The Piano Man Project Page 0,28
without incident.
‘You’re welcome,’ she’d shouted as she’d locked her front door to go out to work, sarcasm souring her voice. The truth was that she’d started to enjoy picking out things for him as she shopped, discovering his likes and dislikes by trial and ill-humoured error. She’d certainly never buy him tinned fruit again; he’d practically hurled it back at her. ‘Fresh fruit or none at all,’ he’d muttered. For a hermit, he certainly had strong gastronomic opinions. Not that it mattered either way, because she’d probably never buy him fruit again, tinned or fresh, given that he seemed to have decided that their friendship had ended with the world’s most epic goodnight kiss.
Next to her, Lucille unpacked a box of donations that had just been dropped off by a well-heeled woman in a sports car.
‘These things don’t look as if they’ve ever been used,’ she said, laying various kitchen items and small electrical goods out on the counter. ‘Some people have more money than sense, this box still has its seal on.’
Honey looked at the box in Lucille’s hands. An electric razor. Divine intervention, maybe? Perhaps she would knock on Hal’s door one more time after all.
CHAPTER NINE
‘Are you one hundred per cent certain that he’s a normal, non-heartbroken guy, Nell? Because after Deano, I’m pretty much ready to jack this whole ridiculous idea in.’
Honey looked at Nell steadily who gazed unflinchingly back at her over the rim of her cappuccino cup.
‘And where exactly is that attitude going to get you, Honeysuckle?’ She arched her eyebrows. ‘I’ll tell you where it’ll get you. Nowhere, apart from lonely. So Deano wasn’t the one. We were never likely to get it right straight away, were we?’
‘Weren’t we?’ Honey said. ‘Because I kind of thought we’d have one go at this and bam, I’d be marrying Michael Bublé. That’s how you guys sold it to me.’
‘So sue us,’ Tash laughed and shrugged her shoulders. ‘What’s this Robin like then, Nell?’
Nell placed her coffee cup down in its saucer. ‘Well, he’s quite good looking actually,’ she said, nodding slowly in a way that made Honey instantly suspicious.
‘You don’t sound very sure,’ she said.
‘No, he is … in a kind of old-fashioned way,’ Nell seemed to choose her words with care. ‘I mean, granted, he’s no Bublé, but he has, umm … good hair, and he laughs a lot. You need a man who can make you laugh, Honey.’ Nell nodded a little too vigorously for Honey’s liking.
‘So, when am I supposed to be meeting him?’
Nell studied her fingernails. ‘The thing is, Hon, he’s not much of a pub person, so I kind of said you’d cook for him.’ The end of Nell’s sentence came out twice as quickly as the beginning, as if Nell hoped it might go unnoticed if she said it really quickly.
‘Nell!’ Tash said. ‘You know that’s a bad idea.’
Relieved to have her friend’s support, Honey nodded. ‘No way. I can’t have a stranger into my house, Nell! It’s blind date rule number one, meet in a well-lit, neutral place.’
‘I wasn’t thinking about that,’ Tash said, frowning at Nell. ‘You know she can’t cook; she’ll probably poison him before he can get anywhere close to showing her his finger skills.’
‘Well, I suggested his house first, but he said his mother would be home.’
‘He still lives with his mother?’ Honey said, glancing at her watch to see if it was too early for a real drink. Nope, still eleven thirty in the morning. Every few weeks the three women met for Saturday brunch in their favourite café, but this week Honey was enjoying it a lot less than usual thanks to the current subject matter. Every aspect of her life seemed to be more stressful than usual at the moment; her job was under threat, her friends were pimping her out to strange men based on a ridiculous premise, and her home had been invaded by her abusive and reclusive neighbour. Was it any wonder she was considering asking for a double shot of rum in her coffee?
‘He’s coming over to yours on Friday night,’ Nell said, ignoring Honey’s question and refusing to look sorry. ‘Just make spaghetti or something. He’s nice, Honey. I’ve met him quite a few times now, and he’s really good with the kids so he must be a decent guy.’
Tash broke up a huge cookie and stuck a wedge on each of their saucers. ‘You’ve nothing to lose, Honey-bee.’
‘Just a whole Friday evening and potentially my