Page 28 of Joker in the Pack

“Thanks. I’ll do that.”

Despite the strange dishes, I drew out dinner for as long as possible, picking at my salmon with crispy beans and quinoa. The thought of going back to Lilac Cottage in the dark didn’t exactly fill me with joy. I even ate dessert—creme brûlée with what looked like Weetabix sprinkled over the top—but it was only putting off the inevitable.

“You’ll be okay,” Maddie said when she dropped me back. “The pub wasn’t so bad, apart from the food. I mean, Jean was nice, and I think Warren likes you.”

“Really?”

After the Edward debacle, I’d been off men. But did I truly want to spend the rest of my life alone?

“Oh yes. I caught him looking at you a couple of times.”

“I’m not sure he’s my type.”

“And who is your type?”

“Well… Edward, I guess.”

When we’d started dating two years ago, he’d seemed perfect. Even our initial meeting had been the modern version of one of the fairy tales I loved so much.

I’d been waiting on a crowded Tube platform at Barbican one hot summer’s day when delays were long and tempers were frayed. A woman laden with shopping bags had sent me flying, and I would have fallen onto the tracks if Edward hadn’t caught me. My heart had been racing as I looked into his hazel eyes for the first time, and not just from my near miss. My white knight had arrived.

With no sign of a train, he’d wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me to a boutique wine bar near St. Paul’s. I could still remember the warmth that spread through me at his closeness.

“Champagne?” he’d asked. “You’re the kind of girl I should celebrate meeting.”

“Really?”

“You’re quite a catch.”

Mother always told me I would be, but I didn’t think she meant literally. Edward had ordered a bottle of Veuve Clicquot and a platter of light snacks, conversation flowed along with the alcohol, and when we shared a cab home, we’d bypassed my flat altogether.

Back at Edward’s place, we’d spent half the night discussing the literary greats over glasses of crisp Sauvignon Blanc. He’d charmed me, although not out of my knickers, I hasten to add. Not that night, anyway. It turned out we shared many of the same interests—long walks on a Sunday afternoon, visiting the many art galleries London had to offer, and the spectacular architecture of England’s stately homes.

When a stunning bouquet arrived at my flat the day after, complete with a gift card for a year’s joint membership to the National Trust, I realised Edward had stolen my heart. Life changed. I was no longer Olivia Porter, single girl in the city, but one half of Edward and Olivia.

If Mother had been alive, she’d have been thrilled. Edward ticked all her boxes, and mine too, or so I’d thought. Somehow, I’d missed the “cheating bastard” option hidden away in the small print.

He’d broken my heart, torn it right out, and do you know what the worst part was? I still missed him.

“Forget Edward,” Maddie said. “Edward was an arsehole.”

“I guess.”

“Livvie, don’t do this to yourself. You’re making a fresh start, and look at you—you’re a property owner now.”

“You know, the camping idea looks more attractive at the moment.”

She leaned forward to give me a hug. “Keep your chin up. I’ll come back tomorrow with chocolate, and we can make a start on the tidying.”

“Thanks for everything, Mads.”

“This’ll work out fine, you’ll see. A couple of months down the line, this place’ll be a proper home and you’ll be breaking the hearts of all the men in the village.” She gave a little squeal as she straightened. “This is so exciting!”

At least one of us was happy. As I waved her and Mickey off, then closed the front door, I couldn’t dismiss the feeling of foreboding that overcame me.

Would my move to the country be the fresh start I needed or the biggest mistake of my life?

CHAPTER 10

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