‘How do you fancy a trip on the Staten Island ferry?’ asked Todd, draining his coffee cup and already starting to rise to his feet. ‘If we go now, we can beat the tourist crowds.’
‘Ooh, yes. I’ve always wanted to do that since I saw Working Girl.’ She looked at her watch. It was still early. ‘I have promised Bella I’d help her later. I’ve neglected her a bit this week.’
They were finishing breakfast on the deck, having had a lazy start to a glorious Saturday morning. The sun was climbing into a pure-blue sky and the grey clouds of the week had finally been washed away.
In the last few weeks since their trip to Coney Island, they’d spent each weekend exploring Brooklyn but this weekend they’d decided, if the weather was nice, to head to Manhattan. They’d been to the Barclay Centre to see a baseball game, where Sophie had spent more time watching the antics of the crowd than the game, which was totally unintelligible. They’d been to a rooftop cinema, they’d eaten pizza, Lebanese and Brazilian food and they’d been on the boating lake at Prospect Park, making the most of the warm balmy days.
This last week the weather had turned, with low grey clouds skimming the tops of downtown’s skyscrapers, the view from the windows blurred with drizzle. Not that either of them had noticed. It meant that their lunch breaks were spent in a cosy Italian deli that Todd had introduced her to. Of course, it was a great opportunity for her to pick Mario’s brains: Mario the fifth-generation Italian owner, who much to Todd’s amusement had taken a shine to Sophie and would pull up a chair at their table to talk food and recipes with her. It was rapidly becoming another one of her favourite places. She was really starting to feel as settled in Manhattan as she was in Brooklyn.
Sophie was secretly amazed and surprised by the way they’d fallen into such an easy regular routine. Each night on the days when Todd was in the office, they’d travel home together, stopping to pick up groceries at the store by their subway station. By unspoken agreement they hadn’t gone public about their relationship at work, although Sophie wondered whether Madison had said anything. If she had, no one made any comment. A couple of times they’d been to Todd’s apartment, which was only two blocks away. Looking at the stark white walls and minimal flat-packed furniture, Sophie could see why he preferred spending time at her place.
Most nights she’d cook for him, while he sat at the breakfast bar watching her, stealing kisses and complaining about being an unwilling slave when she made him chop vegetables. Without fail he’d wash and tidy up afterwards, constantly suggesting she took her clothes off again. He only stopped when one night she’d nipped off after dinner to add a dozen extra layers of underwear under her clothes. She laughed so hard her sides hurt, when in exasperation he started taking clean teaspoons out of the kitchen drawer to wash when he failed to get her naked.
He’d spent every night at hers, not that she was complaining. Her favourite part of the day was waking up next to him.
Todd came behind and nuzzled her neck, his hands sliding down to her waist. ‘Are you sure you want to go on the ferry this morning?’ His lips slid to capture her mouth in a kiss. ‘We could stay here,’ he muttered.
With a sigh she looked up at him, her eyes dancing. ‘And if you start that, we’ll never get out.’
‘I’m not complaining,’ he replied, his hands moving up along her ribs. ‘Are you?’
She sucked in a breath as his fingers skirted her breasts.
‘I mean if you have any complaints, I’d be more than happy to have a replay … maybe I need to practise …’ His hand closed over her breast, finger and thumb capturing her nipple.
With a fractured breath she leaned back into him, starting to feel heated. They’d only left the bedroom half an hour ago, but already she wanted him again. Sex was a constant adventure, hot and hard some days, soft and tender on others, but always a revelation. It was as if she couldn’t get enough of him.
The shrill tones of Todd’s phone interrupted, and he frowned as he looked down at the phone on the table. With reluctance he peeled his hands from her ribcage. ‘It’s Marty. Sorry, I’d better take this.’
‘Hey, little dude. What’s up?… What?’ Todd turned away and walked back into the apartment, his shoulders hunching as he went.
Sophie picked up her orange juice, leaning back in her chair and watching the children playing in the back yard two doors away. With a brief pang she thought of James’s daughter. Was he still with his wife and Emma? And if his wife hadn’t confronted her, how long would James have kept up his double life? Sophie still had the occasional daydream of their future, of children. She screwed up her face. Children. Todd would have beautiful children. She knocked back her orange juice with a quick jerk of her hand. If he ever had any. Sadness washed over her. Not for herself but for him. He deserved to be loved, to be happy. This last week they’d spent every available moment together and he’d been lovely. He might not realise it but he was good in a relationship. Perhaps one day he might change his mind. Realise that love was worth taking the risk and that not all relationships were as toxic as his parents’. She wasn’t stupid enough to think she was the one to do that.
