I drive stealthily into the car park, trying to act as normally as possible. I know it’s silly – neither Jed nor Clemmy would know me from Mary Poppins – but my heart is in my mouth all the same. The last thing I need is to be spotted spying on them!
Parking up, I lean over and fumble around in the glovebox, emerging with an ancient pair of sunglasses with gigantic round frames, popular around the turn of the century. I put them on and, instantly, the icy gloom of the December afternoon switches to dead of night. I can barely see out through the windscreen but at least I’ll be able to go incognito.
Getting out of the car, I head for the arrivals board and – lifting the glasses so I can actually read it – I see that the London train is indeed due to arrive at a few minutes past three. I make my way over to platform two and take cover behind a concrete pillar.
People are gathering on the platform, heads turned, watching for the train to arrive. A man with a briefcase and grey frizzy hair keeps peering at me, clearly wondering why I’m loitering behind the pillar looking so furtive and wearing weird sunglasses as if I’ve just had an eyelift, so, eventually, I partially sidle out and remove the glasses, trying to look cool, as if I’m meeting someone off the train.
Then a girl hurries onto the platform, out of breath. She’s dressed in a beautiful jade-green coat with black buttons, a pair of elegant black heels and a black hat, but she manages to ruin the sophisticated effect by tripping over her own feet. She just manages to stay upright but her hat slips to reveal a glossy mane of shoulder length flame-coloured hair.
Red hair.
Adorably accident-prone.
Clemmy?
It must be her.
I whip the glasses back on so I can study her surreptitiously.
The girl who’s won Jed’s heart is rather voluptuous, with large eyes and a sweet, open face. Her newly shorn hairstyle frames her face, and she’s practically spilling out of the coat’s deep V-shaped neckline.
She’s frowning slightly as if she’s nervous. Then she spots the shelter of my pillar and dives over, standing next to me and enveloping me in a little cloud of floral perfume. As I cast a sideways glance at her, she digs around in her black, snakeskin-look handbag and pulls out a mirror, then checks her reflection anxiously.
She must really like Jed to be so nervous.
Satisfied, she puts the mirror back and peers out along the platform. But the train hasn’t arrived, so Jed can’t be here yet. Then she takes a deep breath and tries to loop her bag over her arm. But she fumbles and it slides to the floor, scattering the contents far and wide. We both stare at it for a second then she looks at me, aghast, before starting to gather everything up. Smiling in sympathy, I bend to help, scooping up a lipstick, a mini pack of tampons and some loose change.
‘Thank you,’ she says breathlessly as I hand them over. ‘I’m all fingers and thumbs today. That’s what love will do to you, I suppose.’
My heart pings. She’s in love with him! And I helped to make this happen!
I laugh nervously. ‘I suppose it will. Are you – um – meeting someone here?’
My question brings a glow of colour to her peachy complexion, and her eyes light up in a smile, a perfect dimple studding each cheek. She nods. ‘He’s over there. Thanks again. It was really kind of you.’ She presses my arm and hurries away, along the platform. I watch her, puzzled. Maybe Jed caught a different train. Escaped from the office earlier than expected.
Clemmy half-runs towards her target, weaving among the crowd, and at one point, she almost stumbles into someone’s case. After apologising profusely to the owner, she carries on at a fast walk, shaking her glossy hair as she prepares to meet her love.
I peer with interest at Jed Turner. He’s medium height with a stocky build, a handsome, clean-shaven face, and close-cropped blond hair. Clemmy looks so pleased to see him. She’s chattering nineteen to the dozen, hands flying around, while Jed stands there looking, if I’m honest, slightly bemused. And not like I imagined at all. I can see from Clemmy’s body language that she likes this man. A lot.
I’m puzzled by Jed, though. He sounded so warm and friendly when I spoke to him on the phone. But, in person, he looks rather stiff and detached. It’s funny how you can hear a voice and instantly you have an image in your mind of what that person might look like. Apparently, I got it wrong on this occasion. Jed doesn’t look anything like his voice.
Then the tannoy crackles into action, announcing the arrival of the London train. At which point Jed and Clemmy both turn and look along the tracks.
The train glides to a halt and people are alighting with bags and children and dogs, and there’s temporary mayhem. Then, as the crowds start to disperse, I suddenly spot the person Clemmy and Jed appear to have been waiting for. Clemmy is waving energetically at a man in a dark-grey suit, who has just alighted from the train at the opposite end of the platform.
He’s very tall with broad shoulders and thick, chestnut hair that curls on the collar of his white shirt. Striding along the platform towards Clemmy, his long powerful-looking legs make easy work of the distance. Reunited with his friends, he starts talking animatedly – standing a head taller than Jed – perhaps telling a funny story about something that happened on his journey. Clemmy, looking flushed, is smiling up at him with unconcealed delight, while Jed stands silently beside her, hands thrust deep in his pockets.
