‘E did...’ Edna’s head wobbles with self-importance ‘AND e sat in me kitchen like e were one a the family’ she grips the top of her handbag with both hands as it sits on her lap and looks from Jessie to Kathleen ‘Says yer can’t beat watchin yer food got fer yer. Made isself at ‘ome good an proper’ she pauses for effect ‘Did me washin up an’all’
‘David Owen did your washing up?’ Kath looks amazed ‘Good Lord’
‘Says it were the least e could do, what wi’me givin im breakfast’ Edna opens her bag and peers at the bill on the saucer before taking out a ten pound note and folding it into it. ‘My turn today, I reckon’ she beams.
‘Thank you’ Kath smiles.
Her mouth full, Jessie licks cream from her lips and nods her gratitude instead.
‘Didn’t he have breakfast at the hotel? I thought you said it was nearly lunchtime before he came?’
‘Well, it were....and I s’pose e ‘might a done .....but Charlie never gimme no warnin much’ Edna sniffs ‘An’ I never ad time to give the place a good blow through. He come in, smelled the bacon an’ so forth, cos that were still ‘angin about, an’ that was that. Rubbed ‘is hands and walked straight in t’me kitchen!’
‘Crikey Moses!’ Jessie manages through a spattering of crumbs.
‘Tha’s what I thought an’ all’ she clips her bag closed and hangs it over her arm while she lifts her cup to her mouth. ‘Course, Charlie were grateful, cos I’d chucked ‘is in the bin’ she sips ‘Fooling about wi’a bloomin ‘angover instead a tellin me straight off’ she says with a huff ‘I didn’t ave time fer im t’sit there narring grub, I’d got t’get cleaned round’
Kath chortles ‘I expect he’s gone away with the idea that Charlie eats like a pig if he thought he’d had two breakfasts’
‘Huh! You’ve on’y got t’look at my Charlie t’know that. He’s damned near as round as e is tall now. E’ll be the only begger in the ‘istory of village what’s gone to ‘is maker in a square box’
‘Oh, Edna!’
‘True enough!’
‘You were saying?’ Jessie prompts and pops the last of her doughnut into her mouth.
‘Ah...yes....well. E wants t’do a book ‘bout the Manor ‘Ouse gardens and wants t’use them photers an’ bits an’ pieces in it. I weren’t keen, I can tell yer. It were Charlie what got us roped in to it, danged fool’
‘Not that much of a fool he couldn’t be forgiven if it meant you had a visitor’ Kath interjects with a teasing smile.
‘Well...there was that’ Edna tries to look nonchalant and fails.
‘What’s he like...really?’
‘Lovely chap, e is. Liked me cookin any road, so e can’t be bad’ She sets her cup back in its saucer. ‘Noo, e’s as straightfor’ard as you could make ‘em...Though I s’pose e wanted summat from me, so e were bound t’be nice, weren’t e?’ she adds philosophically.
‘I think you’d be able to tell if he was just putting it on’
‘So, what did you decide?’ Jessie hunches her shoulders in eager anticipation ‘Are you going to be a potting shed pin up?’
‘Don’t talk s’daft!’
‘I thought there might be a photo of you and him together on the front cover....you know...getting down and dirty or whatever they say these days’
Kath chokes on a mouthful of coffee ‘I don’t think that’s gardening’
‘It isn’t?’
She dabs at the drips of coffee on the front of her coat. ‘Gawd, Jessie, I wish you wouldn’t do that!’
‘What does it mean, then?’
‘Let me finish this and I might think about telling you...Edna?’
‘No...I didn’t want to be on no cover, yet in the book. E tried t’ persuade me but I said no’
‘To all of it? Bet he was disappointed’
‘It’s enough what he asked’ Edna says with quiet pleasure ‘I would but it ain’t my sort a thing. No, I said e could borrer the stuff an’ welcome as long as e let me ave it back’
‘Oooh, I’ve got your mark, Edna flipping Smith. You just want him to come round when your Charlie’s out’
‘Jess!’ Kath gives up on the idea of drinking and puts her cup down.
