Rumor Has It

by Jill Mansell

  Back downstairs, Tilly switched the gas rings back on and resumed cooking without looking at either Max or Jack. For several seconds there was silence in the kitchen.

  Then, behind her, she heard, 'Woof.'

  'Yip-yip.'

  'Woof, woof-woof.'

  'All right.' Tilly turned to face them. 'It was Kaye on the phone. I was just trying to make her feel better.'

  'Does it for me, every time,' said Jack. 'Phew. Being barked at. Nothing beats that.'

  'Woof,' said Max.

  'Or there's growling.' Jack nodded thoughtfully. 'Maybe a growl beats a bark. I can't decide.'

  Max beckoned with both hands. 'Come on, Tilly, give us a growl. We'll see which one we like best.'

  'You know how much you hate mustard?' Tilly leveled the spatula at him. 'I could always put mustard in every meal I cook. And pepper in every pudding.'

  'Can't mess with this girl.' Grinning, Max searched amongst a pile of papers on the dresser before pulling out a folder. He passed it over to Jack. 'Here's the plan for the Avening conversion. See what you think.'

  'Great.' Jack moved towards the door, jangling his keys. 'Coming down to the Fox later?'

  Max grimaced. 'What, and spend the evening having to stand there like a spare part while every woman in the place chats you up?'

  'They don't.'

  'They do. Even the geriatrics. And let me tell you, that's not a pretty sight.'

  'It's Declan's fiftieth. He asked if you'd be there. Bring Tilly along,' Jack suggested as Lou bounded into the kitchen. 'It'll be a good night.'

  'I can't go,' said Tilly. 'Who'd be here to look after Lou?'

  'Look after me when?' Lou looked puzzled.

  'This evening.'

  'Excuse me! I'm thirteen, not three. I don't need a babysitter.'

  'Fancy it?' Max turned to Tilly. 'Declan's the landlord of the Lazy Fox on the High Street.'

  Proudly Tilly said, 'I've been there. With Erin. Declan was really nice.'

  'Must've been having an off day.' Jack headed for the door. 'Right, maybe see you later.'

  'Maybe.' Tilly returned her attention to the mushrooms and did her best to sound casual. After all, she might decide to stay in and watch TV instead.

  Chapter 14

  'IT'S YOU!' RECOGNIZING TILLY, Declan said, 'The one who made fun of our headlines.'

  The Fox was busy, crammed with friends and customers helping their favorite grumpy landlord to celebrate his birthday. Silver helium balloons bobbed against the ceiling and the staff behind the bar were all wearing black and white T-shirts with 'Declan—86 today!' em blazoned across their chests.

  'You said I'd like it here,' said Tilly.

  'And now she's taken you up on it,' said Max.

  'Ha, so you're the one Max has got working for him.'

  'All thanks to you. I wouldn't have seen the ad if you hadn't given me that newspaper.'

  Declan patted her on the back. 'You'll be fine. We're not so bad. Erin coming along tonight?'

  'No, she's not feeling too well.' Tilly had sent a text earlier to ask if she wanted to join them but Erin had texted back saying she had a headache and that she'd see her another time.

  'That's a shame. Anyway, let's get you two a drink.' Declan ushered them over to the bar.

  Max was greeting friends, gazing around. 'Jack not here yet?'

  'Jack?' Declan sounded surprised. 'He's around somewhere.'

  At that moment the crowd shifted and they glimpsed him, surrounded by a gaggle of girls in their twenties. Max, cupping his hands around his mouth, called out, 'Hey, Lucas, never mind them. I'm here now.'

  Excusing himself, Jack came over. He grinned at Tilly. 'You made it then.'

  As if there'd ever been any possibility she wouldn't. Tilly shrugged. 'Just for an hour or two.'

  'And by the look of things we got here just in time.' Max nodded at the gaggle of girls who were still watching them. 'Once that lot get their claws into you, there's no escape.'

  'Liverpudlian poof to the rescue.' Dryly, Jack said, 'You have your uses.'

