James wasn’t coming across like someone who’d be sympathetic to her being a slow packer and wanting to be around for a birthday party and, if she was honest, just needing a bit of time to get her head round the whole big-move thing. Maybe it would be better to be vague.
‘It’s for a number of reasons,’ she said.
‘And there’s nothing you can change?’
‘Not really.’ Cassie went for her best assertive tone, the one she used when the alpacas wouldn’t do what she wanted. ‘Sorry.’
‘Apologies, then,’ James said, not sounding that apologetic. ‘I need to start the swap immediately. If you can’t commit to starting within the next week, perhaps we should both look for an alternative.’Noooo.Cassie wanted to stay in James’s flat. But it would be a nightmare getting ready for the swap that quickly. And there was the party.
‘I can do three weeks from now,’ she said. She could go straight after the party.
‘Too late, I’m afraid. Not a problem. I’m sure we can both find other swaps that we like. Apologies for having wasted your time.’
There was no way Cassie was going to find another place that she liked as much. She didn’t want to spend several months knowing that if she’d just foregone one party and got her packing skates on she could be living somewhere so much better.
‘When’s the latest you could start the swap?’ she asked.
‘Next weekend.’
‘Right.’ Cassie stuck her middle finger up at the phone. Very satisfying actually. ‘Fine. Okay. Let’s do that.’ Crap. She was going to have alotto do this week. And she was going to miss the party. Shecouldstay for it. Dina would definitely happily have her as a guest for a few days. But no, it would be too weird living next door to her own house. It would be better just to take the hit on the party and go. There’d be other parties.
‘Thank you.’ Not a hint of a smile in his voice. Honestly.
* * *
The following weekend, having moved mountains to get everything ready, Cassie heard wheels crunch over the stones in the drive, gave the flowers in the vase in the hall a final nudge into place, and grabbed her coat and bag.
By the time James had parked, she was outside the house, wearing her best welcoming smile. Which he probably wouldn’t be able to see, because, after a beautiful morning, this afternoon’s weather had been rain, rain and more rain, which was currently so heavy that visibility was almost as poor as if it were night-time, plus Cassie had her hood pulled tight round her face, because there was far too much wind for an umbrella.
‘Hi, James,’ she said as he got out of his car. Leaped out, really. He was a lot bigger than she’d expected – both tall and broad – rugby-player big. He wasn’t dressed like a rugby player, though. Through the rain, she could just about make out that he was wearing smart jeans and a cashmere-type jumper, with suede loafers. His hair was blond and sharply cut, and definitely gelled. His handsome face held a polite but aloof smile.
‘Good afternoon. Excuse me for a moment.’ He gestured at the rain and turned and reached inside the car for a very new-looking khaki-green waxed jacket. The kind that your rich city-dweller might imagine that a country-dweller wore but which in fact they did not wear. Cassie wondered whether it was properly waterproof. James would know the answer to that within a small number of minutes if they stood outside for too long. His feet would be soaked, too.
‘Why don’t we go inside?’ she said, loudly, so that he’d be able to hear her over the downpour. ‘I can show you around outside later, when it stops raining. I know that this seems very heavy, but according to the forecast it’s only a shower, and there’s blue sky over there. The weather can change remarkably quickly here. I think it’ll be dry and sunny within fifteen or twenty minutes.’
‘Inside? Apologies. I didn’t catch your name.’ Who did he think she was?
‘I’m so sorry.’ Should she go and shake hands with him? He seemed like quite a formal person. Best not, actually; it was far too wet. ‘I should have said. I’m Cassie.’
‘Cassie? Cassie Adair?’ He frowned. ‘We did agree today?’
‘Oh, yes, we did, I just thought it would be nice to stay and show you around. I mean, I left you some notes, but, you know, I thought maybe I should talk you through things.’ She took a couple of steps towards the house. James didn’t follow. He just stood there next to his hire car, his hair now completely wet and the shoulders of his coat already dark from the water. She’d bet good money that some of the water had already soaked through the coat onto his jumper.
‘Stay?’ he asked, with barely a hint of a smile, and his eyebrows raised.
‘Oh, no, not here,’ she told him. ‘I moved out yesterday. I’m staying with my neighbour and good friend, Dina. You’ll meet her soon, I’m sure.’ He was actually pursing his lips slightly. ‘I’m leaving tomorrow.’ It suddenly felt important to clarify that. ‘I just thought it would be useful to meet and run through a couple of things in person.’
‘That’s very kind, but I think I’m good. Pretty sure I can work everything out for myself. If you could just leave me the keys, that would be great.’ He smiled only very slightly, and turned his back on her, like he was dismissing her, opened the boot of his car and started taking out very new-looking smart, dark-grey luggage. All matching.
Cassie glared at his back. She’d bent overbackwardsto accommodate his request to start the swap a good two to three weeks earlier than she’d wanted. She didn’t expect actual thanks but she also didn’t expect him to berudeto her.
Right. Well, she should just go, then.
No. She shouldn’t just go. She’d moved on in the past four years, and she was no longer a woman who took this kind of crap. They were obviously going to need to be in touch while they were living in each other’s houses. She wasn’t starting their swap relationship like this. She was going to tell him what she thought.
Five
James
