Page 39 of A Clean Sweep
If Emily’s head had been spinning before, it was now whirling away at warp speed. Did he just say he loved her? Did she love him? The answer was simple. Yes, she did. With all her heart. He’d come into her life in the most unlikely way, blown away the dust – in more ways than one – and made her feel cherished and adored. And loved. She’d beengiven a real shot at happiness, and what happened next was up to her.
‘I love you too.’ There, she’d said it. And it feltamazing.Like crawling parched through a desert, then stumbling across an oasis. Or fishing a crumpled lottery ticket out of the bin only to discover you’d misread the numbers and the jackpot was yours. Or—
‘So, Mrs Hardwick. Do you think you can put up with me and my peculiar ways? I’m fairly house trained and not too shabby at DIY. Oh, and I can cook pretty well and dispose of dead creatures if necessary. There’s just one other thing—’ Joe lifted Emily’s left hand to his lips.
‘What’s that?’ replied Emily, her whole body zinging as if hardwired to the National Grid.
‘Well, I was kind of thinking that Emily McKenzie has a certain ring to it. Don’t you?’
Chapter 26
‘Butwhydo I need to look at new fireplaces?’ Meryl looked at Tabitha as if she’d suggested shopping for elasticated stockings. ‘I have a perfectly nice one already.’ Which was true, although she’d never actually lit it. It was currently home to a display of dried flowers and a couple of rather ugly china dogs she’d inherited from her mother and couldn’t bring herself to bin.
Tabitha rolled her eyes in impatience. Meryl wasn’t playing ball and her dastardly cunning plan to introduce her to Steve depended on themactuallymeeting. She’d considered setting them up on a blind date then vetoed that idea. One – Adam was unconvinced Steve would agree – ‘I really don’t think it’s his thing. Joe said he went on one once and she turned out to be a New Age nutter who wanted to align his chakras. He told her very politely no one was touching his chakras, especially on a first date.’ Two – with Meryl’s woeful experience on online dating she would balk at the very thought. Only the other day she’d declared she was thinking of becoming a lesbian. Or a nun. Although she wasn’t overly enamoured by the idea of wearing a wimple.
‘Ah, come on, Meryl. Where’s your sense of adventure?’ she urged. To which Meryl gave an even more spectacular roll of the eyes.
‘Sorry, Tabbie, but looking at fireplaces isn’t really up there on my bucket list of things to do before I die. Visiting Machu Picchu maybe, or swimming with dolphins in Florida but not oohing and aahing over cosy inglenooks or gleaming grates.’
Deeply frustrated, Tabitha decided to play her trump card. If this failed, she vowed to leave Meryl’s love life in destiny’s fickle hands.
‘But you’d get to meet Adam! He’s definitely working today and he promised to take us out for lunch.’ And – fingers crossed – Steve would join them if there was so much as a spark of interest between him and Meryl. She’d physically drag him along if she had to. ‘You don’t have to buy anything, just have a quick wander around the showroom and then off to Chez Jacques for a slap-up meal! Pleeeease!’ Tabitha fixed her boss with her most beseeching look.
Meryl finished folding origami-style a brightly coloured paper napkin for this week’s Japanese-themed window display. ‘Damn, it looks more like a turkey than a swan. Never mind, at least the stacking Geisha dolls and chopsticks look more authentic.’
As did both she and Tabitha who had – very reluctantly – agreed to wear a kimono in keeping with Meryl’s latest attempt to draw in the customers. She found it incredibly uncomfortable and was reduced to walking in a shuffle within the confines of the heavy fabric. And going to the loo was a complete nightmare. Meryl, however, was in her element and had been muttering about a fairy tale theme next, having ordered a consignment of sparkly wands and glittery wings to appeal to the Disney-obsessed little girlswhose idea of a birthday party was to outdo each other in the dressing up department. There was no way Tabitha was going along with that one. Meryl would probably have her in a mermaid’s tail and scalloped bra, waving alluringly at passers-by. And completely unable to walk or pee.
‘So? Are you coming or not? It’s almost midday and we could easily close up for a couple of hours. Adam’s dying to meet you!’And Steve will take one look and realise he’s just met the woman of his dreams.Although seeing the pair of them done up like extras fromThe Mikadomight not have quite the desired effect.
‘OK, OK! You win. But only because I want to meet your new man. And I never say no to a free lunch.’ Meryl wiggled her eyebrows to show she was joking – she’d have her purse out ready to do battle over the bill – and made her way upstairs. ‘I’ll just get changed quickly and we can head off.’
Tabitha followed her – waddling like an incontinent penguin – and grabbed the bag containing her civvies. ‘Just one other thing, Meryl,’ she said as her boss teetered on the bottom step. ‘Please don’t wear your dungarees.’
