Page 75 of One More Day
‘I thought Isawyou noticing,’ I tell her, knowing I’m pushing it but I can’t resist. ‘I kept checking my phone, waiting on some sort of funny remark from you.’
‘I was looking at the clock on the wall behind where you were sitting.’
There was no clock on the wall behind where I was sitting, which makes me grin. I can feel Rose beam too without even looking at her.
We reach the cottage gate and I walk behind her up the pink gravel pathway, our boots crunching beneath us in the freshly laid snow.
‘So, why didn’t you come over and say hello to me, Charlie?’ she says, a little pinch in her voice. ‘You know, like normal people sharing a cottage would? Wecanbe civil to each other in a public place … or were you too afraid of Marion to do so?’
My mouth opens as she wrestles with the key in the door. This has taken a bit of a jack knife.
‘What? Why would I be afraid of Marion? I didn’t want to … we are trying to keep our distance, aren’t we?
Now she stops.
‘Seriously, Charlie? Grow up.’
She marches inside the cottage.
‘And I didn’t want to disturb you as you seemed engrossed in that guy with the long detective-style coat and the swept back hair. Beige Billy.’
Rose tilts her head back and laughs as she leads the way into the hall, taking off her coat and hanging it over the bottom of the stairs on her way past.
‘Beige Billy!’ she giggles.
I automatically lift her coat and hang it up on the proper stand just as I do with her hat and scarf when she sets them on the radiator. I take off my own coat, shivering as the heating clicks in when Rose gives the switch a thump. Seconds later we’re both greeted by our forever enthusiastic canine friends, who so far don’t seem to have done any damage in our absence.
‘Sounds like you were keeping a very close eye onmycompany when you even know his name?’ Rose suggests,making her way to the living room where it’s her turn to sleep tonight.
‘There was a clock on the wall behind whereyouwere sitting,’ I tell her.
‘Touché!’ she says in return. ‘So, you know Billy, then?’
‘I met him a few nights ago when I was in the pub.’
‘Well then, you should know that he isn’t totally beige.’
‘You think?’
‘I don’t think. I know,’ she says. ‘He’s asked me out to dinner.’
I feel a gut punch which I try to ignore.
‘How lovely.’
‘Indeed.’
‘I’ll let the dogs outside before bed.’
‘Good idea. Goodnight, Charlie.’
We hold each other’s gaze as my stomach swoops and I do my best not to let my face give away what’s going on in my head.
‘Goodnight, Rose.’
She closes the door and I walk outside into the cold night air, staring out into the forest as the dogs sniff and bounce and pee into the already frosting grass.
It looks like we’re in for another thick snowfall overnight, but right now all I can picture in my head is Rose and Billy chatting over dinner on their forthcoming date.
