Page 66 of Love in Tune

‘So hot he needed to take off all his clothes?’

‘What?’ Tash frowned and whipped the phone back, then grinned, thoroughly unabashed.

‘Ha! Sorry, Hon. No, that’s Yusef. What a horse, eh?’

She clicked through a couple of shots and turned the phone around again.

‘Christian.’

Honey looked down again into a profile shot of an admittedly good-looking guy, this time thankfully fully dressed.

‘Couldn’t get a better shot without him noticing,’ Tash said. ‘See what I mean now? He’s even better in the flesh. All blue eyes and yes ma’am, no ma’am. Honestly, it was like talking to Elvis without the rhinestones.’

‘Tash, it isn’t that I’m not grateful, but I just have so much going on right now, you know?’

Nell glanced at Tash with I told-you-so eyes. ‘It’s only lunch,’ she said. ‘One little lunch. Everyone needs to eat, Honeysuckle.’

‘Not with random men who sound like Elvis, they don’t,’ Honey said.

Tash’s green eyes flashed with determination. ‘What would you be doing otherwise? Mooning after your Emo neighbour?’

‘No,’ Honey scowled, not willing to elaborate on how badly wrong things had turned out with Hal on that front. ‘Meeting you two in the café, probably.’

‘I’m busy on Saturday,’ Nell said quickly. ‘Me too,’ Tash smirked, and they both looked at her expectantly.

She was saved from having to say anything more by the wail of a siren outside.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

All three women spilled out onto the grass outside the shop, along with a rag-tag line of shoppers trailing behind them. Billy brought up the rear wearing a frilly pinny, having sportingly offered to fix a leaking tap in the staffroom.

‘Oh my God! What’s happened?’ Honey set off at a sprint at the sight of the ambulance with its flashing blue lights pulled up beside today’s protesters, Lucille and Mimi, along with at least six people Honey didn’t recognise. A strange thing had started to happen since Titania’s twin nieces and their provocative t-shirts had been splashed across the local news; people from all over town were coming to help, three, four or five different strangers every day to boost the protest numbers. It was turning into a story that people were following with interest, and the press were more than happy to oblige.

‘Give us some room please,’ the paramedic called out, shouldering his way across the pavement to where Mimi sat on a stool someone had fetched for her from inside the home. Still chained to the railings by one wrist, she huffed and puffed about being the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons.

‘All this fuss over nothing. It’s just a sprained ankle,’ she grumbled.

Honey was torn between relief that it wasn’t something more major and concern for Mimi, because even a sprain could be nasty and Mimi was no spring chicken.

Honey rubbed Mimi’s shoulder affectionately. ‘Let them take a look at it, hopefully it’s fine. What happened?’

Mimi glowered and pursed her lips. ‘Did you know Lucille had been to see Ernie?’

‘Oh,’ Honey said. ‘Well, yes. It wasn’t my place to say anything, Mimi, I’m sorry. She’s told you, then.’

‘Just now. She waits until I’m chained to the fence and then blurts it out, just like that.’

‘Right … and how did that end up with your ankle being sprained?’

Mimi sighed and looked into the distance. ‘I might have lunged for her arm. I’d have reached her too, if it wasn’t for this.’ She rattled the fluffy handcuff viciously.

‘Where’s Lucille now?’ Honey scanned the pavement as the paramedic rotated Mimi’s ankle, making her wince and slap his shoulder.

‘Hiding from me, if she’s got any sense,’ Mimi muttered darkly. ‘We’d agreed not to see him. Why did she do it, Honey?’

Still rubbing Mimi’s shoulder, Honey sighed and tried to choose her words carefully. ‘It wasn’t something she did lightly, Mimi. I don’t think she could help herself.’

Mimi shook her head. ‘She’s got me. She doesn’t need him.’

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