Page 24 of One Summer Weekend
Bill was asking me about my job. In my confusion, I blurtedout, ‘I’m an executive coach.’
‘Oh?’ Midge leaned forward, while Jack’s grip on my hand tightened, ever so slightly. ‘What does that involve?’
‘Helping organisations to get the best out of their senior management,’ I said, seizing my chance to inject a bigger shot of truth into this escalating fantasy world.
A bark of laughter from Bill. ‘Maybe Jack could recommend you to LeoComponents.’
‘Funny you should say that.’ A pause, to let Jack sweat a little. ‘We were talking about something similar on the way here – weren’t we,darling? Only problem is,’ – a resigned sigh – ‘I couldn’t possibly date one of my clients. Conflict of interest and all that.’
‘Too right,’ Jack said quickly. ‘If it comes down to having Alicia as my girlfriend or my coach, then giveme the girlfriend every time.’ His eyes danced, as if goading me to respond – or at least enjoy the irony.
Terrier-like, Midge persisted with the earlier subject. ‘And how long have you two been together? Jack was vague about that, as well.’
The question caught me off guard. Even in a totally hypothetical situation, I wouldn’t have gone away for the weekend with him this early. Itwas only the second time we’d met, for God’s sake. I plucked a figure out of thin air and replied, ‘Two months’ – just as Jack said, ‘A couple of weeks.’ I raised my eyebrows at him as if to say, ‘Get yourself out ofthat.’ He went on, ‘We’ve only been, er, close for a couple of weeks, although of course Alicia’s right – we met almost two months ago.’
Close? In other words, having sex. Huh,in his dreams. I picked up my glass with my free hand, and yanked the other from his grasp on the pretext of taking an olive. Then, with all physical contact broken, I redirected the conversation to safer territory. ‘Where are we going tomorrow? I can’t wait to do some hillwalking.’
‘It’ll depend on the forecast.’ Jack looked across at Midge and Bill. ‘Which is …?’
‘I’ll go into Keswickfirst thing in the morning,’ Bill said, ‘and look at the local forecast outside the Moot Hall. That one’s far more reliable than anyone else’s. If it’s good, we thought we’d go up Skidder with a picnic lunch. Is that okay with you, Alicia?’
‘Sounds wonderful – except I’d better reserve judgement until I know what going up Skidder means.’
‘It’s the local name for Skiddaw,’ Jack said.‘Fourth highest peak in the Lakes after the Scafells and Helvellyn.’
A moment of panic at the mention of ‘fourth highest’.Can I fabricate a dodgy ankle? Too late – I should have used that as an excuse right at the start.‘Is it, um, much of a climb? I’m not a big fan of heights.’
Bill gave me a reassuring grin. ‘Don’t worry, it’s not too bad. No nasty ridges like Helvellyn, or Blencathrabehind us.’
‘You’ll be fine, love,’ Jack added, with a mischievous grin. ‘We both know you’re a slave to the gym.’
Fantastic; not only am I pretending to be his current bedmate throughout the weekend – I’m also having to act as if I’m super fit. At this precise moment, I’m not sure which will be the bigger challenge.
‘Let’s eat,’ Midge said. ‘Come to the kitchen, both of you,and give me a hand to carry the food out. Five minutes, Bill?’
‘Aye, the meat’s all cooked, I’m just letting it rest.’
It was a surprisingly relaxed meal, in the shadow of Blencathra, among the heady scents of an English garden at the close of a sun-drenched day. I asked Bill about his work, to establish an unobtrusive springboard for further discussions. But I didn’t force the issue,especially when Midge started to talk about the latest exploits of some of the village characters. As she had the timing of a born comic, her anecdotes made for plenty of laughter.
Darkness fell swiftly – or perhaps I was too engrossed in the conversation to notice it enveloping us. Time to bring today’s deception to an end and try out the motorhome, with allthatwould involve. Even thoughI wasn’t expecting Jack to hit on me, the prospect of being alone with him in a confined space – in a bed, for God’s sake! – filled me with apprehension.
I finished my wine and got to my feet. ‘Let me help with the clearing up, then I’ll say goodnight.’
Midge insisted, however, that they could manage; next thing I knew, I was walking hand in hand with Jack through the garden. The skywas a tapestry of tiny stars, the moon pinned against it like a giant pearl. I was too busy looking up to watch my step; inevitable, then, that I tripped and almost fell …
It had been so long since I’d let a man hold me this close – how could it feel natural? Yet, in the cradle of his arms, I felt my body shiver at the haunting memory of physical and emotional need. In an act of pure self-preservation,I buried my face in his shoulder. Because, whereas an embrace could be construed as an instinctive move to break my fall, a kiss would spell disaster.
Not thatIwould ever kisshim– but he might be tempted to try it.
‘Are you okay?’ His voice in the darkness was soft as a caress.
‘Of course,’ I lied.
He released me, gently but firmly, sought my hand again, and we continuedthrough the garden. After a moment, he said, ‘Your stumble was well timed. Midge appeared, saw us, and turned back. Ifshedidn’t want to disturb us, it must have looked like a convincing clinch.’
I couldn’t think of a reply but, as we reached the motorhome, my heart started to pound. Putting on a show for the others – intentionally or otherwise – was one thing; spending the next ten hoursor so in enforced intimacy was an entirely different matter.
He opened the door, leaned in to switch on the light, and hung back to let me go in. When I glanced over my shoulder to see if he was following, he said, ‘I think I’ll have a nightcap with Midge and Bill – give you some privacy.’
