Sophie shrugged. ‘That’s whatallguys do. You’re engaged, for goodness sake. I wouldn’t sweat it. Can I organise your hen night when you tie the knot? I’ll wear one of these wigs and come as Bridesmaid Barbie.’
Aria reached out for Tiger and grabbed his lead. She needed to get home, anyway, and right now her friend wasn’t being the greatest listener.
But as she went to stand, Sophie grabbed her hand. ‘Hey, wait, you’re proper upset?’
‘Our engagement was fake all along and now it’s over,’ Aria blurted out, tears welling.
‘That’s bollocks,’ said Sophie, passing her a toilet roll. ‘What do you even mean by fake? As I’ve said before, he’s besottedwith you, and you go all moony whenever anyone mentions his name. If you aren’t married by Christmas, I’ll eat Grandad’s cap.’
Aria pulled off a couple of sheets and scrunched them up. ‘It was an agreement between us to con your mother and the other councillors into supporting his planning application. He proposed the idea of a fake relationship before the swim, and I was so rattled by Justin and Lu-Lu crowing about theirs I took it a little far. I was knee deep in my campaign to save the lake, and I negotiated some stuff that would be beneficial to the environment, so I didn’t feel I was giving myself away. Plus, I got to live in his house and save some money. It became a bit of a roller coaster as we had your mother coming and had to get to know each other quickly. But now…’ Aria shrugged, ‘the ride has ended and I’m totally alone and back in the queue for tickets.’
Sophie put her head to one side and looked at Aria coolly. ‘Well, you’re not alone, because you have me. And I thought it looked good on you, that fake engagement.’ She put the word fake in finger quotes in the air.
‘So did I! I was happy for the first time in ages. I started to fall for him. I thought we were on the same page. But then he dropped me like a hot cake. Went straight off to London as soon as your mother gave him the thumbs-up.’
Now Sophie looked confused. ‘But you said you had sex last night?’
‘He came back, and we were messing around at the lake, laughing at Tiger who was humping a duck. Don’t ask. Then I helped him plant an oak from an acorn as he’d never grown anything before, and, before I knew it, we were kissing…’
‘He came back from London, grew his own wood and planted a seed in you?’ said Sophie, delighting in her wordplay. ‘So why are you round here worrying?’
‘Because, if the planning decision goes his way today, he’ll have no more use for our agreement. And if it doesn’t, he’ll return south and it’s all over anyway. I really like this man, Sophie. But I feel there are two different versions of him. There’s the super-charged, ruthless businessman who is willing to run roughshod over the Lakes, building on every bit of green he can get hold of, for profit. And then there’s the chilled guy who identifies species of fritillary with his phone so he can chat with me about them, who rubs my back when I’m sick, buys the food I like and pets Tiger. I fear he’s going to revert from country guy to city guy again and leave me here in bits.’ The tears she’d been holding in fell and she pulled off more toilet roll to absorb them.
Sophie smiled sympathetically. ‘It will work itself out. You look amazing together and you’re irresistible. Except when you are crying like that: then you look like a sad, snotty panda.’
Aria blew her nose into the tissue. ‘I was so humiliated by Justin and so unhappy when I left Cumbria a year and a half ago. Returning here and living in his house gave me hope. I thought my luck had changed.’
‘Hmm. Remind me why you almost married that jumped-up caravanner?’
Aria pulled herself together enough to answer. ‘I really have no idea. I got an invite for their wedding. Isn’t that just odd? The e-card was literally a clone of the ones I designed for me and Justin.’
‘See? You bring stuff to the table too, Aria. You might not have pots of money or a fancy company, but you are a catch, and neither of them deserve you. And if the king of the castle doesn’t step up and give you both a happy ending – and yes, I do meanthatkind of happy ending – then he’s blind and stupid and I give up on love. This calls for getting drunk and ordering takeout. I’ve no food in as my sister and I are taking Grandad to Wales tomorrow while the house is damp-proofed. He thinks he’s going to climb Snowdon. In reality, he falls over a molehill every time he goes out for a pint of milk, and thinks Poet’s Panorama is a Wainwright.
