Page 41 of Six Steps to Happiness
“What do you mean?”
Willow took the green hose from her mother’s hand. “You’re doing exactly what you just accused me of. Using Charlie, except in your case it’s to avoid answering my question.”
Ronnie sighed. “No,” she said, with no choice but to answer. “I haven’t rung him yet.”
“Why not?”
“Because if he really wants to take Charlie out like he said, he knows where to find him.”
“Oh, please tell me you’re not that naive? Him giving you his number wasn’t only about a dog walk. He’s as interested in you as he is in man’s best friend.”
Ronnie took the hosepipe back, turned on the tap and began washing the yellow Lab’s feet. She didn’t want to think about Jack or any other member of the opposite sex for that matter. When it came to men, Mr Wright had tipped her over the edge. She’d had her fill of them all.
“Anyone would think you didn’t deserve some fun,” Willow carried on regardless. “And you can’t deny Jack seems a nice bloke.”
Ronnie thought about how nice Mr Wright had seemed and look how wrong that turned out to be. She’d been living opposite a sexual predator for years and hadn’t had one iota. “Don’t they all,” she said.
“If you’re referring to Dad.”
She wasn’t.
“No-one’s talking about a full-on relationship. I’m not trying to marry you off here, Mum.”
“I should hope not.”
“Then give him a call.”
Ronnie knew her daughter meant well, but things didn’t feel as simple as Willow made them sound. Ronnie had always considered herself a good judge of character, but thanks to Mr Wright, she’d seen first-hand how far people could go to hide their true personalities. She didn’t want to think Jack was wearing a guise of any kind, pretending to be someone he wasn’t. She wanted to believe he was genuine, and that Willow was right when she said Jack liked Ronnie. But because of her elderly neighbour, it was as if Ronnie couldn’t trust her own judgement anymore, let alone anyone else’s.
“You know what your problem is, Mum? You’re too all or nothing. When what you need is a bit of excitement. You need to dip your toe in the water, to take a risk every once in a while.”
Ronnie and Willow’s conversation was abruptly interrupted when the sound of number eight’s back door opening caught their attention.
“I still don’t see why we have to go out for lunch,” Gaye said, from over the fence. “I can just as easily rustle up something here.”
“Because it will do you good to get out and about,” Nick said.
Ronnie’s back stiffened at the sound of her ex’s voice.Another man who knows how to wear a mask,she thought. She shook her head as she listened to the cheek of him. During their marriage, Ronnie had spent hour after hour in her studio, hardly seeing the light of day, and never once had he shown her such understanding.
“You’ve been cooped up for long enough.”
Ronnie rolled her eyes.
“But what if…?”
“There aren’t anyifs.Nothing’s going to happen.”
“How do you know?”
“I simply do, that’s all.”
Ronnie recalled her ex’s threat to ring the police if she ever stepped foot inside number eight again, the way he’d spat his words out and that never-before-seen pulsating tic. The man clearly had a lot of confidence in his bully-boy tactics. However, if he thought Ronnie would ignore an opportunity when she saw one, he had another thing coming.
“We could even do a spot of shopping afterwards?” he suggested. “Maybe check out that new boutique in town?”
Please say yes, please say yes,Ronnie thought.
“I suppose I am starting to feel a bit stir crazy,” Gaye replied.
