Stirred with Love (12 page)

‘Never mind, at least it’s here,’ said Kate. ‘It’s one thing we can cross off the list.’

‘Yes, I suppose it is.’ Lily looked through the window where another van had pulled up to the kerb. This one was definitely on time. Thankfully Terry Allen was quite the opposite of the delivery men. For starters, he was tall, clean shaven and smelt of shower gel.

‘I’ll show you through to the kitchen first,’ Lily said after a quick introduction to her staff. ‘That’s where most of the work is needed.’      

Two minutes later and curiosity had got the better of Chloe. She had the coffee machine stripped of its plastic bubble wrap and was busy filling a stainless steel jar with milk.

‘Maybe you shouldn’t meddle,’ Kate advised. ‘I don’t know about you, but I’ve never used a machine like that before.’

‘How hard can it be to make a cappuccino?’ Chloe flicked up a switch, pulled down a lever and rammed a jug up the spout as the machine kicked into life. Spluttering and gurgling with all its might, the frothy concoction had soon filled the jug and was spilling over the sides.

‘Oh, shit! Help me!’ she cried.

Kate pulled another jug from its wrapping and moved Chloe aside. ‘Switch it off,’ she shouted over the din as it filled pretty quickly.

Chloe flicked a switch, then another and another, but the machine continued to moan and groan. Quickly, she crawled under the counter to locate the plug. Once she’d switched off the power supply, the noise, along with the coffee machine, stopped. There was a dreadful smell of burning.

‘Just what I like to see,’ a voice called out from behind them. ‘A woman on all fours directly in front of me. And, may I add, with a delightfully toned butt.’

Kate turned around as another voice cried, ‘Move out of the way and let me see. You always have the first shot at everyone.’

Chloe carefully backed out and pulled herself up. Standing in front of her were two men, she guessed in their early twenties.

‘Ohmigod, it’s Nicole Kidman!’

‘Like I’ve never heard that before,’ Chloe muttered.

‘I’m Alex,’ he grinned, ‘and this is my cousin, Tom. You won’t hear him say much, he’s doesn’t get a chance when I’m around.’ His eyes came to rest on Kate. ‘Well,
hello
, you must be Catherine Zeta Jones.’

‘Spare me the bull shit,’ said Kate light-heartedly. ‘We’ve been warned about you two already, so don’t push your luck.’

Tom shoved Alex out of the way. ‘Will you let me see?’ He flashed a cheesy smile at the girls. Apart from the distinct tramlines shaved into his hairstyle, he was so much like his cousin the two of them could pass for twins at a glance. Both had dark hair and were of medium build, not an ounce of excess fat between them. It was Tom’s crooked front tooth that made his smile just that bit cheekier.

‘Any of you two know how to fix temperamental coffee machines?’ Chloe asked.

Alex fiddled with a strand of his hair and threw her a smouldering look. ‘I’ll have it working in no time. I’ve always been good with my hands.’

Kate headed for the door that led her to the safety of the hall. ‘Chloe, I’ll leave you to it. I’m sure you can handle these two while I go upstairs to check on my baby.’

‘Baby?’ Tom clasped his hand to his mouth. ‘Did I just hear her say baby? No one mentioned that when we got this job!’

‘What’s that?’ Chloe asked Kate as she joined her in the living room later that evening.

Kate moved her feet out of the way so that Chloe could sit next to her. Rosie, not to be outdone, jumped in between them.

‘It’s just an email.’

‘What does it say? Or is it too personal to share?’

‘It’s from Nick. There’s someone interested in buying the house and there’s a couple of forms that he needs my signature on. I’ll have to meet up with him soon.’

‘Sounds like you’re not sure if you should.’

Kate shook her head, too upset to talk. One tiny reminder of her previous life had made her go to pieces. She folded the paper in half and shoved it into her dressing gown pocket, wishing again that she’d brought along her portable TV from home. She’d only come in to catch the weather report before taking a shower.

Sensing Kate’s mood, Chloe picked up the remote control and was soon channel-hopping. ‘Now there’s a guy to make you forget your troubles.’ She pointed the remote control at the screen. ‘I’d forget an ex-husband if his hands were squeezing my tits.’

‘He’s not my ex-husband,’ said Kate.

‘He soon will be, though. Jeez, check out that six pack.’