‘What’s up now?’
‘I’d probably see more on im if I was t’do the bloomin thing, so don’t start w’yer stirrin’ Edna wags her finger ‘Got enough wi’ the ole man tellin me I were flirtin. I said ‘Give over, man fer gawd’s sake’ ‘Onestly, e’s such a fool sometimes’
‘But you wouldn’t have him any other way’ Kath pats her hand.
‘Prob’ly not, gal’
‘So your David was happy with that, was he?’ Jessie helps herself to more tea from the pot.
‘Pleased as Punch.. And he ain’t my David, so give over’
‘Hope you got him to sign a receipt or something or you might never see those photos and things again’
Edna’s head starts to wobble but this time with indignation ‘I better bloomin ‘ad or I’ll ave ‘is guts fer garters, David Owen or no flippin David Owen’
The Old Mill Cafe
Chapter Thirty-one
Dell Cottage, Washbrook Lane
‘I feel a right prat’ Nathan stands in the doorway of the bedroom.
‘You look fine’ Stephanie assures from the warmth of the bed.
‘But... pyjamas?’ he looks down at himself in disgust ‘I look like Joe sodding 90 or something off Star Trek’
‘Count yourself lucky, I could have bought the paisley ones with the dinky contrast collar and a pocket to keep your hankie in. I thought they were nice’ Stephanie pulls her knees to her chin and circles her arms around them. ‘Did you know...I was reading sales of p.j’s have gone up something like three hundred percent in the last year’
His eyes flick towards her and away again in embarrassment ‘They can’t all be doing what we are’
‘Nathan.....it’s okay’ she says gently and gives him a smile of encouragement ‘......Get in’
‘I won’t be able to sleep’ he grumbles and as a delaying tactic rearranges each item on top of the chest of drawers
‘If you want to go in your room, we’ll go in your room but I thought...you know....the bed and everything’
‘Yeah....’ he nods ‘I’m gonna get rid of it...get a new one’
‘Good idea...It might help’
‘It’s being in here’ Nathan looks around the room, lifting his shoulders and letting them drop again ‘Feels all wrong, like I should be somewhere else and not being able to figure out why I can’t be’
‘We could always swap the beds over’ Stephanie suggests with a grin. ‘Take this one in there’
‘Piss off’ he grunts ‘I’m knackered with sorting this bloody lot out without taking things to bits and putting them together again’
‘Looks good though, yes?’ She reaches behind her and lays the pillows flat, ready to settle down to sleep.
‘Yeah’
‘Certainly smells a bit better’ she breathes in the scent of the ‘Spring Rain’ air freshener, aware of an underlying trace of cleaning stuffs and polish.
‘It was a junk room, okay?’ Nathan says defensively, snapping the elastic waist of his pyjama trousers and looking ill at ease.
‘You ain’t kiddin! I didn’t even know there was a bed in here until we unearthed it’
‘Yeah...well...couldn’t use the other room either....She’d been in there ...And it was a good idea of yours’
‘I thought so’ she pats the bed beside her ‘Are you getting in?’
‘I’m still not sure’ he takes a hesitant step towards the bed, scratching his head with both hands as he stretches a nervous smile.
‘You just said it was a good idea’
‘Yeah...but’ his eyes roll and he sighs.
‘Nathan...’ Stephanie tries to reassure him ‘I’m not expecting anything. We are literally going to sleep together. That’s all’
‘That’s all?’
‘That’s all’
He takes another self-conscious step and puts a hand out to take the corner of the duvet before deciding against it ‘What if....’
‘I’ll do my best to restrain myself’ she grins and pats the bed again ‘Come on’
‘No...if...you know....’ he nods some meaning into his words ‘If it does work’
‘Stop thinking about it and just get in, will you?’
‘Sorry, I can’t help it’ he groans ‘I feel such a dill’
‘So you said....but I can live with that....as long as you don’t start winding alarm clocks and putting your slippers in a neat little line next to the bed.....and God forbid you take your teeth out’
Nathan chuckles softly, some of the tension fading ‘You’re a nutter, you know that?’
