady before so I’m not sure what the protocol is, but I can’t stand there staring at him all day, I need to break the deadlock. ‘Well, I’ve had a really busy day so I’m going to run a bath. I’ll leave you to get on with it shall I?’
‘No problem, come in and have a look at the rooms later, see what I’ve done to the place.’
‘Thanks, I’ll catch you later then,’ I say, as I walk up the stairs. I get to my bedroom and shut the door firmly behind me. I knew I’d have to make a few adjustments having a stranger living in my house but all I feel at the moment is irritation. He’s taken up residence in my parking space, moved his dog in and caught me out with inept mobile phone ownership. I’ve read so many books where the heroine falls in love with her lodger and then they live happily ever after, but at the moment I just feel narked. Like I want to slap him. And that definitely isn’t a good start.
After lying in the bath for well over an hour, I drag myself from the cooling water and wrap a towel around me. My stomach is now rumbling so loud I decide I had better go and find it some food. After towelling off I wrap myself in my biggest bathrobe, ensuring I’m well covered, and make
my way downstairs. I have a quick look around to see if Robert or his maniac dog are still lurking at the bottom of the stairs, but there is no sign of either and his door is closed. I can hear the tv coming from his room so I sneak down the hallway to the kitchen to see what I can find for a snack. The fridge is considerably fuller than when I left this morning so it looks as if Robert has bought his own provisions.
I get myself a big lump of cheese, some grapes and crackers and a glass of wine to wash it all down with. I arrange them on a tray ready to take back to my room with me, and then notice my mobile is still on the table from this morning, so I pick it up and find several missed calls and texts, a couple of them are from Robert I notice wryly. I smile to myself as I read a message from James asking me if I fancy going to Bridgnorth for a picnic on Sunday, so I quickly reply yes, I’d love to and then slip my phone into the pocket of my robe so I don’t forget it again.
I am just sneaking back up the hallway when Robert’s door springs open and his head pops out. ‘Hey, Lola, come in and have a look around.’
I can’t really say no, so I put the tray on the hall table and follow him into his room. I stand near the doorway and glance around. It feels a little bit weird being in my own house and feeling like an intruder, I’m not sure whether I should cross over the threshold or not but Robert beckons me further into the room. There is a big brown suede couch to one side of the room with a walnut coffee table positioned in front of it. On the table a few motorcycle magazines, which doesn’t surprise me, and by their side are a pile of papers with a laptop on top. As I walk further into the room my feet sink into a deep pile cream coloured rug, which takes up most of the floor space. Arty photographs of beach scenes lean on top of the mantelpiece. To the right of the fireplace he has positioned a huge widescreen tv on a glass stand.
‘What do you think?’ he asks, his face clearly eager for my opinion.
This room had been saved as the best parlour when my Gran and Granddad had been alive and only used on special occasions. It had been filled with mahogany furniture and antimacassars, and always had a feint smell of beeswax. Now, there is a whiff of expensive spicy cologne in the air. I sniff and nod my approval. ‘I think it looks great, better than my sitting room in fact.’
‘Thanks, come and have a look through here,’ he says, his long legs striding off towards his bedroom and I follow him into the room where a huge king sized bed takes up the centre of the room. I wander over to it and instinctively sit down and test it for bounce. A small smile tugs at the side of his mouth, and I spring up again feeling a deep blush creep up my neck and into my cheeks.
He is kind enough not to comment and motions around him. ‘Do you approve?’
‘I think it’s lovely, you’ve obviously got a flair for interior design.’ I can’t fault his choice of furniture or the layout. It was contemporary, with a chilled twist.
He rubs at the bristles on his chin. ‘Oh, it’s just a few things I had from my old place.’
My curiosity was piqued. ‘Where was your old place?’
‘I’ve lived in Edinburgh for the last ten years but we’ve closed down the office and I have located back to the Midlands, so I put my flat up for sale and here I am. Most of my stuff is still in storage.’
‘So you’re looking for a new place?’ I knew I was digging, but I wasn’t certain how long he would be staying without coming straight out with it.
‘Yes, but not found anything that ticks all of the boxes yet,’ he says, wandering over to the coffee table and picking up the remote to turn the sound off the television.
Harley, who had been quiet all this time got out of his bed and came trotting over to me and rubs his cold wet nose on my leg. Robert bends down and gently pulls him away, probably still believing I’m scared of dogs. ‘Thanks for being so good about Harley, I really didn’t mean for him to be here when you got back.’
‘Well, he seems a bit quieter than earlier.’ I bend down to stroke his ear and he wags his tail like a little propeller. ‘Is he going to be okay on his own when you are out at work all day?’
‘I work from home so he’ll have company,’ he says, realisation crossing his face. ‘That’s okay isn’t it, me being here all day?’
‘Yes, of course, although with Ned and co still working on renovations you might not get much peace.’ I take in his blank expression. ‘Sorry, they’re my builders.’
‘I don’t mind, I can tune out. Maybe I can help you out a bit here and there?’
