he went in. It might be more, it might be less – I couldn’t tell you because all I can think of is how I’m going to tell him our news.
‘Rich phoned back,’ I say as he sits down. ‘The buyers had a proposition . . . why are your trousers soggy?’
He looks down. ‘I was diverted.’
‘What happened?’
‘This little boy . . .’ he begins then: ‘What’s the matter? Why do you look so shifty?’
I straighten my back. ‘I don’t. As a matter of fact, I’ve got some good news.’
His eyes widen. ‘They didn’t say yes?’
Clearly, the answer is a complicated one, so I decide for the moment to stick with the headline. ‘Well . . . yes!’
He looks as though he’s gone into shock. ‘Oh, Gemma, that’s brilliant.’ He throws his arms round me and gives me a big, demonstrative kiss on the lips.
‘So, what next? We appoint a solicitor? Get a survey?’ The words tumble from his mouth. ‘This is amazing news, Gemma. I feel as though the end is in sight. In four months’ time, we’ll be starting a new life in a new home, away from my mother.’
I nod and grin.
‘I can’t believe how excited I am,’ he babbles on. ‘I’m actually surprising myself!’ Then he stops and looks at me. ‘Are you not telling me something?’
‘Hmm?’
‘Come off it. There’s something else. You’re an open book, Gemma.’
I frown. ‘You said I was mysterious when you first met me.’
‘I was trying to pull you,’ he replies. ‘Come on. Spit it out.’
I think about going to buy him a drink first, but his eyes are now boring into mine. ‘It’s a small thing in the scheme of things,’ I start.
‘Okay.’
‘Totally worth it.’
‘Okay.’
‘And the fact is, they weren’t going to go for our original offer.’
He pauses. ‘Oh. Kay .’
I take a deep breath. ‘They asked for another £4k and I said yes.’
‘What?’ There is little evidence of joy in his voice.
‘When you’re dealing in these sorts of sums, £4k is nothing. Not really, is it?’
He looks obstinately unmoved by this assertion. ‘It is when you haven’t got it and have no prospect of getting it.’
‘We’ll get it.’ I feel actual, bona fide confidence in this, despite the slight deficiency in logic.
He picks up his drink and downs a mouthful silently. Then he looks in my eyes with the peculiar intensity he usually reserves for grand declarations: the first time he said he loved me, when he asked me to go on our first ever holiday together, or when he suggested I should move into his flat.
Somehow, I suspect he’s not about to suggest Paris now. ‘Gemma, where are we going to get that from?’ The quiet exasperation in his voice makes me clench my teeth. ‘We’ve already sold everything we own to get to the figure we offered them. Another four grand is just not possible.’
‘I don’t think we should be so defeatist,’ I say weakly.
‘You mean realistic.’
‘We’ve got four months to come up with the money, Dan. This is do-able,’ I say. ‘I’m absolutely convinced of it.’
Chapter 13
Gemma
I met Dan for the second time six full years after the night our paths first collided at that taxi rank in Liverpool. It was September 2010, on an achingly beautiful autumn day on the banks of Lake Windermere. We were in the throes of an Indian summer, with weekends filled with boozy barbecues, hazy days in the park, cycle rides through the city with the dying rays of the year’s sunshine on our shoulders.
I was in the Lake District because my friend Allie asked if I’d cheer her on in an open water swimming competition. I was happy to oblige as long as the most energetic thing I had to do was flip open my sun cream.
Allie and I had been friends after sharing a room in first year at university. I’d been a little annoyed about not having one to myself at first, but within days couldn’t have imagined things any other way.
Allie was a cautious, studious type, someone to whom I wouldn’t
‘Rich phoned back,’ I say as he sits down. ‘The buyers had a proposition . . . why are your trousers soggy?’
He looks down. ‘I was diverted.’
‘What happened?’
‘This little boy . . .’ he begins then: ‘What’s the matter? Why do you look so shifty?’
I straighten my back. ‘I don’t. As a matter of fact, I’ve got some good news.’
His eyes widen. ‘They didn’t say yes?’
Clearly, the answer is a complicated one, so I decide for the moment to stick with the headline. ‘Well . . . yes!’
He looks as though he’s gone into shock. ‘Oh, Gemma, that’s brilliant.’ He throws his arms round me and gives me a big, demonstrative kiss on the lips.
‘So, what next? We appoint a solicitor? Get a survey?’ The words tumble from his mouth. ‘This is amazing news, Gemma. I feel as though the end is in sight. In four months’ time, we’ll be starting a new life in a new home, away from my mother.’
I nod and grin.
‘I can’t believe how excited I am,’ he babbles on. ‘I’m actually surprising myself!’ Then he stops and looks at me. ‘Are you not telling me something?’
‘Hmm?’
‘Come off it. There’s something else. You’re an open book, Gemma.’
I frown. ‘You said I was mysterious when you first met me.’
‘I was trying to pull you,’ he replies. ‘Come on. Spit it out.’
I think about going to buy him a drink first, but his eyes are now boring into mine. ‘It’s a small thing in the scheme of things,’ I start.
‘Okay.’
‘Totally worth it.’
‘Okay.’
‘And the fact is, they weren’t going to go for our original offer.’
He pauses. ‘Oh. Kay .’
I take a deep breath. ‘They asked for another £4k and I said yes.’
‘What?’ There is little evidence of joy in his voice.
‘When you’re dealing in these sorts of sums, £4k is nothing. Not really, is it?’
He looks obstinately unmoved by this assertion. ‘It is when you haven’t got it and have no prospect of getting it.’
‘We’ll get it.’ I feel actual, bona fide confidence in this, despite the slight deficiency in logic.
He picks up his drink and downs a mouthful silently. Then he looks in my eyes with the peculiar intensity he usually reserves for grand declarations: the first time he said he loved me, when he asked me to go on our first ever holiday together, or when he suggested I should move into his flat.
Somehow, I suspect he’s not about to suggest Paris now. ‘Gemma, where are we going to get that from?’ The quiet exasperation in his voice makes me clench my teeth. ‘We’ve already sold everything we own to get to the figure we offered them. Another four grand is just not possible.’
‘I don’t think we should be so defeatist,’ I say weakly.
‘You mean realistic.’
‘We’ve got four months to come up with the money, Dan. This is do-able,’ I say. ‘I’m absolutely convinced of it.’
Chapter 13
Gemma
I met Dan for the second time six full years after the night our paths first collided at that taxi rank in Liverpool. It was September 2010, on an achingly beautiful autumn day on the banks of Lake Windermere. We were in the throes of an Indian summer, with weekends filled with boozy barbecues, hazy days in the park, cycle rides through the city with the dying rays of the year’s sunshine on our shoulders.
I was in the Lake District because my friend Allie asked if I’d cheer her on in an open water swimming competition. I was happy to oblige as long as the most energetic thing I had to do was flip open my sun cream.
Allie and I had been friends after sharing a room in first year at university. I’d been a little annoyed about not having one to myself at first, but within days couldn’t have imagined things any other way.
Allie was a cautious, studious type, someone to whom I wouldn’t
Similar Books