‘But this nutter loves you......very much’ Stephanie throws back the covers ‘Now, bloody well get in!’
‘Yes, dear’
‘Don’t you dare!’ She narrows her eyes and glares.
‘Or you’ll take YOUR teeth out?’
‘And put curlers in’ she threatens with a grin.
His hands fly up in mock horror ‘Oh, God, hold me back!’
‘Just how far back do you want to be?’ Stephanie glances at the alarm clock and sighs ‘Come on, Nathan. It’s getting late and I’m pretty knackered as well. Let’s just snuggle down and go to sleep’ she shuffles down the bed and arranges the pillows beneath her head ‘If you’re not happy in your jamas, take them off...but I thought it’d be less like we were going to....you know...it would make things easier...no pressure. Because there isn’t any, you do know that?’
‘I do. Thanks’
‘You think you could be persuaded to get in now? I’m not waiting any longer...’ she reaches for the switch on the bedside lamp. ‘I’m turning the light off and you can go sleep where you like’ She starts to count when he hesitates again ‘Five.....Four.......Three......Two....’ she groans when he makes no move ‘One and a half......’
The bed bounces and creaks ominously as he lands ‘Okay, okay...I’m in!’ he pulls the duvet to his chin and lays with his arms straight to his sides over the top.
‘I knew you could do it’ she quickly kisses his cheek and rolls back to her side of the bed. ‘Isn’t that bad, is it?’
‘Nope’
‘You normally sleep lying on your back, staring at the ceiling?’ she gurgles with amusement.
‘Yep’
‘Liar! You look like a wooden soldier that’s fallen over’
‘I’m fine’
‘And so am I’ Stephanie gives his hand a squeeze ‘Lights out?’
‘Uh huh’ Nathan turns his head just long enough for a brief goodnight kiss.
‘Night’ Stephanie wriggles further down the bed and turns onto her side.
‘Night’
They lay unmoving for a few minutes.
‘Steph?’ Nathan says through the darkness.
‘Mmm?’
‘I can’t sleep’
‘Give it chance’ she murmurs drowsily.
‘Can we snuggle up instead of snuggling down?’
‘I’d like that’ she turns onto her other side and faces him.
‘Okay..’ Nathan says, putting an arm around her shoulder ‘but...’
‘I know’ she whispers and snuggles against his chest. ‘Nathan?’
‘What?’
‘If there hadn’t been a bed in here...what would you have done then?’
‘I dunno...hadn’t thought that far. I knew there was....so...it didn’t matter, did it?’
‘No, I guess not’ she yawns sleepily and her breathing becomes shallower as the silence continues.
‘Steph?’ Nathan tightens his arm in a wave of affection.
‘What now?’ she lifts her head.
‘Nothing....just...’ he shrugs and hugs her again.
‘Just what?’
‘It’s okay...doesn’t matter’
‘Come on’ she prods his chest ‘you can’t say that and expect me to be able to get to sleep. What was it?’
‘Just....It’s just...’ his voice catches and he presses his lips against her hair ‘I just can’t imagine anyone else doing... this...for me’
‘I’m glad about that’ Stephanie lifts her head to kiss him on the chin and settles down once more.
‘No, I’m serious’
‘Go to sleep, Nathan’ she says on a yawn.
‘Yeah...okay’ His thumb brushes rhythmically against her upper arm, eventually slowing in time with her breathing ‘Steph?’
‘What?’ she groans
‘You’re very special to me’
‘I’m glad about that too’
‘Am I.....’
‘Yes, Nathan. You’re very special to me as well’ she says in a weary sing-song voice ‘Can we go to sleep now?’
‘Maybe.......maybe not......Probably maybe’
‘Stop thinking’ her hand on his chest pats rebuke ‘Goodnight’
‘Night, Steph’ he sighs contentedly and turns on his side to circle his other arm around her.
