‘Drop the socks, and we won’t talk of this again.’ My granny went a bit nutty towards the end. She talked to her cat, too. Maybe this is the start of me losing my marbles.
As I make my way to the side of the bed, Smalls jumps to basket under the table acting as a nightstand, knocking the lid from the wicker basket. And that’s when I stop looking for my socks.
Chapter 20
PENNY
‘How was your date?’
Closing the door behind me, I drop my keys into the little dish on the table, wishing I sounded as excited as Melody does.
‘It was nice. He’s nice.’
‘Nice,’ she repeats in a tone similar to my own.Sort of flat. ‘Nice is hardly a ringing endorsement.’
‘It’s better than not nice.’ Bending, I grab the heel of my shoe, dropping it to the floor before giving my toes a quick rub.
‘Yes, but nice is a dress with pockets or a new pair of shoes that don’t pinch.’
‘Pretty sure that one is a fallacy,’ I reply with a satisfied sigh as I repeat the process with my other foot.
‘Nice,’ she continues, is not what you want for a first date. Unless you mean it wasniiiice.ThatJarrod is prettyfiiiiine!’
‘Jarrod is pretty fine,’ I agree. ‘But the date? That was just nice.’
I switch on the kitchen light listening to the quiet sounds of the house, realising with a slight pang that Ben still isn’t home. I’d hoped he’d have been home before I left this evening, chiding myself that the effort I’d gone to in dressing wasn’t for mine of Jarrod’s benefit.Stupid, I know.
‘What was it, then? Was he boring? One of those men who only talk about themselves? Did he talk with bits of food stuck between his teeth? That would totally turn me off.’
‘No, nothing like that. In fact, there wasn’t any one thing in particular. He is nice looking and very personable, and we got along fine. There just wasn’t that spark.’ Not like the is with Ben.Was with Ben. We had a spark where we now only have politeness.
‘Still, you should give him another go. A dentist is sure to have mad oral skills,’ she says, tittering.
‘Ugh.’ I’m not in the mood for puns.
‘I thought that was pretty good. For me, at least.’
‘What would be good is a hot cup of tea, a shower, and a decent night’s sleep. And that’s what I’m aiming for right now,’ I say, filling the kettle.
‘Just a shame it’s alone. Well, apart from the cuppa. Hot tea and sexy times sounds like a recipe for—’
‘Third-degree burns and a trip to accident and emergency,’ I add.
‘You going to go out with him again?’
‘I think so. I mean, we’re good on paper, and our messaging game was strong. The execution just.. .’
‘Nice,’ she finishes for me.
In the end, I forgo my cup of tea and make my way up the stairs, pulling my blouse out of my skirt as I reach the first landing. The house is dark, and though I know it like the back of my hand, I’m still conscious of Smalls being about, every ready to attack. At least, these days, there’d be someone around to discover my lifeless body at the bottom of the stair.
Though not for much longer.
As I reach my room, I drop my unbuttoned blouse to the bed, shimmying out of my skirt. Dropping my earrings and bracelet to the dish on the tall chest of drawers, I resting my folded arm and head against it with a sigh. What an anticlimax. My day had been long but my evening pleasant enough. I’d met Jarrod in Primrose Hill, part way between where we both live. I’d forgotten how pretty the area is and how so many of the houses are painted the colours of delicate French macarons. We’d agreed to meet at a pub there though I was a little concerned when Jarrod had mentioned he’d made reservations at a local restaurant. Alarms bells started to ring— too much, too soon, I’d thought, which then made me laugh. Wasn’t I the girl who let Ben strip her naked five minutes into our reacquaintance?
We ate, I drank a glass of wine. He encouraged another. We were sitting outside in the garden area, decorated like a tiny piece of Paris. It had been a warm evening, but the minute the sun dipped, I became a little chilled. Jarrod had insisted I take his jacket.
More discomfort. Was it the pressure of his expectations? As it turned out, he was the perfect gentleman, only kissing my cheek before I’d stepped into a cab to leave.
