of venues all around the south west as potential hosts for Jess’s special wedding fairs, so I reckon I’m due some playtime.
When Poppy looks over the top of her gold, spotty I’d-rather-be-drinking-prosecco mug she’s giving a sheepish shrug. ‘That’s my other good-morning news. Jess has another customer for the special request service, they’re popping in for a chat with you both later.’
‘Wow, that was quick.’ I’d counted on longer to work myself up to this.
Poppy glances at her phone and winks. ‘Once our Jess gets an idea, she doesn’t mess about. They’ll be here in forty minutes, that’s loads of time to get ready.’
As I close my teeth onto my first deliciously sweet mouthful of muffin, I’m kicking myself for not unpacking yet. But bringing in anything more than an overnight bag felt like too much of a commitment. ‘Damn. My smart clothes are still in the van by the harbour.’
I’m making them sound better than they are. They’re not beautifully laundered and pressed designer pieces, folded into matching suitcases of descending sizes, like Phoebe’s would be. They’re mostly strewn across the van floor and falling out of bin bags. And it’s pointless pretending this is all down to the move because I may as well come clean here – wardrobe chaos is a natural failing. And, incidentally, one of the long list of reasons Phoebe came up with for why Ben would prefer her to me. Sad to say, my slipping bow and broken Valentine’s arrows are pretty much how it is. And talking of quivers, as I’ve been around town all week without catching even the smallest glimpse of windcheater guy, I’m hoping he’s sailed off into the sunset and taken his perfect pecs and the very disturbing rest with him.
Poppy’s looking down at yesterday’s skirt and top, in a heap on the polished boards where they fell as I got into bed. ‘They’ll do fine, you know you always look fabulous.’
My lips spread into a grin. ‘Phoebe wouldn’t agree. She tells me off all the time for having creases in the wrong places.’
Poppy laughs. ‘Stop worrying about what Phoebe says! In sleepy St Aidan, a little bit of city style goes a long way.’ She pops the last bit of her muffin into her mouth and finishes her drink. ‘I’d better dash. If you need me, I’ll be up and down putting cake into the car. There’s loads of hot water for a shower.’
‘Brill.’
As Poppy backs out of the room, she slides my clothes onto a hanger and hooks it over the copper-pipe clothes rail. ‘The creases will have dropped out by the time you come out of the bathroom. I’ll tell Jess you’ll be down soon.’
As for St Aidan being sleepy, I’d say it’s wide awake this morning. By the time I’ve coiled up my hair and let the steaming shower spray pummel my back, I’m refreshed and ready to go too. A few minutes later I’m in my T-shirt and pants hurrying back to the kitchen for a last cup of coffee and the rest of the muffins before I get properly dressed. Let’s face it, this is my first face-to-face client meeting at the shop, I’m going to need all the calories I can get.
I’m halfway – well, two steps – back across the landing heading for a comfy seat when I hear a bump, which is strange as Poppy last clattered downstairs a while ago. As I nudge open the living room door, I’m looking at the usual – blue sofas, porthole windows, stripy rug – but what I see this side of the big vase of dusky blue anemones makes me freeze. When Poppy was running through the operating instructions for the flat she mentioned lots of things, but I swear a guy stripping off by the coffee table wasn’t one of them.
Excuse me …
His shirt has hit the floor, and he’s hopping around in his socks, getting out of his trousers too.
What the hell!
It hits me that I’m moving my mouth but there’s no actual sound coming out.
As he whips round to face me, my gaze locks on some rather fitted Calvin Klein undies and what Phoebe would have referred to – with very tight lips – as his lunchbox.
Denim blue has to be the sexiest colour of all in that it shows every line and contour. Which makes it even more embarrassing that my eyes are welded to that when there’s a whole six feet and more of guy I