“Hello, stranger,” I looked up from the puddled floor and saw a familiar face. “Successful day?”
“Andrea,” I said, stopping even though it was pissing it down and I didn’t have the luxury of an umbrella like she did, having lost the last three I’d bought, so I’d given up. “How are you?”
She nodded. “Good. Work’s going well. Are you busy now or do you have time to catch up for old time’s sake?”
I thought for a moment. We hadn’t parted on bad terms; there had been no arguments or fallings out, just a separation of ways. And we had spent two years together, which although uneventful, hadn’t been exactly traumatic.
“I have an hour before I’m needed at the office. How about the pub over there for a sandwich and a drink?”
She smiled, and we tried to avoid the puddles and reach the pub without sodden feet.
It was busy, with several people doing the same, using the pub as a way to avoid the rain. We managed to find an empty table in a corner and squashed in, facing each other.
“Here’s a menu,” I said, grabbing one from the table next to us where a couple seemed to be having an intense conversation. “What brings you to London?”
“Work,” she said. “I’ve been here a lot lately. How’s your job?”
“Good. Busy. I’ve got three cases in court in the next ten days, so I doubt I’ll be doing much sleeping,” I said, staring at the menu even though I knew what I’d be having. “Shall I go to the bar and order?”
She gave me a broad smile and nodded. “I’ll have the ploughman’s and a diet coke.”
I could’ve ordered that without her telling me. Clearly some habits didn’t die.
When I sat back down she was frowning at her phone. “Trouble?” I asked.
“Kind of. I’m not sure you’d want to know.”
I shrugged and took a long drink of my beer.
“I’ve split with David.”
I figured that was who she’d started seeing when we finished.
“Shame,” I said. “But you’ll meet someone else easily.”
“Maybe,” she said. “He wasn’t up to the standard you set. How about you? Have you been seeing anyone?”
“Yes,” I said, without thinking about it. “Ava Callaghan. You’ve met her a few times.”
Andrea tipped her head back and laughed. “That young thing! She’s Maxwell’s sister, isn’t she? And about ten years younger than you?”
“Nine,” I said.
“Still. It’s nice to have a fling though sometimes, I suppose. I thought you’d have moved on to something more serious though. You know, wanting to settle down like your sisters,” she said, toying with her glass. She was probably the only person in there not drinking something alcoholic.
“Not really,” I said. “I wanted to meet the right person. Fucking about was never my style.”
She smiled. “No, you used to say the sex got better the more you knew someone. You were right. And you made the effort to find out what made me tick.”
“It’s good to see you,” I said. “It really is, but I don’t need to rehash our sex life.”
Andrea’s face fell. “Sorry. The split with David wasn’t the best. I guess I’m just reliving better times. How are your sisters?”
For the next forty minutes we talked about our families, work and the weather. She mentioned she was going on holiday to India with her cousin in a couple of weeks and spending some time in an elephant sanctuary.
I glanced at my watch, my glass empty and sandwich demolished. “It’s been great to see you, but I’ve got to get back to the office. Maybe let me know next time you’re in London and we can catch up again?”
Her smile widened again and she nodded emphatically. “That’d be great. It’s been lovely to see you, Elijah.”
