A Girl Called London

by Clare Lydon

  And then there it was, her gran’s final resting place, under a patchy blue sky in the middle of Sturby cemetery next to her husband, the granddad Tanya never really knew.

  Her gran had been widowed young, and never remarried, although Alan had eluded to the fact she wasn’t short of offers. However, she’d never quite got over the death of her husband, and had remained single till the day she died.

  Sophie handed Tanya the white roses they’d bought on the way, her gran’s favourite flowers. “So delicate, so pure,” she’d always said. Tanya smiled when she saw the grave was already filled with two bunches of white roses, laying hers beside them.

  “I see you’ve been here first,” she said to Alan, as she stepped back from the gravestone.

  But Alan shook his head. “Not me,” he said, leaving the rest of the sentence unsaid.

  Tanya took a few moments to fill in the blanks. “Mum?” she asked, her tone saying she barely believed that possible.

  Alan nodded his head. “I keep coming, but every time, there are new flowers. There’s nobody else who’d do that but Ann.”

  Tanya wasn’t sure what to think about that, so she pushed it away. Instead, she focused on her gran’s gravestone inscription, which read: ‘The song may have ended, but the melody lingers on.’

  “I still love that,” Tanya said, pointing. “It’s so Gran.”

  “Isn’t it?” Alan said, smiling. “Every time I come, I’m a little sad — but then I see what Celia left us, and it makes me smile.” He shrugged. “Death is a part of life, and life goes on, doesn’t it?”

  Tanya nodded: she of all people knew this. She might have lost her gran, and her parents for now, but the wheels still turned and new people popped up to fill their place. People like Sophie, Rachel, Jess and Lucy.

  Sophie squeezed her hand, breaking her thoughts. “Do you want a moment alone before we go?”

  Tanya sucked on her top lip, then nodded. “Do you mind?”

  Sophie shook her head. “I’ll take Delilah, and Alan will keep me company. You take your time.” She kissed Tanya’s cheek, and Alan squeezed her shoulder as he followed Sophie.

  Left alone, Tanya bent down to arrange her flowers a little better, then rocked back on her haunches, staring at the gravestone. It didn’t seem real that her lively, lovely gran was buried under the earth she was standing on, but she was. However, far from feeling glum, Tanya felt peace surge through her, along with the inevitable tears now she was alone.

  “I miss you, Gran, I always will,” she said, letting her tears stain her cheeks — she didn’t try to stop them. “I miss seeing you and hugging you, I miss your smell, your smile. But I know you wouldn’t want me to be sad, so I’m trying not to be.” She paused, fishing in her pocket for a tissue and blowing her nose. Damn, tears created a lot of snot.

  “Oh, and by the way, I’m still mad at you for not telling me about Alan! Although, yes, I know, I’m a terrible gay for not figuring it out myself.” She smiled through her tears.

  “I hope you like Sophie, and I want you to know that Delilah is safe — she’s becoming a London dog, very cosmopolitan. She’ll be demanding organic dog food soon, and I know what you would have said about that.”

  Tanya stood up, blowing her nose again. Then she stepped forward, the scent of fresh earth filling her nostrils, before kissing the tips of her fingers and pressing them to the headstone.

  She couldn’t stand here all day blathering to a lump of concrete — although a quick glance around told her there were plenty of other people doing just that, too.

  How often did her mum stand exactly where she was, doing exactly what she was doing? Tanya pushed that thought to the back of her mind. Perhaps there was a heart beating under her brittle veneer, after all.

  She took a deep breath and gave the grave a tiny wave. “Bye, Gran. I’ll come back again soon. Although it looks like your flower stock is being taken care of.”

  Chapter Fifty

  Tanya was quiet on the drive home, sitting in the passenger seat while Sophie took the wheel. In the back seat, Delilah’s snores were permeating the car, which made Tanya smile.

  “Funny how life changes so quickly, isn’t it?” she said, almost as if to herself. “Who’d have thought I’d be a dog owner a few months ago?”

  “Or that you’d have such a gorgeous girlfriend,” Sophie added.

  “That, too.” Tanya paused. “A gorgeous, non-smoking girlfriend.”

  Sophie gave her a grin. “Six days and counting. I was worried for a while when you were playing silly buggers that I might turn into a chain-smoker, but I managed to turn it around.”

  Tanya smiled. “Sorry again.”

