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Fran had continued to live at Julie’s. She paid rent, helped with the bills and Julie liked her company.
‘Is that an engagement ring, Julie?’
‘Yes,’ Julie answered and held out her hand.
‘Why didn’t you tell me? You’re a dark horse.’
‘I’ve said yes, but I’m still not sure it’s the right decision. Dave is so kind and he’s a lovely man, but I’m not sure if it’s what I want.’
‘Julie, be careful. I married Ted under similar circumstances. I think my parents liked him more than I did. Ted is a lovely man. He’s loyal, honest, trustworthy, hard-working, pays the bills, and has no bad habits. That’s where it ends. No passion, no surprises, well apart from a trip on a barge, which I will never forgive him for.’
‘A barge?’
‘Yes, you must have heard about it. I said I wanted to broaden my horizons, so he hired a barge on the Norfolk Broads! Not quite what I had in mind. He had good intentions, but it’s whether that’s enough, and it wasn’t for me. We grew apart. Only when I looked back I saw poor Ted hadn’t changed at all. It was wrong right from the start, I just hadn’t realised and it took me a long time to find out.’
Julie was awake for most of the night. Her mind in turmoil. She didn’t want to end up like Fran, stuck with someone she didn’t love. What sort of environment would that be to bring up children? There again, the twins would be better off if they had a father figure. Could she grow to love him? How could she know that? She had made a decision, said she’d marry him and still she doubted her decision was the right one. Was she just frightened of the unknown?
Julie and Dave were meeting on Thursday for a meal. She had to decide by then. She couldn’t carry on like this for much longer. She’d felt like this before she agreed to marry him and nothing had changed.
‘So you said you’d marry him and now you’re back to where we were last week. Is it a female thing, or is it just you?’ Paul had a look of disbelief on his face. They were sitting in his front room sharing a Chinese take-away. ‘Look, let’s be straight. With Dave there’s going to be no surprises, you know exactly what you’re letting yourself in for. He’s just Dave.’ Paul had met him only once and thought he seemed a nice enough man. Surprisingly, Julie hadn’t fallen about in rapturous laughter the whole evening they were together, which was unheard of.
‘You sound like Fran. That’s what she said about her husband.’
‘You have to go with your instincts darling. I think deep down you know.’ For once he talked sense and what he said seemed helpful. Why would she be holding these doubts if she was sure? How could anyone ever be sure? Nothing in life could ever be a certainty except death. She should take a chance?
––––––––
Dave picked her up on Thursday and they drove to a favourite, local restaurant.
‘I couldn’t wait to see you. There’s so much to talk about. Shall we marry before the twins are born? I’d like to. And where, and what sort of wedding should we have?’ As he drove he kept looking around at her expectantly and then when he received no response he looked back to the road. ‘I thought you should give up work. The twins will be a full time job and I have plenty of money for all of us. Oh, and I thought if we got married before the twins were born, we’d at least have a proper honeymoon.’
Sudden fear engulfed her. ‘Dave, stop! I can’t do this. I’m sorry it doesn’t feel right. All these questions haven’t even entered my head. They should have done. I love my job, I don’t want to give up work. Lots of people work when they have children. I need to adjust before I can make decisions like that. I feel like I can’t breathe.’ She began to cry.
Dave pulled the car over to the kerb. ‘I’m sorry. Don’t cry, Julie. I guess I got carried away. Please, stop crying.’
‘I can’t marry you, Dave. I’m sorry, but it’s not right.’
‘Of course you can. Nothing’s changed.’ He sounded panicked. ‘I got carried along like a fool. Forget I said anything. We’ll do it however you like and when you want. Silly of me to say anything about your job. I thought it might be nice to have some leisure time before the babies were born. I was only thinking of you. I love you.’
‘I know.’ She wiped her tears on a handkerchief he’d handed her. ‘I can’t. I can’t do it and I can’t explain why. It doesn’t feel right.’
He looked at her and knew his plight was hopeless. His voice quavered as he spoke. ‘We never sorted out that contract. Can we still be friends? I don’t want to lose you completely, Julie.’
She nodded through her tears. ‘I’d like that.’
‘Shall I drive on to the restaurant, or do you want to go home?’
‘Do you mind taking me home?’
‘Not at all. I’ll always be there for you... Always.’
‘I know. Thank you, Dave.’
Julie felt weird as she walked in the front door. She turned and waved him off and watched as he pulled away. She felt an immense feeling of sadness.
