‘Can you please just tell her I’ll be moving into the flat tonight and not lunchtime as planned.’
‘Sure. Is everything OK?’
‘Yes, fine, fine. I had to go to the bank this morning over in Crowsbridge and wasn’t very organised yesterday. I know where the key to the flat is, so it was just to let her know, really.’
Sabrina waved at Star, who had come outside to check her window display. Crossing the road to the market unit, she took a deep breath and centred herself. It felt like an age since she had seen Lowen and despite her gut beginning to twinge against him over the last couple of days, she was looking forward to seeing him again. Maybe, she mused, she felt an element of distrust of him because she had been cheated on by Dominic. Maybe this was how she would feel about all men moving forward. The thought made her go cold with dread. But he hadn’t given her any particular reason to distrust him, and surely lightening didn’t strike twice that quickly? And maybe deep down she didn’t really want to know if it had…
For Lowen Kellow was sex, nothing more, nothing less. A distraction. She was doing nothing wrong. Just consenting sex between two adults– what was the harm in that? She’d once read in a magazine article that the best sex you would ever have in your life wouldn’t be with the man you ended up with. For completely emotionally unattached sex without the internal dialogue of “does he like me?” “Did my arse look big when I bent over?” “Did I taste good?” or “was it good enough for him?” wasalwaysthe best sex. Because you were doing it for you and nobody else. The take away on Sabrina’s terms anyway, with the few one-night or casual relationships she had experienced was simply to have steamy, no-holds-barred but safe sex, with a hot man, ending with an orgasm for her, ideally before his. Maybe a bit of foreplay, but certainly no after play or meaningful chats required. Bish bash bosh. Job done. Satisfaction guaranteed. No contract required.
Then she became famous and had to become more guarded to a man’s intentions. Annoyingly, once she was public property, everyone felt they could try and take a piece of her– men and women alike. Boy oh boy had she had a lengthy line of potential suitors, and a lot of very handsome ones at that.
Until she met Dominic, that was. And then she’d had eyes for no other. He was the first man whom she had genuinely loved and had allowed in. For her complex relationship with her mother and sporadic one with her kind but workaholic father had put paid to her ever forming any healthy romantic relationships. Not without doing a lot of work on herself first, that was. Therapy (‘the work’) had helped a bit, but she had only had ten sessions, had left before they got to the crunch point of the whys and wherefores of her inability to have a decent relationship. And her relationship with Dominichadbeen decent, until he’d ruined everything.
She went to open the door toBrian’s Books & Beats, but it didn’t budge. Pushing again as she thought it may just be stiff, the same again. It was locked, and no sign of Lowen. She checked her watch. Five minutes past midday. Maybe he was just caught in traffic? She rung him. Straight to message. Strange… He had clearly stated midday on the Monday for them to meet here.
A rotund woman came bustling past and on noticing Sabrina trying the door again, turned back. Sabrina recognised her as the woman who served the rocket fuel coffees in Monique’s. ‘You alright, love?’
‘Er, yes, I’m supposed to be meeting someone here today. I’ve taken on the unit.’
‘Ooh, I didn’t know that.’
‘Yes, I’d arranged to meet the market inspector here, but he’s obviously late.’
‘Lowen Kellow, you mean?’
Sabrina nodded.
‘Rumour has it, he’s moved on, got the old elbow, the heave ho, you know, the sack. I’m not surprised. He did bugger all and none of us really liked him, to be honest.’
‘Has he indeed?’ A deep Devon accent interjected causing both women to jump out of their skin as a suited Lowen Kellow seemed to appear out of nowhere. He cleared his throat noisily. ‘Mrs Harris. In the words of the indomitable Terry Pratchett, “A lie can run round the world before the truth has got its boots on.” So, you best get your facts right, eh, before you start spouting such vitriol.’
Linda Harris, her mouth practically dropping to the pavement, let out a loud harrumph and scuttled back up the hill.
Before putting the key in the door, Lowen looked surreptitiously around him, and then with the flat of his hand pushing into Sabrina’s back, he whispered into her ear, ‘Come on in, Missy. Let’s get this Christmas show on the road.’
He shut the door behind them and put the folder he was carrying on the empty shop counter and opened it. Sabrina put her hands loosely around his neck and in pure drama school voice purred, ‘Alone at last.’
He gently pushed her away. ‘Not today. I can’t.’
‘Oh, baby. Doesn’t Santa want to come down my chimney? He can be as quick as he likes.’
‘Jilly.’ Lowen’s voice tightened. ‘I’m so busy and I need to get out of here and back to work, pronto.’
Sabrina’s strong feeling of hurt at this brush off caught her off guard. She coughed to steady herself. ‘OK, OK. Why on earth would that woman say you’d got the sack? I don’t get it.’
‘I’m surprised at you, Jilly Dickens. Gossip usually dies at a wise person’s ears. Now, have you got the cash?’
‘Blimey, I’m just asking you a straight question. No need to bite my head off.’
He kissed her on the forehead. ‘Sorry, darling. That stupid old bitch rattled me, but we will arrange to see each other properly again soon, I promise. I’ve just got lots to do today.’
‘I think I need to get back in the real world. I’ve clearly been off work for too long.’
‘From that international woman of mystery job you have, you mean?’
Sabrina smiled. ‘Exactly.’ She rustled about in her bag for the envelope of cash and handed it over. ‘It’s all there.’
Lowen took it with a smile. ‘I trust that I don’t need to count it. Bugger!’
