‘Saskia!’ Kate called up the stairs early that evening. ‘That landlord agent guy is going to be here in a minute. Is your room tidy?’
Saskia replied something inaudible, but Kate couldn’t wait. She hadn’t even had time to shower since getting home from the races, and she’d totally forgotten about their rent inspection.
She plumped the cushions in the lounge and threw a shawl over the back of the sofa to make it appear more presentable. Her phone rang as she was disposing of some very dead flowers. Kate’s stomach clenched. It was her mother.
‘Hi, Mum. Everything okay?’ she answered.
‘Yes, I think so, thanks, Katie.’
Phew, she didn’t sound mad for being stood up. Kate looked around the kitchen to see what else needed cleaning. What was that smell? She looked down at the bin. Maybe she should take the rubbish out. Collection wasn’t until Friday, but still, something smelt horrible in there and she didn’t want the agent to think they were living in squalor.
She pinned the phone between her cheek and shoulder and wrestled the bin bag free.
‘What are you doing?’ asked Val. ‘All that bumping and grunting.’
‘We’ve got a house inspection in a minute and I’m still cleaning. I’m sorry about the other day, Mum. I left a message on your phone.’
‘It’s okay, Katie. I understand. I just wanted to tell you I’ve been going to meetings every day this week. I haven’t touched a drop.’
Kate paused, praying to God that her mother was telling the truth. ‘That’s great. Hey, I’m really proud of you.’
‘Yeah, me too.’ Val gave an embarrassed laugh. ‘Look, Katie, the more I’ve been going to the meetings the more I’ve come to understand how it affects everyone around me, like you and Xander, and Saskia.’
Bugger, Kate bet Saskia hadn’t cleaned her room yet. ‘Sorry, hold on, Mum.’ She dropped the bin bag and returned to the bottom of the stairs. ‘Saskia! Your room had better be clean when the agent gets here!’ she yelled.
‘And I was wondering if you would like to come along to a meeting with me?’ continued Val.
Saskia’s door was yanked open and she stuck her head round the corner, purple face pack in place and hair wound in a towel. ‘It’s clean, Kate. Jesus! It’s not like we’re going to get kicked out for me having a messy room.’
The door was slammed shut again and Kate breathed out through her nose. ‘Sorry, Mum, what did you say?’ she asked, hurrying back into the kitchen to get the bin bag.
‘I want you to come to an AA meeting with me.’
Kate stopped short. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’
‘No, Katie, you’re wrong. It would be a really great idea. The people I’ve spoken to—’
‘Mum, if Ben is there then it will not be so great, I promise you.’ Noticing dust on one of the kitchen shelves, Kate grabbed a disinfectant wipe.
‘I haven’t seen him at any of the meetings I’ve been to,’ said Val.
‘He was there the first time.’
‘Well, he hasn’t been since.’
Had he fallen off the wagon? Kate sighed and gave the shelf one last flick with the wipe. She hoped not. ‘When do you want me to come? I’ve got work, remember.’
‘Next week?’
‘No can do. It’s Cheltenham next week.’ Saying the words out loud made the hair on her neck stand on end. This year she wouldn’t be watching it on the television in the racing office. This year she would be there, in the thick of it, leading up d’Artagnan.
‘Is the Festival all week?’
‘No, Tuesday until Friday, but—’ Kate was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. ‘Shit, he’s here. I’ve got to go, Mum. The estate agent’s here. I’ll speak to you later.’
‘So you could come on Monday?’
Kate went to throw the disinfectant wipe in the bin only to find it without a bag inside and a half-full one squatting by the door. ‘Yeah, okay, Mum. Monday it is, but I can only take a couple of hours off, three at the most. I’ll meet you there. Gotta go. Bye.’
Kate threw the bag out the kitchen door onto the small courtyard behind the house and blasted the room with air freshener. The doorbell rang again.
*
‘Hi, come in!’ Kate exclaimed, breathless in her haste. ‘Mr Llywelyn, right?’
The estate agent gave her an odd look, making Kate consciously draw in her panic.
‘Jensen, please,’ he said, stepping over the threshold in his patent leather shoes. ‘Everything going okay?’
‘Yes, splendid! No problems whatsoever.’ He didn’t need to know that the kitchen windows had been sticking. Not yet, anyhow. She didn’t want to be the overly demanding tenant that every landlord hated.
Jensen smiled in approval and gestured forward. ‘Okay if I take a quick look around?’
