back I wanna hold a dinner party for four at the main house. Sunday night would be best.’
‘That’s for you, Pattie, Todd and Tanya, is it?’ enquired Davina.
‘Did I say that?’
‘No, but I assumed …’
‘Never assume anything. I want you to choose all your favourite dishes for the menu. I guess Phil will be here that weekend?’
Davina nodded. She wondered what an evening spent in the company of Jay, Pattie and Phil would be like. Exhilarating probably, and far more intimate than when the other two Americans had been present. All at once her excitement, previously subdued when she learnt he was going away, began to rise again. ‘It’ll be a pleasure.’
Jay nodded. ‘I thought it would. We’ll dine at eight-thirty. I’m sure you and the cook can get everything organised before I get back Friday night.’
‘I’ll leave a copy of the menu at the main house for you,’ said Davina.
‘Great! See you next weekend then.’
‘I hope you manage to learn something while you’re away,’ said Davina, walking to the front door with him.
‘I make a point of learning something every day.’
‘How noble,’ remarked Davina. ‘That sounds like something you’d find in a fortune cookie.’
‘I did see it in a fortune cookie.’ He laughed, and with that he was gone.
The week flew by. She was coming to the end of the sci-fi drawings and knew that soon she’d have to send them off to the publisher. As the deadline drew nearer so the pressure on her increased. At the same time she worked hard to make sure that the Sunday dinner party was perfect down to the last detail, even arranging the decor for the table settings.
Clive was clearly delighted to be working alongside her again and they talked fondly of Uncle David. Clive surprised her with tales of the dead man’s travels. ‘He was very popular with the ladies, you know,’ he said at one point and Davina was surprised because she’d always considered Uncle David a dry old bachelor. Perhaps that was why he felt she was missing out on life, she thought, but it was different for men.
Occasionally when she was at the main house she bumped into Todd or Tanya, but she never saw Pattie. Todd was very friendly and Davina liked him, particularly his enthusiasm; he was so different from Jay, completely open and up-front. It was easy to forget that he was Jay’s boss because his whole approach to life was far more laid back and less intense.
Finally it was Saturday. Davina sent the art workrecorded delivery from the local post office, and got back to the cottage just as Phil arrived. ‘We’ve been invited to dinner at the main house tomorrow night,’ she told him after they’d kissed. She fully expected him to complain but he looked pleased.
‘Good. Will it be the six of us, or are other people coming?’
‘It’s only four of us.’
‘Which four?’
‘Jay and Pattie, you and me.’
Phil frowned. ‘Why not Todd and Tanya?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ confessed Davina. ‘Anyway, he told me to pick all my favourite dishes and I made sure that they were things that you like too.’
‘In other words the food will be good even if the company’s crap.’
‘The company won’t be crap,’ said Davina. ‘I thought you liked Pattie.’
‘She’s okay,’ murmured Phil. ‘Did you get your work off?’ he continued. It was so unusual for him to take any interest in her work that Davina didn’t ask any more questions about Pattie but instead started discussing the drawings.
Early that evening as she and Phil were kissing on the couch, and just as Phil’s hands had started to move up beneath her T-shirt, the phone went. ‘Blast,’ he muttered. ‘Let it ring.’
‘I can’t,’ said Davina. ‘I won’t be able to concentrate.’ She heard Phil sigh as she went into the kitchen and picked up the phone. ‘Hello?’
‘Hi, I’m back,’ said Jay’s familiar voice.
‘How nice.’
‘Don’t sound too enthusiastic, will you. I’d like
‘That’s for you, Pattie, Todd and Tanya, is it?’ enquired Davina.
‘Did I say that?’
‘No, but I assumed …’
‘Never assume anything. I want you to choose all your favourite dishes for the menu. I guess Phil will be here that weekend?’
Davina nodded. She wondered what an evening spent in the company of Jay, Pattie and Phil would be like. Exhilarating probably, and far more intimate than when the other two Americans had been present. All at once her excitement, previously subdued when she learnt he was going away, began to rise again. ‘It’ll be a pleasure.’
Jay nodded. ‘I thought it would. We’ll dine at eight-thirty. I’m sure you and the cook can get everything organised before I get back Friday night.’
‘I’ll leave a copy of the menu at the main house for you,’ said Davina.
‘Great! See you next weekend then.’
‘I hope you manage to learn something while you’re away,’ said Davina, walking to the front door with him.
‘I make a point of learning something every day.’
‘How noble,’ remarked Davina. ‘That sounds like something you’d find in a fortune cookie.’
‘I did see it in a fortune cookie.’ He laughed, and with that he was gone.
The week flew by. She was coming to the end of the sci-fi drawings and knew that soon she’d have to send them off to the publisher. As the deadline drew nearer so the pressure on her increased. At the same time she worked hard to make sure that the Sunday dinner party was perfect down to the last detail, even arranging the decor for the table settings.
Clive was clearly delighted to be working alongside her again and they talked fondly of Uncle David. Clive surprised her with tales of the dead man’s travels. ‘He was very popular with the ladies, you know,’ he said at one point and Davina was surprised because she’d always considered Uncle David a dry old bachelor. Perhaps that was why he felt she was missing out on life, she thought, but it was different for men.
Occasionally when she was at the main house she bumped into Todd or Tanya, but she never saw Pattie. Todd was very friendly and Davina liked him, particularly his enthusiasm; he was so different from Jay, completely open and up-front. It was easy to forget that he was Jay’s boss because his whole approach to life was far more laid back and less intense.
Finally it was Saturday. Davina sent the art workrecorded delivery from the local post office, and got back to the cottage just as Phil arrived. ‘We’ve been invited to dinner at the main house tomorrow night,’ she told him after they’d kissed. She fully expected him to complain but he looked pleased.
‘Good. Will it be the six of us, or are other people coming?’
‘It’s only four of us.’
‘Which four?’
‘Jay and Pattie, you and me.’
Phil frowned. ‘Why not Todd and Tanya?’
‘I’ve no idea,’ confessed Davina. ‘Anyway, he told me to pick all my favourite dishes and I made sure that they were things that you like too.’
‘In other words the food will be good even if the company’s crap.’
‘The company won’t be crap,’ said Davina. ‘I thought you liked Pattie.’
‘She’s okay,’ murmured Phil. ‘Did you get your work off?’ he continued. It was so unusual for him to take any interest in her work that Davina didn’t ask any more questions about Pattie but instead started discussing the drawings.
Early that evening as she and Phil were kissing on the couch, and just as Phil’s hands had started to move up beneath her T-shirt, the phone went. ‘Blast,’ he muttered. ‘Let it ring.’
‘I can’t,’ said Davina. ‘I won’t be able to concentrate.’ She heard Phil sigh as she went into the kitchen and picked up the phone. ‘Hello?’
‘Hi, I’m back,’ said Jay’s familiar voice.
‘How nice.’
‘Don’t sound too enthusiastic, will you. I’d like
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