‘Marty’s in trouble again. I’m going to have to take a rain check on the ferry trip. I have to go to the Upper East Side. Dad’s making all sorts of threats. Marty’s in a terrible state.’
She jumped, so lost in thought, she’d not heard his approach.
‘What’s he done?’
‘You look bright eyed and bushy tailed.’ Bella’s teasing drawl greeted Sophie as she went into the bakery kitchen. ‘You’ve got that thoroughly ravished look about you.’
She pulled on an apron and gave Bella a sunny smile.
‘My cousin is keeping you … busy.’ This time there was an underlying touch of cynicism in her words. ‘I’m surprised the novelty hasn’t worn off yet.’
‘We’re having fun, Bella.’ Sophie tried not to sound defensive, but she was getting a little fed up with Bella’s regular warnings. ‘I got the memo. Todd doesn’t do commitment. He won’t fall in love with me. I get all that. I’m not going to fall in love with him.’
‘Sorry, hon.’ Bella came over and put her arms around her, with a quick squeeze. ‘That was mean. I’m not trying to be a bitch. I worry about you. This might be the most attentive I’ve seen him … but I know what he’s like. I love him to bits, but he’s not a stayer. Hell knows, he could do with someone like you on his side but he’s … well, you’ve seen his folks in action. As far as he’s concerned, love is a blackmail tool.’
‘Hardly surprising. Have they always been like that?’ She and Todd rarely talked about his family.
‘Always. It’s like treading on eggshells around them. One minute they’re ready to kill each other and heading to the lawyers for a divorce and then they’re all over each other again. They’ve calmed down in recent years.’ Bella sighed. ‘I remember one time. It was Christmas, darn it. Ross made one of his disparaging comments, she lost it and pushed the whole damn tree over. Ornaments smashed everywhere. She flounced off and refused to come back downstairs. Can you imagine Christmas dinner that day?’
Sophie winced, picturing a young Todd.
‘So where is lover boy today?’ asked Bella. ‘I have to say, he seems remarkably attentive. Has he been home this week? I might have to double your rent, it’s like he’s moved in.’
‘He’s gone to see his folks. Marty is in trouble again. Apparently he hacked into a few Facebook accounts of guests at the party. Added horns and a tail to the pictures of Ross’s business partner’s wife, which has not gone down well.’
Bella started to snigger and started to sing, ‘Beware the devil woman …’
Sophie shook her head. ‘She wasn’t the only one. Quite a few of the guests that weekend were visited by the Photoshop fairy.’
‘You’re kidding … oh, Marty.’ Bella put a hand over her mouth to hide her smile. ‘He’s a …’
‘He’s in a lot of trouble … again. Todd’s gone to run interference.’
‘That’s hilarious,’ said Bella. ‘Wish I’d seen them. Some of those folks are pompous idiots.’
‘Unfortunately, Celine and Ross don’t feel the same way. They’re furious. Marty called Todd this morning, crying hysterically down the phone.’
‘Poor kid. And smart. He chose their Achilles heel to make his point. They’re obsessed with putting on the right image. It’s pretty harmless in the scheme of things.’
‘Yes,’ Sophie sighed. ‘But Todd worries about him getting into bigger trouble.’
‘They should pay the poor little sod a bit more attention.’
‘That’s what Todd says.’
‘Hmm, he’s not wrong. But I’m grateful he’s hot footing it to the rescue. It means I can use and abuse your help.’
Icing and decorating the wedding cake for the interior designer was Bella’s priority for the day and for the rest of the morning the pair of them were absorbed in transferring the patterns of the three wallpapers the bride had selected for each of the different tiers of the cake. Sophie had been tasked with tracing the pattern onto the rolled-out sheet of icing. The painstaking work took all her concentration, as she used a pin to prick through the wallpaper design laid on top of the icing.
When they broke for coffee, they took their drinks into the café. Bella’s Saturday staff were busy but they bagged a table at the back.
