'We could have a Properlies wedding in the midst.'
Tilly shook her head. 'Girls, you know that’s never going to happen again. Once bitten, twice shy.'
'Point taken. However, I have never seen you with a look like this on your face.'
Tilly sighed dreamily. The Properlies had clocked the look on her face in an instant just as she’d known they would. What they couldn’t see was what was happening inside her heart.
51
The following week, Tilly was on the tram. She’d taken to riding the tram to Darlings a few mornings a week, with the main purpose being inhalation of the lovely coffee. It was true to say that Tilly had sort of fallen in love with the tram and all that went with it. There was just something about the old timber carriages rumbling up Darling Street, the ding-ding of the brass bell, the sliding windows letting in the smell of the sea and the polished seats that floated Tilly’s boat. It was just a lovely, calming, old-school way to travel. A far cry, it had to be said, from a five o'clock alarm in the staff quarters of a five-star hotel and a buggy ride down a service aisle to go and scrub other people's bathrooms.
This particular morning, she'd no sooner got on and turned to find a seat when she clocked Evie from Darlings halfway down the carriage with a wicker basket on her lap. Shelly, with her hair in a French plait and decked out in her conductor’s uniform, was standing chatting to Evie.
Shelly beamed. 'Morning, my lover. Come and sit yourself down here by Evie.'
'How are you, lovely?' Evie asked. 'Haven't seen you in Darlings for a few days. We were starting to think you'd forgotten about us.'
'Ahh, yes, I've been busy getting the shed ready and working on a few things. There's a lot to do.'
Evie nodded. 'Right, yes, busy with the Shed. That'll be it. I’ve got the day off today, and I’m making the most of it.'
'What have you been up to?' Shelly smiled and raised her eyebrows. 'How are you getting on with your neighbour?'
Tilly felt the heat go up her neck. She pretended she didn’t know what Shelly was talking about. ‘Neighbour?’
Evie chuckled. 'Otto. A little dickie bird said you’d been to China Darling.'
Tilly smiled. There’d been a lot, lot,lotmore since China Darling. Most of the time involving the most wondrous sex of Tilly’s life. So much so that she couldn’t get enough of it. She’d seen Otto every night since and enjoyed herself immensely. Things had happened that had made the initial fireworks look like amateurs. Tilly pretended it was nothing and brushed it off. 'Ahh, Mey mentioned we were in there, did she?'
Shelly cackled. 'Now, come on. You think we believe it was just the dinner. Out with it. By my count, there's been the oyster night, the dinner at Mey's, Mr Cooke swears blind he saw the pair of you walking the coastal path on Sunday with Stanley, and were you not in the pub together last night?'
Smiling, Tilly raised her eyebrows. The Darling interwebs were not wrong. Since the dinner, Tilly and Otto had hardly been apart. The Darling bush telegraph did not know how many times she had been in his bed. At least, she hoped it didn’t. Brushing it off, she flicked her hand. ‘Yes, we’ve been out a few times.’
Shelly patted Tilly’s arm. ‘I’ve heard it’s more than a few! How’s it going with him?’
Fabulous as far as Tilly was concerned. However, she wasn’t sure how to answer the very loaded question. From her side of the fence, it was goingspectacularly. She was now nearly constantly accompanied by fireworks as she went about her day. Could have been worse. The women of Darling did not, however, need to know quite how deeply she’d already fallen. ‘He’s nice. Yes, it’s good to share a few dinners with someone here and there, you know?’
Shelly coughed. ‘Word on the street is it’s more than a few dinners.’
Tilly giggled. ‘No can tell.’
Evie smiled. ‘Good on you. I must say we’re all very happy to see, well, Otto looking pleased as punch with himself. It’s a good thing to witness.’
Otto wasn’t even close to as pleased with the situation as Tilly was, but she’d keep that little nugget of information to herself, thank you very much. ‘Hmm.’
Shelly parked herself on the edge of the seat opposite, abandoning all pretence of work. 'So, has he cooked for you yet? I always think that’s an indicator.'
Tilly blinked. 'He made me a fry-up.' Tilly immediately wished she hadn't let on because Evie's eyes went wide and Shelly's eyebrows shot up so far they nearly touched her conductor's cap.
'A fry-up? At his place or yours?'
Tilly felt heat rush up her neck, and she joked. 'Ha, ladies, I can’t possibly divulge.'
Shelly nodded knowingly and giggled. 'Too funny. We already know, so…'
'I’m sure.' Tilly chuckled.
'My lover, just remember everyone on Darling knows everything.' Shelly patted Tilly’s hand. 'We're not judging, not inthe slightest. We're celebrating. It's been a long time since that man's had anything to celebrate.'
