“He sounds so sweet,” Tara sighed on the other end of the telephone line when Natalie told her all about Jay’s London Eye surprise.
“He is,” she agreed. “It’s weird, Tara – I’ve never had anyone do something like that for me – ever.”
“Neither have most of us – but this guy certainly seems to know how to push all the right buttons. You’re certain he’s not married?”
Natalie could understand why she’d asked the question. She’d wondered the same thing herself, feeling that a man with money, good looks and a personality had to be too good to be true. But no, she and Jay had discussed their respective love lives at length that Saturday when, after their highly enjoyable trip on the Eye, they’d gone for a drink in Momo, a cosy Moroccan-themed wine bar in Mayfair.
She’d discovered that Jay was thirty-six, lived near Finchley and had worked in events and promotions for twelve years.
“I’m at Labyrinth for almost six years now,” he told her. “I love it and we’ve got an amazing team, but I think I’d like to go out on my own someday.”
“I sometimes feel like that,” Natalie admitted and with a start realised that she’d never verbalised this largely latent ambition. “But I just don’t know if a oneman or woman outfit would attract the calibre of client that Blue Moon does.”
“You’ve got an amazing reputation, though – I’m sure that would count for something.”
“Do I really?” Natalie teased. “I see someone’s been checking up on me.”
Jay gave her a sheepish look. “Well, I mentioned your name to a couple of people – all of whom had nothing but good things to say.” He smiled. “They were especially complimentary about your bum.”
“Sexist bastards!” But Natalie smiled too. She’d never had an issue about using her sexuality in this line of work (within limits of course) and she was pleased to learn that the lipo-removal sessions were paying off. Although, if she continued scoffing burgers at TGI Friday’s, that wouldn’t be the case for too much longer!
But it was telling that Jay had asked around about her. It meant that he was interested enough to do so – although after what he’d arranged for their date that day, Natalie was no longer concerned about that. Even Tara would have to admit that any man who went to the trouble of arranging a private trip on the London Eye was interested!
“So, you’re heading close to the big four-oh then,” Natalie stated, taking a sip from her wineglass.
“Yes, and with very little to show for it, unfortunately.”
Her eyes widened. “A house in Finchley, a career in the legendary Labyrinth – how’s that nothing?”
“It’s just material stuff, though, isn’t it? And money, success and all that doesn’t count for a whole lot when you get down to it.”
“So you never married, then?” Natalie asked, seeing as he’d steered the conversation towards the personal stuff.
He gave a faraway smile. “Never really found the right woman, to be honest. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of long-term relationships and ‘nearly’ women.”
“Nearly women?”
“Ones that might have made the cut, but didn’t.”
“‘Made the cut’?” Natalie repeated, raising an eyebrow.
“Jesus, that sounds really pompous,” Jay jumped in quickly. “What I meant was that I could have married certain women back then – simply for the sake of getting married. But somehow, I knew deep down it wouldn’t last and so I thought what’s the bloody point?”
That’s the difference between you and me then, Natalie thought suddenly. Because she’d been with lots of men she knew weren’t quite right, but wanted to marry them anyway because she just wanted to be married. Jay was right. It was crazy to mess around with something like that, simply for the sake of it.
Tara had of course told her the same thing, but it hadn’t really hit her how stupid she’d been about it all until now. At this stage, she could barely remember the faces, let alone the names, of some of the men she’d seriously considered as husband material. She’d been so desperate to settle down, she’d felt that any man at all would do. She’d been that pathetic.
Still, now that she’d come to that realisation, it made her all the more determined not to get it wrong this time. So, she wasn’t going to get carried away into thinking that Jay might just be the one, but at the same time, she didn’t want to let him slip through her fingers either.
“What do I do next?” she asked Tara now. “Do I phone his office and thank him for a lovely day, or do I text in the hope of organising another one.”
“Don’t you even think about texting him!” Tara warned her. “I know what you’re like with a mobile phone!”
“OK.” Recalling her behaviour with Steve, Natalie was duly convinced.
“He didn’t say anything about going out again when he dropped you home?” Tara asked her.
“He didn’t drop me home as such – he just came as far as my place with me in the cab and then went home to his own. Tara, I was dying to ask him in! Especially after the cocktails at Momo.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to drink too much?” Tara scolded although her tone was light. “Still, I’m proud that you resisted the temptation all the same.”
“Well, I knew I wouldn’t hear the end of it from you if I didn’t,” Natalie grunted. “Still, it leaves me in a bit of a pickle as to what to do next. Maybe he didn’t say anything because he was miffed that I didn’t ask him in.”
“From what you’ve told me about him already, that doesn’t seem his style.”
“Yes, but he organised this amazing thing with the London Eye with champagne and all that and got nothing at the end of it?”
“Natalie, I’ve told you before – it’s not about rewarding someone. Just because a man does something nice for you doesn’t mean that you have to automatically sleep with him. You have to get out of that mindset.”
“Yes, yes, I know. But that still leaves me at a loss as to what to do now.”
“You do nothing, my dear,” Tara assured her confidently. “You just continue to play it cool, sit tight and let him come to you.”
And yet again, Tara called it right. To Natalie’s delight, Jay phoned her midweek at work to arrange another date for the following weekend. Natalie was amazed at how much the other girl knew about handling the opposite sex.
“I’ve got Glenn, haven’t I?” Tara laughed, when Natalie told her this. “And through him, I’ve learned all there is to know about handling men.”
“But you’re so good at this anyway! And I honestly don’t think that the fact Jay is Irish has much to do it. You’re just a natural, Tara! I can’t understand why you don’t become a dating coach, instead of just a life coach!”
“Maybe I will after this,” Tara quipped, “and while I’m at it, I might become a marriage counsellor, a pregnancy counsellor and, if all else fails, I suppose I could always fall back on a career in pest control.”
