Chapter 5
Twenty-seven hours later, her father turned to her and said, ‘I can’t believe we’ve never done this before.’
‘Told you.’ Mimi gave his shoulder a squeeze, because he was visibly enjoying himself, so much more relaxed and happy than he’d expected to be.
‘We should have come in here months ago. Everyone’s been great.’
‘Better late than never,’ said Mimi. ‘This is just the beginning. From now on, things are only going to get better.’
A minxy blonde who’d introduced herself earlier as Lois Blake rejoined them and raised her glass. ‘And the more we have to drink, the better everything gets! Dan, are you going to dance with me next?’
‘The thing is, I don’t really . . . I’m not much of a dancer . . .’
‘Ah but I am,’ Lois said cheerfully, ‘and luckily I’m brilliant at it, so as long as you stick with me, that means you’ll be brilliant too.’
‘Oh well then,’ said Dan, ‘if you insist.’ And off they went, piling onto the crowded dance floor to join in with everyone else who was dancing along to ‘American Pie’.
‘Look at them. You’ve done it,’ said Stacey.
Mimi grinned. ‘Thanks to you.’
‘Oh, rubbish. They needed a hefty nudge and you managed to get them here.’
‘It’s going to make a world of difference,’ Mimi agreed. Over by the bar, Marcus was chatting happily to a tall man in a blue and white striped shirt. ‘Who’s that?’
‘Felix? He lives at Fox Court. Cal tells me you had a brief encounter with his mother the first time you came down here.’
‘The bossy woman who refused to give me a lift? Ah, right.’
‘It’s OK, she isn’t here. Henrietta doesn’t come to the pub.’
‘And what’s Felix like? The same as his mother?’
‘No, thank God. He’s adorable. Jolly posh, of course, but just so sweet with it. And everyone’s loving the fact that Henrietta can’t stand Lois, but Felix flatly refuses to stop seeing her.’
Mimi was surprised. ‘So Lois and Felix are a couple? I didn’t realise.’
‘Oh yes. Kind of unlikely, I know, but they seem to balance each other out. Lois is pretty wild, quite the party girl, and Felix is quieter, but so lovely. He’s crazy about her, which is driving Henrietta to absolute distraction.’
‘She’s stunning.’ Mimi paused to take a drink. ‘Lois, I mean. Not Henrietta.’
Stacey laughed. ‘Oh God, I know. You can’t blame Felix for being besotted, can you? And look at the body on her, it’s just perfect. She puts the rest of us to shame.’
Mimi said, ‘Don’t do yourself down. You’re stunning too.’
‘Ah, but I can’t compete with Lois.’ Stacey patted her slightly rounded stomach. ‘I never did manage to get rid of my baby pouch. Some people spring back into place, but mine stayed right where it was.’ Her face softening, she added, ‘Still, we got Cora as a result, so it was worth it.’
‘Will you have any more, d’you think?’ Mimi winced the moment the words were out of her mouth. ‘Oh God, sorry, that’s a terrible question. Don’t answer!’ This was what happened when you met someone, liked them instantly and felt as if you’d known them for months.
‘It’s fine. And yes, we’d love to have a couple more babies. We left a bit of a gap so we could concentrate on getting ourselves on our feet financially, but we’ve managed to do that now. So the plan is to start trying again as soon as Christmas is over.’ Stacey grinned. ‘Who knows, if we’re really lucky, a year from now the next one could be here.’
They clinked glasses and Mimi, absolutely meaning it, said, ‘Lucky baby.’
‘Thanks, but we’re the lucky ones. Ooh now, see who’s just come in? That’s Paddy Fratelli.’
Mimi followed the direction of Stacey’s nod. Paddy Fratelli was standing by the door talking to a group of people he evidently knew well. He had slicked-back dark hair, foxy good looks and shrewd bright blue eyes that were darting around the pub, missing absolutely nothing. A knowing half-smile lifted the corners of his mouth and his white teeth were slightly crooked. Clocking Mimi, he glanced at her for a second before turning his attention back to his friends. He was wearing a blue shirt, fitted black waistcoat and narrow black jeans. From here, she guessed he’d be the type to use industrial quantities of aftershave. She watched as Lois, still on the dance floor with Dan, caught Paddy’s attention and blew him an extravagant kiss.
