‘Oh, if only you knew the truth, Sam, if only.’ She sniggered as she saw Josie’s expression turn from horror to relief. ‘Okay, well, there’s a little pub near my home. It’s not flashy but they make a fab steak and kidney pie.’
‘It’s a date!’ Sam trilled and Mallory’s face almost split in two from her wide grin. They made their arrangements and Mallory floated from the shop with a smile as a new permanent fixture.
Josie shook her head and grinned. ‘I’ll see you later, okay? I’m off to the supermarket before I go home.’ Mallory nodded and hugged Josie tightly. She gave an excited squeak and did a silly dance on the spot, at which Josie laughed loudly before she waved and they went their separate ways.
When she arrived home, Mallory frantically searched through her wardrobe.I really need to go shopping,she sighed to herself. She grabbed something which she felt was passable out of her limited wardrobe and showered. Just as she climbed out of the shower, the doorbell chimed.
‘Oh, bollocks!’ Why did the doorbell always ring when you had either just stepped in or out of the shower? She wrapped a bath sheet around her and ran down the stairs. Hurriedly, she tied a towel-turban on top of her head and opened the front door.
Josie stood there waving jazz hands around. ‘Ta-daaaaaaa.’
Mallory gawped at her petite, blonde friend. She was very pretty, until she opened her mouth and let the tomboy out, and subtlety was most definitelynota trait she was famous for. There she stood in jeans and a hoody, UGG boots and a woolly hat with flaps that covered her ears.
‘Your timing, as always, is impeccable, Miss Gardiner,’ Mallory grumbled dryly.
‘I thought there may be a chance you might need these.’ She held out a green and white striped paper bag.
As she took the bag, Mallory had a feeling she knew what the contents were. ‘Oh, Josie, what’ve you done?’ She reached inside and pulled out the small blue box which, sure enough, had the wordCondomsemblazoned on the side.
‘They’re ribbed ones too.’ Josie wiggled her eyebrows, giving a double thumbs-up.
Mallory tried to look indignant. Shaking her head and huffing out a sharp breath, she stared at her friend. ‘Seriously, Josie? Do youhonestlythink I’m likely to need these? I’ve only just met the guy.’
‘Well, I bloody hope so. You daft bat!’ Josie was now the one to appear indignant. ‘Anyone would think you were hunchbacked and covered in warts and boils. He sounds bloody gorgeous and you obviously fancy the pants off him and it sounds like the feeling is mutual. This is post-war Britain and the rules have changed, Mallory. In fact, thereareno rules. So, stop worrying about being all proper and bloodyElizabeth-Bennet-Pride-and-Prejudiceabout things and go get you some nice, juicy ass, girlfriend.’
Mallory laughed at Josie’s appalling attempt at an American accent and ‘gangsta rappa’ stance. She sighed, rolled her eyes and – shaking her head – slammed the door in her face.
*
Sam and Mallory sat at a small table beside the fireplace in the Railwayman’s Arms; Mallory with her glass of red wine and Sam with a pint of ‘Sleeper Ale’, the pub’s home-made brew. They chatted easily.
‘So, tell me about your last boyfriend. I was shocked when you said you were single. I expected you’d have been snapped up by some lucky son of a gun long ago,’ Sam blurted suddenly, totally changing the subject and catching her off guard. He, genuinely,didseem surprised at her marital status, which both pleased and embarrassed her.
Mallory could feel her face flush as heat rose to her cheeks. ‘Crikey, get right to the point, eh, Sam?’ After a pause to check that he was,actually, interested, she began. ‘Hmm, how long have you got? Tell you what; I’ll give you the abridged version… Darren Spencer was a mechanic, a year older than me, divorced from a marriage that began when he was only twenty-two. He was obsessed with his car. In fact, he lovedITmore than he did me. Ithoughtit was love, but he just wanted a fling, even though we went out for a year. Then one day I realised that if there waseverto be some kind of an ultimatum, the car would win hands down. So, I ended it.’ The words rushed out all in one breath. She gasped air back into her lungs.
‘Wow!’ Sam’s eyes were wide. He gazed at her and took her hand. ‘I can’t believe that dumb son-of-a-bitch loved a hunk of metal more than a beautiful, funny, sexy-as-hell girl like you.’ He looked down at their hands and freed hers. ‘S-sorry, I didn’t mean to be so… forward. I mean I don’t know the guy… I’m sure he—’
‘Hey, it’s fine, honestly.’ Mallory missed the now absent contact and wanted to reach for his hand in return, but refrained. ‘You’ve pretty much got him pegged.’ She smiled.
They sat in silence for a few moments when something dawned on Mallory.
‘Wait a minute. You think I’msexy?’ Her eyes widened at the realisation.
His lips turned up into a scrumptious half-smile that made her toes curl. ‘Hell yeah!’ He nodded and there was a mischievous glint visible in his verdant eyes.
Mallory sat up a little straighter, feeling quite boosted by this unexpected compliment. ‘So, tell me aboutyourex. It’s only fair.’
‘Touché,’ Sam said. He thought for a moment and then began. ‘Where do I start? Syd was… uhh—’
Mallory gasped. ‘Wait.Sid?Like the actor, Sidney Poitier? As in a…man?’ She feared that she had just opened a whole new can of worms and discovered that her potential true love was bisexual. She wasn’t sure she wasthatopen-minded.
Sam slapped his knee as he threw his head back and guffawed at her shock. ‘Sydneywasand stillis, as far as I’m aware, female!’
‘Thank goodness for that.’ Mallory burst out laughing with him. ‘I was just wondering what on earth to say next.’
‘Sydney Lowery was a secretary in my brother’s firm. I met her when I worked in the office in Ottawa to do my internship. She was lovely at first.’
‘What did she look like?’ Mallory interrupted, unable to supress her latent insecurities.