‘Is that all you ever think about? Men and sex?’ Kate shook her head in exasperation. Maybe eighteen wasn’t such a good age to be, after all. Too many hormones.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Kate pressed the button to illuminate the time and then swore under her breath. She’d been in bed for over an hour with still no sign of sleep. Tossing and turning in a strange bed wasn’t her idea of fun. Neither was crying herself to sleep which she’d done for the past few nights. Reluctantly, she switched on the lamp but the dim lighting did nothing to cheer her.

Although she’d made the room as welcoming as she could with a lick of paint and the odd knick-knack, she couldn’t help but compare it to the bedroom she’d shared with Nick. Kate had copied the idea from an article she’d seen. She’d had to adapt it slightly with sand coloured carpeting and walls, owing to Nick’s refusal to have laminate flooring in
every
room of the house. The bed was crafted out of solid wood in a natural oak stain, boasting thick chrome legs and ivory faux suede headboard panels. They’d chosen it together to create a focal point – and now she couldn’t enjoy it, stuck in a single bed for a single girl.

Just exactly when had everything started to go wrong, she wondered? Her mind flipped back ten years to the night when Nick had come hurtling into her life. It had been two weeks before Christmas and Kate had been on her works night out. She’d been employed as an insurance clerk then and had to work every Saturday morning – one of the reasons why she’d chosen to drive that night; the other being how hard it was to get a taxi with everyone else on their Christmas outings as well.

They’d enjoyed the usual mass-produced dinner of cheap turkey and cold roast potatoes and then noisily made their way to Shades, the local late haunt at the time. As they’d squeezed into a space by the side of the dance floor, Nick had been dancing with his friends. Kate had emerged from the even more packed ladies loos to find he was the hot on favourite with the girls.

‘He’s lovely,’ Deb the part-time receptionist remarked, even though she was wearing beer goggles. ‘And he’s a nice guy too. Used to go out with my sister’s best friend’s cousin. Or was it my cousin’s best friend’s –’

‘LOVELY?’ Libby, one of the underwriters, interrupted. ‘He’s more than lovely! He’s the best looking guy I’ve seen in ages.’

‘Yeah, and you’ve seen a few lately,’ Lesley the temp, who covered everything from typing to toilet paper supplies, screeched.

Immediately Kate turned to look, she liked what she saw. After she’d caught Nick’s eye a few times, he sauntered across the crowded dance floor towards them.

‘Dance, lady?’ He held out his hand, which was a bit steadier than his feet.

Kate chanced it.

She’d been the talk of the office the next morning but Kate had always kept her private life close to her tiny chest. At work, the women desperately tried to worm every last detail from her.

‘Did you snog him?’ Lesley the temp wanted to know. She’d long ago abandoned the typing in favour of the bacon run and was enthusiastically tucking into her sandwich.

‘I’d have done
more
than snog him,’ Libby the underwriter informed them all. Kate had no trouble believing her.

‘Did he give you his number?’ Deb the part-time receptionist asked.

‘No, but he took mine.’

‘Oh dear. Now the waiting game starts,’ Libby enlightened her, biting into a cheese and sausage baguette before pointing a greasy finger at her. ‘They say they’ll call, you wait like a deranged cat and they never do.’

‘He’ll call,’ Kate told them.

But he didn’t need to call. An hour later, with the office still smelling like a takeaway shop, Nick walked in with a bouquet of flowers and a smile on his lips that said far more than it should have. Jaws dropped, giggles erupted from each desk with every word he’d uttered, and Kate’s cheeks continued to glow the colour of Santa Claus’s tunic when he offered to buy her lunch because he couldn’t wait to see her again. She finished work at one and stayed at his flat all weekend. Within a month, he’d invited her to stay permanently. Within a year, they’d bought their first house together.

Kate drew up her knees, wrapped her arms around them and let the tears fall. She wished she had Louise to talk to but she’d gone a bit quiet on her lately. She was still waiting for an answer to the text message she’d sent at the beginning of the week, which was strange but not unusual for Louise. She was always losing her mobile.

But if Louise was here, she’d put her straight and cheer her up. If Louise was here, she’d tell her to get on with her life and leave the past behind. If Louise was here, she’d tell her to – Kate gulped back tears. How could she still miss Nick, even though she was sure she didn’t want to be with him anymore?

