himself a vacuum cleaner and a weekend at a health farm, was leaping up and down in ecstasy.
Nothing’s going on.’ Serena finally turned to meet her gaze. ‘Ella sprained her ankle, that’s all. Your sister has been making an incredible amount of fuss over a simple accident.’
Maxine stared back. Janey doesn’t make incredible amounts of fuss unless there’s a damn good reason for it. What kind of simple accident are we talking about?’
But Serena merely shrugged. ‘You may as well ask her, she’s so much better at lurid detail than I am. She’s upstairs, putting the children to bed. Probably giving them nightmares, too, with that neurotic imagination of
Chapter 30
Janey was working in the shop three days later when Guy Cassidy came in. Having been kept bang up to date with the goings-on at Trezale House by Maxine gleefully relaying each new instalment over the phone, Janey could almost have timed his entrance to the second.
‘He’s leaving now,’ Maxine had shrieked, minutes earlier. ‘Put in a good word for me, Janey, and tell him I deserve a pay rise.’
In order not to give the game away, however, she looked dutifully surprised to see him.
‘I’ve come to thank you,’ Guy said simply. Then, breaking into a grin, he added, ‘But I have a bit of a problem. If it had been anyone else, I would have brought them flowers ...’
If there was one major drawback to this job, thought Janey, it was that nobody ever brought you flowers.
‘The story of my life,’ she replied with a good-humoured shrug. ‘But you don’t need to thank me, anyway. You helped me when I had a problem; all I did was return the favour.’
‘Rather more than that,’ said Guy. ‘And I’m still grateful. I was going to bring you chocolates but Maxine insisted they’d wreck your slimming campaign.’ Studying her figure for a moment he frowned and added, ‘Are you really on a diet?’
‘Oh dear.’ Janey looked amused. ‘Does that mean it isn’t working?’
‘It means you don’t need to lose weight.’
Acutely aware of his speculative gaze still upon her, Janey flushed with embarrassment. It was all very well for Guy Cassidy to say she didn’t need to diet, but she couldn’t help noticing that men like him only ever chose girlfriends as thin as sticks, the kind who could step out of a size-fourteen skirt without even undoing the zip.
‘How is Ella?’ she said, changing the subject.
‘Recovering nicely.’ Guy smiled. ‘And passionately attached to the bandage. She doesn’t really need it any more but whenever we suggest taking it off, the limp gets worse.’
‘And Josh?’
This time he pulled a face. ‘You mean my modest son? He’s cast himself in the role of rescuing hero. By the time he goes back to school next week he’ll probably have awarded himself an OBE at the very least.’
Janey laughed. ‘So everything’s all right then, at home. Business as usual.’
‘Well, I wouldn’t quite say that.’ He gave her an ambiguous look. ‘And it’s nice of you to ask, but I’m sure you know all the latest developments. Every time I’ve picked up the phone during the last few days,’ he added pointedly, ‘it’s wafted Maxine’s perfume back at me. And the receiver’s always warm.’
Caught out, she said, ‘Ah.’
‘So I’ll just say the situation has been dealt with.’
At that moment a customer entered the shop behind him. Guy, leaning against the counter, lowered his voice. ‘And since flowers and chocolates are out of the window, how about a couple of theatre tickets instead?’
‘You really don’t have to,’ protested Janey.
‘I want to. And the tickets are for Saturday night. Do you have someone you’d like to take with you?’
Flustered by the unexpectedness of the question, she said, ‘Um ... well. Maybe Maxine?’
‘What a shame, she has to stay at home and babysit,’ Guy replied briskly. ‘Never mind, perhaps I’ll do instead.’
Behind him, the woman customer waved a bunch of dripping gladioli. Distracted, wondering whether he had just said what she thought he’d said, Janey stammered, ‘Y-you mean ...?’
‘Well you can hardly invite Bruno, can you?’ Guy grinned. ‘So that’s settled. I’ll pick you up on Saturday. What time do you close the shop?’
‘Um ... f-five o’clock.’
‘Good. It doesn’t take you too long to get ready, does it? I’ll pick you up at six.’
From her upstairs window, Janey watched as Guy expertly reversed the Mercedes into a parking space just outside the shop. As she had suspected, he was bang on time. Her stomach squirmed, the jitters refusing to subside. It was silly to be nervous, since it wasn’t even a proper date, but still the adrenaline coursed through her bloodstream, working overtime practically of its own accord.
It would be far easier, she thought, if only Guy Cassidy weren’t so physically attractive.
Such exceptional good looks were downright intimidating. Talking to him the other night in the privacy of her own home had been one thing, but this evening they were going to be seen out together in public, looking for all the world like a real couple. She was only too well aware of how she measured up against such willowy exotic beauties as Serena Charlton. In the back of her mind lurked the nightmare scenario that other people, observing them together, might be sniggering behind her back at such an unlikely pairing.
But it wasn’t a real date, and at least she knew that even if they didn’t As Maxine had carelessly remarked, upon learning of the outing, ‘I expect he just feels sorry for you because you never have any fun.’
My sister, thought Janey, such a comfort to have around. At least with Maxine to remind her of her failings, she wasn’t likely to get ideas above her station. And, as she had done with James, she was trusting to fate that they wouldn’t bump into anyone they knew at the theatre.