All three glance towards the exit and start walking along the platform. Then, as I stand there gawping at them, half-hidden by the pillar like a trainee spy, Clemmy suddenly looks across at me and our eyes meet.
Shit!
And now they’re walking over and Clemmy is smiling and saying something about me and they’re all looking over.
I stand there, a grin frozen on my face.
Bloody hell, if I have to speak to Clemmy, Jed will recognise my voice and think it’s really strange that I just happen to be on the platform, hiding behind a pillar, at the exact moment the two p.m. London train arrives into Easingwold Station.
We are now approaching Stalker City. Stalker City next stop.
Oh God, but it’s going to look really strange if I suddenly turn round and beetle off.
So, I smile in their general direction then glance at my watch and mime a Big Shock. As in: Crikey, I’m late for that thing! Making a clown face at Clemmy to convey my meaning, I scuttle off towards the exit.
But, in my rush to get away, I manage to take the wrong route, then have to double back on myself to locate the actual exit. Panicking, I search the crowd around me. There’s no sign of them. So I’ll just bomb along here and slip through the barrier, and—
‘Hello there!’ says a cheery voice. ‘Thank you so much for rescuing me earlier.’ With a sinking heart, I turn round and there’s Clemmy, beaming at me with those friendly dimples.
‘I’m pretty accident-prone,’ she says. ‘But I’m not usually in the habit of throwing my tampons all over the place.’
I laugh. ‘Hey, I was pleased to help.’ I glance anxiously behind her. Her two companions are bringing up the rear and I’m getting palpitations at the thought of Jed recognising my voice.
‘Actually.’ I lean in with a confidential whisper. ‘I’ve got this weird, er, tonsil ailment thing.’ I touch my throat and swallow painfully. ‘Trying not to talk.’
‘Oh, you poor thing.’ Clemmy’s face is a picture of concern. ‘That’s awful. Are you taking anything?’
I nod. ‘Antibiotics.’ Jed and the other man are almost upon us, so I whisper, ‘Better go. Nice to meet you, though.’
Clemmy takes my arm. ‘Listen, my gran always swears by lemon and honey in a glass of hot water for sore throats, with a slug of whisky if you have any kicking around.’
‘Fab! Thank you.’ I stick up my thumb and edge away. ‘I’ll give it a go.’
‘But you have to drink it really slowly – oh, Jed, Ryan.’ She turns and greets them, and my smile freezes. Again. ‘This lady helped me rescue my handbag contents. Long story.’ She frowns. ‘Oh, but I don’t even know your name.’
All three are looking at me expectantly.
Panicking, I touch my throat (actually, ‘grab’ would be nearer the mark) and Clemmy says, ‘Oh sorry, you can’t speak, can you?’
I swallow and wince dramatically for good measure.
She turns to the other two. ‘Horrible tonsil thing.’
They nod in sympathy and I whisper, ‘It’s Pamela. My name’s Pamela.’
She holds out her hand and we shake. ‘Pleased to meet you, Pamela.’ Her smile is so warm and genuine. I feel terrible for lying to her.
I smile back, whispering hoarsely, ‘And you too, Clemmy.’
She blinks in confusion.
Shit! Bugger! I’m not supposed to know her name!
Then I spy a visitor’s badge on her blouse under the green coat. I point at it and her face clears. I raise my hand and smile at them, walking backwards and doing another Oscar-worthy throat clearing as if I might be about to croak my last.
‘Poppy Ainsworth? Is that really you?’ booms a voice at my shoulder a second later, and I spin round to see an old ‘frenemy’ from school who I haven’t clapped eyes on in years. We were friends until she copped off with my boyfriend, Leslie. We were only ten, mind you. I really should have got over it by now.
‘Heather Connelly, hi!’ I greet her, rather too loudly. Wincing, I glance back at Clemmy, who’s looking understandably confused at the sudden name change. Luckily, Jed has taken a call on his mobile and definitely didn’t hear me.
My shoulders sink with relief and I prepare to swap stories about school days.
‘Are you all right?’ Heather asks, her beady eyes scouring my face for signs of how I’ve aged in the past decade or so. ‘You look a bit flushed.’
‘Yeah. Bit of a tricky situation there, actually,’ I confide in a low tone, keeping an eye on Jed. He’s still busy on his phone, thankfully. ‘Some people I wanted to avoid.’ I laugh awkwardly. ‘If you know what I mean.’
‘People like me, you mean?’ says a voice right behind me. A deep, velvety voice with a hint of gravel that I’d recognise anywhere …
Jed?
But isn’t that Jed over there, talking into his mobile?
I spin round and find myself staring up into the amused face of the much taller man with chestnut hair who got off the train.