  Sophie stroked her leg as she glanced over at her. “I’m joking,” she said. “And you know, I was thinking. Life’s kinda settled a bit for you now, so you should have a party to celebrate — a belated flat-warming.”

  “I should?”

  “You should. After all, this is a momentous time in your life, your new start. And you’ve got a couple of new additions you might not have expected — me and Delilah — but I hope we’ll only add to your new beginning, not detract from it.”

  “I think you’re making it just perfect.”

  “So what do you think? A party to celebrate your new chapter? Food, drink, people?”

  “It sounds like a lot of work.”

  Sophie smiled. “It doesn’t have to be. Just a few friends to celebrate your new beginning. I can invite mine, you can invite yours — they might all get on and we can create a lesbian supergroup.”

  Tanya let out a howl of laughter at that.

  “Plus, I can help. Remember your new motto to let people help you?” Sophie was wagging a finger in her direction now, a grin on her face.

  Tanya smiled at her. “I remember, yes, I’m not senile just yet.”

  “You are a few years older than me, so it’s best to check these things,” Sophie grinned. “In fact, I’ll do a playlist, we can get some booze and Rachel can do the catering. All you have to do is show up and look pretty.”

  “And Rachel and Alice can swoon over each other again. Did you know they’ve been sending each other messages and recipes non-stop?”

  “I live with Rachel — apart from work, Alice is her new favourite topic. Shame she’s straight and has a boyfriend — they’d be perfect for each other.”

  Tanya snorted. “That would be Alice’s dream in another life,” she said. “She took Jake to Rachel’s restaurant the other night, you know — they loved it, especially the personal table visit from the chef.”

  “I heard,” Sophie said, pumping the brakes as they hit some traffic.

  “So this party — sounds like you’ve got it all worked out.”

  Sophie laughed. “It does, doesn’t it? I’ll invite everyone we know, and your job is to call Alan — he’s the guest of honour. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  “I might even invite my dad so you can meet him.”

  Tanya’s eyebrows both arched. “Jesus, I’m meeting the parents? This is getting serious.”

  Sophie gave her a wink. “It is, isn’t it?”

  ***

  The journey took four hours, and they made it back by 8pm, just in time to park their hire car and stroll back to their block of flats.

  As they walked, wrapped in the still summer air, a strange feeling settled on Tanya. It took a few moments for her to recognise what it was, but when she did, she realised it was happiness. With Sophie and Delilah by her side, she had a new family to be a part of, and this was a family she saw lasting. She and Sophie had been in a relationship for nearly a month, and it was incredible.

  Tanya was in love, no ifs or buts. It turned out, the simple act of allowing herself to be in love was enough to make it real. That, and the fact that Sophie was simply the best girlfriend in the world. She must be, to put up with her.

  Sophie was more than Tanya had ever dared to dream.

  They walked into their buildin
g, making sure Delilah didn’t get crushed by the heavy door, and Tanya got her postbox key out.

  “My favourite girls,” Roger said, looking up from his desk.

  Sophie beamed. “I thought tonight was your night off?”

  Roger checked his watch. “The wife’s picking me up in 15 minutes and we’re going out for dinner.”

  “You have a lovely time — spoil her rotten,” Sophie replied.

  “I will — you have a lovely evening, too.”

  They walked over to the postboxes, Delilah’s feet pattering on the waxed floor.

  “You want me to check your mail?” Tanya asked.

  Sophie shook her head. “Nah, it’ll only be bills, I’ll leave it for now.” She paused, walking towards the lift and pressing the button.

  Tanya grabbed a pile of four envelopes, put them in her bag, then turned, to where Sophie was already standing with Delilah in the lift, one finger holding the door.

  “Come on, slow coach!” Sophie shouted, a look of mock-consternation on her face.

  Tanya broke into a gentle jog, but just as she reached the lift door, her foot caught in the metal frame and she tripped forward, falling into Sophie and pressing her up against the back wall. The lift door slid shut behind them.

  “Going up!” the announcer said, as Tanya gathered herself, head firmly planted on Sophie’s shoulder, Delilah barking at their feet.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Sophie asked, gently pushing Tanya away from her. “Is this your party piece?”

  Tanya began to laugh as she peeled herself away from Sophie, planting a kiss on her lips as she did so. “When it comes to you, it seems like it might be, doesn’t it?” she said. She couldn’t quite believe she’d done it again, but put the two of them in this lift, and the script seemed to write itself.