‘OK, one question,’ said Mimi. ‘Am I right in thinking he wears a lot of cologne?’
Stacey spluttered with laughter. ‘I know what you mean, he looks as if he would. But Paddy’s actually smarter than that – when you’re that much of a womaniser, it makes far more sense not to wear any cologne at all.’
He and Lois glanced at each other once more; Paddy smiled as Lois playfully swivelled her hips as she danced. Mimi lowered her voice. ‘Is there something going on between those two?’
‘Honest answer? No, nothing at all. It’s just a game they play, pretending to find each other irresistible. It’s fun, it’s harmless and nothing ever happens . . . well, apart from giving some of the villagers something to gossip about.’ Stacey’s eyes sparkled. ‘So if you ever do happen to hear any whispers, don’t get too excited because they aren’t true. And I’m not just saying that because Lois is one of my best friends. She’d never cheat on Felix, she just wouldn’t.’
Stacey was telling the truth, Mimi could tell. ‘And Felix doesn’t mind the flirting?’
‘Oh God, no, he finds the whole thing completely hilarious. He says it makes him feel all the more of a winner because he’s the one Lois goes home with. And Lois loves the fact that Felix isn’t threatened . . . As I say, they’re an unlikely couple to look at, but it works. And Paddy flirts with everyone he meets, so you never can tell what he’s up to . . . Oh hi, Paddy! How are you, all right?’ She beamed as the man in question materialised beside them.
‘Hello, girls. Stacey, looking amazing as always. And your name is . . .?’ Paddy turned his attention to Mimi.
‘Emylia.’ Somehow ‘Mimi’ seemed too intimate under the intensity of his gaze.
‘Well it’s a pleasure to meet you, Emylia. You’re looking wonderful too.’ Close up, his electric-blue eyes were almost hypnotic and his expression was playful. The next second he was addressing Stacey once more. ‘And the gay guys are here, I see. So how did that happen?’
Mimi stiffened like a dog preparing to attack. Next to her, Stacey said, ‘This is Dan Huish’s daughter.’
‘Really? Excellent.’ Unfazed, he broke into a grin that revealed his crooked white teeth. ‘We thought we weren’t good enough for them.’
Stacey said, ‘They were just shy. But now they’re really enjoying themselves.’
‘I can see that.’ Paddy nodded comfortably as, with a flourish, Lois and Dan finished their dance together. ‘Well, nice to see them joining in at last. And how about you, down here for long?’
And now, in this light, his eyes were vivid turquoise. It was almost impossible not to stare at them. Mimi blinked. ‘Just a couple of days.’
‘I can’t believe we haven’t seen you before.’ Oh, that flirtatious charm.
Stacey said, ‘Maybe she’s been steering clear of men like you.’
‘Touché.’ Paddy nodded at their half-empty glasses. ‘Can I get you two another drink?’
‘Thanks, but we’re fine. Cal’s up at the bar.’
‘You’re still sticking with him, then? Not tempted to run away with me?’
‘And join your harem?’ Stacey laughed. ‘You’d need to hire a double-decker bus to carry all those girls of yours off to wherever you’re planning to take them. It’s a generous offer, Paddy, but I think I’ll stay with Cal.’
He winked at Mimi. ‘Don’t these faithful types just make you sick? You’d think they’d be ready for a change by now.’
By eleven thirty, Mimi had been introduced to pretty much everyone in the pub. Through the windows, the strings of Christmas lights in the houses opposite and the orange glow of the street lamps illuminated the snowy centre of Goosebrook. Inside, the atmosphere was convivial and relaxed enough for Marcus to clink his glass against Cal’s and declare, ‘I’m so glad we did this. It’s all thanks to you and Stacey.’
Cal shook his head. ‘Mimi was the one who dragged you down here.’
Unaccustomed to drinking, and by now onto his third bottle of lager, Marcus said, ‘It sounds ridiculous to say we were too scared, but we were.’
‘Not scared,’ Mimi corrected him. ‘Wary.’
‘We were wary.’ Her dad nodded in agreement. ‘We shouldn’t have been, but we didn’t know.’