  Then the door to the pub swung open and Tilly saw Jack register the arrival of someone whose presence didn't fill him with joy. A split second later he raised a hand in greeting, flashed a friendly-but distant smile, and mouthed, 'Hi'.

  Turning, Tilly saw a thin blonde who ignored the 'but-distant' part of the message and, like a heat-seeking missile, determinedly battled her way through the crowds towards them. Except she was being a Jack-seeking missile. With a start Tilly realized she was drag ging a friend along in her wake, and that the friend was Erin's chap's ex-wife, the confident one from the upmarket interiors shop—what was her name?

  'Amy.' Jack greeted the blonde with a nod. 'Stella.'

  Stella, that was it.

  'Hi, Jack, how are you? I had such a fantastic time the other night.' Amy gazed up at him, adoration shining from her eyes. 'Wasn't it great?'

  What might have become an awkward pause was averted by Stella clutching Max's arm and blurting out, 'Never mind that. Oh Max, wait till you hear what's happened. You will not believe this.'

  Uh oh. And she wasn't saying it in a good, I've-won-the-lottery kind of way.

  'You.' Recognizing Tilly as Max's assistant, Stella said, 'Remember I told you about my husband? Well, I found out why he left me.' Addressing everyone now, she declared, 'Because he was having an affair! I knew it all along—why else would he move out? And get this, it's not even with someone amazing. Compared with me, she's eugh, not even close. And that just drives me insane because how dare she? I mean, how sly is that? And it's my husband she stole!'

  Tilly opened her mouth to protest but Amy was already trilling, 'And you'll never guess who it is!'

  'Edwina Currie?' said Max. 'Jo Brand? Peg-leg Aggie from the corner shop?'

  Hang on.

  'Actually, that's not fair,' Tilly blurted out. 'It wasn't a question of stealing him. Nothing happened until well after he left you.'

  Every head instantly swiveled in her direction. Jack's expression was unreadable. Max exclaimed, 'Fuck me! You're having an affair with Fergus? Is that why you were so desperate to move down here?'

  Stella's immaculately lipglossed mouth fell open. 'Not you as well! My God, how many women has my husband been shagging behind my back?'

  OK, getting out of control now.

  'Not me.' Vigorously, Tilly shook her head. 'I didn't mean me. I've never even met your husband.' Breaking into a cold sweat, she realized she might have just blown Erin's cover; what if Fergus had been multi-tasking, running more than one relationship? 'Sorry, I don't know why I said that. Oh, thanks.' She took the glass of wine Declan was offering her and gratefully dived into it.

  'Come on then,' said Max. 'Who's he seeing?'

  'OK, put it this way,' Stella announced. 'You know the dress exchange at the bottom of this street? Erin's Beautiful Clothes? Well, from now on, I'm going to be calling it Erin's Enormous Nose. Because I asked her if she thought my husband was seeing someone and she lied to me. It's her! She's the one! I've been going into her shop and she's been pretending to sympathize with me, and all this time that witch is the reason I was distraught in the first place!'

  Tilly swallowed. On the bright side, Fergus hadn't been playing the field. Aware that Max had made the connection, she said, 'Look, Erin's my friend. I didn't know about all this when I met you the other day, but she's told me since. And I promise you, she isn't like that. She'd never steal another woman's husband.'

  'You're her friend?' Stella raised an eyebrow. 'Good luck there then. Keep her well away from any boyfriend you might want to hang on to.'

  Hyper-aware of Jack standing next to her, Tilly said again, 'She's really not that kind of person. And she told me herself, she only started seeing Fergus a few weeks ago.'

  Stella half laughed. 'Well, of course she did. She's always going to say that, isn't she?'

  'Because it's true!'

  'But it's not true, is it, because why e
lse would he leave me?' Clearly finding an alternative scenario impossible to comprehend, Stella stroked the cream fur collar of her coat and flipped back her glossy, straightened, high-maintenance hair.

  'Anyway, let's change the subject,' said Max.

