Page 47 of Six Steps to Happiness
“And his owner if she’ll let me.”
Ronnie felt herself blush, not quite sure what to say. She stood there silent, half of her wanting to say yes, of course she’d go with them. The other, telling her to say no, getting to knowanyman beyond polite pleasantries wasn’t worth the risk.
“I wanted to give Charlie some time to settle in, plus I was waiting for your call.”
Jack also seemed to be waiting for an explanation, but Ronnie didn’t offer one. She didn’t want to lie and say her phone was broken, but neither could she tell him about her fears and self-doubt. Instead, she stood there continuing to say nothing.
“Fab studio,” Jack eventually said, clearly trying to overcome the awkwardness. He glanced inside, clocking the recorder andTeach Yourselfbooklet. “Or should I say music room.”
His comment broke the ice and Ronnie let out a laugh. “Studio’s fine, you’ve heard my playing.” She lowered her voice. “I’m just keeping out of the way so as not to annoy the neighbours too much.”Speaking of whom, thought Ronnie as number eight’s back door opened.
“About time,” Nick said. “If that racket had gone on any longer, I’d have been calling the police.”
Ronnie rolled her eyes and shook her head; she knew something like that would happen. Then again, she supposed it was her own fault. She had pushed everyone to their limits of late. She felt grateful when Jack reached out to rub her arm in reassurance, before watching him approach the dividing garden fence, his smile beaming as he looked over into next door’s garden.
“No need,” he said. “They’re already here.”
Ronnie put a hand up to her mouth. She couldn’t believe Jack had done that, an action that she would without doubt pay for later. She listened to Nick’s undignified muttering, wishing she could see his face; the man wouldn’t have expected anyone other than Ronnie to respond, let alone find himself face-to-face with an off-duty police officer.
She finally allowed herself to relax in Jack’s presence. “Coffee?” she asked. “I mean, you’re not on duty, right?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Ronnie led the way back into number six. As she put the kettle on, Jack leant against the kitchen counter. Sensing him watching her every move, it felt strange having a man in the house; at least a man who wasn’t shouting the odds or blackmailing her for sex.
“So, why learn to play the recorder?” he asked.
“It’s part of a six-step plan my daughter and mother-in-law drew up. To stop me getting into trouble because of you-know-who next door.”
Jack laughed. “And is it working?”
Ronnie paused before answering, her actions inOperation Poltergeistrunning through her head. “They don’t think so,” she said, deciding the less said about that the better. Jack was, after all, a policeman. “Which is why I’m trying to prove them wrong by not only learning the recorder, but by holding a recital.”
“Really?” Jack’s eyes widened. “Now that I’d love to see.”
“You’re more than welcome to come along,” Ronnie said, laughing. Her smile froze, as she realised what she’d just said. As soon as the words were out, she could have kicked herself. “I mean it’s nothing fancy,” she added. “And you’ll probably be bored stiff. And you have heard the standard of music…” Ronnie took in the man’s expression, realising her U-turn attempts to dissuade him from attending were to no avail.
Jack continued to grin. “It’s a date.”
35
As Ronnie stood there in her finery, she looked down at the black figure-hugging wrap dress she wore, unable to remember the last time it had seen the light of day. It was probably a work do of Nick’s, she considered, or some long-ago neighbourhood party she hadn’t wanted to attend. Social gatherings had never really been her thing. She smiled. Neither could she remember the last time it fitted her.
She had to admit it felt good being dressed up for a change. It was surprising how much a nice outfit and a bit of make-up lifted one’s spirits. For once, Ronnie felt self-assured and a boost in confidence was exactly what she needed if she and her recorder were to take centre stage.Along with Charlie, of course, she acknowledged. After his enthusiastic accompaniments during practice, how could he not perform on the night?
She looked out onto the garden to see her specially purchased music stand taking pride of place in front of the three chairs awaiting her audience. It was clear Ronnie had had a busy couple of weeks. As well as learning to play the recorder, she’d almost finished the first of her handbag commissions, and that was on top of getting the garden ready for that night’s recital. The lawn areas had been mowed, the path had been weeded and regravelled, and the neglected containers had been potted up with brightly coloured bedding plants, including African daisies, geraniums and touch-me-nots.
Ronnie turned her attention to the LimelightHydrangea with a sigh. Having fully intended to prune it back when she’d stood in front of it with her shears, she found she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “Which reminds me…” Scanning the whole garden, she realised she hadn’t seen or heard that dog of hers in quite some time. “Charlie!” she called out. “Where are you?”
The hydrangea leaves rustled, its branches and blooms dancing thanks to the sudden movement from within. “Oh, Charlie,” Ronnie said, as he bounded out and towards her. “What do you look like?” It wasn’t only his muddy nose and paws that made him a sight to behold, but the bespoke collar and tie Ronnie had made him for the recital sat wonky and appeared equally as filthy. She unclipped his attire. “It’s a good job I put together a spare just in case. Isn’t it?” The dog smiled up at her like some canine version ofOrphan Annie.Ronnie couldn’t help but laugh. “What are we going to do with you?”
She picked up the end of the hosepipe and, careful to control the flow of water to avoid any muddy splashback, began rinsing Charlie’s feet. It was a routine they’d both become accustomed to and he was happy to lift one foot after the other to be then dried off. “In you go,” Ronnie said to him, job done. “At least if you’re in the house I can see what you’re up to.”
As the dog did as he was told, Ronnie took in her efforts again, insisting that the evening ahead would be as much fun as she anticipated. Willow and Bea might have seemed underwhelmed when she’d phoned to check on their RSVPs, but that was because they still felt burned. She was sure that once they saw the time and energy she’d put into step four, they’d be back to their usual happy and smiling selves.
Ronnie understood the reasons behind her daughter and mother-in-law’s lack of enthusiasm. She had, after all, let the two of them down. And while she still wanted nothing more than for Nick and Gaye to move on to pastures new, Ronnie recognised she should have found a different means with which to deal with her frustrations.
She sighed, blaming Nick as much as herself for all the upset. Especially when he didn’t have to show his mother and daughter that video, he had chosen to. Ronnie knew she shouldn’t have been surprised though. Nick had to hate the fact that Bea felt unable to give him and Gaye her blessing; that she preferred his ex over his new woman. Under those circumstances he probably saw an opportunity when he walked in that night, a chance to cause trouble between Ronnie and Bea. Ronnie took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, thinking of the games that had been played. As difficult as it was to acknowledge, she had to admit that of late, she and Nick were as bad as each other.
