Page 85 of Hook, Line and Single

‘I’m still struggling to see you as Mrs Vicarage.’

‘I don’t know. I’m starting to think I could pull it off. Anyway, tell me more about Cameron.’

By the time I’ve filled her in, her eyes are alight.

‘You sound perfect for each other,’ she says enthusiastically.

‘How can you say that when all you have to go on is one, admittedly very dirty, weekend?’

‘It’s not the sex. It’s the expression on your face when you talk about him.’

‘It’s very early days, Sam. Don’t go choosing your wedding hat just yet.’

‘We’ll see. I have a nose for these things.’

I laugh. ‘You so don’t. If you did, Threesome Pete would never have made it through the door.’

What I haven’t told her is that, despite trying to hold back and protect myself, I’m falling just as hard for Cameron as he said he’d fallen for me. She’s right that it’s not about the sex; although that’s very nice, it’s the way he makes me feel when I’m with him. Now that I’ve let my guard down a little bit, I can see that my physical reaction during the massage in Cannes was in no small part due to the fact that I was becoming emotionally attached to him, even if I couldn’t see it at the time. It may be early days, but I have a good feeling about him. Do I need a man? No. I’m a strong, independent woman and nobody will ever be able to do what Olly did to me again. Do I want a man, though? Oh, yes. I want this one very much indeed.

30

TWO YEARS LATER

‘Are you ready, Ruby? We need to hit the road if we’re going to be on time,’ Cameron’s voice calls from outside the bathroom.

‘Two minutes,’ I call back as I apply the finishing touches of make-up. ‘Have you sorted Samson?’

‘He’s fed, watered and, I suspect, gone off to annoy Jono in the shop.’

By the time Sam moved out to marry Robin a year ago, Cameron was spending so much time at the flat with us that asking him to move in officially felt like a mere formality. It’s taken a while for him to sell his house in Maidstone, but it finally completed a month ago, so we’re starting to look for somewhere a little larger, perhaps with a proper garden for Samson, not that he’ll appreciate it. I’m not sure he’s actually noticed that Sam has gone as Cameron is definitely his favourite human being these days. I try not to be put out about that fact, but his lack of loyalty does rankle from time to time.

‘I do get why Robin does these things on a Saturday,’ I say as I shut the car door behind me, ‘but it really doesn’t suit those of us who work in retail.’

‘Relax. Em knows what she’s doing, and it was very nice of her to give up a day of her precious weekend to help you out.’

‘You’re right. Sorry, I don’t mean to sound grumpy.’

‘I think she enjoys it, particularly when Charlie’s abroad like he is at the moment. It’s got to be better than rattling around in their flat with nothing except marking to do.’

I smile. ‘I still can’t believe she’s a teacher. She was always the class clown at school, according to Mum.’

‘Poachers often make the best gamekeepers.’

‘What?’

‘If you want someone to understand the way the naughty children think, you need someone who was a naughty child themselves.’

‘Mm. She still seems to have a unique talent for winding Mum and Dad up, so she hasn’t completely changed her spots.’

We settle into a comfortable silence as Cameron turns onto the dual carriageway. This is a journey we’ve become familiar with over the last few months. Normally, we travel up on a Saturday evening and return after lunch on Sunday, but there’s a special event on today.

‘How many couples did Sam say there were going to be?’ Cameron asks as we turn off the motorway, following signs for Dorking.

‘Four, including us. The others are all local though.’

‘I know I say this every time, but it is a hell of a trek, isn’t it?’

‘Yes, but we’ve only got to do it twice more after this.’

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