‘Found one,’ said Monica, when she popped in after work on Thursday.‘Found what?’ said Liz.
‘A disco,’ said Monica. ‘Hundred quid. That’s not too bad, and he’ll do from three to five. What do you think?’
‘I think it’s a nice little earner for a couple of hours work. How did you find him?’
‘Nadia at work is a mine of information,’ said Monica. ‘She did ask me to go out tonight to a speed dating event in a wine bar but I’m not quite sure it’s me. Besides, I couldn’t have gone. The auditors turned up yesterday so I’m rushed off my feet.’
Liz told Tammy and Monica about the art group and the fact that Nick would be coming over on Sunday to help with the summer house.
‘There’s not really much to do, we’re just adding some cupboards for the art materials and moving all the stuff out of the garage.’
‘Sounds cosy,’ said Monica grinning.
‘Heh, why don’t the two of come for lunch? It’s going to be hot at the weekend, we could barbeque?’
‘Please,’ said Tammy, looking longingly at Monica.
‘We would love to Liz.’ She made a face at Tammy. ‘I need to go to the garden centre at some point,’ added Monica. ‘We need some extra chairs and tables for the party.’
‘Don’t spend too much money,’ warned Liz, ‘the supermarkets are selling patio furniture and bistro sets at the moment and probably cheaper. Plus we can use our kitchen tables and chairs too.’
‘Do you fancy shopping on Saturday?’
‘That would be great,’ said Liz.
‘Has anyone replied to your invitation yet?’ asked Liz, addressing Tammy.
‘I only gave them out yesterday at school,’ she replied, ‘and most of my class mates are coming. Except Holly who will be on holiday, which is a shame, but Lauren’s coming.
I’ve emailed Sasha and I need to send one in the post to Finn and Rory. Will you give this to Nick?’ Tammy was holding an invitation addressed to Nick, Milly and Bradley. ‘Monica is sending out the family invites.’
* * *
Sasha was doing her homework in the den when Adam came in from work.
‘Dad,’ she called, as she heard her mother saying hello.
‘Hang on poppet,’ Adam replied, as he gave Georgina a peck on the cheek. Five or ten minutes passed before he put his head around the door.
‘Need help with your homework?’
‘No dad,’ said Sasha earnestly. ‘Tammy has sent me an invitation to her party at grandma’s. It’s not long now and I want to go. I could stay with grandma.’
‘We’ll see,’ said Adam.
‘No, I don’t want to see,’ said Sasha. ‘We’ll see usually means no. I really want to go. Why doesn’t mum like Tammy?’
‘Mum doesn’t dislike Tammy. It’s just that she doesn’t want you mixing in that area.’
‘You mean she doesn’t want me having mixed race friends unless they are rich and go to a school like mine.’
‘No, it’s not that,’ said Adam.
‘Then why can’t I go?
‘It’s complicated,’ said Adam.
‘No, it’s not,’ said Sasha. ‘It’s not just Tammy. You’re not very nice to grandma. You should be pleased she has met Nick. He is really nice and she likes him. Tammy will be going to secondary school in September and grandma will be home on her own again. Would you prefer her to be lonely?’
‘No, of course not,’ said Adam, clearly flustered. ‘It’s not what you think. We might not be here. I have been offered a job in America so we may be moving at the end of the summer. Won’t that be great?’
‘No it won’t.’ Sasha had tears in her eyes. ‘I don’t want to leave, I like it here. I won’t go,’ and with that she ran out of the room crying.
Adam pulled himself up from the sofa and lumbered into the kitchen. ‘Sasha is upset,’ he said to Georgina.
‘She’ll get over it.’ Said Georgina, without looking up from the magazine she was reading.
‘I think maybe we should go to Tammy’s party at mum’s on the nineteenth,’ said Adam.
‘No,’ said Georgina firmly. ‘I don’t want to encourage her friendship with that girl and New York beckons. It wouldn’t be fair.’
‘We could always put the date back and go a couple of weeks later,’ said Adam. ‘Besides, I’m not so sure it’s the right thing. I don’t want the kids to be miserable.’
‘What about me being miserable?’ Georgina looked up from her magazine. ‘I’ve got my heart set on New York. They’ll thank us when they’re older.’
‘Georgie, we hardly see mum now. We’ll see her even less if we move and she must be lonely or she wouldn’t be so keen on this guy Nick.’
‘Well, we can do the same as we’re doing for mum and dad and find her a nice home nearby.’
‘You really are a cold hearted bitch, aren’t you,’ said Adam seriously.