‘And what’s the latest with Wes?’ asked Sophie. Bella had enough comments to make about her and Todd, so she had no compunction when it came to probing for the latest. ‘Has his mother been in again?’
‘No, which is a shame because she’s an absolute doll.’
‘Really? Formidable was my impression.’
‘Yeah but in a good way. She thought I’d been leading her baby on.’
Sophie spluttered on her coffee at the thought of the strapping Wes being described as a baby.
‘She dotes on him … except when he’s being an idiot.’
‘And what did he say about her coming to see you?’
Bella’s eyes sparkled with sudden glee. ‘I haven’t seen him for the last week or so. Deliberately. I had the girls on the counter on early-warning system. Every time he’s been in, I’ve sneaked out the back. Dessie suggested that I’ve been making it too easy for him. Absence makes the heart grow fonder and all that.’
‘Interesting strategy,’ said Sophie, immediately thinking about James. Absence had given her a much clearer head.
‘Always brings them to their knees,’ said Bella with strident confidence. ‘Or at least that’s what Dessie says. And she should know. She’s a marriage counsellor, at least that’s what she told me. I could have sworn Wes said a while back his mother was a teacher. Maybe I got that wrong.’
Bella’s iPhone suddenly beeped.
‘Oh … sh—’
‘Looks like you can ask him yourself,’ said Sophie, amused by the panic-stricken expression on her friend’s face.
‘No. Oh. I don’t want …’ Bella’s confidence had vanished and she’d paled. ‘What do I say to him? He’s going to be furious I talked to his mother.’
‘Bellllaaa.’
She sank into her seat. Sophie rose. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’
Back in the kitchen, Sophie carried on working on the cake and wondering how Todd was getting on. He’d promised to text her later but her phone remained resolutely silent. When she reached a point where she could do no more without Bella, she realised that an hour had elapsed. When she went back into the café, there was no sign of her.
‘She went out with Wes,’ explained one of the girls serving coffee. ‘Said she’d be back later.’
In the end, Sophie heard from Bella long before Todd, a brief text apologising for running out on her. At an unexpected loose end, Sophie had taken her laundry for a service wash, scooping up Todd’s clothes that had amassed during the week, which he’d tossed into her basket. There hadn’t been any awkwardness about those domestic details. Since the first week he’d stayed over when he’d brought his toothbrush and shaving kit over, they’d taken up residence in the bathroom with seamless ease, even though every night he asked if it was OK if he stayed over.
As she wandered through the bustling neighbourhood, she marvelled at how at home she felt now compared to when she’d first arrived. A couple of faces were even familiar.
She decided to head for Union Street to an interesting supermarket she’d passed a couple of times on her morning run with Todd, enjoying the Saturday-afternoon buzz of people going about their business. After loading up her groceries, wishing that Todd was with her to help carry them home, she headed back towards the apartment. Tonight, she’d cook him one of the pasta recipes that Mario had given her. It was still too hot to be cooking Yorkshire puddings, despite his daily request every time she asked him what he fancied eating.
When she arrived home, unloading the shopping, she checked her phone again. Still no word from Todd. She sent him a quick text.
For the rest of the afternoon she sat out on the deck with a book, her phone beside her. When she heard the knock at the door, it was a relief and she raced to the door, but it wasn’t Todd.
‘Hi, can I come in?’ asked Bella.
‘Sure, how’s Wes? You ran out on me.’ Bella followed her into the apartment.
‘He wanted to talk.’
‘Absence made the heart grow fonder?’ Sophie opened the fridge.
‘After being thoroughly pissed, yes,’ said Bella with a triumphant smirk.
‘And? Do you want a cold drink?’
‘Progress. We’re going on a proper date on Friday. I’d love a glass of water.’
Bella stayed a while, thanking her for helping with the cake. ‘If you can spare any time tomorrow, that would be cool. I need to deliver it next week but if I know it’s finished this week, it’ll take off the pressure.’
‘And Cinders can go out on Friday,’ teased Sophie.
‘Well, there is that.’ Bella winked. ‘Although, I’m starting to get nervous already. What the heck am I going to wear?’
‘Clothes?’
‘Very funny. You heard from Todd? How’s Marty?’
‘No word yet.’
There was no word for the rest of the day. Eventually, having watched wall-to-wall rubbish on the television all evening, constantly checking her phone, Sophie went to bed.