Page 29 of Mad About You

‘You know the cute librarian thing is my wheelhouse.’

‘You are not to make any approaches! The one thing – theonlything – that could make this even bloody worse is having to listen to you in the act. Then you’d settle down with her, to keep her in my life and spite me.’

‘If you’re this bothered, why not ask her to leave?’

‘I can’t, the contract says six months. Fuck. I’m going to feel every second of it.’ Cal dropped to a whisper, a whisper that Harriet could still hear. ‘Also, why’s she got so few things? Isn’t that quite weird? She’s thirty-four.’

‘Is there some rule on how much you should own by thirty-four?’

‘No but … thirty-four. We’re not kids. My mum had me and was pregnant with Erin by then.’

‘Are you saying thirty-something women without husbands and kids are aberrant?’

‘Obviously not, I’m saying it’s unusual to have four bin liners of clothes, a massive pile of photography kit and a box of shoes to your name. Makes me think she’s running from something. Or someone.’

Harriet started, like she’d been slapped. She’d not asked them to pick her bags up and here she was, being judged and mocked. It was also a devastatingly perceptive snap judgement.That’swhy she’d had so few things at Jon’s. Ease of fleeing. Of course.

They got distracted by something on Sam’s phone, from what Harriet could make out, and conversation moved on.

She folded up one of her towels to protect the pillowcase from mascara, took her glasses off, pushed her face into it and wept, silently.

As she blearily wiped away the tears later and her eyes settled on the patch of wall just in front of her, four small words, written in soft pencil, became legible.

I hate Cal Clarke

She was tempted to co-sign.

15

Harriet was unsurprised to find that Roxanne did not consider her landlord’s identity reveal to be either here, or there. Lorna low-whistled, but Roxy, the inadvertent matchmaker of this blind date from hell, was thoroughly indifferent.

‘Didyoudo something wrong at the wedding?’ Roxy said, plunging around with a spoon in a Kilner jar of ice cream sundae so crammed with Flakes, strawberries and marshmallows that it looked like some sort of edible terrarium.

They’d decided to spend Sunday afternoon watching a hangover comfort film staple,Top Gun,at the Everyman Cinema. It was exactly the soothing relief Harriet needed – camaraderie, quiet, and velvet seats, with Prosecco bussed to their tiny seat-tables. Like being first class on a plane but with no jet lag or latent fear of going nose cone into a mountain range.

‘Nothing other than witness it.’

Roxy licked the back of her spoon.

‘It’s one hundred per cent for him to feel bad then, isn’t it? Enjoy your en suite.’

‘… Yes, I suppose,’ Harriet sighed. Being so very much not wanted as a tenant had made her feel responsible, somehow.

‘Are you making other people’s feelings your problem again?’ Lorna said.

As she spoke, a message from Jon dinged on her mobile screen and she opened it. ‘Can I have your address?’Harriet couldn’t remember the postcode off the top of her head.

‘I overheard a chat with his best mate which made it clear he irrationally resented me for it,’ she said, as she fiddled with her phone, making sure it was on silent. ‘Plus he said I was a suspicious tramp lady due to my lack of owning furniture by my grand age,’

‘Ask him why he’s not got a wife by his age,’ Lorna said.

‘The house is great?’ Roxy asked.

‘The house is great,’ Harriet conceded. ‘I am very pleased with that part.’ She didn’t want to sound ungrateful, although she was.

One thing was for sure, if Harriet moved on, she’d not involve Roxy and break the news tactfully.

Harriet had seen very little of Cal in the weekend since she overheard the ‘Sam in garden’ contretemps. He made a comment about how he’d not seen a Breville sandwich toastie-maker like hers since his childhood, in a way that implied she was the dowdy pensioner of the parish. ‘I do a mean Nutella one,’ she’d said, and he looked revolted. Otherwise, they exchanged courteous, terse exchanges about whether the other wanted a cup of tea or coffee, given they were making some (they never did).

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