‘And you have always been the perfect son,’ said Georgina with a tight lipped smile. Adam winced. Georgina had definitely hit a nerve.
* * *
Monica was happy as she walked into work on Friday. The party was coming together nicely and she had a potential boyfriend again. Life was good.
‘Hiya,’ said Nadia, clearly very pleased with herself. ‘You missed a great night.’ She was beaming.
‘Were there lots of potential mates?’ asked Monica, curious to know if she’d really missed anything.
‘There was the usual desperate bunch, the ones still drinking in the last chance saloon. They try too hard but if you drink enough they start to look better. I did meet one nice guy early in the evening.’
‘Fantastic,’ said Monica. ‘What was he like?’
‘Gorgeous! His name is Kevin and he’s something in IT.’ Alarm bells started ringing in Monica’s head. There must be loads of guys working in IT and Kevin is a common name she reasoned.
‘He was really charming. Apparently he split up with his girlfriend recently and is only just getting out and about again. Her loss is my gain. We got on really well, so well in fact that he has invited me to dinner at his flat on Sunday.’
‘Wow, that’s fast,’ said Monica.
‘What the hell. Life is short and I do love a man who can cook.’
‘Yes it’s great,’ Monica agreed, trying not to sound too interested. ‘What did he look like?’
‘He’s tall with dark hair and a great smile. He reminded me of someone, someone from the telly. I can’t think of the name right now but it’ll come to me.’ Monica had to force a smile as she moved away from the desk.
She was sure that if she’d stood there for much longer she wouldn’t have been able to stop herself asking for his contact details so she could check. Could it be the same man? Thank god Tammy hadn’t met him.
‘You haven’t got an aspirin have you?’ asked Nadia, ‘my head is really thumping.’ Monica searched around in her handbag until she found the Paracetamol that she kept for emergencies.
‘You’re a lifesaver,’ said Nadia, as she threw two of them in her mouth at the same time and took a swig of water from the bottle on her desk.
As Monica got out of the lift she thought about what she should do. Nothing yet, just in case, although every instinct told her that this was probably the same Kevin who said he had divorced years ago. She wondered if he was actually divorced at all. Still, it could just be a coincidence. There are loads of men on the telly. It could be someone completely different.
It was hopeless, another bloody frog.
In any case it would have to wait until Nadia’s memory came back. Luckily Nadia was keen to talk about the previous night’s triumph and asked Monica if she fancied meeting up for a chat in the canteen at lunchtime. Monica couldn’t refuse.
However, if it was the same Kevin it threw up an additional dilemma. Should she tell Nadia? She’d cross that bridge when she came to it.
When she got to her desk and switched on her computer there was an email from Kevin. ‘Morning Gorgeous. Looking forward to Saturday, lots to talk about. What time shall I pick you up?’ Prior to the conversation with Nadia she would have been over the moon. But now there was a spanner in the works and she wasn’t sure what to do. She started to look at Kevin with a much more critical eye. Was he a bit too intense? After all, they’d only had coffee and dinner.
Unfortunately she was unable to find out if it was her Kevin. Nadia had started to feel unwell around ten o’clock due in most part to the copious amounts of vodka and tonic she had consumed the night before. She was finally sent home at eleven o’clock after being sick in the waste paper bin on reception. There was nothing for it. She had to cancel her date with Kevin.
She replied to his email. Had she not spoken to Nadia and suspected Kevin of being a liar she might have worried about the wording and been a bit more sensitive. What plausible excuse could she give to make sure she got another date? She had no such scruples now ‘Sorry Kevin, but I’m going to have to cancel dinner on Saturday as something urgent has come up. Monica (no kisses).’ Short and to the point. Now she just had to hope that he was the same guy that invited Nadia to dinner at his flat or she had just blown any chance she had of a potential mate.
* * *
Saturday was hot, almost Mediterranean. It was fantastic to wake up to brilliant sunshine. Liz had made an appointment for the hairdressers at eight thirty to get her highlights done and her roots touched up. Tammy had taken over the task of blow drying Liz’s hair, for which Liz now paid her ten pounds per week, money that Tammy was using to make sure every house in the neighbourhood grew Lavender to help bees.
Liz was up at six thirty and by six forty five she was washed, dressed and sitting on the patio drinking tea, just like old times. ‘Well Jim, what do you think?’ She spoke to the sky. ‘I hope you like it,’ she added sheepishly.
