Million Love Songs(59)

‘Thank you.’ I try to sound on the verge of death. At this point I really wish I’d gone to stage school. I’m not a natural liar and the words stick in my throat – which, in effect, adds to my act. ‘Very kind. Sorry to let you down.’

‘Are you going to keep me standing here, Brown? Or are you going to let me in?’

‘Might be infectious,’ I warn. ‘I’m all hot.’

‘Are you sure it’s not the menopause?’

‘Thanks, Mason.’ A bit too crisp. ‘It’s definitely not the menopause.’ Cheeky sod. ‘I think I caught it from Charlie.’

He takes a step back, but there’s an expression of concern on his face. ‘I’m worried about you.’

‘I’ll be fine,’ I assure him. ‘I’ll probably have bounced back by tomorrow. Probably a twenty-four-hour thing.’

His eyes narrow. ‘I’ll leave the basket here then and be on my way. Wish me luck.’

If I could, I’d allow myself a smile. Waiting tables is well below Mason’s pay grade.

‘Thanks, Mason,’ I say, genuinely grateful even though he’s on a fool’s errand. ‘It’s kind of you to pop by.’ Unexpectedly.

‘If you don’t mind me saying, you look more like someone getting ready for a night out rather than someone on their sick bed.’

‘Looks can be deceiving,’ I say, voice a hoarse whisper once more.

‘Hmm,’ he agrees. I know I’m not sick and he knows I’m not sick. ‘Shall I call in on the way home? Make sure you’re still alive.’

‘No, no. No need. Early night,’ I tell him. ‘In bed by nine.’

‘Lucky you,’ Mason says. ‘Think of me dealing with the hungry hordes in your stead.’

‘Thanks, Mason. I owe you one.’

‘You do,’ he says. ‘I’ll be considering ways in which you can redeem yourself.’

‘Better go.’ I put my hand to my mouth and do a bit of a bleurgh.

‘I’ll see you, Ruby.’

I close the door and stand with my back to it, sweating. I hear the slam of Mason’s car door and then watch him as he drives away. It was so kind of him to come. If I’d truly been ill, I would have been touched by his thoughtfulness. I hadn’t expected that in the slightest and, when he shows his softer side, I can’t help but like him. It’s easy to convince myself he’s an arrogant, self-centred twat. Then he does something like this. Nevertheless, I’m still hoping he doesn’t feel the need to check up on me later or I’m in deep trouble.





Chapter Forty-Eight





Joe picks me up at seven. I’m quite nervous going out to his car in case Mason is hiding in the bushes waiting to catch me out. This date could very well get me the sack.

It might be worth it though as I’ve never seen Joe looking more handsome. He’s obviously freshly showered and shaved. His dark curls are still slightly damp and his face is flushed with warmth. We look quite the dandy pair with him in a white shirt and faded jeans and me in my new Primarni frock in pastel shades.

‘You look lovely,’ he says and I’m glad that I bought it. A tenner well spent.

We go for pizza at a small restaurant out of town rather than a busy chain. I’ve not been here before and the atmosphere is great, but we can still hear each other speak rather than having to shout over the noise. It’s also quite useful to be away from the centre of Costa del Keynes where someone from work might spot me. This is how subterfuge makes you think. It must be exhausting to have an affair.

Once I relax and stop feeling guilty that I’m not actually ill and am out on a date, Joe and I have a great evening and laugh a lot. He’s easy company to be with and not too shabby to look at either.

He talks a lot about Daisy and Tom, showing me photographs on his phone. He’s obviously a proud dad and why not? It makes me sad to think that this little family have broken up and I wonder what pressures they’ve been under to have brought them to this point. I’d ask, but I don’t want to spend the whole of our evening talking about his ex or bringing him down with talk of his divorce. So we skip over the surface of it and move onto films, music and life in general. He doesn’t drink as he’s driving and I limit myself to a couple of glasses of wine, even though my nerves think they would like a lot more.

It’s eleven o’clock when he looks at his watch and says, ‘Wow, is that the time? The evening has flown by.’

I’m hoping this is a good sign as I really do like Joe. He’s wholesome, considerate and obviously a caring person.

‘I can’t think last when I was out this late on my own,’ he laughs. ‘I thought it would get easier when the kids were more grown-up, but the demands seem even more. They’re both high on hormones and most of my life is spent ferrying them about to parties and sleepovers. Their social life is ten times better than mine.’

‘It seems to be the way of the world now.’

‘I know I talk about them a lot,’ he says. ‘I’m sorry if I’ve bored you, but they’re my life. Everything I do, I do for them.’

‘I understand.’

‘That makes it harder for me to come to terms with what Gina has done. She puts herself ahead of everyone else.’ It’s the first time he’s mentioned her all evening and, as I suspected, his mood changes when he does. ‘I thought she’d find an excuse to back out of this weekend, but so far, so good. The kids were really excited to be going there. She lives in a big, posh house now and kids’ heads are easily turned.’