Page 95 of Be More Lucy

‘Let’s see.’ She made sure that she was speaking loudly enough for anyone in the vicinity to hear. ‘Blatantly flirting with my friend’s girlfriend in front of me and then trying to gaslight me into thinking you didn’t fancy her just so you could get back in my knickers. And, the sad news, Josh, is it wasn’t that exciting most of the time when you did get past my underwear. You reminded me of a cross-channel ferry.’

‘What do you mean?’ he said, clearly affronted. The woman stopped walking towards him.

‘Roll on, roll off.’

The occupants of the table next to Lucy’s appeared to be choking on their drinks.

‘So no, I don’t want to go out with you again, Josh.’

The attractive woman turned round and beat a hasty retreat towards the door. Mission accomplished. Lucy smiled as she watched her go outside.

Josh followed Lucy’s gaze.

‘Shit. Scarlett! Scarlett!’ he shouted as he weaved his way back through the tables and charged out of the door, nearly knocking over the person who was walking in. Hopefully, that would stop Josh from drinking in here again.

Lucy went back to actioning emails on her laptop.

‘Hi. You look pleased with yourself.’

Lucy looked up. Someone else was standing by her table now, someone Lucy was much happier to see.

‘Harry! I just managed to scare off an annoying ex.’ She gave Harry a hug. ‘Take a seat.’

51

‘We’ve run out of pigs in blankets for the turkey, but everything else is available.’ The barman at the Kingfisher sounded bored as he handed Jack six menus.

‘Thanks,’ Jack said and headed back to Em and Lucy, who were sitting at a table by the roaring log fire.

‘Life’s going to be a lot easier with Harry around,’ he heard Lucy say as he sat down next to Em.

‘Who’s Harry?’ Jack asked.

‘My new partner,’ she said with a smile. Em hadn’t mentioned Lucy was dating again, but she must’ve been for a man to reach partner status already.

‘I’ve been bumbling along without a clear plan since Mark left me. And then I met Harry again, and everything slotted into place. I’m hoping 2020 will be my best year yet.’

It was good to see her so upbeat again. Although she drove him mad sometimes, she was a good friend to Em. She deserved some luck with her love life. He hoped Harry was more like Mark than Adam or Josh.

‘When do we get to meet Harry?’ Em asked.

‘At my New Year’s Eve party. You’re still coming up to Birmingham, aren’t you?’

‘Yes. We’ll be there,’ Em said.

‘Great. Who are we waiting for?’ Lucy looked at the empty chairs. ‘Mark and Hannah?’

She seemed a little apprehensive as she mentioned the two of them.

‘No, Dad and Cynthia, and they’re bringing Nancy with them.

‘Mark and Hannah won’t be here till later. They’re getting the last flight out of Malaga.‘ Jack looked at his watch. ‘They should be in the air right now.’

‘What’s the plan for tomorrow’s party?’ Lucy asked.

‘We need a hand with a few things. That’s why we were so pleased you could get here early.’ He caught Em’s eye. Hopefully, she could pull this off without giving the game away about the wedding ceremony.

Em smiled at him. ‘Yes. We were wondering if you wouldn’t mind coming with us first thing. We’ve got an errand to run in Barnstaple. It’s a legal thing. We’ve got some papers to sign, and we need someone who knows us to witness our signatures. We need to leave Dashford Grange by 9.15. We’ll be back here by 11.’

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