  Sophie shook her head, laughing now as Tanya bent down to pet Delilah. “Maybe we should make this a monthly thing, seeing as you seem so enamoured with it,” Sophie said. “What do you think? Once a month you can fall on top of me in this lift and feel up my boobs.”

  Tanya pulled herself up straight, jaw open. “I wasn’t feeling you up — I was saving myself.”

  “Who said I was complaining?” Sophie said with a smile. “I knew the moment you grabbed my boobs all those months ago that this could be the start of something. Even though you were terribly rude.”

  Tanya moved back into Sophie’s space. She put one hand on her bum, pulling her close, their lips now inches apart. “And how are my manners now? Any improvement?” she asked, her heartbeat slamming in her chest as she smiled at her girlfriend close up.

  “Marginal gains,” Sophie replied, as the lift reached Tanya’s floor. She pressed her lips to Tanya’s, before breaking the kiss and stepping back, holding out her hand. “Let’s just say, there’s plenty of room for improvement, but we’ve got all the time in the world to work on it, haven’t we?”

  The End

  Did you enjoy this book?

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  A Note From Clare

  I hope you enjoyed the story of Tanya and Sophie as much as I enjoyed writing it. Tanya was a bit of a baddie in This London Love, but I hope her back story explained some of her actions. I have a lot of time for Tanya! As I said in the acknowledgements, I am already writing a fourth London Romance novel, so keep an eye out for that this year.

  If you have a moment, I’d also really appreciate an honest review on the site you bought it on. Reviews are hugely important as they encourage new readers to take a chance on me — if my book’s got some reviews, they’re far more likely to give me a try. So if you’d like more books from me, please take a moment to leave your thoughts. And it doesn’t have to be a novel — even a few lines makes a difference and every review means so much!

  If you fancy getting in touch, you can do so using one of the methods below — I’m most active on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.

  Twitter: @ClareLydon

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/clare.lydon

  Instagram: @clarefic

  Find out more at: www.clarelydon.co.uk

  Contact: mail@clarelydon.co.uk

  Thank you so much for reading!

  Also By Clare Lydon

  London Romance Novels

  London Calling

  This London Love

  Other Novels

  The Long Weekend

  Nothing To Lose: A Lesbian Romance

  All I Want Series

  All I Want For Christmas (Book 1)

  All I Want For Valentine’s (Book 2)

  All I Want For Spring (Book 3)

  All I Want For Summer (Book 4)

  All I Want For Autumn (Book 5)

  All I Want Forever (Book 6)

  Boxsets

  All I Want Series Boxset, Books 1-3

  All I Want Series Boxset, Books 4-6

  All I Want Series Boxset, Books 1-6

  Discover Clare’s books on Amazon UK

  Discover Clare’s books on Amazon US

  Acknowledgements

  And so we come to the end of the third book in the London Romance series — it’s only been two years since the last one, but I hope it was worth the wait. I loved going back to visit Jess and Lucy, Kate and Meg, and there will be another book in this series coming soon — so watch this space.

  For this book, huge thanks are due to my fabulous friend and dog walker extraordinaire, Sarah Mooney, who patiently let me walk with her for a couple of days and quiz her on the habits of dogs and their owners. I met some fab dogs along the way, and particular thanks are due to Moby, Woody and Ella who all inspired the dogs you met in this book.

  Thanks to my first reader, Tammara Adams, who gave me a concise and brilliant critique of the book — you’re plain brill. Thanks also to my early reading team for your eagle eyes on the final proof — especially Hilary and Susie — as well as all your encouragement along the way.

  A fistful of gratitude to the fantastic trio of my cover designer, Kevin Pruitt; my editor, Laura Kingsley; and my copy editor, Gill Mullins. Without the three of you, none of this would be possible. You provide the visuals and the shine to my story, so bravo for you all!

  Thanks also to my gorgeous wife Yvonne for her comments and suggestions, and also for putting up with me and my fragile ego. She generally knows a good steak and a bottle of Malbec cures most things, and she’s usually right.

  Finally, thanks to you for reading — it really does mean so much that you spent some time with my story, and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for buying, for reading, and hopefully reviewing it. Do let me know what you think, I love getting all your comments and emails. Look out for another London Romance this year — it turns out, London Romances are like buses: you wait two years, then two come along at once.