Page 41 of Summer at Croftwood Cinema
‘Great, so we can get things started?’
Toby explained what the next steps would be and asked her to think it through and let him know when she was ready to go ahead.
‘Thank you, Toby. Even talking about it has made me feel like I’ve done something. It’s a relief, actually.’
Patsy went back to the counter, the lunchtime rush was about to be upon them, but she felt lighter and happier than she had for a while. Telling Toby, him taking her instruction and embarking on the divorce process with her, it was exactly what she needed. And at least now, she could tell Ed that she was getting a divorce which was a marginal improvement on having to tell him she was still married.
18
PATSY HAD STAYED over at Ed’s on Friday night so that they could get a head start on Oliver and Amy and get to Birmingham early to enjoy an extra few hours on their own before they were due to meet. Amy and Oliver were travelling as soon as the lunch rush was over and they had all arranged to meet at the hotel before they headed out that evening.
The holdall that Patsy had packed looked shabby on the floor in the hallway of Ed’s house next to his smart, compact, wheeled suitcase. She was slightly worried that the hotel that Oliver had arranged would be quite posh and would make her feel uncomfortable but she felt she had an ally when Ed appeared after his shower wearing his usual hoodie and jeans combo. At least they’d look out of place together.
‘Ready to go?’ he asked, lacing his converse boots then swiping his damp hair out of his eyes as he stood up.
‘Yes, ready.’ Patsy was wearing her favourite dress, it was navy blue with a scooped neckline, full skirt and a floral print that became more dense towards the hem. As it was still not reliably warm, she had worn a tight-fitting black long-sleeved t-shirt underneath and a cardigan over the top. Teamed with her best coat, a mustard wool boucle affair, she felt a million dollars and once she’d caught sight of herself in the hall mirror, she stopped worrying about whether she was going to look the part staying in a fancy hotel. This was a weekend away with her man, who looked sexy as anything straight from the shower and they were going to have a damn good time.
Ed laid Patsy’s holdall on top of his case so there was no need to for her to carry anything, he pulled the door shut behind them and they set off for the station.
‘I’m so excited,’ Patsy said, squeezing Ed’s hand. ‘I can’t even remember the last time I stayed in a hotel.’
‘Neither can I. The only places I go to are other universities and you get put up in halls of residence. It’s fine, but not quite as sumptuous as I imagine tonight’s room will be.’
‘Did you google it?’
‘Yep. It’s pretty cool,’ he grinned. ‘The kind of place I wish I had thought of taking you without Oliver having to organise it for us.’
‘It doesn’t matter,’ said Patsy happily. ‘You can organise it next time.’
‘Okay. Come on, we need to hurry. I can see the train pulling in.’ He nodded to the railway bridge that spanned Foregate Street where there was a train slowly making its way in the direction of the station.
They broke into a gentle jog, took the stairs two at a time which impressed Patsy given that Ed managed to do that and carry the luggage, and made it onto the train with a minute or two to spare.
‘Sorry. We probably didn’t need to run,’ said Ed. ‘I have a pathological fear of missing trains.’
‘It’s okay.’ Patsy smoothed a rogue hair back into place. She had begun to realise that Ed liked to stick to a plan, if there was one. And he had one for today, or at least until Oliver’s took over later on.
‘Shall we drop the bags at the hotel first?’ he asked when they had arrived at Birmingham New Street station.
‘Yep, good idea. Do you know the way?’
Ed nodded and took Patsy’s hand. ‘It’s close to the Cathedral.’
The hotel was in a Victorian building and was in an area that Patsy didn’t know. Back in the day, she’d worked in Brindley Place and most of the places she’d socialised in were around there, on the canal side. This part of the city was equally well-served by pubs, bars and restaurants housed in old banks and commercial buildings and there was a relaxed feel despite it being only a couple of streets away from the heart of the city centre.
‘This is lovely,’ said Patsy, taking in the lobby with its frescoed ceiling, marble pillars and centrepiece staircase which swept to the left and right and was framed by a pair of Art Deco lights at its foot. ‘It’s already the nicest hotel I’ve ever stayed in and I haven’t even seen the room yet.’
They were lucky enough to be offered an early check in and made their way to their room on the third floor. It did not disappoint. The room had high ceilings and three huge sash windows which overlooked the inner courtyard of the building where there were tables set out amongst trees and plants galore. The bathroom housed a huge bath which made Ed’s eyes light up when he saw it. Neither of them had baths in their places, only showers.
‘So what’re we doing first?’ asked Patsy as she took the dress she was planning to wear that evening out of her holdall and shook the creases out before hanging it in the wardrobe.
‘I had thought it would be nice to stroll along the canals, grab some lunch by the water… but it seems a shame not to make the most of this room, doesn’t it?’ He sidled over to Patsy, took her wash bag out of her hand and laid it on the bed before kissing her and nuzzling into her neck in the way he knew she loved. ‘I mean, the bath is begging for us to use it.’
Patsy had no objection at all to whiling away the day in their room while they waited for Oliver and Amy to catch them up. ‘Come on then,’ she said, taking Ed’s hand and leading him into the bathroom with a wicked grin. ‘Oh my god, they’ve got L’Occitane bath stuff!’
They ran the bath and kissed between stripping each other of their clothes before they abandoned the bathroom briefly in favour of the bed, Ed having the foresight to turn off the taps first.
‘This is enough for me,’ said Patsy afterwards as she lay with her back against Ed’s chest in the most gorgeous bubble bath she’d ever experienced. She absentmindedly made mounds of bubbles on his knee which was not as submerged as the rest of him. ‘If this is all we did for the whole two days, I’d be happy.’