‘I don’t want to put you to any trouble,’ I say, he does look genuinely eager to please but I can’t really put him to work when he’s only been here for half a day.
‘It’s no trouble, really and I’m no stranger to a bit of hard work.’ My eyes flick down to his biceps for confirmation, he’d certainly being doing something to pump them up.
‘Okay, well thanks. I’ll leave you to settle in.’ I leave the room quickly, and back upstairs with my snack before I get carried away checking him out again.
Chapter Eight
Sunday morning I get up around nine and creep quietly down the stairs. I listen briefly by Robert’s door but there’s no sound coming from within. I hadn’t seen him or his mad dog at all yesterday, his car had been gone when I got home, but I’d heard him come in some time after midnight. And with him out of the way yesterday I had been able to nab my parking space back so that was a bonus, I thought to myself. It had been a bit weird having him here initially, but I hoped it would all settle down now, with us both having our routines. Chances were we wouldn’t bump into each other that much.
Once in the kitchen I can hear the sound of the shower running in the downstairs bathroom. I put some bread into the toaster and pour myself some orange juice and then sit down at the table to eat breakfast.
As I am about to bite into the toast the bathroom door opens and my head shoots up. Robert walks out wearing nothing but a towel and water droplets, which glisten on his firm body in the early morning light. My eyebrows shoot up and my jaw drops down. He clearly hasn’t seen me sitting at the table and walks straight back into his room closing the door behind him. I am still poised with my mouth open after he has disappeared and I feel myself getting a little hot under the collar.
I sink my teeth into the toast to try and get my mind off the vision I have just seen. It isn’t going to do me any good having a hot man parading through the kitchen half naked first thing of a morning.
I can hear him moving about and talking softly in his room as I finish up my breakfast. It sounds as if he might be talking to Harley and smile to myself. Then his voice gets a little louder. I stop and prick up my ears to hear him better. He is getting a little irate so perhaps he is talking to someone on his phone; I can’t imagine him getting annoyed with his dog. Whoever he is talking to has certainly got an ear full, as I hear him say good bye and hang up angrily. Oh God, perhaps it was his girlfriend. I had never considered that. I don’t know why but I feel a little bit put out. I hear him start moving around again and quickly make myself look busy in case he comes into the kitchen.
I put my plate in the dishwasher and go to fill up the kettle for tea. The kettle isn’t in its usual place so I turn around confused wondering where it could have gone when I spot it on the worktop on the other side of the room. I stomp over to fetch it, muttering under my breath. He’s only been here five minutes and already he is re-organising my kitchen for me. No wonder he’s having arguments with his girlfriend if he bosses everyone around like that and just takes over. I fill up the kettle and put it back where it’s supposed to be. I lift the plug to the socket and find a hole where the socket should be. I stand there nonplussed for a few seconds trying to work this out in my early morning head. Then it clicks into place. Bloody Ned. Now I feel like a total arse and take the kettle back over to the other side of the room, silently apologising to Robert for slating him in my head for moving my kitchen appliances. I really need to have a chat with Ned and get some ground rules in place. Lik
e, not removing plug sockets without warning me about them first.
James is picking me up at twelve so I go upstairs and have a lovely shower that lasts way too long as I can’t drag myself from the hot steamy water. When I eventually come out of the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, I hear the front door slam shut and I go over to the window to have a look. Robert is getting into his car with Harley. It is hard to tell whether he’s still pissed off from his phone conversation. I pull away from the window as he reverses off the driveway, to ensure he doesn’t spot me spying on him.
I have a quick scan though my wardrobe, which I must admit, would cover almost every eventuality and even some eventualities that I haven’t even considered. I pick out a black shirt dress with a really pretty blue swallow pattern on it. On my feet I put black patent sandals with a raffia wedge, not too tall and not too short. Perfect. I put on a slick of eyeliner and mascara, tousle my hair to perfection and spritz on a light perfume and I’m ready to go. As I grab my jacket I hear the front door knock downstairs. I fly down the stairs and open the door.
‘Hi, beautiful.’ James presses his lips on mine and greets me with a very long and passionate kiss, which if I’d had socks on would have knocked them right off again. He holds me tightly to his chest and strokes my hair. ‘It seems like ages since I last saw you. Maybe we should ditch the picnic and just go upstairs?’
I look at him surprised. ‘I thought we weren’t rushing things, James?’
‘I know but I just want to hold you tight, and you’re making me so hot.’ He breathes heavily into my ear and runs his hands down my body squeezing my buttocks and pulling me into him.
I tap him playfully on the arm, and push him away gently, making a joke out of it. ‘Come on, it’s a beautiful day and it’s a shame to waste it. Let’s get going before you get carried away.’
I definitely don’t want him to get carried away. I’m not at that point yet, but I have a feeling he will try and push me faster than I want to go. I want to get to know him again properly and I’m still sorting out my feelings for him. Having spent the last year pushing him firmly out of my mind and now he’s back in it again, I need time to process this change of circumstances.
Lola's House (Lola Series) Page 6