Kate ushered him through then stood feeling like a spare part as he nosed around the lounge and dining room. ‘Would you like something to drink? Tea? Coffee?’
‘I won’t, thanks.’ He scribbled a couple of notes on his clipboard and wandered through to the kitchen. ‘No problems with the boiler? Heating working okay?’
‘Yes, no problems. We’ve been very comfortable here,’ Kate assured him.
‘Good, good.’ He sniffed the air, still heavy with the scent of jasmine and vanilla, and sneezed.
‘Bless you.’
Jensen searched his pockets for a handkerchief and came up empty. Kate went into overdrive, pulled out the dirty disinfectant wipe from her pocket then stuffed it back in again. She tore off a couple of sheets of kitchen roll for him. Jensen blew his nose, sounding like a trumpet that had been run over by a car. Kate had the insane urge to laugh.
‘Your sister home?’ he asked, pocketing the paper towel.
‘She’s upstairs.’
Jensen beamed. ‘Great, I can say hello when we’re up there.’
Kate followed him up the stairs. He detoured via her spotless bedroom and bathroom then knocked on Saskia’s door.
‘Kate, for fuck’s sake, I’ve cleaned—’ Saskia wrenched open the door and stopped mid-sentence at the sight of the estate agent. Her face pack cracked as she smiled.
‘Hello, there. I didn’t hear you come in.’
Jensen looked flustered. ‘Sorry to disturb you. I just need to do a quick spec.’
Saskia stood aside. ‘Spec all you want,’ she said in a husky voice. How she managed to turn men to jelly, even with a purple face and wearing Peppa Pig pyjamas, was beyond Kate.
She took a reluctant step forward to see into Saskia’s room. It didn’t look too bad, considering. At least the bed was made and most of her laundry was in the basket.
Jensen stood in the middle of the room and looked around. His gaze paused over Saskia’s dressing table which was awash with make-up and hair products. Her month-old Valentine’s Day card was clipped to the mirror.
‘I see you have a secret admirer,’ he said.
‘I do love a bit of mystery,’ murmured Saskia.
Jensen turned pink and averted his gaze to scribble more notes. He dotted the page with a conclusive tap and beamed at them both. ‘Everything seems to be in order. And I’m glad you’ve settled in well. I’ll leave you to it.’ He tore off a sheet of paper and gave it to Kate as he passed. ‘A copy for you.’ He paused by the door and turned back to Saskia. ‘You going out tonight?’
‘Just to the pub to meet a friend.’
‘A boyfriend?’
Saskia looked amused. ‘No, a girlfriend, actually.’ She gave him a coy smile. ‘You should come along.’
Jensen looked down at his clipboard and gave an embarrassed laugh. ‘I don’t know.’
Saskia feigned disappointment. ‘That’s too bad. But if you’re too busy—’
‘No! I’m not too busy. In fact, I’m all finished for today. You going to The Golden Miller?’
Saskia nodded.
Jensen tucked his clipboard under his arm, still looking awkward. ‘Maybe I’ll see you there then.’
*
After seeing Jensen out, Kate ran back up the stairs to Saskia’s room.
‘I don’t believe you,’ she said, laughing. ‘How on earth do you do it?’
Saskia was sat back at her dressing table, wiping off her face pack with a cotton ball. ‘Do what?’
‘How do you manage to pick up men when you’ve got a face like a radish and your hair in a towel?’
Saskia shrugged. ‘Just sheer natural magnetism, I suppose.’
Kate snorted. ‘Well, if you do start dating him just be nice, okay? I don’t want to get kicked out of here too.’ The Valentine’s Day card on Saskia’s mirror caught her eye and she paused. ‘I wonder if...’ She tugged the card free and looked at the inscription inside. Her mouth fell open and she looked from Saskia to the card to the door.
‘What?’
‘Do you think maybe it was him who sent you this?’
Saskia batted her away. ‘I’m telling you, it was Jack.’
‘But look.’ Kate pointed to the question mark. ‘If that really is an upside down J, then it could be him. And he was the only other person who knew where we lived.’
Saskia gave her a dubious look. ‘What’s his name again?’
‘Jensen. Jensen Llywelyn.’
Saskia glanced at the card again. ‘I still think it was Jack.’
Kate shook her head in exasperation. Then she remembered the copy of the inspection sheet Jensen had handed to her. She whipped it out and compared the writing. ‘It is him! Look, Saskia.’
