‘It’s just… did you realise that he was watching you yesterday?’
‘Watching me?’ I asked. It wasn’t the track I thought she’d go down.
‘Oh, not in a creepy way or anything,’ she said reassuringly. ‘Tom doesn’t seem like that kind of guy at all. But there were times when you were having your photo taken, or talking to Niki… and he’d be watching you… It was like he wasfascinatedby you,drawnto you even… You didn’t notice?’
‘No, I…’No, Trudy, I didn’t notice that my one true love was watching me intently.‘I didn’t see any of that.’
‘I think he might be sweet on you,’ she said, a glint in her eyes.
Bugger. Now Trudy was playing matchmaker – for me and my ex-husband. If only she knew. And I’ll admit, I was disappointed. I genuinely liked Trudy, and I’d thought that maybe we could become friends – proper friends, which are rare in my world. But her well-meaning suspicions were skirting a little too close to the truth for comfort.
‘Oh, I doubt it,’ I said, forcing a smile and waving her off.
‘Ally,’ she said earnestly, ‘I know what I saw.’
And it was obvious from her self-satisfied expression that Trudy believed she’d gotten through to me, she’dconvincedme. Convinced me that Tommy was interested in me. Hah!
Any moment now, a flock of flying pigs would pass overhead.
9
Thought of the day…
Laughter is a salve for the soul.
Make time to laugh every day.
(And, yes, hysterical‘if I don’t laugh I’ll cry’ laughter counts.)
‘Oh, speak of the devil,’ said Trudy when we arrived at the helipad. ‘It’s Tom.’
It took a sec for her words to register, but when I looked across the large concrete circle, there he (fucking) was.
So much for a husband-free day. And god, he looked good – well-fitting shorts sitting just above his knees and showing off his tanned calves, and a short-sleeved white shirt that was slightly see-through. The trail of dark hair that started at his chest, tapered, then disappeared beneath his waistline was every kind of hot.
‘Oh, my fucking god,’ I muttered under my breath.
‘What’s that, hun?’ asked Trudy.
‘Nothing,’ I replied brightly.
‘Yoo-hoo, Tom!’ she called out.
Please, Aphrodite, kill me now, I wished, but no such luck.
Tommy looked up from his phone, then headed over.
If only I’d brought protection from his potent presence – but alas, my Hazmat suit was back in London.
‘Hi, Tom,’ Trudy said as he joined us.
‘Good morning, Trudy.Ally,’ he added, making a show of acknowledging me.
‘Tom,’ I replied, wishing he was anywhere else.
‘Morning, all!’
Niki and Minh had arrived and when Trudy turned to talk to them, I stepped closer to Tommy.
