Page 6 of For Love or Money
‘Well, I’m sure that wasn’t his real name.’
‘No, but that was what his friends called him – and they’re the people wholikehim. Thank goodness she has Tom now. She’s not safe to be let out.’
‘Still, there’s a happy medium between serial-dating complete gobshites and not even going out once with a perfectly nice man. This guy who chased you home, for instance—’
‘Al, his name was.’
‘Maybe he’d grow on you if you gave him a chance.’
Lesley considered this for a moment. ‘Nah,’ she said. ‘If there’s a spark, you feel it straight away, and if there isn’t, there’s no point in wasting everyone’s time trying to manufacture one. I’m like Ellen Barkin inSea of Love. You know when she says she believes in instant attraction and love at first sight, and she’s all snappy fingers. That’s like me.’ Lesley sighed. ‘God, I love that movie.’
‘Well, that just proves my point. Ellen Barkin ends up with Al Pacino, even though she thinks there’s no spark at first. Maybe it’d be like that withyourAl.’
‘No. For starters,myAl is short for Aloysius. I ask you!’
‘Oh, dear!’ Romy giggled. ‘Still,’ she said reasonably, ‘it’s better than Skunk.’
‘Marginally. I mean, who’s called Aloysius?’
‘Well, there was the gay teddy bear inBrideshead Revisited.’
‘He was cute. Still, I’m not going out with anyone called Aloysius. I have my standards.’
Luke tottered over to Romy and presented her with a CD. ‘Thank you,’ she said, taking it from him absently. ‘So, are you going to go back to Dinner Dates for a freebie?’
‘No. It’s a bit too intense for me. The people who go to those sorts of things are looking to settle down. Maybe I’ll stick to speed dating in future. It’s more my ... speed.’
‘Or you could go back to internet dating.’
‘I think I’ve already dated everyone on the internet.’
‘You’ve been away a while. There must be some new stock.’
‘To be honest, I’m really not in the mood for any of it. I might take a break from the whole dating scene.’
‘Well, it’s not that long since you broke up with Rob. Maybe it’s too soon?’
‘It’s not that. I mean, it’s not like I thought he was “the one” or anything.’ She rolled her eyes at the idea. ‘Though I’m still pissed off that he dumped me. The cheek of it! If anyone was the catch out of the pair of us, it was me.’
‘Totally.’
‘But he lured me in under false pretences. I mean, why bother looking for someone to go out with, if you just want to stay in all the time?’ Rob had been a big fan of Friday nights snuggled on the sofa with a takeaway and a box set on Netflix. ‘He was turning into an old fart, and he wanted to take me down with him. Now that I’ve got my freedom back, I just want to enjoy it for a while.’
‘Well, if you’ve nothing better to do next weekend, you can join us old farts for aStar Warsmarathon. Ethan wants Luke to watch the whole series, so he’s up to speed when the last one comes out.’
‘Isn’t Luke a bit young forStar Wars?’
Romy smiled. ‘Ethan says it’s his heritage, so we should introduce him to it as early as possible.’ Romy had met Luke’s father at a Halloween party when he was dressed as Darth Vader.
Lesley looked across at the toddler who was now engrossed in trying to open a recalcitrant jewel case, all fingers and thumbs. ‘Use the force, Luke,’ she said in a ghostly voice. ‘Are you going to watch the prequels?’ she asked Romy.
‘No! God, no, I don’t think so.’ Romy frowned. It seemed like the thought had just occurred to her. ‘No, I’m sure not. If Ethan suggested that, I might have to divorce him – and we’re not even married.’
‘Okay, sounds good. Oh, thanks, Luke,’ she said as the child handed her a CD with a big grin.
‘So, how’s business?’ Romy asked as she poured them more coffee from the cafetière.
‘Good.’ Lesley picked up her mug and sank back against the cushions of the couch. ‘I’ve got a big SEO job from a new client. Boring as all get-out, but it pays well, and it’ll be ongoing for months. Sometimes I wish I wasn’t so good at my job, but what can you do?’
