there,
Mark. How you doing?’
‘So, so,’ he replied. ‘Is Jane in
today?’
‘She’s upstairs having lunch.
Would you like one of us to call her?’
‘Please. I’d like a quick word.’
‘I’ll go and tell her,’ Carl
volunteered.
‘Go on then, be quick,’ Stuart
said. ‘Take a seat while you’re waiting, Mark.’
***
Perched upon a stack of LP boxes
like Miss Muffet on her tuffet, Jane finished her sandwich. She looked up from
reading the problem page in Honey magazine as Carl popped his head around the
door. ‘What’s up? You look a bit frazzled.’
‘Mark’s downstairs. Wants to see
you.’
‘What?’
‘He says he wants to see you,’
Carl repeated.
‘I heard you! I don’t want to see him .’
‘What shall I tell him?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. Tell him to go
away.’
‘What if he won’t go away?’
‘Tell him to come up here then,’
she tutted. ‘I don’t want a scene in the shop. Thank God Eddie’s gone home, or
else!’
‘Or else what?’
‘They might have had a punch up!’
‘Two men fighting for your love,’
Carl said. ‘Just like in the films they show at The Plaza.’
Jane stood up and brushed the
crumbs off her skirt. ‘No, Carl, not a bit like the films at all.’
‘I’ll tell him to come up, then.’
Carl disappeared. Jane brushed
her hair and touched up her lips. Though why she was bothering when it was only
for Mark she couldn’t imagine. ‘Come in,’ she called at the gentle tap on the
door. ‘Hi, Mark. What on earth are you doing here?’
‘I don’t know,’ he faltered. ‘Old
habits die hard. I always used to come and have lunch with you on Saturdays.
All I do know is that I just had to see you.’
‘Why? There’s nothing more to
say, except - thank you for the roses. It’s a bloody good job mum didn’t have a
nosy at what you’d written on the card!’
‘I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking
straight. I’ve come to tell you that I’m leaving Pickford and moving to Chester;
getting a transfer with the bank very soon.’
‘Oh, right. Well that will be
nice for you,’ she said, thinking, thank God for that. ‘What about your
mother?’
‘She’ll have to manage without
me. If you and I had married, she’d have lost me anyway.’
‘I think not.’ Jane shook her
head. ‘She’d never have let you go. Maude rules your life, Mark. All I could
see ahead was years and years of her living with us. Nightmare!’
‘Is that why you ended our
engagement?’
‘No, I told you the reason that
night.’
‘Ah yes, so you did. You shagged
Eddie Mellor. I just saw him leaving here with John Grey.’
Jane ignored his sarcasm. ‘Eddie
had an interview for the manager’s job at our new store.’
‘I see. Did he get it?’
‘Yes, he did. Though what it’s
got to do with you, I don’t know.’
‘So, you’re seeing him again?’
Jane looked down at the floor and
chewed her lower lip. ‘No, but we’ve made friends. Soon we’ll be colleagues.’
‘Why not give me another
chance then?’
‘Because I don’t want to be tied
down. I’m seeing Phil Jackson now,’ she fibbed. Mark moved towards her. She
wished he’d go away. He was giving her the creeps staring at her so intently.
His grey eyes were cold and unfriendly like that night in The Lakes.
‘Couldn’t we just date one
another without the engagement ring?’ he asked. ‘I won’t pressure you or
anything. I’m sure Phil won’t mind. He has enough birds in tow to spare you occasionally.’
‘No, Mark.’ She turned her back
on him. ‘It’s over. Just leave me alone.’
He caught her arm and pulled her
round. ‘You’re lying, about Phil Jackson, I mean. I saw you with Eddie Mellor
on Tuesday night. You were all over one another like a dose of measles. Why lie
about dating Phil?’
Jane groaned and tried to pull
away from him. ‘Okay, so I’m back with Eddie. He’s splitting up from Angie.
Don’t you dare go causing trouble for us. Things are difficult
Mark. How you doing?’
