She laughs a hearty, Sandy laugh. The type that’ll have her small belly jiggling and her fingers covering her mouth. ‘All right. All right. Well, we had coffee and petits fours after dinner. He was getting all sweaty. You know, I was starting to worry about him but he had a big steak for mains so I thought maybe it was just the meat sweats.’
‘Sandy!’ I try to sound stern but my chuckle gives up my game.
‘No, this is part of the story, I promise. So there he was, sweating, but we still had coffee in our pot and well, I won’t be going to The Ritz again any time soon so I fully intended on getting my money’s worth?—’
‘Sandy! Get to the proposal!’
‘Right, yes, that’s where I was going. So I moved to pouranother cup of coffee and when I turned back around, he was on one knee. It took me a second, mind you, to realise what was happening. One minute, he was in the chair next to me and the next… pop! So there he was on one knee in the middle of The Ritz… can you imagine? And he said it’d been a whirlwind of drama but more happiness than he’s ever known. And then he just said it… he just asked… Sandy, will you be my wife?’
‘Aw, Sandy, that’s perfect. Really, it is. I hope you had some fizz.’
‘Oh, yes, well, Gregory actually had already arranged to have a bottle sent to the table. Such a kind man.’
‘Hold on a second. Gregory knew?’ I sit back and look at his suppressed smile.
‘Well, yes, that’s why I had to call. I wanted you to be the first to hear it from me. You see, Geoffrey needed to ask Gregory and Lara for the time off.’
I scowl and turn a playful pout on Gregory. ‘Are you staying there tonight?’
‘Yes, we’ve just had a late cream tea. Geoffrey’s calling it a mini-moon.’
‘And is it too early to ask when the big day will be?’
‘Oh, when we can afford it. Not for a long time. We’re just happy being engaged for now. It sounds a little silly doesn’t it, engaged at our age.’
‘It really doesn’t, Sandy. It sounds just right.’
‘It feels just right, sweetheart. It feels just right. Well, I’m going to go and find Geoffrey. I bet he’s stealing the free shampoo.’ She laughs again, another belly-aching sound. ‘Bye, darling.’
‘Bye, Sandy. Have a good night.’
‘I’m sure we will.’
I shake my head and shudder at the thought of Jackson and my stand in mum-cum-best friend having agood nighttogether.
As happy as I truly, genuinely am for Sandy, a small part of me is jealous. She’s known Jackson less time than I’ve known Gregory and they’ve agreed to spend the rest of their lives together. I push the thought from my mind and focus on the man next to me.
‘I can’t believe you knew and you didn’t tell me,’ I say, flicking the phone at Gregory, who catches it in one hand.
‘I told you they were going for a special dinner.’ There’s a cheeky glint in his eye.
‘That’s hardly the same as saying, “Scarlett, Jackson is taking Sandy to The Ritz tonight to propose.”’
‘Why are you talking like that?’
‘What? You don’t like my man voice?’
‘Stop it!’
‘I don’t know what you mean; stop what?’ I say, keeping up my not-at-all-manly man voice.
‘It’s really unattractive. Are you supposed to be me? I don’t sound like that.’
‘Ja, ja!Pasop Boet!’
In a swift movement, he grabs me and throws me to the other side of the sofa. He clamps my foot between his knees, pulls off my sock and starts tickling. I squeal and wriggle and he worms those horrid, nimble fingers to the crease beneath my toes.
‘Do you relent?’ he asks.
