ten minutes later, her phone buzzed with a reply, but her relief was short-lived.
'Yes sorry. Am home but something has come up. Will phone when I can'
Her mind raced. Was someone ill? His mum? What could have come up that prevented him from calling? Maybe she had been right last night and he regretted their kiss, but couldn’t think of how to say it.
All of these theories and more were bandied back and forth in the house that day between her and the girls, then over copious drinks that night and in the car on the way to London for the Christmas break the next day.
Amy found it amazing how she could have gone from such euphoria to such a mix of emotions so quickly as well as how many tangents her mind was capable of exploring. She had thought of every scenario ranging from a death in the family to his father coming back – unlikely as he hadn’t been seen in ten years – to him deciding that he didn’t like her after all. And every day that passed was torture, with the thoughts spin cycling around and around in her head.
At home with her family, it was all she wanted to talk about, but her mum, her dad and her sister didn’t know Freddie that well. They had only seen him once or twice. Julia listened dutifully, but even her sister’s remarkable patience had a limit.
It was a week before she finally heard from Freddie. She had been going out of her mind by this point. She couldn’t make sense of it at the time. Why would he suddenly cut off all contact? As a result she had barely slept and was eating everything she could lay her hands on. It was only when he finally phoned that the terrible facts came into focus.
Like her, Freddie had gone home that night high on the possibility of them, of Amy and Freddie as a couple. He planned to phone her as soon as he got up the next day and then again when he reached home.
But then he had overslept, only waking when the doorbell went. There he had found Francesca, her face streaming with tears.
When her phone rang in the evening, Amy was at dinner with her parents, enjoying her first taste of decent sushi since she’d come home. But she had been unable to taste it, to enjoy anything. She felt like life had simply gone on mute. On hold.
She was almost tempted not to answer. So angry was she with Freddie – she had been through a full gamut of emotions ranging from denial to confusion to anger and sadness – that she was ready to ignore him just to make him feel as powerless as she had felt. But she needed to know what had happened. She excused herself and went outside onto the busy street.
Immediately as she picked up, he spoke. She heard Freddie’s voice, but wasn’t sure she had heard the words correctly.
'Amy.'
'Hi,' she breathed, all intention to give him the cold shoulder fading away as she heard him.
'I’m so sorry.'
Chapter 7
'So, how do we do this?' Amy asked, a touch too brightly. She couldn’t quite believe she was here. With Freddie. It was bizarre. They were sitting together, in a café on a rainy but nevertheless bustling Hampstead High Street, acting like virtual strangers over coffee. When she had walked in there had been a second of uncertainty. Do they kiss on the cheek? Shake hands? Hug like they had in Notting Hill? But he had taken control, kissing her on the cheek and leading her to a table by the counter, where they had each ordered a cappuccino.
Since having been elevated to organiser of the annual London Ladies' Dinner, Amy had been thrust into the world of the Society at full pelt. Andrea had made it very clear that this was a full time job and that she was expected there on a daily basis to 'rally the troops'.
After the meeting when she was appointed to the role, she had wanted to talk to Freddie, but instead Andrea had pulled her into a conference room where she had been immediately confronted with a round table of what turned out to be her very own committee.
Andrea had instructed each woman to introduce herself, watching
'Yes sorry. Am home but something has come up. Will phone when I can'
Her mind raced. Was someone ill? His mum? What could have come up that prevented him from calling? Maybe she had been right last night and he regretted their kiss, but couldn’t think of how to say it.
All of these theories and more were bandied back and forth in the house that day between her and the girls, then over copious drinks that night and in the car on the way to London for the Christmas break the next day.
Amy found it amazing how she could have gone from such euphoria to such a mix of emotions so quickly as well as how many tangents her mind was capable of exploring. She had thought of every scenario ranging from a death in the family to his father coming back – unlikely as he hadn’t been seen in ten years – to him deciding that he didn’t like her after all. And every day that passed was torture, with the thoughts spin cycling around and around in her head.
At home with her family, it was all she wanted to talk about, but her mum, her dad and her sister didn’t know Freddie that well. They had only seen him once or twice. Julia listened dutifully, but even her sister’s remarkable patience had a limit.
It was a week before she finally heard from Freddie. She had been going out of her mind by this point. She couldn’t make sense of it at the time. Why would he suddenly cut off all contact? As a result she had barely slept and was eating everything she could lay her hands on. It was only when he finally phoned that the terrible facts came into focus.
Like her, Freddie had gone home that night high on the possibility of them, of Amy and Freddie as a couple. He planned to phone her as soon as he got up the next day and then again when he reached home.
But then he had overslept, only waking when the doorbell went. There he had found Francesca, her face streaming with tears.
When her phone rang in the evening, Amy was at dinner with her parents, enjoying her first taste of decent sushi since she’d come home. But she had been unable to taste it, to enjoy anything. She felt like life had simply gone on mute. On hold.
She was almost tempted not to answer. So angry was she with Freddie – she had been through a full gamut of emotions ranging from denial to confusion to anger and sadness – that she was ready to ignore him just to make him feel as powerless as she had felt. But she needed to know what had happened. She excused herself and went outside onto the busy street.
Immediately as she picked up, he spoke. She heard Freddie’s voice, but wasn’t sure she had heard the words correctly.
'Amy.'
'Hi,' she breathed, all intention to give him the cold shoulder fading away as she heard him.
'I’m so sorry.'
Chapter 7
'So, how do we do this?' Amy asked, a touch too brightly. She couldn’t quite believe she was here. With Freddie. It was bizarre. They were sitting together, in a café on a rainy but nevertheless bustling Hampstead High Street, acting like virtual strangers over coffee. When she had walked in there had been a second of uncertainty. Do they kiss on the cheek? Shake hands? Hug like they had in Notting Hill? But he had taken control, kissing her on the cheek and leading her to a table by the counter, where they had each ordered a cappuccino.
Since having been elevated to organiser of the annual London Ladies' Dinner, Amy had been thrust into the world of the Society at full pelt. Andrea had made it very clear that this was a full time job and that she was expected there on a daily basis to 'rally the troops'.
After the meeting when she was appointed to the role, she had wanted to talk to Freddie, but instead Andrea had pulled her into a conference room where she had been immediately confronted with a round table of what turned out to be her very own committee.
Andrea had instructed each woman to introduce herself, watching
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