Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell Page A

without thinking’—Poppy was indignant—‘I just thought the wrong thing in the first place.’
    Jake had begun to calm down. At least, steam was no longer billowing out of his ears. He frowned. ‘But why, what made you think it? I never gave you any reason to believe I was gay.’
    Poppy squirmed. Why had she thought it?
    â€˜I suppose because you don’t have a girlfriend.’ Oh dear, that sounded pitiful. ‘And you never say much about your social life. Um…’ Yes, that was it! ‘…and then there was that phone call from Ellis!’ She seized gratefully upon it, like a lifebelt. ‘You were supposed to be meeting him tonight, remember? But he had to cancel—’
    â€˜Ellis Featherstone,’ said Jake with a sigh, ‘lives three doors away from me. He’s the local coordinator for Neighborhood Watch. Yes, Ellis is gay,’ he concluded evenly, ‘but I’m fairly sure it’s not catching.’
    â€˜Okay, so I made a mistake.’ Poppy still couldn’t get over the change in Jake. Talk about the worm turning, she marveled. Jake had turned into a full-grown leopard.
    Poppy wasn’t the only one impressed by the transformation. Claudia couldn’t stop gazing at Jake. The news that he wasn’t gay after all had cheered her right up. Emboldened by all the adrenaline whooshing through her veins, she seized one of the drinks Jake had carried back from the bar and glugged down another glass of slightly warm champagne.
    â€˜What made you say it tonight, anyway?’ Jake persisted. In his other hand was Poppy’s drink. Before he could pass it to her, Claudia whisked it from his grasp.
    Poppy opened her mouth to explain.
    â€˜Well—’
    â€˜The truth is, she couldn’t believe you were chatting me up,’ Claudia blithely cut in, her tongue by this time thoroughly loosened. ‘I told her you were, she said you weren’t.’ Breathing in, so her chest swelled out like a pouter pigeon, Claudia gave Jake the benefit of her perfect cleavage. ‘Poppy can’t believe any man would want to chat me up.’
    It was like a mating dance, thought Poppy, struggling to keep a straight face as Jake’s eyes inadvertently dipped into the cleavage then slid nervously away. It was like one of those displays of plumage you saw birds doing on David Attenborough programs. Claudia was silently commanding Jake to respond and chat her up some more. Poor Jake, over his passionate outburst now, was looking downright scared.
    Several minutes of awkward small talk later, Jake made his excuses and left.
    â€˜Well, thanks,’ snapped Claudia when he had gone.
    â€˜Oh come on,’ Poppy sighed. She had had more than enough of Claudia for one night.
    â€˜He would have asked me out, you know. You frightened him off.’ Claudia glared at her. ‘And don’t tell me you didn’t do it on purpose.’
    By midnight, the last guests were drifting away into the night. Only when Caspar had flagged down a cab and piled his own small party inside did he realize why Poppy and Claudia had spent the last couple of hours at different ends of the room.
    â€˜Come on, no need for this.’ Buoyed up by the success of the exhibition, Caspar attempted a reconciliation.
    â€˜I’m all right,’ sniffed Claudia. ‘It’s her. Jake would have asked me out if she hadn’t stuck her oar in. If you ask me, she’s jealous.’
    â€˜Jealous?’ shrieked Poppy. ‘You were the one who called him a trainspotter! Then you started flaunting your chest at him. He only left early because he was too embarrassed to look at you.’
    â€˜Girls, girls,’ said Caspar. By the sound of her, Claudia had been drinking for England. He watched her struggling to light the tipped end of her cigarette. Luckily the lighter was upside down too.
    â€˜ And you’re jealous because my dress cost