‘Hello’ Blythe purrs, smiling as she puts a hand against the small of Nathan’s back and he turns round ‘Missed me?’

‘Oh’ Nathan turns further and glances over his shoulder to where Stephanie sits waiting for him at a table. ‘Hello, Blythe’ he says without expression ‘Visiting?’

‘I might be’ Her lip curls ‘unless Helen’s in another mood of course. A case of ringing first, I suppose’

‘Always a good idea’

‘Buy me a drink?’ Blythe wheedles ‘for old time’s sake? We can chat’

‘There we are, darlin’’ Vivienne arrives from the other end of the bar. ‘One large Sav Blonk…Blimey! You want me to top that up?’ she grins at Nathan’s pint.

‘Nah, just pull us another one. Thanks, Viv’ Nathan lifts his glass and drains it, setting it down on the bar again and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

‘You’re with someone?’ Blythe’s smile slips.

‘That’s right’ Nathan confirms as he takes his wallet from his back trouser pocket

‘Someone special?’ Blythe’s fingernail grazes the side of his thumb as it holds the wallet open and she blinks slowly.

‘Very’ he says tightly, extracting a twenty-pound note and dropping it into Viv’s waiting hand ‘One for yourself, Viv…and take for…’

‘Vodka tonic, please’ Blythe answers his enquiring gaze.

‘Might as well stick the change in the pot’ He gives Viv a wry laugh and returns his wallet to his pocket.

‘Thanks, Nathan, soon adds up you know. Makes a lot of difference to the old folk come Christmas’ Vivienne stretches across the bar to pinch his cheek. ‘You’re a good ‘un’

‘I know’ he winks and lifts his second pint to his lips as he takes the glass of wine in his other hand and turns away.

The White Horse, Milliwick

Chapter Twenty-five

The White Horse, Milliwick

Stephanie acknowledges with a brief, tight smile that Nathan has put her wine in front of her. ‘Is that her?’ she asks, twisting the stem of the glass between her fingers without looking at him directly.

‘Who?’

‘Her….the girl you were so fond of….you know….before’

Nathan laughs ‘Nooo. That’s Helen’s sister’

‘Oh’ Stephanie glances to where Blythe still stands at the bar. ‘Her sister?’

‘Yeah’ he sips from his pint to cover the awkward silence between them.

‘But she was a bit more than that to you?’ she asks perceptively.

Nathan flushes uncomfortably. ‘Yeah…we’ve got some history….It was once’ he mumbles ‘Literally once’

‘Oh’ the glass twists again.

‘It was nothing’ he shrugs ‘After Kes and Helen’s wedding do, that’s all’

‘That’s ALL?’ Stephanie’s neck arches as she turns to face him ‘You’re telling me that…’

‘Steph….’ Nathan moves his head a little closer and caresses the back of her neck with his fingers ‘It didn’t mean anything….to either of us, a one off. And I didn’t even know you then’ he excuses in an earnest whisper..

‘Not quite the point I was trying to make!’ she hisses through clenched teeth.

‘You know I put it about a bit, I told you that’

‘But that was just with anybody…’

‘Not quite but….’ He stops speaking when Stephanie glares at him.

‘….not with your friend’s wife’s sister!’ she finishes.

‘What’s the big deal?’

‘The big deal, Nathan’ Stephanie tries hard to keep her temper ‘is that she wasn’t a casual somebody yet she got to know what I didn’t a damned sight quicker than I did! What’s she got that I haven’t?’

‘A six foot spread to her legs, mostly’ Nathan mutters, grinning into his pint.

‘You think this is a joke?’

‘No, no I don’t’ he looks down, abashed, and puts his glass on the table. ‘You know why I wanted to leave it for a while…. you know that, I explained’

‘Yeah…I’m different….special. Well, it didn’t make me feel very special’

‘It didn’t? …You mean..’

‘Noo’ she relents, seeing the stricken look on his face and smiling reassuringly. ‘I didn’t mean that wasn’t’ she squeezes his hand ‘Sorry, guess I let myself get a bit jealous there, but it didn’t matter what I tried…’ she lifts her shoulders in a shrug and rolls her eyes. ‘It took my Dad to give you a shove, for goodness sake!’

‘Your Dad!’ Nathan feigns horror ‘I thought that was your hands on my..’

‘Nathan!’ Stephanie covers her mouth and giggles ‘Shush!’

‘Sorry’ he moves closer so their heads touch. ‘You are special’ he says against her ear. ‘Very special to me; I’m glad we waited’

‘I know…and me too, if I’m being honest. It made it more….’

‘Special?’ he grins

‘Romantic’ Stephanie contradicts.

‘Noooo, I don’t do romantic’ Nathan shakes his head vehemently and backs away in mock disgust.

Stephanie grins and leans towards him ‘You do…and you do it very well’ she says and turns to snuggle against his chest.

He puts his arm around her and presses his lips against her hair ‘For God’s sake, don’t tell anyone’ he mutters.

Stephanie tilts her face up to smile at him ‘Our secret’