  'Absolutely.' Declan put an arm round Stella and presented his cheek. 'Happy birthday to me.'

  'Sorry, Declan. Happy birthday.' Stella gave him a kiss and Amy did the same.

  Then Amy said gaily, 'Ooh, now I just want to kiss everyone,' and gave Max a kiss. Realizing why, Tilly kept a straight face as Jack neatly turned to greet a friend, just as Amy had been about to launch herself at him. For a moment, disappointment flared in her lavishly mascaraed eyes, then the smile was plastered firmly back in place.

  'So you're Max's new assistant,' Amy said brightly. 'Stella told me about you. No boyfriend at the moment.'

  'That's right.' Was this how Stella and Amy categorized people around here? Tilly felt herself being given a critical once-over by two women who devoted more time in a week to their beauty routine than she had probably done in her entire life.

  'Ah, she's doing fine,' said Max. 'Settling in a treat.'

  'Making new friends.' Jack, who had rejoined the conversation, said, 'Woof woof.'

  Stella's eyebrows lifted. 'What?'

  'Sorry.' He grinned. 'Just a joke.'

  Evidently keen to demonstrate that she did have a sense of humor, Stella said, 'He's gone barking mad.'

  Amy wasn't amused. Her glance flickered suspiciously from Jack to Tilly. At that moment, a mobile went off nearby. As it was an swered, Jack tilted his head like Betty and said inquiringly, 'Woof?'

  'Don't worry,' said Tilly. 'He's just making fun of me.'

  Clearly sensing danger, Amy gave Jack's arm a possessive squeeze. 'Jack and I went out to dinner the other night. We had such a great time, didn't we?'

  'Of course we did.' Jack's reply was warm; it would be easy to humiliate someone so gushy and over-keen but Tilly sensed he would never do that.

  Amy glowed. 'Maybe next time we could try out that new restau rant in Tetbury.' She paused, pretended to think. 'I can't remember, did I give you my mobile number?'

  'Yes, yes… oh, could you excuse me for a minute?' Across the pub a tall brunette was calling his name, beckoning him over. With a genial smile Jack removed himself, easing his way through the crowds.

  'Marianne Tilson.' Amy shot the brunette a look of disdain. 'Honestly, talk about desperate. She's so obvious. Jack doesn't even like her.'

  'When's that ever stopped any woman throwing herself at him?' Max winked at Tilly as he lit a cigar.

  Amy turned back to Tilly. 'Do you fancy Jack?'

  There was more than a hint of accusation in her tone. It seemed only sensible to say no. Shaking her head, Tilly said, 'Um… no.'

  'Oh, come on, of course you do. Everyone does.'

  'He's very… good-looking,' Tilly conceded. 'But I don't go for men with his kind of track record.'

  Amy looked suspicious. 'So if he asked you out, you'd turn him down? You wouldn't even be tempted?'

  God, this really mattered to her. 'OK, never say never, because in twenty years' time, I might change my mind. But the way things stand at the moment,' said Tilly, 'no, I definitely wouldn't be tempted.'

  'Wouldn't be tempted to do what?' Jack's voice behind her made her jump. Had he heard the rest?

  'Run the London Marathon.' She turned and looked at him. 'Amy was just saying, she's very keen to do it next year.'

  If ever a girl was surgically attached to her spindly four-inch stilettos, it was Amy. Her face was a picture. Jack said, 'Amy, you didn't mention that! Rather you than me, but I'll definitely sponsor you.'

  Amy looked like a stunned goldfish. 'Er… thanks.'

  'You should give it a go too,' Max told Stella. 'Take your mind off other things. It'd do you the world of good.'

  'No thanks. God, aren't I already miserable enough?' Stella smartly sidestepped that trap. 'Anyway, exercise is for people who need to lose weight. If anyone should be running marathons it's my husband's new girlfriend.'

  'Stella.' Max shook his head at her.

  'What? She's fat! Why can't I say that?'

  'Because Tilly's here and Erin's her friend.'