Tammy was going to Laura’s house for the day so Liz and Monica were able to go shopping on their own. They decided to go to the superstore on the edge of town as it saved all that trudging around from one shop to another and they were almost certain to find what they were looking for. When Monica rang the bell at eleven o’clock Liz had just finishing mopping the floor.
‘I’ve cancelled my date for tonight,’ she told Liz as soon as she was in the door.
‘Oh, what’s happened? I thought you liked him.’ Monica relayed Nadia’s encounter at the speed dating event.
‘It could just be a coincidence,’ said Liz, trying to reassure her.
‘I’m not lucky enough for that,’ said Monica. ‘It’s more likely that he’s still married and probably has a couple of kids. I bet it’s not even his flat. It’s amazing how fast you can go off someone.’
Liz smiled. ‘Come on, let’s get out and have a coffee before we start shopping.’
As soon as they got to the shopping centre they headed off to the nearest café.
‘How are things going with Nick?’
‘It’s great,’ said Liz, ‘his friends at the art club are brilliant. I met the artist and model responsible for the nude paintings. You know, the huge canvas I almost bumped into.’
‘Oooh, can I meet him too?’ asked Monica teasing.
‘His name is Carlo and he is the partner of the artist. They are a really nice couple.’
‘Shame,’ said Monica, turning the corners of her mouth down to make a sad face. ‘Let’s get back to Nick,’ said Monica, refusing to be waylaid. ‘Have you had your first kiss?’
‘No, we have not,’ said Liz, with mock indignation. She had definitely thought about it. ‘I know young people nowadays don’t wait for anything but I spent nearly forty years with the same man. I am very,’ she hesitated, ‘very out of practice. Apart from the fact that Nick’s last wife was twenty years his junior. I can’t compete. What on earth does he see in me? No. I’m happy just being friends.’
‘Liz, I’ve seen the way he looks at you. It’s obvious he likes you. If you like him as much as I think he likes you, you should just go for it. I’m not convinced that you two can just be friends. Let’s face it, no one knows how much time they have on this earth. Don’t waste time. You’re good together.’
‘We’ll see,’ said Liz, ‘anyway he’ll be here tomorrow when you come for the barbeque so you can observe closely and tell me what you think.’
‘Are you still OK to look after Tammy in the summer holidays?’
‘I am,’ said Liz. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing more of her, she’s such a lovely girl. I’m going to invite Sasha to stay too. I really miss her but I don’t hold out much hope that Georgina will agree. She’s such a snob, and worse, I can’t even talk to Adam at the moment. We just end up arguing. He’s got a bee in his bonnet about Nick.’
‘Do you think they will come to Tammy’s party?’
‘I don’t hold out much hope of that either I’m afraid. Sasha told me that Adam has accepted a job in America. He hasn’t even mentioned it to me.’
‘Oh, that’s a shame.’
‘I must admit that I am really disappointed. I barely see them now, if they move to America I don’t suppose I’ll see them at all. Still, I guess Adam has to make the most of these chances. After all, he has a very important job and a family to provide for.’
‘Of course,’ Monica agreed. She didn’t want to upset Liz by saying what she really thought of him.
They finished their coffee and went off to look for garden furniture and to buy food for the barbeque. Every big store had patio sets for sale so competition was fierce. It wasn’t long before Monica had found a table, six chairs and a parasol at a very reasonable price which she planned to use in her own garden until the party. Liz couldn’t resist a bargain either so ended up with a couple of rattan recliners and a coffee table. She could picture herself sitting on one of them on the veranda of the new summer house with the sound of the fountain in the background and a glass of wine in her hand.
‘That makes fourteen chairs,’ said Monica. ‘Will it be enough? I doubt the kids will sit down for long but they will have to sit down to eat.’
‘We could put some picnic blankets out with cushions on top,’ suggested Liz, mindful of the fact that without grass the ground was quite hard. ‘I’m sure we could beg or borrow some chairs from somewhere,’ Liz assured her, ‘worse way, we’ll ask the adult guests to bring their own.’ Sadly the bargain furniture wasn’t such a bargain when it wouldn’t fit in the car and they had to pay a twenty five pound delivery charge.
Monica’s mobile pinged on the way home. When she looked it was Kevin. ‘Hope everything is OK, please give me a call if you need me. Kevin xx.’
‘Awww, that’s nice,’ said Liz when Monica read it out. ‘Maybe you’re wrong about him. It might not be the same man.’
‘I know,’ said Monica confused, ‘but I’d like to wait and see before I commit to any more dates. Besides, it’s difficult with Tammy. We come as a package now. I have to be sure.’