It had been Alex who’d first reminded her of him. A long time ago, she and Nick had joked and played around together like she’d observed him messing about with Chloe. Then it had been Sam. Finally giving in to Chloe’s constant pleas, Kate had gone to the pub and met up with the builders. It had been quite a laugh actually. Along with Brendan, the foreman, Sam, one of the brickies, had taken the responsibility of looking after her, seeing as Chloe had explained her circumstances loudly to the group. They’d been across a few times since and the email she’d received from Nick earlier had made her feel guilty about it. Surely she shouldn’t have been enjoying the company of other men when she was still married?

But Kate wasn’t married any longer, was she? She was separated. At this thought, she began to cry again.

The bedroom door opened moments later.

‘I couldn’t help but hear you,’ whispered Chloe. ‘Are you all right?’

‘I’m fine,’ Kate managed to say through her sobs. ‘I’m just having a girlie wobble.’

Chloe pushed open the door and moved quickly across the room. ‘Don’t worry. I’ve already had mine tonight.’

Kate was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t thought that Chloe might be struggling with her emotions too.

Chloe grinned. ‘What? You think I haven’t cried oodles since I’ve been here?’

All of a sudden, Kate felt better and decided to trust Chloe with a few more details. Slowly, she unfolded her past.

‘Didn’t you realise it was that bad?’ Chloe found it hard to believe that anyone could simply up and leave like that. Nick was supposed to love Kate, yet he’d packed up his things when she wasn’t around to see?

‘There were signs that the marriage wasn’t working but I didn’t think he’d leave me.’

‘Perhaps he didn’t mean to hurt you. And no matter what he did, it was bound to remind you of your dad leaving.’

‘Father,’ Kate muttered. Joseph Portman had never been a dad to her.

‘What did he look like?’ After seeing the photo of Lily and Bernard, earlier Chloe was intrigued.

Kate stretched over to the current book she was reading and pulled out a photograph from the back. Nick’s clean-shaven look reminded Chloe of her dad. Kate was standing in front of Nick and he was hugging her tightly. She was laughing, her hand reaching back to touch his cheek. They were both sporting a tan and Nick wore a blue baseball cap. Chloe was sure she could see happiness in his eyes. Things didn’t add up.

‘You both look so happy.’

Kate gnawed on her bottom lip. ‘That was taken a while ago. It was the last couple of years that were so false. I suppose we irritated each other more as time went on, but I still loved him. I’ll never forget him, no matter what happens.’

‘No, you probably won’t. It’s a woman’s pre…perog…prerogative – I can never say that word – to feel miserable one minute and ecstatic the next.’

Kate glanced at Chloe. Her curls tied back with a scrunchie emphasised how pale her skin was without makeup. If it wasn’t for the Playboy bunny logo on her short nightdress, along with the breasts spilling out of it, you’d think she was barely in her teens. How had she got such a mature head on such youthful shoulders?

Suddenly, Kate realised that she didn’t know much about Chloe’s past. She’d been too wrapped up in her own to find out. That was going to change right now.

‘Look,’ Chloe spoiled her moment. ‘I was on my way to get a drink. I don’t know about you but I fancy a midnight feast. How about it?’    

It wasn’t a welcoming sight when they turned on the kitchen light downstairs. After a more than reasonable quote, Terry had started on the alterations. Alex and Tom were due to join him at the end of the week. Half assembled units were piled in every available space, remnants of the old kitchen packed away in boxes stacked high.

Chloe fought her way over to the fridge while Kate prepared coffee. She picked up a piece of wood before the nail spiking out of it found its way into her foot and placed it on the remains of the worktop.

‘They’ll never finish this in time. It’s like a war zone back here.’ Chloe moved a small length of piping and threw it over her shoulder.

‘Be quiet,’ Kate whispered loudly as it clattered to the floor.

‘Sorry. There’s cheese, coleslaw, hummus, cooked ham. I’m sure there’s some crusty bread left and there’s a packet of crackers.’

Kate spied a small piece of MDF and gave it to Chloe who carefully piled the food on to it.

‘Excellent,’ she said. ‘The makings of a perfect late night snack.’

‘You’ve cheered up,’ Chloe remarked later as they ate their food.

Kate cleared her throat ready for the next bite. ‘I might watch my weight but I’m always happy when I’m eating,’ she stated. ‘So, tell me about you and yours. I hate to admit it but I’ve been a bit wrapped up in myself lately to show concern for anyone else.’