Dave drove away a broken man. He loved her, didn’t she realise that? He would do anything for that girl. Tomorrow he would send her a bouquet of flowers, he couldn’t lose her. He’d pushed her too far and too fast. He should have taken it slowly, let her take the lead. He’d tried to be assertive and it hadn’t worked.
His late wife had told him he wasn’t to sit back and let everyone else make the decisions. Sometimes a woman liked a man to take control, not too often, but now and again. She had said that when he met someone else he should be himself, but try and think of what he would like instead of going along with someone else’s ideas. Well, thanks a lot, Chrissy; that hadn’t worked! He’d told her he’d never want anyone else so it wasn’t going to be an issue. He hadn’t foreseen Julie coming along.
Darling Julie. She’d had so much to deal with lately she didn’t know what she wanted. Her hormones would be upside down with the pregnancy. All he could do was wait until she changed her mind again. He could wait; he had all the time in the world.
Dave woke after a restless night. He knew he had a weak attitude. He’d been so accommodating and somewhere along the way he’d fallen into the role of confidant and friend. It had been enough at the start when he didn’t have any confidence and just wanted to put the feelers out, but now? Now, he wanted that woman and he was damn sure he was going to get her.
He had to regain the stamina he’d had years ago, before he became comfortable in his marriage and let himself slip into doormat mode. He hadn’t really been a doormat, but he and his wife had a loving and secure life together with little confrontation. There wasn’t a lot of need for stamina.
Julie was different. She was younger and needed a man. That’s why she fallen for that idiot Simon and not him. Who would have fallen for him? Mr nice, Mr boring more like! He picked up his phone and cancelled a couple of things he was due to do that day.
Dave showered, dressed and went into town. He had to ramp up the playing field. The first thing he did was buy a copy of the Fifty Shades book. He needed to find out what type of man Julie liked. He was on a mission.
He sat in a coffee shop, with the book hidden in the newspaper he’d also bought, and began to read. After two coffees, he realised he’d have to go home to continue reading. The book was a bit more involved than he’d realised. At home, as he read on, he realised he couldn’t be a Mr Grey if he tried. Julie wanted quite a lot from a man if that was what she was after.
The weekend passed slowly. Dave couldn’t do all that stuff in the book, he just wasn’t like that. He sat at the kitchen table and scrolled through the paper he’d bought to cover the book in the coffee shop. Maybe he should just go back to the speed dating, or try a proper agency. If he wasn’t Julie’s type it would never work out. He turned to the personal ads. So many dating sites; so many desperate people wanting a partner.
His eyes fell on an advert. He read it twice, before pouring himself a whiskey. He’d need some courage before he made the call. The answer to his problem. He picked up his phone and tapped in the number.
A few weeks later, Julie stood at the stove making poached eggs on toast, when the doorbell rang. She finished squeezing a t-bag and hurried along the hall. A man stood before her carrying the largest bouquet of flowers she’d ever seen.
‘Julie Webster?’
‘Yes.’
‘There you go then.’ He smiled. The surprise bouquets were always the best to deliver.
‘Thank you.’ She closed the door and pulled the delivery card out of the small envelope.
Julie,
Beautiful flowers for a beautiful woman.
Hope they brighten your day.
Dinner tonight? Pick you up at eight.
Love as always,
Dave xxx
Julie brought the flowers up to her nose. They smelled gorgeous. Fran came down the stairs.
‘Flowers! How lovely. From Dave, I’m guessing?’
‘Yes, he wants to take me out to dinner tonight.’
‘You see that’s the difference. A surprise now and again always does the trick. You’ve got a good one there.’
‘But you said I should be careful.’ She’d been too upset to tell Fran what had happened with Dave.
‘Oh, don’t take any notice of me. I was having a terrible day on... can’t even remember which day it was, there’s been so many bad ones lately.’
‘I’d better find a vase and ring Dave to thank him.’
Julie placed the flowers in two vases and put one in the front room and one on the window ledge in the kitchen. Then she picked up the phone.
‘Hello Dave.’
‘Julie, how are you?’
‘Thank you for the flowers. They are beautiful.’
‘And dinner?’
‘Yes please. Looking forward to it.’
She put the phone down and felt a sense of relief. He was a true friend. Had she made the right decision? Oh my God! Don’t start all that again. For once she felt happy. Best to leave things alone for a while.