48
Nic worked on some finances in a hotel bar, his case officer keeping him informed about delays to the meeting. It was late afternoon by the time Roger walked into the room. Nic jumped up to greet him like a starving man who’d just set eyes on an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Roger laughed and clapped him on the back. ‘I have good news. There are one or two small things you still need to address, but generally the meeting went in your favour, and largely speaking, you can start work.’
Nic could barely contain his excitement or thanks, and the men spent the next half hour talking. After Roger left, Nic texted his father and brother before inviting Aria to dinner to celebrate.
Back at home, he sat at his desk and reopened his laptop. When another raft of emails appeared, he decided he needed a PA as well as a business manager asap. Theo had done the job of both, but he was one of a kind. Nic started drafting adverts. Looking in his diary for interview dates, he remembered the wedding invitation. Someone had obviously dropped out, or else Justin was keen for another round of dick-wagging.If he attended, he could spy on the enemy camp and maybe chat with some of the Hetherington investors. But might that upset or undermine Aria?
His hands rested on his keyboard as he thought about where things stood with her. Last night had been fantastic and he couldn’t wait to wine and dine her tonight before taking her to bed. This time in an actual bed. He looked around the show home and sighed. It wasn’t real life. This wasn’t his home. Could they continue long distance? Did she want to? Was he thinking with his dick and not his head? And if that proved to be the case, could he face faking a break-up of their made-up engagement to fix things? His critics would celebrate being right all along about not being able to trust him. But what was the alternative? It wasn’t like they could come clean and tell everyone they were kidding about being in love. And anyway, he wasn’t kidding. What a muddle. Putting his head in his hands, he tried to think. He wished he could talk to someone about the whole mess, but couldn’t burden Theo any more than he already had. He obviously couldn’t tell Aria his fears, and he was starting to worry about having to make a decision about the ransom strip now that work would be starting on the marina.
Taking a painkiller for a growing headache, he remembered how his mum used to soothe him as a child by massaging his scalp. He missed her. And after some hesitation, he decided to leave her a message telling her he’d got the planning. He was surprised when she picked up, and even more gobsmackedwhen her tone was warm and she invited him to stay for the weekend. Not wanting to take the olive branch for granted, he arranged to travel the following day. He could check in on Theo on the way back. Closing his laptop, he had a shower and waited for Aria to return from work.
49
Next morning, Aria stood a few feet away from the couple she was showing around a two-up-two-down, in case they were overcome by alcohol fumes. She’d drunk and chatted long into the night with Sophie, crashing on her floor in the early hours. Initially ignoring a message from Nic about a meal out, she’d answered him when his texts took on a worried tone as she hadn’t come home. Telling him she was fine and staying with Sophie seemed to get him off her back. As she wandered into town after the viewing, she decided a little spot of window shopping wouldn’t hurt. Entering one independent store, she picked up a bottle of unique cologne and realised it was the scent she’d splashed on the other day.So Nic did support local businesses, after all?She put some of it onto her wrist and breathed it in, the dull ache in her stomach starting to feel like a void. She headed to the supermarket to treat herself to an iced bun in the hope it would satisfy her in some way.
‘I’m surprised at the yellow stickers.’ A voice over her shoulder boomed around the store as the trainee manager scanned her shopping. ‘You’ve moved in with Nic Castle, haven’tyou? I’d have thought his fridge would be full of champagne and caviar.’
Aria swung around to see Justin standing behind her with a bag of pine nuts in his hand. She put him right. ‘What Nic does with his money is up to him, but I can assure you he doesn’t spend it on caviar. Not all of us have pots of inherited caravan cash to throw away.’
Her ex-boyfriend sniffed. ‘They’re not caravans. They’re luxury mobile homes.’
‘Afraid you might be considered Lakeland trailer trash?’ She grabbed the buns and walked out, with Justin following close behind.
