‘No!’ Pippa’s face showed her outrage. ‘We’re colleagues. We’ve got to work together. I’m not looking to start a relationship with him. I can admire his good qualities and maybe… um… daydream now and again but I can hardly jump him over the water tray, and I’m not going to.’
‘True. Do you see each other out of school? Oh, look you’re doing that thing again with your hands and looking up to the right. That’s supposed to be a sign that you’re lying, or about to. Don’t even try it, madam. I’ve not worked with small children for fifteen years without being able to spot someone being a bit shifty. Don’t even think about fibbing. Do you see him out of school?’
‘No.’
‘No?’
‘The first night we went to the pub, but we haven’t been back since. And I’ve bumped him to him when I was out and we walked back to the village together. But that’s it. Promise.’
‘Promise?’
‘Arggh. Yes. Although…’ Pippa paused for a bit and decided honesty was the best policy. ‘We do text each other in the evening.’
‘Okay. So, you and I text in the evening. Like that?’
‘Not exactly. We’ve never said anything unprofessional but… um… well… I don’t really get butterflies when my phone pings and it’s you.’
‘But you do with him?’
Pippa bit her bottom lip and nodded.
‘Okay and what about when that James fellow messages?’
‘Urgh. I ignore him a lot of the time but definitely no butterflies. Shed loads of irritation though.’
‘So, with the evidence presented, it’s fair to say that you don’t in fact have just a little crush, but rather a fairly massive infatuation?’
‘Oh no, I wouldn’t say that. And anyway, I’m notdoinganything with him. You’re not listening!’
‘I am listening and you don’t need to say it. I have. I’d be really happy for you. You deserve to be with someone good and all I’ve heard about this Kam chap indicates he’s one of those. But you don’t need me to tell you that sleeping with colleagues is a really bad idea. Really bad, especially in such a small community. So hang on to your crazy I’m-never-going-to-find-the-perfect-relationship beliefs for the time being.’
‘My beliefs aren’t crazy; they’re how I feel. I’m not ready to settle down with anyone yet. And I’mnotgoing to sleep with Kam!’
‘Oh, hush with the faux indignation. All of us in this room, even nameless genius baby, know that you want to have sex with the supply teacher. And you’d be wise to carry on not doing so for now,butdon’t close yourself off to it in the future, when you’re not working alongside him any more. As to this not ready for forever stuff, we never think we’re fully ready for things in life. They creep up on us and then we discover we are.’
‘Hmpf! Why haven’t you named your baby yet?’
‘Nice distraction but I’ll go with it this time. Dave wants to call him something ridiculous. You know what he’s like with the medieval stuff. Athelstan, Silas and Boswell have all be mentioned and then last night when he held him for the first time he tried to call him Galore and see if I minded. I minded. I don’t give a monkey’s about its meaning; I’m not having my son called Galore. I’m hoping that it’s just part of a convoluted plan to trick me into being madly grateful when he agrees to a far more acceptable historic name, like Tom or Richard or something, but I’m not hundred percent sure. I think there’s a strong chance my husband really is that daft. Galore! For goodness sake.’
‘I think he recognises his name.’ Pippa giggled as the little baby began to make snuffling waking noises.
‘Right, yup. He’s awake. Now you’re welcome to stay but this feeding is more complicated than I’ve made out. If you stay there’s a good chance you’ll get sprayed in the face by my milk.’
‘Look, I’m a game gal, but there has to be some limits.’
‘Limits? That’s not the Pippa Parkin I know,’ Dave boomed as he came through the door, loaded with food and even more magazines. ‘Glad to see you’ve met Galore Egbert Rowe.’ Pippa chuckled at the outrage on Lynne’s face as he turned and tried to defuse the situation. ‘I brought you pâté and blue cheese. Don’t know if you can have it with the feeding and all, but I know how much you’ve missed it so figured it could do no harm to wave it under your nose, just in case it took your fancy.’
‘Hello, Dave, congratulations, he’s gorgeous but I’d better get back. It’s Thursday so it’s—’
‘Family dinner,’ Lynne finished the sentence for her. ‘I’m going to start that tradition too. I like it.’
‘That’s because you’re the mother,’ said Pippa, tongue in cheek. ‘Shout if you need anything and I’ll nip by in a couple of days although you might be home by then.’
‘Should be. Thanks for popping in.’ Lynne partially raised herself, babe in arms, to give Pippa a kiss on her cheek. And as she headed to the door couldn’t resist adding, ‘Don’t sleep with him, not until I’m back in the classroom!’
Chapter Twenty-one
‘Hello darling, boys are in the shed,’ called Jan as Pippa let herself into her parents’ house. ‘Been to see Lynne and the new baby?’
