‘Well, that you love him! Because you do, don’t you? You’re head-over-heels for the lad. You’d have to be, the way you put up with him, because I’ve never seen him even smile at you or give you a hug or anything, yet you still stick to his side like glue. And don’t think I haven’t seen the longing glances you give him when he’s looking the other way. Bless you, you’ve got it bad.’
Brooke opened her mouth to protest but no words came out.
‘How long have you been in love with Danny Boy then?’ Polly asked gently. ‘Was it before or after the accident?’
‘I’m not—’ Brooke sighed and shrugged, realising there was no fooling Polly. ‘Before. Long before. I met Danny when I was fourteen and he was eighteen. My cousin introduced us. He was her new boyfriend. Thing is, I was smitten with him from that moment. I hoped, one day, when I was all grown up, he’d notice me, but he never did. He only had eyes for my cousin, you see. He felt about her the way I felt about him. I only took the job at his company so I’d get to see him every day. I kept thinking, one day he’ll look at me, and he’ll forget all abouther.’
‘Your cousin?’ Polly shook her head. ‘That’s not very nice, lovey, now, is it? You shouldn’t have been trying to break them up. It’s not decent.’
‘I didn’t exactlytry,’ Brooke said defensively. ‘I just hoped and dreamed that one day he’d fall out of love with her and in love with me. I didn’t do anything to make it happen…’
Well, apart from taking the job at the IT company where he worked, and getting made up to the nines every day hoping he’d think how attractive she was, and laughing at all his jokes, and bringing him coffee and a pastry every morning, and giving him meaningful looks and batting her eyelashes at him and…
‘Even so,’ Polly said. ‘It doesn’t seem like a nice thing to do.’
Brooke scowled. ‘Don’t waste your sympathy on my cousin, Polly. She made Danny unhappy. He’s just forgotten all that.’
She gazed out of the window at the pouring rain, her thoughts drifting back to all those days watching and waiting for Danny to notice that his perfect relationship wasn’t as perfect as he thought it was.
‘She didn’t deserve him. I just wish he knew that.’
‘You should tell him,’ Polly said. ‘Not about your cousin. About you. About how you feel.’
Brooke gave a bitter laugh. ‘There’d be no point. We’ve been stuck here for eighteen years now, Poll, and in all that time he’s never so much as looked at me with any kind of interest whatsoever. I’m just some kid to him, even though I’m twenty-five now. That’s all I ever was, and that’s all I’ll ever be.’
‘Then you have to make him see you differently,’ Polly said, squeezing her hand. ‘Eighteen years you’ve waited for him to notice you. Well, it hasn’t worked, has it? Time to change tactics, don’t you think? Time tomakehim notice you. Time to make him see that you’re not that teenage girl with a crush any more. You’re a woman with wants and needs of your own, and you want and needhim!’
Brooke thought about it.
‘Poll?’
‘Yes?’
‘Is it… I mean, is it really possible?’
Polly frowned. ‘Is what possible?’
‘You know.’ Brooke would have blushed if she’d been able. ‘Todo it. Now we’re dead. I’ve heard that we can, but I’m not sure it’s true.’
Polly laughed. ‘Oh.That! It’s true all right. Why wouldn’t we? We’re all on the same plane of existence, aren’t we? Obviously, we haven’t got functioning reproductive systems any more, so it’s purely for pleasure, not baby making.’ She winked. ‘Bonus, some might say. We can touch each other easily enough. You’re as solid to me now as if we were both alive and well. Why wouldn’t we be able to?’
‘Well,’ Brooke said doubtfully, ‘our clothes are in the way for a start. We can’t take them off, can we? Believe me, I’ve tried enough times.’
‘Nooo,’ Polly acknowledged slowly, ‘we can’t take them off. But we can push them down, pull them aside, lift them up… You know what I mean? Just gotta use your imagination, haven’t you?’ She grinned widely. ‘It’s not stopped Agnes and Aubrey by all accounts.’
‘Ugh.’ Brooke didn’t like to think about that. Agnes was forty-five and Aubrey fifty. It was a dreadful thought to imagine them doingthatattheirage.
Polly let out a peal of laughter. ‘Don’t look like that! Aw, I think it’s sweet.’
Agnes and Aubrey had finally married on Christmas Day at All Souls’ Church, with The Reverend Alexander performing the ceremony. Brooke had to admit she didn’t think she’d ever seen any couple look more in love that day.
‘DidCallietell you they were at it like rabbits?’ she asked, thinking she’d have expected Callie to be more discreet than that.
‘No. It was Florrie!’
‘Florrie?’ Brooke was shocked. ‘Surely she doesn’t realise?—’
‘Oh no, no!’ Polly held up her hands to fend off any suggestion that Florence – the couple’s ‘adopted’ daughter – had been witness to something she shouldn’t. ‘Bless her. She was fed up and moaning about Agnes. Said her mum had had constant headaches since the wedding, and was always having to go and lie down, and that Aubrey would send Florrie out to play so Agnes could have peace and quiet. He told Florrie not to worry, as he’d go and lie down with her mum to make sure she was okay.’
