Page 7 of Happily Never After
‘Assuming Meg hasn’t torn the flat apart from the trauma of being alone, I’d love to do some shifts for you. You were right. It’s been good for me, being in here, being busy and chatting to the customers.’
She beams and wraps me in a floury hug. ‘I’m so pleased. You looked right at home out there and I’ll take all the help I can get, currently. Did you get a chance to think about the other thing?’
‘Moving in with you? I did, as a matter of fact. I’ll have to check with Meg, of course, but assuming she doesn’t object, we’d love to.’
Liv looks like Christmas has come early. ‘We are going to havesomuch fun,’ she assures me.
I hope she’s right. The idea of leaving our flat feels like cutting the final ribbon joining Angus and me, and after nearly ten years together, that’s a huge step into the unknown. I shudder as I think about what that means on my journey home. Although the idea of starting again with someone new doesn’t appeal in the slightest, I don’t want to be single forever either. I giggle as I briefly contemplate putting on weight to see if Liv takes an interest. I love her to bits, but not like that. A thought comes to me: What if she finds ‘the one’ while I’m living with her? The idea of playing gooseberry until she awkwardly asks me to move out to give them privacy makes my skin prickle uncomfortably.
I hope I haven’t just made a massive mistake.
3
‘Your parents don’t like me,’ Darren remarked from the kitchen table as Claire made them cups of tea.
‘I think they’re just a bit concerned that we’re going too fast,’ she assured him. ‘Moving in with you is a big step, especially when we’ve only been going out for three months.’
‘Do you think we’re going too fast?’ he asked.
‘No. I may “only” be twenty, as Mum said, but I’m old enough to know my own mind, and to know that I love you. What would be the point of waiting?’
‘I love you too,’ he replied. ‘And, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you’re here. It might be a good idea to see a bit less of your parents for a while though. Let them get used to the idea that you’re with me now.’
Claire wasn’t sure she liked that plan; she’d always been very close to her mum and dad, but she could see the logic in what he was saying. Maybe seeing less of them would help them to realise that she was grown-up and her own person.
‘You’re right,’ she said as she put the mug down in front of him and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. ‘It’s you and me now.’
He smiled. ‘You and me. I like the sound of that.’
I exhale loudly and rub my eyes. Although this scene is broadly going in the direction I intended, I’ve just realised that Claire hasn’t said anything to Darren about her dream of joining the police, which is kind of central to the plot. I’m scrolling back through the text in frustration, trying to work out where to drop this nugget of information, when a notification pops up on screen to tell me that I have a new email. It’s from Ruby, who runs the bookshop that Liv thinks I waste too much time in. To be fair, she’s probably right. Ruby is just as passionate about her business as Liv and stocks a wide range of books, including mine. If that wasn’t enough, the in-store coffee bar run by her business partner, Jono, serves coffee that’s every bit as tasty as Liv’s, although I obviously wouldn’t ever tell her that. And then there’s Samson, the shop cat. Huge, handsome and ginger, he’s almost as much of a town celebrity as the Anthony Gormley sculpture on the shore. He has his own chair in the shop, and people have been known to call in just to take selfies with him. It’s the kind of place you think you’ll just pop into for a minute or two, only to emerge an hour later wondering where the time went. I open the mail to read the text.
Hi Laura,
Just to let you know I ordered another twenty copies ofDying to Meet Youby someone called Larry Spalding as I’d sold out, and they arrived this morning. If you get the opportunity to pop in and sign them, I’d be grateful. There might even be a free coffee in it…
Love
Ruby
I smile. Although the number of my books she sells is tiny in the overall scheme of things, Ruby has been a tireless promoter of them ever since I admitted to being the author.
It was the publisher that eventually signed me (after around twenty others had turned me down) who suggested I used a male nom-de-plume. Their view was that the gritty crime novel I had submitted would mainly appeal to a male audience but, where female readers tended not to be bothered by the gender of the writer, men tended to favour books by other men. My agent agreed, so we spent time creating social media profiles for my alter ego, ‘Larry’, so we could keep my true identity under wraps. I was a little reluctant to begin with, as I’d always wanted to see my name on the cover of a book, but she pointed out that I was hardly the first woman to write as a man. I eventually relented, and that’s who I’ve been as an author ever since.
It’s a beautiful day outside, so I decide to follow up on Ruby’s email now, while I’m distracted. Meg is on her feet as soon as I push my chair back.
‘No,’ I tell her firmly. ‘You’ve had a walk today, and I’m going to the bookshop. I’m not taking you, because you and Samson are a bloody nightmare together.’
Sure enough, just the mention of her nemesis is enough to elicit a low growl from Meg. Ruby had initially assured me that bringing Meg into the bookshop on a lead would be fine as Samson was very chilled. Like all dogs, she seems to have chasing cats hard wired into her DNA but, unfortunately for her, Samson isn’t like other cats. Not only did he not give her the satisfaction of running away as she strained at the lead to try to get to him, but her barking and carrying on annoyed him to the point where he swiped at her, taking a chunk out of her nose that necessitated a trip to the vet to be checked over. After a couple more attempts with similarly disastrous results, Ruby and I agreed that they probably wouldn’t be friends, and I’ve left Meg at home ever since.
‘Goodness, that was quick,’ Ruby remarks with a smile as I stroll through the door of her shop a little while later. ‘I only emailed you half an hour ago.’
‘You caught me at a good moment,’ I tell her as Samson studies me with his large, almost luminous eyes before launching into one of those grooming sessions that make it perfectly clear he has no interest in talking to me today.
‘Don’t be offended,’ Ruby explains. ‘He’s had a busy day with the selfie-takers, so I think he’s all peopled out. Do you want a coffee?’
‘Love one, thanks.’
Before she has a chance to call the order across to Jono, a baby monitor on the counter bursts into life.
