Page 36 of Love in Tune

‘I’ll most probably get the sack. I’d have walked out this afternoon if it wasn’t for the fact that I’d just given my very own war speech; I can hardly desert the troops now, can I? They think I’m some kind of brave heroine who’s going to lead them to victory. Except I’m not brave, Hal, and I’m no one’s heroine. I’m ordinary, quite often stupid, and I’m scared stiff I’m not going to be up to the job.’

On the other side of the door, Hal thought how very, very wrong she was. She was the least ordinary person he’d ever known. Funny, yes, and fearless, yes, but ordinary, never. She just hadn’t realised those things yet.

He wasn’t going to answer her tonight, that much was obvious.

‘I better go in,’ she said after a while. ‘I’m tired Hal, and this one-way conversation thing is wearing me out tonight. Just for the record, I could have done with a friend right now, and I hoped it’d be you. But then I don’t suppose we’re friends, are we really?’

Nothing.

Resigned, Honey went home to curl up in bed and wait for sleep to come and rescue her.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Friday dawned cool and grey, and found Honey knocking off work early to go home and cook bolognese for her hot date with Robin. She’d gone into work full of trepidation that morning, only to find that Christopher was out of the building for a meeting at head office and wasn’t expected back all day. Honey tried not to wonder if he’d been called in as a result of Tuesday’s shenanigans. There would undoubtedly be fallout from their actions, but it seemed that thankfully it was to be staved off for the weekend at least.

Mimi, Lucille and Billy had been waiting for her at the door when she’d arrived at work, presenting her with a fruitcake baked by Patrick and a rousing rendition of ‘For She’s a Jolly Good Fellow’. Much as Honey loved cake and appreciated the support, she left work filled with worry about next week. Lucille followed her to the door.

‘Put it all out of your head for now and have a lovely weekend, dear,’ she said, holding on to Honey’s forearm with a twinkle in her eye. ‘Carpe diem.’

Honey smiled. It was fast becoming Lucille’s catchphrase.

‘Thank you, Lucille. I needed reminding of that today,’ she planted a kiss on the older woman’s cheek. ‘Wish me luck with Robin.’

‘Well, if he doesn’t think you’re wonderful he won’t be worth your efforts,’ Lucille said, and Honey hugged her, especially glad of her loyal support after Hal’s apparent abdication from their friendship.

Making bolognese on her own turned out to be far more stressful than making it with Hal there for guidance. Honey couldn’t quite remember the order things were supposed to go in, and although the end result looked pretty much as it should, it had gone seriously off-piste in the flavour department. Robin certainly wasn’t going to be bowled over by her cooking skills, that much was for sure. Just before five o’clock she nipped to the off-licence for more wine. She’d tipped an extra glass into the bolognese in the hope of adding flavour and ended up with something alcoholic enough to take the roof off an unsuspecting diner’s mouth. The addition of yoghurt to calm it down hadn’t helped much, either. She did a double take when she opened the front door, because Hal was standing in the lobby.

‘Waiting for someone?’ she said casually, still hurt by his latest withdrawal.

‘You,’ he said. ‘I smelled your cooking and thought I’d better ask if you needed any help. I don’t want you killing your date and blaming me.’

Hmm. Honey toyed with refusing his help out of pique, but the bolognese really wasn’t good and he was her only hope of rescuing it.

‘Go on then, you can come in for ten minutes,’ she grumped, letting him know he was still in her bad books. ‘I’ve ballsed it up somehow and I can’t work out what to do.’

Hal followed her into her flat, sniffing the air. ‘It doesn’t smell too bad,’ he offered, and Honey knew enough to realise that was as much of an olive branch as he was likely to offer.

‘Yeah, well. Wait until you taste it.’ She took the lid from the saucepan, spooned a little into a dish, and handed it to Hal. She watched him bring the bowl close to inhale the smell, and then dip the spoon in and test it with a grimace.

‘You haven’t put any salt in,’ he said. ‘No wonder it’s weird.’

‘Salt. Of course,’ Honey said, feeling stupid for missing the most basic of things.

‘Give it a good season and cook it through for another hour or so to really soften the meat and cook off the alcohol. Have you added extra wine?’

Honey flicked the gas on beneath the pan and added salt.

‘Yup. It didn’t help.’

‘No shit.’

‘Nope.’

Silence reigned. As churlish as it was, she didn’t feel like making it easy for him.

‘So, the big date with Robin’s still on then,’ he said, placing the bowl with the failed bolognese carefully on the work surface.

‘Can’t wait,’ Honey clipped.

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