Page 52 of Love on the Run
Hannah let her menu drop. “I thought you had a rally to attend on Saturday.”
“That’s a day thing. We’ll easy be back in time to join you come evening.”
“Now we have no excuse,” Dorothy said to Hannah. “After lunch, we’re definitely hitting the shops.”
Liv sighed. “I can’t wait for you all to meet Quentin.”
“Will Russel be joining us too?” Dorothy asked, her eyes bright with anticipation.
“Ooh, yes,” Hannah said. “Tell us how your video call went? Is Russel as chatty in person as he is on a keyboard?”
Mel’s smile faded. “I wouldn’t know.”
Hannah looked at her friend, concerned. “What do you mean?”
“There was a problem with his camera, so we’re still having to make do with messaging. He was very apologetic about it.”
Not apologetic enough to go out and buy a plug-in webcam,Hannah considered. Wondering if the picture she’d seen of Russel was anyone but, she reached over and rubbed Mel’s arm.
“I’ll ask him about Saturday night though. But remember he does live down in the Midlands, so getting here might be too much of a trek.”
Hannah wondered, if in making his excuses before she’d even asked, Mel was already trying to cushion her disappointment.
“I’m sure he’ll jump at the chance to meet you face to face,” Dorothy said, ever the optimist.
Hannah wrinkled her nose. “What about Francesca? Should we invite her too? I mean, technically she is part of the team.”
“For what it’s worth, I think we should,” Dorothy said.
A part of Hannah wished she hadn’t asked. “You do?”
“I appreciate Francesca isn’t the easiest of people,” Dorothy said. “But underneath all that bravado, she’s probably like the rest of us; insecure.”
That was not a characteristic Hannah would have ascribed to Francesca.
“I mean, she obviously thinks she has something to prove,” Dorothy said. “Why else would she behave the way she does?”
Hannah contemplated Francesca’s competitiveness, not just in how she performed but also in how she looked. The woman was forever preening herself to make sure her appearance stayed perfect. Hannah had never seen Francesca with a hair out of place or a crease in her clothes.
Realising her aunt might have a point, Hannah suddenly felt guilty. Seeing Francesca more as a nuisance, Hannah had never tried to appreciate what might lie behind the woman’s façade. Not once had it crossed her mind that Francesca’s overconfidence might be masking a lack of it.
“Thankfully, it’s not an issue,” Liv said.
As bad as Hannah felt, she couldn’t deny her relief.
“She’s busy on Saturday night.” Mel sniffed. “Unlike the rest of us who couldn’t get tickets, Francesca is off to the Danny Parkes concert.”
Liv grimaced. “Don’t we know it. She hasn’t stopped banging on about it for days.”
“Now, now, ladies,” Dorothy said.
Liv turned to Hannah. “So, how are things with Gabe?” she asked, moving the conversation on.
Hannah had thought they’d already discussed that. “When you saywith?”
“I’m just wondering if you’ve seen him lately? How he’s doing? You know.”
Hannah considered Liv as bad as Dorothy and aware that her friend was making more than a general enquiry, that she was fishing for something juicy, Hannah shrugged. “How would I know? Maybe you should speak to Quentin, what with him and Gabe being friends?”
