‘Which is?’
‘I fell asleep before I could make anything.’
‘You’re kidding me?’
‘Afraid not – and I’ve had an unexpected visitor.’ Elle tried to control the smile on her face but failed miserably.
‘Sounds intriguing! I’ll pour myself a glass of wine and we can swap Sunday afternoon stories.’
‘And you might as well grab the takeaway menu from the drawer while you’re in there.’
‘Pah! You had one job this afternoon, Cooper,’ Pippa shouted from the kitchen. A few seconds later she was perched on the other end of the settee.
‘How was the film?’ Elle asked.
‘It started well, but got a little hazy towards the end.’
‘You’re terrible.’
‘I can neither confirm nor deny.’
‘The question is, are you going to see him again?’
‘Of course I am. Tomorrow morning, nine a.m., at work!’
‘Apart from work!’ Elle rolled her eyes.
‘Nothing was arranged as such, but I hope so.’
Elle could hear the excitement in Pippa’s voice, and she was truly happy for her friend. She deserved a little bit of happiness after her disastrous relationship with Nick.
‘And your afternoon? Tell me all about it.’
‘I popped in to see Irene as arranged and I was introduced to the newest member of the family. He’s this big,’ Elle demonstrated, gesturing with her hands, ‘with gigantic eyes and the largest paws you’ve ever set eyes on.’
‘No way, Irene’s got a puppy?’
‘Yes, the most gorgeous chocolate brown Labrador called Buddy.’
‘I can’t wait to meet him. He sounds adorable.’
‘I’ve said we’ll nip over after work on Tuesday, if that’s okay with you?’
‘Would love to! I can see why you were too preoccupied to make dinner.’
‘There’s a little more to the story.’ Elle’s smile grew. ‘I did go to the shop to buy the potatoes, and I had every intention of starting the dinner when I got back, but the heavens opened and I was caught in a massive thunderstorm. I was standing in the shop doorway deciding whether to make a run for it when…’
‘When…’ Pippa was winding her hand around in circles, willing Elle to continue.
‘There was Noah, standing right next to me.’
Pippa’s eyes widened. ‘Noah Jones?’
’Noah Jones,’ repeated Elle. ‘He offered me his umbrella, and I offered him a cup of tea and a towel.’
‘Tell me everything,’ Pippa insisted. ‘This has made my day.’
‘We got soaked in the thunderstorm so I let him spend a short time drying out in front of the fire.’
