Maya took a big gulp of Coke. ‘I know a professor who’s a counsellor, as it happens. He’s not called Scott, is he? Tall, willowy, handsome in an older man kind of way.’
‘Yes, that’s right. Scott Princeton. How do you know him?’
‘Oh, I think one of my friends used to go to him, that’s all. Very good, I hear, especially with women.’
‘Well, he’s certainly helped me. So compassionate. And I hadn’t really thought about him being handsome before you just mentioned it… Imagine, handsome, clever and compassionate. Maybe that’s the sort of man I should be looking for. Rather than a gardener who says he lost his phone.’
‘Maybe,’ Maya said nervously. ‘But those academic types are usually useless at normal life and have no common sense.’
‘You’re right. I’ll stick with young Ed for now. He’ll do.’
Maya was disturbed by how relieved she felt.
‘Shag him tonight, Gracie. You need to move on, I reckon.’
‘No, it’s too soon?’ Gracie shook her head.
‘Like you said to me before – you’re not going to marry the guy, so no rules apply.’
Gracie saw Ed arrive and wave at her from across the car park. He really was very gorgeous. Damn Lewis, she had to try and move on. Maya was right, maybe it was time to break her sex drought. And there were certainly worse people she could break it with than the hottie in front of her.
TWENTY-EIGHT
Gracie placed some daffodils in a vase and put a box of Noms’s favourite chocolates next to them. The relief of being debt free was immense. She knew she had to tell Lewis the good news, but not today, in fact, not this weekend. It would feel too weird contacting him before her dinner date with Ed.
She showered, dressed and headed off to the university campus.
Scott Princeton greeted her with a smile. He was pleased that Gracie was back. He liked her and felt that for once he had been able to help a client. The money, of course, was also handy. He’d had a chance to check out theRacing Postand a horse called Piscean sounded a dead cert. He would have a bet later, then go and see Maya. He hadn’t seen her for a week and really could do with some sex.
As Gracie came in, he noticed that her walk was not as laboured, her shoulders were higher, and she had lost a bit of weight. She was coming through the worst, he thought.
She lay on the chaise and shut her eyes as usual.
‘How are you doing, Gracie?’
‘I’m OK. Actually, no, who am I trying to kid? I’m not OK, but I’m better than I was. I still can’t forgive Lewis in my head. But my sister’s given me some money to clear the final loan we had for IVF payments, his half included. I’m going to pay that off, so I can’t hate him that much.’
‘How do you feel about paying this off? Quite final, isn’t it?’ Scott quietly turned to today’s racing page.
‘Yes, it is. I’m looking at that as a positive, though. Time for a new start.’
‘That’s good, Gracie. Does Lewis know about this?’
‘No. Not yet.’ She sighed deeply.
‘Why’s that, do you think?’ Scott wrote his bet on a betting slip.
‘I haven’t really had time to tell him yet. But I’ve got a date tomorrow night. Dinner, in fact. With a guy I met on Wimbledon Common.’
‘Ooh, OK. Tell me more.’
‘His name’s Ed Duke. He jokes about me being his duchess.’ She laughed, something she hadn’t done in this room very much before, if ever.
‘We went out last week and I got a bit upset as he said he probably wanted children. I don’t think it showed but I wanted to leave. I felt that it was unfair to stay – why would he even consider me if I couldn’t have children? But then it was weird when we said goodbye. He saw some girl in the pub then he left very quickly. I went to kiss him, but he didn’t kiss me back.’ She took a deep breath. ‘And then he didn’t call or text me. I bumped into him today and he said he had lost his phone. We arranged a second date, so it’s all OK now.’
A question niggled in Scott’s mind. Where had he heard the name Ed Duke before?
‘So why were you upset?’