Saskia looked, then looked again with more urgency. ‘Oh my God, it is!’ She looked at Kate and they howled with laughter. ‘Wow, that’s—that’s a little creepy, don’t you think?’
‘Not as creepy as Jack sending you a card.’
Saskia didn’t look convinced. ‘Oh, well,’ she said with a shrug and turned back to the mirror.
‘Are you going to tell him you know?’
Saskia looked doubtful. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t encourage him. I don’t really fancy dating a Welshman.’
‘Why?’
‘Have you seen their language? It looks like a dictionary sneezed.’
The doorbell rang and they stared at each other.
‘Do you think it’s him again?’ Saskia whispered.
Kate tried not to laugh. ‘Maybe.’
‘Go see.’
Kate thundered back down the stairs and opened the door. Her laughter faded when she saw who it was. ‘Nicholas,’ she gasped. ‘What are you doing here?’
*
‘Er, hi.’
Kate stared at him then remembered her manners. ‘Come in, come in. Um, were we supposed to be meeting tonight?’ She was pretty sure she’d turned down his dinner offer at Frankie’s party.
Nicholas stepped through the doorway, hands clasped, a nervous smile frozen on his face. ‘No, I thought I’d surprise you.’
‘Well, you have. How did you know where I lived?’
‘I bumped into Leonie the other evening. She filled me in on – you know – what you’ve been going through lately.’
Kate narrowed her eyes. ‘Oookaaay. What exactly has she told you?’
‘Just that you’ve had a rough time and, well, that’s really why I’m here. I’ve – um – got a surprise for you. Call it a belated Christmas present, even though that’s passed. Obviously.’
Kate held out her hands to resist. ‘Nicholas, I don’t want anything. I can’t accept—’
‘It’s to do with d’Artagnan.’
Kate shut her mouth. Maybe she should hear him out. ‘D’Artagnan?’
‘Yes.’ Nicholas stood, tense in the middle of the dining room, still bundled in his coat and scarf. ‘I like you, Kate. Very much. And I would like us to try again.’
‘Nicholas—’
He held out his hand to stem her objections. ‘I got to thinking. The reason we broke up in the first place was because of d’Artagnan, so it makes sense that if we race d’Artagnan like you want then we have nothing to fight about.’
Kate’s jaw hung slack. ‘You’ll let him run on his own merits?’
Nicholas nodded pensively.
‘In the Gold Cup?’ She couldn’t allow for any confusion this time.
Nicholas nodded again. ‘In the Gold Cup.’
Kate didn’t know how to react. Exultant joy fought with a sorrow that still pined for Ben. Nicholas searched her face for an answer, looking more and more doubtful the longer she stayed silent.
‘That is, if you’re not seeing anyone already,’ he said, wringing his hands.
Oh, God. He didn’t know about her and Ben. Of course not. Why would he? He and Ben were hardly on the best of terms, and it wasn’t the sort of things that was just popped into a casual conversation. Maybe she should tell him? She didn’t like the idea of keeping secrets. But what good would it do? It would just damage the brothers’ relationship further. And, Kate hated to admit it, Nicholas might be so upset that he’d change his mind about d’Artagnan.
Kate realised she’d already made her decision.
‘I’m not seeing anyone,’ she said.
Nicholas beamed. ‘Then maybe we can try again?’
Doubt snagged inside her. She couldn’t use Nicholas like this. ‘I don’t know, Nicholas. I don’t know if I’m ready.’ She sighed. ‘I can’t change how I feel, just like that,’ she said, snapping her fingers.
‘That’s okay, that’s okay. You take all the time you need. We can take it slow,’ he assured her.
Kate chewed her lip as guilt slunk up to her. Nicholas must think her terribly ungrateful. She gave him a weak smile. ‘Thank you?’
‘You’re welcome.’ Nicholas was all smiles. He gestured to the front door and in the general direction of The Golden Miller. ‘Do you fancy celebrating over dinner?’
Every enzyme in Kate’s body shot in reverse. ‘I’ve already eaten—’ She gave herself a mental kick when his face fell. ‘But we can have a drink together, right?’
Nicholas turned apple-cheeked again. ‘Great. Shall I wait while you doll yourself up?’
Kate stopped short. She’d forgotten she was still wearing her clothes from the races. ‘Oh. Oh yes. Of course. If you don’t mind.’