wrong hand. You knew you were brushing your teeth but it felt all strange.
‘God, I miss him,’ said Todd.
She nodded, the all-too-familiar hollowness in her stomach expanding like a balloon. Together they made their way up Gloucester Avenue. It was a warm night and music drifted out of open windows. In a doorway, a couple in costumes were having a drunken argument, the woman in the nun’s outfit noisily accusing a man dressed as Frankenstein of flirting with someone else. (‘She’s not Superwoman, she’s just a fat slag!’) Further along the road another couple were kissing passionately. Up above, stars twinkled in a black velvet sky and an almost full moon hung just above the rooftops. Now they could hear a soaring soul ballad being played nearby. Under other circumstances this would count as a romantic situation. The hollow stomach feeling increased. If Jamie were here now, she would be so happy. Actually, if he was here now, he’d have grabbed her and waltzed her around in circles all the way up the road whilst singing along to the tear-jerking ballad in the manner of Dame Edna.
They reached Nevis Street and Ellie fished out her key.
‘Thanks. It’s been a good day.’
‘I’ve had fun too.’
‘You didn’t have to walk me home. You’ve missed the last tube now.’
Todd shrugged easily. ‘No problem. I’ll get the bus.’
All the way back to his mum’s in Wimbledon. It would take a while.
‘OK.’ She stepped forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
‘I’ll give you a call. If you’re free next weekend, we could do it again. Check out what bands are on, stock up on earplugs.’ He hesitated. ‘No pressure. Only if you want to.’
Did she want to? Ellie thought she probably did. Over the past seventeen months she’d got so used to not wanting to go out and be sociable that saying no had become her natural default setting. The moment anyone invited her anywhere, her brain began scrambling for plausible excuses as to why she couldn’t make it.
But today had been different. She hadn’t secretly been longing to be back at home on her own. Which had to be an encouraging sign, didn’t it?
She looked at Todd. He was Jamie’s oldest friend and now she’d got over her stupid resentful phase she was comfortable in his company.
‘Yes, call me. I’d like to do that.’ There, that hadn’t been too difficult, had it?
‘Great.’ He sounded pleased. ‘I’ll buy the earplugs.’
Ellie smiled. ‘And I’ll bring the Thermos.’
Chapter 18
Elmo was dancing around like a lunatic, chasing dandelion seeds as they drifted like mini parachutes above his head. Keeping an eye on the pair of German shepherds playing together down the hill, Zack stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. Like a D-list celeb spotting the paparazzi, Elmo pricked up his ears and came racing back.
‘Those two are bigger than you are.’ Zack brushed dandelion seeds out of Elmo’s Denis Healey eyebrows and reattached his lead. ‘They’d eat you for breakfast. Come on, we need to get home now.’
He and Elmo left the hill and made their way back to Ancram Street. Later on this morning he was flying to Amsterdam to meet with a co-investor. He’d be home by eight. Tomorrow he was visiting a shoe factory in Derby. The following day he had back-to-back appointments with prospective partners and the amount of research he still needed to carry out on the companies was ridiculous.
But this was how Zack lived his life. Work came first; it always had. Business was his priority and personal relationships came second. They fitted in when it was convenient and he enjoyed them, of course he did, but they didn’t make his heart beat faster like the prospect of a brilliant business deal.
At least they hadn’t, before Ellie Kendall had come into his life.
Elmo was busily investigating an abandoned ice-cream wrapper. Zack steered him off the grass and on to the pavement. The situation he found himself in was crazy; it was just ridiculous. Never before had his mind been occupied during important meetings with thoughts of a female who wasn’t even remotely interested in him.
And to make matters worse, he’d employed her. He’d had to, otherwise who could say when he’d have the chance to see her again?
‘Elmo, stop it.’ He tugged at the lead as Elmo began straining to sniff the ankles of an old man wearing saggy shorts and Birkenstocks. Simultaneously his phone began to ring.
Louisa’s name flashed up on the screen. Should he? Shouldn’t he?