Three days later and Nora was handing over Bruce to Renee at Jay’s house.
Nora had made a Bruce handover list and went through it with Renee to be sure she’d not missed anything. She looked up and Renee was surveying her with narrowed eyes.
‘Did that all make sense?’
‘Dog has been walked. Food is exactly where it waslast time, blah blah blah. But what I want to know is this: what’s up with you?’ Renee’s gaze didn’t falter.
Nora self-consciously pushed a piece of hair behind her ear. ‘Nothing. I’m fine.’
‘No, you’re not,’ said Renee, sitting down on a kitchen stool and waving a hand for Nora to do the same.
Nora pointed towards the hall. ‘I need to—’
‘Sit,’ said Renee forcefully. ‘You can spare two minutes. Something is wrong.’ Nora opened her mouth to repeat that she was fine, but Renee kept talking. ‘Now, do you want to share what it is and unburden yourself? Or would you prefer to let it eat away at you?’ Renee folded her arms.
‘It’s nothing major,’ said Nora, deciding to share just enough to placate Renee. ‘Me, Liam and Jay went to see Dixie and Ned.’
‘Are they going steady?’
Nora pulled her chin into her chest. ‘They’re definitely into each other and they’ve hooked up.’
‘It’s a whole other language. What’s wrong with courting, going steady and getting lucky?’ Renee shook her head. ‘Anyway. Carry on.’
‘Liam and Jay didn’t gel. That was all.’
‘Jay said Liam is a bit of a dick. Is he?’
Nora was instantly cross. ‘No, he’s not! He’s not a dog person and he didn’t know anyone. Plus he needed to leave early.’ Nora was smarting from what Renee had told her. ‘Did Jay really say that?’
‘No, that was what I gleaned. But he did say Liam seemed uninterested.’
Nora felt instant relief. ‘At least that’s better than calling him a dick.’
Renee pushed her bottom lip out in thought. ‘Is it? It strikes me that Jay believes you deserve someone better.’
‘That’s what you get from him saying Liam was uninterested?’ Nora laughed.
‘Yes. Because a man who is uninterested isn’t thinking about you. If they’re not thinking about you and how you feel, then you’re not a priority for them. And if that’s the case, he’ll be looking to jump ship as soon as someone else who does spark his interest bobs along.’
Nora blinked as she took it in. ‘I think you’re reading too much into that.’
‘Maybe,’ said Renee, nodding her head. ‘But I know a man whoisinterested in you. Who hangs on your every word. Someone who checks that you’re OK and knows instinctively when you’re not. Who cares about you and would always put you first. And I reckon that’s the sort of partner everyone needs. I had that with Theo and I lost it. Listen to me, Nora. Don’t leave things for later. Because there’s no guarantee that there willbea later.’
Nora’s breathing had quickened. It was like Renee was unlocking a box of emotions Nora was too scared to open.
‘Anyway, Brucey needs a cuddle and I need a G&T. Take care now,’ said Renee, getting off the stool and leaving a bewildered Nora alone in the kitchen.
When Nora got home, she was feeling out of sorts. She’d heard nothing from Jay since the barbecue, apart from thumbs-up emojis to her updates on Bruce, but then he had been busy with the film. What Renee had said rumbled around her head. Did any of it indicate that Jay had feelings for her? If Renee was right, this was huge. But what, if anything, should Nora do about it?
She pulled her phone out of her pocket. First she needed to resolve their petty squabble. But if she sent Jay a text and he didn’t reply, that would make things even worse. She could call him but then she’d miss the little subtleties of body language. Perhaps she could video-call him. That was the best solution.
She was about to hang up when Jay answered. ‘Can you hold on a minute?’ he asked.
What was this, a call centre?
‘Sure,’ she said with a tight jaw. Not a good start. She wasn’t feeling very forgiving.
‘You look amazing,’ said Jay.