‘So, so,’ he replied. ‘Is Jane in
today?’
‘She’s upstairs having lunch.
Would you like one of us to call her?’
‘Please. I’d like a quick word.’
‘I’ll go and tell her,’ Carl
volunteered.
‘Go on then, be quick,’ Stuart
said. ‘Take a seat while you’re waiting, Mark.’
***
Perched upon a stack of LP boxes
like Miss Muffet on her tuffet, Jane finished her sandwich. She looked up from
reading the problem page in Honey magazine as Carl popped his head around the
door. ‘What’s up? You look a bit frazzled.’
‘Mark’s downstairs. Wants to see
you.’
‘What?’
‘He says he wants to see you,’
Carl repeated.
‘I heard you! I don’t want to see him .’
‘What shall I tell him?’
‘Oh, I don’t know. Tell him to go
away.’
‘What if he won’t go away?’
‘Tell him to come up here then,’
she tutted. ‘I don’t want a scene in the shop. Thank God Eddie’s gone home, or
else!’
‘Or else what?’
‘They might have had a punch up!’
‘Two men fighting for your love,’
Carl said. ‘Just like in the films they show at The Plaza.’
Jane stood up and brushed the
crumbs off her skirt. ‘No, Carl, not a bit like the films at all.’
‘I’ll tell him to come up, then.’
Carl disappeared. Jane brushed
her hair and touched up her lips. Though why she was bothering when it was only
for Mark she couldn’t imagine. ‘Come in,’ she called at the gentle tap on the
door. ‘Hi, Mark. What on earth are you doing here?’
‘I don’t know,’ he faltered. ‘Old
habits die hard. I always used to come and have lunch with you on Saturdays.
All I do know is that I just had to see you.’
‘Why? There’s nothing more to
say, except - thank you for the roses. It’s a bloody good job mum didn’t have a
nosy at what you’d written on the card!’
‘I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking
straight. I’ve come to tell you that I’m leaving Pickford and moving to Chester;
getting a transfer with the bank very soon.’
‘Oh, right. Well that will be
nice for you,’ she said, thinking, thank God for that. ‘What about your
mother?’
‘She’ll have to manage without
me. If you and I had married, she’d have lost me anyway.’
‘I think not.’ Jane shook her
head. ‘She’d never have let you go. Maude rules your life, Mark. All I could
see ahead was years and years of her living with us. Nightmare!’
‘Is that why you ended our
engagement?’
‘No, I told you the reason that
night.’
‘Ah yes, so you did. You shagged
Eddie Mellor. I just saw him leaving here with John Grey.’
Jane ignored his sarcasm. ‘Eddie
had an interview for the manager’s job at our new store.’
‘I see. Did he get it?’
‘Yes, he did. Though what it’s
got to do with you, I don’t know.’
‘So, you’re seeing him again?’
Jane looked down at the floor and
chewed her lower lip. ‘No, but we’ve made friends. Soon we’ll be colleagues.’
‘Why not give me another
chance then?’
‘Because I don’t want to be tied
down. I’m seeing Phil Jackson now,’ she fibbed. Mark moved towards her. She
wished he’d go away. He was giving her the creeps staring at her so intently.
His grey eyes were cold and unfriendly like that night in The Lakes.
‘Couldn’t we just date one
another without the engagement ring?’ he asked. ‘I won’t pressure you or
anything. I’m sure Phil won’t mind. He has enough birds in tow to spare you occasionally.’
‘No, Mark.’ She turned her back
on him. ‘It’s over. Just leave me alone.’
He caught her arm and pulled her
round. ‘You’re lying, about Phil Jackson, I mean. I saw you with Eddie Mellor
on Tuesday night. You were all over one another like a dose of measles. Why lie
about dating Phil?’
Jane groaned and tried to pull
away from him. ‘Okay, so I’m back with Eddie. He’s splitting up from Angie.
Don’t you dare go causing trouble for us. Things are difficult
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