Page 31 of For Love or Money
The cafetière was empty, and the lounge had started to fill up as they talked. Stella looked at her watch. It was just after one. She felt slightly panicked at how fast the time had gone.
‘Let’s get afternoon tea,’ she said to Dan, picking up the laminated card from the table.
She called a waiter over and ordered the most lavish option on the menu. He returned with a tall, tiered cake stand laden with dainty crustless sandwiches, light, fluffy scones and sweet, sticky pastries, along with a glass of Prosecco each.
‘Well, here’s to you.’ Dan clinked his glass against Stella’s. ‘Engaged!’ He made big scary eyes at her. ‘You’ve really done it this time.’
‘I know,’ she said, mirroring his expression. ‘Never thought you’d see the day, did you?’
‘I don’t know,’ he said softly. ‘You were always full of surprises.’
‘True.’ She watched him carefully, but she couldn’t tell what he was thinking, how he felt about this. They’d been apart for too long. She used to know him as well as she knew herself.
‘Bloody hell, though – Sir Peter Bradshaw! You won’t be bringinghimhome to Bally-go-Backwards.’
She laughed. ‘I wouldn’t be bringing him home even if he was Joe Bloggs.’
‘No. But isn’t he a bit …’
‘Rich for my blood?’
‘Too old for you, I was going to say.’
‘I don’t care about that. It has its advantages.’
‘Such as?’
‘Well, Peter doesn’t live his life online, for one thing. He doesn’t do social media much. So that’s good.’
‘Still, you’ll be a stepmum to Rafe and Scott Bradshaw,’ Dan said with a crooked smile. ‘How fucked up is that?’
‘It’s not fucked up,’ she said, frowning. ‘I’m not going to be breastfeeding them or anything.’
‘Aaargh!’ Dan grimaced. ‘Thanks a million for that image.’
‘I mean, it’s true that whenever I thought about having kids, I imagined them being a bit younger …’
‘Younger than you at least.’
Stella laughed. ‘Yeah. Even Scott’s a couple of years older than me, and he’s the baby.’
‘What about the fame thing? It doesn’t worry you?’
‘I could do without it. But we’re keeping the wedding small and low-key, and it’s not as if Peter’s going to sell it to a magazine or anything. Anyway, even if photos did get out, what are the chances of anyone from back then recognising me now?’
‘You’ve changed a bit all right,’ he said with a grin. ‘You look fantastic.’
‘Thanks.’ She smiled. ‘I do my best.’
‘So, what’s Peter Bradshaw like, then?’
‘He’s lovely. He’s been very good to me.’
‘Christ, Stella!’ Dan huffed, running a hand through his hair. ‘You’re not a fucking rescue puppy! You don’t need someone to be “good to you”.’
‘I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just … we take care of each other. It’s nice.’
‘Nice!’ Dan rolled his eyes. ‘It sounds very exciting!’