  'And Erin stole my husband, who has to be having some kind of

  breakdown because he's never liked fat girls. I'm sorry, but I'll call her whatever I like.'

  Tilly briefly imagined the reaction if she were to chuck her drink in Stella's face. But no, this was Declan's birthday—and he'd supplied the drink, come to that. There would be no public scene. Instead she would simply rise above it, meet rudeness with grace and serenity.

  And everyone would think she was a lovely person as a result.

  'That's fine.' Tilly did her understanding smile. 'Stella's bound to feel—'

  'Jack! Jack! Oooh, you naughty creature, come here and give me a big kiss!' Tilly, knocked to one side by a slinky-hipped brunette in a silver halter-neck top and tight-fitting designer jeans, spilled her drink over Max's sleeve. So much for not wasting it.

  'Bloody hell,' said Max, shaking his arm. 'See what I mean about coming out with him? We should get danger money.'

  'Lisa.' Jack allowed the brunette to give him a kiss on each cheek. 'How nice to see you again.'

  'If it's nice to see me again, why haven't you been in touch? You promised you would.' Lisa pouted and clung to him. 'I've been waiting for you to call.'

  'Sweetheart, I'm sorry. I've been rushed off my feet.'

  'Sleeping with Marianne and Amy and God knows who else,' Max murmured in Tilly's ear. 'I'm telling you, this man makes Mick Jagger look like a hopeless amateur.'

  Jack turned. 'What was that?'

  'Nothing.' Max looked amused. 'I'm just glad I don't fancy you myself.'

  Tilly escaped to the ladies and phoned Erin.

  'It's me.' She closed the toilet seat and sat down on it, keeping her voice low. 'I'm at the Fox. Stella's here. She knows.'

  Erin wailed, 'I know she knows! Is she still furious?'

  'And outraged. I told her you didn't break up the marriage.'

  'So did I. Did she believe you?'

  'Not for a second. How did she find out?'

  'My Jo Malone scent. Never mind, it was always going to happen sooner or later. I was scared she was going to come into the shop today, make a scene.' Erin heaved a sigh of relief. 'At least that didn't happen. Oh well, who else is there?'

  'Loads of people. Me and Max. Stella and her friend Amy.' Tilly paused. 'Jack's here. Women keep coming up and grabbing him.'

  'Always fun to watch. So long as you're not tempted to join in.'

  'Don't worry, I'm not. The more I see him in action, the easier it becomes to steer clear.' Tilly meant it. Watching the other girls clamoring over Jack made her determined not to join in. She felt powerful and confident and… well, whatever the word was for the opposite of a besotted pushover.

  'Well, good,' said Erin. 'That's the safest way.'

  Chapter 15

  MAKING HER WAY BACK from the ladies, Tilly met Jack in the white washed corridor.

  He smiled. 'Enjoying yourself?'

  'Yes, thanks. I hardly recognized you without all those women clinging to you like barnacles.'

  'Sorry about that. I don't ask them to do it. Pretty embarrassing really.' When he did that self-deprecating shruggy thing he looked irresistible. 'Anyhow, you did well with Stella.'

  'I did very well.' Considering I could have ripped out her exten sions. 'In fact, I was saintly.'

  Jack looked amused. 'She's flirting with Max now.'

  'Best of luck with that then.'

  'Actually, you could do me a big favor.' He gazed at her intently. 'I'm being put under a bit of pressure by, um, a couple of people in there.' His head tilted in the direction of the bar.

  'A couple? Or maybe three?'

  'OK, three.'

  Tilly said, 'It must be exhausting, being you.'

>   'Now you're being sarcastic. Will you do me this favor or not?'

  'Come on, you seriously expect me to say yes when you haven't even told me what it is?'

  'I've been invited to a charity dinner in Cheltenham and I have to take a guest along with me.' Jack paused, leaning back against the wall. 'The thing is, word's got out and all three of them are angling to be the one I ask. To be honest, it's turning into a bit of a nightmare and I could really do without the hassle. They're all in competition with each other. So I'm thinking the best way round it would be to take you instead.'