There is a steady flow of customers for the rest of the day. I try my best to avoid physical contact, but they seem to gravitate towards me with their bare limbs. I found myself rewarding two customers with free bookmarks who accidentally bumped into me while wearing long-sleeved shirts and kept the end of their love stories to themselves.
I don’t see Miranda until there are ten minutes left before closing.
She saunters over to stand by me at the till. ‘He’ll be at your flat for six.’
I let out a groan as tiredness washes over me. Every part of me is aching. The last thing I want to do is rush home. ‘That gives me half an hour to get home, shower, sort out my hair and tidy up.’
She pats me on the shoulder. ‘Let him see the natural you, Nelly.’
‘I don’t want him to see the natural me.’
Her eyes are shining. ‘Frank used to love the natural me. Why don’t you go early, and I’ll close? Yes, I know I am a great boss.’ She giggles, and I hurry away.
On my way up to my flat, I see Gary walking down the stairs. His black wiry hair is slicked back with gel, and he smells of Lynx aftershave. He grins at me. ‘I’m off out on a date, Penelope.’
I feel the usual prickle of irritation. ‘It’s Nelly, Gary. Not Penelope.’
He shakes his head. ‘I haven’t got time for small talk, Penelope. My date is waiting for me.’
I recall how Gary accidentally knocked my arm the day Eva and I moved in. At the time, he was living with his third wife. My vision showed his wife catching him in bed with their cleaner. A few weeks later, Gary informed Eva that he was single yet again because, in his words, his wife couldn’t handle the fact that other women couldn’t keep their hands off him.
With a happy whistle, he carries on down the stairs.
Oliver James’s face flashes up inside my mind. ‘Gary,’ I call out. He stops and looks up at me.
‘I might have a new flatmate. Will you need to do any checks or anything?’
He shrugs. ‘I trust your judgement, Penelope. Let me know their name and I will get the contract changed.’
‘It’s NELLY,’ I shout.
‘Penelope, I am going to be late. If you want to talk to me, my flat door is always open.’
The creepy look he gives sends me racing up the last few steps to my flat.
Once I’ve greeted Lenny, I take a quick shower, pile my hair up into a messy bun and change into a fresh pair of black jeans and a white T-shirt.
I’m poised to coat my lashes in mascara when there’s a knock at my door.
My stomach dives for the floor. It’s him. Oliver James is here.
Scooping up my cat, I whisper, ‘Stay loyal to me, Lenny. We need to stick together.’
10
The man standing in the hallway does not look like the polished Oliver James I saw in his author photo. His wavy brown hair is a little longer, and a thick stubble coats his chin. His T-shirt is crumpled, and his jeans look well-worn.
And yet, annoyingly, he’s still handsome.
Those dark eyes, the colour of strong coffee, make the word trouble flash up in capital letters inside my mind, and his boyish smile throws me off guard.
‘You must be Nelly,’ he says. His voice is smooth and polished, reminiscent of a male narrator on my audiobook app.
Oh, God, I can feel a tiny flicker of something inside my chest.Stamp that out right away, Nelly!This man tricks his readers into believing love is a good thing. Heartbreak would be inevitable with a man as handsome as Oliver. Someone as handsome as Oliver probably has a girlfriend – or even several – on his arm.
I hold Lenny tighter. ‘Nice to meet you.’
He smiles at Lenny in my arms. ‘Who is this little guy?’