‘We did try,’ Felix announced. ‘I saw you outside in your front garden, Dan, not long after you’d moved in. I walked across the green to say hello but as soon as you saw me heading towards you, you disappeared into your house.’
‘I know. I’m sorry.’ Dan shook his head. ‘The reason we moved from our last place was because we’d had terrible trouble with bigoted neighbours.’
‘Well you’re here now,’ said Felix. ‘And if you ever get any trouble from anyone at all, you let us know and we’ll sort them out for you. I say, just listen to me!’ He rubbed his hand over his tousled hair and beamed with pride. ‘I sound like a vigilante. Quite gangster!’
Anyone less like a gangster than ultra-posh Felix was impossible to imagine.
‘Unless your mother’s the one causing the trouble,’ Lois chimed in, ‘then we should probably get someone else to do the sorting out. Honestly, though, she’s a nightmare. Total witch.’ She patted Felix’s arm. ‘Sorry to have to say it, darling, but she is.’
Felix shook his head. ‘Ma’s not such a bad old stick once you get used to her.’
‘Well she can’t stand me,’ Lois retorted, ‘so it’s going to be a while before I get used to her. I mean, why does she have to be so difficult?’ Her hands spread in disbelief. ‘Everyone knows I’m completely adorable!’
‘I know you are.’ Felix dropped an apologetic kiss on her tanned forehead. ‘And I keep telling her that too. Don’t worry, my angel. Give her a little more time and she’ll come around, I’m sure.’
‘I love you so much.’ Lois tilted her beautiful face up to his for a proper kiss. ‘Will you still marry me if she doesn’t?’
Mimi wondered if the amount of flirting that went on between Lois and Paddy might have reached Henrietta’s ears and possibly had some bearing on the situation. She and Stacey exchanged a glance as Felix replied gallantly, ‘Of course I will.’
‘Eurgh, that’s enough sloppy romantic stuff. Ignore them. Anyway.’ Stacey changed the subject and turned back to Dan and Marcus. ‘You’re going to start getting invited to join in with things, just so you know. Now that you’ve stopped hiding away, there’s going to be all sorts.’
‘You might want to say no to the church bell-ringers’ society.’ Maria, who ran the pub, grimaced as she said it.
‘The boules tournaments are great, though,’ said Cal. ‘Definitely join in with those.’
‘And they’ll want you on the committee for the summer concert on the green,’ Stacey added. ‘Especially when they find out you’re both accountants.’
Felix, who had now finished kissing Lois, said, ‘Don’t forget the road rally challenge.’
‘A road rally?’ Dan looked doubtful. ‘I’m not much of a racer.’
‘It’s a treasure hunt,’ Cal explained. ‘You can be a passenger, you don’t have to drive.’
‘And remember you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.’ Stacey’s tone was soothing. ‘You can always say no.’
‘But the more often you say yes,’ Maria chipped in, ‘the more fun you’ll have.’
‘Unless it’s Terence Pugh’s ancient history club.’ Felix shuddered at the memory of what had clearly been a traumatic experience. ‘Go along to that and I guarantee you’ll have no fun at all.’
‘Hang on, call the police, my glass is empty!’ Lois waved her empty champagne flute wildly. ‘Felix, this is an emergency, I need more Moët, more music and more dancing, stat!’
‘Coming right up,’ said Maria as the familiar opening chords of ‘Ziggy Stardust’ began to flood out of the speakers, provoking cheers from the rest of the pub.
‘And I hope we’ll see a bit more of you down here too.’ Materialising at Mimi’s side, Paddy rested his hand oh-so-lightly on the small of her back. ‘Now the awkwardness is all sorted. It’ll be nice to get to know you better.’
Mimi smiled, because he was the type who appeared to be flirting even when he wasn’t trying – it evidently came as naturally to him as breathing. ‘I live in London and work all hours. It isn’t easy to get down here, but I will when I can.’
‘Well I hope you do,’ said Stacey. ‘And I definitely want you on my team at the next quiz night. Cal, I promised the babysitter we’d be home by midnight. We mustn’t be late.’