Arriving at Where the Hearth Is, Tabitha felt like she was going on a blind date herself. Her earlier conviction that Meryl and Steve would take one look at each other and think: ‘Where have you been all my life?’ had been replaced by a fear that they would be totally indifferent. Or, even worse, take an instant dislike to one another. She couldn’t imagine that happening but she felt the weight of responsibility bearing down on her shoulders. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. And neither of them need ever know they’d been set up.
‘Tabitha! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!’ Adam was waiting by the door as they walked in, looking criminally gorgeous in his trademark dark jeans and white shirt. Hekissed her enthusiastically, prompting a passing female customer to murmur, ‘I didn’t get one of those!’ but in a good-natured way.
Meryl stood a little behind, waiting to be introduced. Tabitha reluctantly drew apart from Adam – God, his kisses were incredible – and pulled Meryl forward.
‘Adam, meet Meryl. Meryl, this is my boyfriend, Adam.’ Ooh, the sheer thrill of saying ‘boyfriend’! Especially one who wouldn’t look out of place smouldering on the cover of GQ. Not that looks were everything – she wasn’t completely shallow – but dazzling personalities didn’t quite compensate if your loved one made Quasimodo look like a bit of all right. OK, she was officially shallow.
‘Lovely to meet you, Meryl.’ Adam moved as if to shake her hand but went in for a French-style kiss on each cheek instead. Meryl – looking pretty as a picture in her favourite floral dress – took it in her stride.
‘And you, Adam. I’ve heard so much about you. Honestly, Tabbie hasn’t stopped talking about you. It’s Adam this and Adam that and … ouch!’ Meryl was brought to a halt by Tabitha swiping her hard on her upper arm.
‘Sorry, Meryl! Thought I saw a wasp moving in for the kill.’ And I’ll bloody kill you if you don’t shut up, she intoned under her breath. Thankfully, Adam merely winked, linked arms with Meryl and guided her off for a whistle stop tour of the finest fireplaces in the south east of England. Leaving Tabitha with time to put the next stage of her cunning plan into action.
‘Steve! How are you?’ Having knocked at the door of his office and been instructed to enter, Tabitha marvelled again at the resemblance between father and son. What if Steve had been the one to turn up at her mum’s the day after the book club incident? Would the same chemistry have existed?In many ways, it would have been easier. Same generation, no worries about people whispering behind their backs, tut-tutting about predatory older women and gold-digging younger men. Not that her mum had zillions in the bank attracting twenty-something chancers like moths to the flame. She was just Mum, a beautiful, talented and very special lady who’d met Joe, made a connection and decided to sod the consequences. No, Tabitha decided. If Steve had turned up it would never have worked. What made people fall in love had nothing to do with age, religion, background or musical tastes. Well – maybe the latter was a factor. If Adam had professed to hate musicals she wasn’t sure they would have a future. Tom had been indifferent about them – preferred heavy metal and weird rap stuff that made her ears spontaneously bleed – whereas Adam always had a song in his heart and a show tune ready to share with an inebriated bar. He was cute, funny and made her feel on top of the world. Lookin’ down on creation. Help, time to move things on a little.
‘Tabitha. How are you? Steve gave her a fatherly hug which reminded her a little painfully of her awkward relationship with Jim, her real dad. Steve had taken the whole Emily/Joe thing in his stride. When she’d asked him – a few days after they first met – how he felt about the relationship, he’d paused. Scratched his head – thankfully, no dandruff unlike the delightful Bert – and looked her straight in the eye.
‘Truthfully? I was worried. Joe’s my boy. My only son. Since his mum died …’ Steve had hesitated, clearly unsure how much to share with Tabitha. She’d nodded for him to continue. ‘Well, he’s had quite a few girlfriends in the past. There was one – Caitlin I think she was called – whom he seemed pretty serious about. Until she dumped him for another fella. Can’t say I was too upset, mind. Always thought she was a piece of work and there’s no way on earth his mum would have approved. Whereas Emily clearly makes him happy, and vice versa.’
It had been a good answer. No, scratch that. The perfect answer. Now all she needed to do was make Steve and Meryl realise they too were a match made in heaven. Or at least take a tentative step or two on the ladder to love.
'I'm great, Steve. In fact, I've got an interview for a job in a few days. Right up my street, although I haven't quite got around to telling my boss yet. Of course, I might not even get it but—' Tabitha clamped her mouth shut as the office door bounced open and in walked Adam, a clearly smitten Meryl still clinging to his arm and giggling coquettishly.
'I take it all back, Tabbie. Adam has convinced me that a new fireplace would transform my place! I've taken loads of photos and he's going to come and measure me up!'
