watch it with me anymore.”
“Love you to the moon and back.”
“Love you to the bottom of the sea and back, which is closer than the moon, but we know less about it.”
Hanging up, Rosaline turned an anxious glance on Colin Thrimp. “Did you get what you needed?”
“I’ll be honest, I don’t think we’ll use absolutely all of that.”
Now that she’d discharged her televisual duties, Rosaline was free to leave—or, in practice, wander around looking for Alain. She still wasn’t sure what kind of label, if any, their relationship needed, but she’d won a thing and she wanted to celebrate with someone, preferably someone who wasn’t more interested in squid.
She found him at last in the car park, where he was waiting for his pickup with his bag at his feet and a slightly brooding look.
“Hi.” It wasn’t the most original opening, but “I won!” seemed, in that moment, childish. As did the fantasy she was definitely not entertaining of his sweeping her into his arms in congratulations.
“Hi yourself. It was nice having you around this week—and I wondered if you wanted to do it again this Thursday?”
She wanted to. She really wanted to. And she was . . . “relieved” was too strong and made her feel a bit pathetic. But glad. She was glad she’d given good visit. “I’m not sure I can. It was hard enough getting the afternoon off work and arranging a babysitter this time. I think if I tried to do it again so soon, I might lose my job and all my friends. Well. My one friend.”
“That’s a shame.” He sounded disappointed and his manner was, in general, a bit subdued. “Obviously I’d love to see more of you, but if it’s not possible I understand.”
“Um . . .” Was this going to come across as pushy? Pushy was not a good look. “I mean, if you’re ever in . . . striking distance of London, we could strike together?”
“My work does sometimes take me that way. But if I’m consulting, I can be quite busy.”
Not quite the answer she was looking for. She tried to stifle her disappointment—after all, it was easy to free up time when you had a shit job no one cared about, but she knew from years of living with doctors that some things would always matter more than her feelings. “Oh. Okay. I’ll see what I can do about coming to you, then. But probably not for a while.”
He smiled in a making-the-best-of-it sort of way. “At least we can catch each other at the weekends.”
It did slightly make her wonder what the plan was when filming ended. But rationally she also knew it was way too early to be wondering that. “See you next week then.”
He brushed his lips lightly against her cheek. “Looking forward to it, Rosaline-um-Palmer.”
There came the unmistakeable purr of an expensive car engine and the same sapphire blue Jaguar that she’d seen in the first week pulled through the gates.
“Ah,” he said. “This is me. And that’s Liv, by the way. The friend I told you about.”
Not quite sure what else to do, Rosaline waved awkwardly at the barely visible figure behind the wheel. And then went to her usual wall to wait for her father, who, as ever, was too important to be on time.
About ten minutes later, a white van, bearing the legend “Dobson & Son, Electricians: Friendly, Reliable, Local,” rattled past and then pulled to a stop just ahead of her.
Harry rolled down the window. “Well done on the win, mate. Stormed it this week. Need a lift?”
“It’s fine. My dad’s on his way.”
“Thought I’d offer since you was there. I could probably run you back to yours next week if you like. Save you bothering your old man?”
“Oh no,” protested Rosaline. “I couldn’t. You don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t. You ain’t hijacking me. But offer’s there if you want it.”
In some ways it would have solved a lot of problems. Her parents continued to insist that picking her up was no trouble but also never failed to remind her after the fact how much trouble they were going to on her behalf. Except getting Harry to run her home instead seemed like it would just be swapping one obligation for another, and at least with her parents it was an obligation she was used to. “Thanks. I’ll bear it in mind.”
“All right. See you next week.”
She watched him go, feeling slightly perplexed. She’d been sure when they first