‘Plenty of time for one more drink.’ Felix expertly uncorked the bottle of Moët and gestured for Stacey to hold out her glass for a refill. Beaming, he turned to Mimi. ‘And for us to have a dance, don’t you think?’
‘Oh come on, that’s not fair.’ Paddy held out his hands in protest. ‘I was about to ask her to dance with me.’
‘You snooze, you lose,’ said Felix with a grin. ‘My turn with Mimi. You can make do with my gorgeous girlfriend instead.’
At ten minutes to midnight, Maria bellowed, ‘Right, that’s enough debauchery for one evening, don’t you lot have homes to go to?’ and hustled everyone out of the pub. The snow had stopped falling now, the moon was a gleaming white crescent in the sky and the stars were out. Crunching across the virgin snow on the pavement, Mimi breathed in a lungful of icy air and searched in her pockets for her gloves. One was missing.
‘Here.’ Catching her up, Paddy said, ‘You dropped it when you were putting your coat on.’
‘Thanks.’ She took the missing glove from him and wondered if it really had fallen out of her pocket on its own.
‘If you fancy a nightcap, my place is just down there, where the road forks off to the left.’ Paddy was pointing into the misty darkness at the end of the high street. ‘It must be a bit of a shock to the system, coming down to Goosebrook when you’re used to the nightlife in London.’ His teeth gleamed white as he fell into step beside her. ‘We tend to make our own amusement around here.’
‘I’m sure you do.’ Everyone was preparing to make their way home now, calling out to each other as they said their goodnights. ‘And thanks for the offer, but no thanks.’
‘Ah well, that’s a shame. Still, we’ll bump into each other again.’ Resting his hand on her coat sleeve, he turned her to face him. ‘Enjoy the rest of your stay, and have fun. Well, as much fun as it’s possible to have without me being involved.’
‘I’ll do my best.’ Mimi couldn’t help being entertained by his manner.
‘Merry Christmas, Emylia Huish.’ Leaning closer, his warm lips brushed her cold cheek.
‘You too.’ Mimi smiled, perfectly aware that he was only doing it to make some kind of point to Lois, who was just behind them with Felix.
‘Put her down,’ shouted Stacey, arm in arm with Cal.
‘I’ve just made this girl an offer she can’t refuse,’ Paddy announced with a grin. ‘And she turned me down flat. Can you believe that?’
‘Of course she did,’ Stacey told him. ‘I warned her about you hours ago.’
‘I can always rely on you to ruin my night,’ Paddy said good-naturedly. ‘Well, that’s it, I’m off home with my confidence in tatters. Bye, all. And if you change your mind,’ he told Mimi, ‘just come over to Beech House and knock three times on the blue door. I’ll let you in.’
‘You told me to knock four times,’ Cal said jokingly.
‘No need to be jealous, lover boy. That’s so I know who’s going to be there when I open the door.’
For a split second there was an awkward pause as everyone realised this was one of those off-the-cuff comments at which Marcus and Dan could take offence. The next moment, Marcus patted the back pocket of his jeans and said, ‘The ones he likes best already have their own key.’
Amid the explosion of laughter, Mimi exhaled with relief. Stacey came over and gave her a hug, murmuring in her ear, ‘I think it’s safe to say you can stop worrying about them now. Everything’s going to be fine.’
‘I’m just so glad.’ Her eyes prickling with hot tears of joy, Mimi said, ‘Are you around tomorrow?’ Because sometimes you met someone and hit it off with them so brilliantly that you knew you’d made a new friend for life.
‘Oh I wish we were, but we’re off to Stratford. Cal’s great-aunt was going to drive down to see us, but the snow’s freaked her out so now we have to trek up there to visit her instead. Will you still be here on Sunday?’
Mimi pulled a face; there was an event she had to attend. ‘I have to head back first thing. I’m working in the afternoon.’
‘Sod’s law. Ah well, definitely see you next time you’re down here.’ Stacey gave her another enthusiastic hug. ‘It’s been so lovely to meet you. Have a fantastic Christmas.’
‘You t-too.’ Mimi’s teeth had begun to chatter with the cold. ‘OK, I’m officially frozen. We need to get home now.’ Waving goodbye to Stacey and Cal, she said, ‘See you soon!’