Page 68 of Mad About You

‘You’ve got my son’s company,’ his dad said, changing the subject, and Cal rubbed his temples.

‘Cal, I meant to say, I should’ve found a room by now,’ Harriet said, in a snap of self-consciousness at having said she’d go, and instead ligging along for free Yorkshire puddings. ‘Apologies. I’ll sort some places to view from tomorrow.’

‘No fuss, whenever,’ he said, tightly.

‘What, you’re off, Harriet?’ his dad said, putting his dessert spoon down.

‘Yes.’ Oh. She’d stupidly blurted this without considering neither of them wanted to discuss the backstory as to why. ‘Thought I’d … uh … give Cal space.’

‘You don’t like the house?’

‘I love it.’

‘You’d still be renting? In the city?’

‘… Yes.’

Harriet, you idiot.

‘Stay with Calvin, then! It’s a good deal and he’s not too much of a pain to live with, I should know. Haha. We had our ups and downs, didn’t we? When you brought too many girls back.’

Cal cast a Satanic look at his dad.

‘Let them work it out, Andrew,’ Cal’s mum chided.

‘Oh, well,’ he said. ‘You two will stay in touch either way, I’m sure?’

They both muttered ‘of course, of course!’ while their faces saidgood God no.

Harriet was sufficiently agonised that she texted Cal on the journey home.

So sorry. Didn’t think a step ahead. Of course I’m going, I’m just disorganised. Didn’t mean to make that a thing!

Honestly, totally fine! You don’t have to go, I mean it. x

Having worried he was fuming at her, the kiss was nice.

Back at the house, after strenuous thanks for the Clarkes’ kindness, and hopes to see them again at some unspecified time, Harriet excused herself to her room. It was, rather poignantly, half packed up already, in anticipation of her departure.

She wished she hadn’t gone up, when the curse of the garden acoustics visited her soon after. It even began fast enough she had no time to put the radio on, as she planned.

‘What a gorgeous, good-natured lass. Very fresh faced, isn’t she,’ she heard Cal’s dad say.

‘Next time, can you check with me before you invite people on the spur of the moment like that?’ Cal hissed.

Oof. Harriet understood why it wasn’t what Cal wanted, family time is for the family, but it was still rather agonising to hear it starkly confirmed.

‘What’s your problem? She was a delight!’

‘She might be, but she’s my lodger, it’s a business relationship. You landed me in it over her moving out too.’

‘You’re being somewhat churlish,’ Cal’s dad said. ‘Her losing her parents. Imagine being an orphan as a little ’un.’

‘So sad!’ Cal’s mum agreed.

‘Again, not the point. Don’t put me in position of having to say I wanted her to stay.’

Harriet, on a tough day, felt a stab of physical pain at this.She lay there feeling hurt, and foolish, and when those emotions abated, also angry. He had tricked her into thinking they had a connection, even a spark. Why exploit someone like that? What was the point?

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