“Sorry?”
“Oh, never mind,” Tara said with a little laugh. “It’s just this guy I met recently that lives next door to Liz. He’s afraid of mice and, as they don’t bother me, he asked me to help chase them out of his house.”
Natalie grinned. “Does anything at all bother you?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you just seem so calm and in control of everything. I thought the same when I met you in Egypt. Nothing seems to faze you.”
“Things faze me,” Tara replied simply, “but I’ve learnt over the years not to let anything really get to me. What’s the point?”
Natalie shook her head. “I really admire you, Tara. You’ve really got it all under control – you and Glenn, your career, family, friends.”
“Under control? I wish!” Tara laughed easily. “Natalie, my youngest sister is pregnant by a mystery man, which of course means the whole family is up in arms, my best friend is going through a marriage crisis and these days Glenn and I are so busy with work that we barely see one another. It’s not half as calm and controlled as you make it sound!”
“And then you’ve got me whining on about my relationship problems too,” Natalie said, feeling guilty. “God, I’m frightfully sorry, Tara – I really didn’t mean to take up so much of your time.”
“Oh Natalie, no, don’t be silly, that’s not at all what I meant! To be honest, I’m enjoying this – and I think we’re making very good progress.”
“We certainly are!” Natalie laughed, relieved that at least Tara seemed to be getting some enjoyment out of all of this. “But are you sure you’ve got time to deal with me and my stupid problems too? It sounds as though you’ve got a lot going on at the moment.”
“Natalie, honestly – if I didn’t have you to boss around at the end of the day, I don’t know what I’d do! So, stop going on about it – I’m really having fun with this, honestly.”
“Well, as long as you’re sure.”
“Believe me – I’m sure.”
“Your sister is still keeping mum about the father of her baby?” she asked, recalling how Tara had confided this while they were on holidays.
“Yep – there isn’t a peep out of her and if I didn’t know better I’d swear she was enjoying all the attention she’s getting by keeping us in the dark. So, of course, the rest of us are driven mad trying to figure out who it might be – my friend Liz in particular,” she added, almost as an afterthought.
“The one who’s having the marriage crisis?” Natalie clarified, and the penny dropped. “Oh. Does your friend think it might be –”
“Honestly, Natalie, I’m not really sure,” Tara interjected quickly. “I don’t think it’s a possibility but . . . well, you just never know. Anyway, we shouldn’t really be talking about me and my situation – what about Jay? What did he sound like when he phoned earlier?”
Natalie knew when she was getting the brush-off. Tara was probably uncomfortable discussing her best friend’s private business with a complete stranger, although Natalie was hardly that now. The two of them had spent ages over the last few weeks discussing what was the best way forward with Jay, and Natalie had already admitted all her past embarrassing mistakes. In fact, she thought, Tara Harrington now knew more about her than possibly all of her friends put together! She and Freya phoned one another now and again, but there was little to say.
Freya was dreadfully irritable because of the pregnancy and clearly wasn’t the slightest bit interested in hearing about Natalie’s life, and while of course Natalie wanted to be there for her friend, she knew deep down that Freya didn’t need her. Why would she when she had Simon and all the other yummy mummies in Richmond to confide in? And at the end of the day, they could give her a lot more advice than Natalie ever could about what she was going through.
Maybe things would get better when the baby was born, or maybe not. Perhaps Natalie just had to come to terms with the fact that the friendship she and Freya now had was based on mental nights out in London many years ago, and while they’d had lots of fun in their twenties, there just wasn’t enough in the friendship to sustain it into their latter years. Latter years? Goodness, now she was thinking like a pensioner!
“Well,” she told Tara, in response to her earlier question about Jay, “apparently, this time, he’s cooking dinner for us at his place.”
“I’m beginning to get a teeny bit concerned about this guy,” Tara said, although her tone was humorous. “He’s gorgeous, successful, single – and he can cook too? Are you absolutely sure he’s an Irishman?”
Natalie laughed. “I know – besides being Irish, I’m beginning to wonder if he’s really a man at all! But, Tara, you know this will be a serious test, don’t you? Me being with him on my own – in private?”
“Let me have a think about this for a second. It’s been, what, three or four weeks since you two first met, and this will be the third date?”
“Yes.” Natalie was beginning to get excited. Would Tara give her permission to sleep with Jay this time? If so, she was going straight to Selfridges after work to pick up some decent Agent Provocateur underwear and –
“No, it’s still not time. I think you should definitely hold off for one more date.”
“What?” Natalie wailed. “But I’ll be at his place, near his bedroom and –”
“I’m serious, Natalie, don’t give in just yet. Anyway, speaking of giving in, he hasn’t been pushy about that, has he?”
That was a good point, Natalie decided. Jay hadn’t tried anything – at all. They’d kissed, of course, nice but brief goodbye kisses in cabs at the end of the evening, but nothing major or spine-tingly. Goodness, he’d better not be gay, she thought, horrified. Maybe that’s why he seemed so bloody perfect!
Tara was right. Forget the new underwear. She’d go to his place on Saturday night for dinner and just wait and see what happened. And if Jay didn’t make any sort of move on her, well, there was no bloody point in her jumping on him, was there? If he were the other way inclined, which she now thought was a bloody good possibility, then no amount of push-up basques and silk stockings would do it for him, would they?
“So,” Tara asked the all-important question, “on a scale of one to ten, ten being totally committed, how committed are you to not sleeping with him on your next date?”
“Ten, definitely ten,” Natalie replied with feeling.
“Good woman. It’ll be worth it in the end, you know that, don’t you? And this upcoming date will be a very good test.”
Yes, Friday night would certainly be a bit of a test, Natalie agreed.
And she hoped to goodness that Jay Murray would pass it with flying colours.