Love On-Line by Lisa Tuttle

Author:Lisa Tuttle [Tuttle, Lisa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Published: 2013-11-22T16:00:00+00:00

10 Love’s Confusion

A meeting of the Granny Mafia was in progress when Rose and Olivia entered the sitting room with the boxes of invitations. A sample had to be extracted and passed around so that each old lady could examine it closely enough to ensure that it didn’t deviate in any way from the standard.

Malcolm Watts, impeccably attired in a dark suit, was pouring tea and handing cups around, but Rose noticed that his attention was not on the old ladies but on Olivia. It made Rose uneasy. Poor Jennifer.

After they’d escaped upstairs, Olivia let out a sigh and gave an exaggerated shudder. ‘Whew. I’ll be glad when he’s gone!’

‘Malcolm?’

‘Did you see …’

‘I did.’

They went into Olivia’s bedroom and she shut the door behind them. ‘I’ve been avoiding him, but this morning he caught me alone for a minute in the breakfast room. He asked me to go out with him on Saturday night. I told him I was busy. He asked me when I wasn’t busy, just to name a day. I reminded him that I didn’t date. He begged me to give him a chance. He was practically on his knees, Rose! I felt like throwing up!’

Rose gave a snort of sympathy and dismay. ‘I thought he was supposed to be dating Jennifer Banks!’

‘Well, he didn’t mention that. If I’d known, I guess I could have thrown it in his face, but I’m sure he would have told me it didn’t mean anything, and offered to sacrifice her on the altar of our love …’

‘Did he actually say he loved you?’ asked Rose, horrified.

‘I don’t believe he actually used the L-word, but the implication was there. I told him that I was very sorry, but I couldn’t possibly date someone who worked for the family, so would he please not bother me again. And then he let me go, and I went and drove myself to school, while he went straight upstairs to Nanny and gave notice.’

‘He quit?’

Olivia nodded unhappily. ‘Not that I’ll be sorry to see him go. He agreed to stay through the weekend; I got the impression that he would have walked out this morning if she hadn’t insisted.’

‘He quit his job in the hope that you’d go out with him?’ Rose gazed at her friend in awe.

‘Maybe it’s egotistical of me to imagine the two events are connected. He told Nanny he was going back to college in the New Year, and that he needed the time to study and get ready. I don’t know; I’d have thought if he was going back to school in January he’d need all the money he could make.’

‘Maybe he’s got another job that pays better.’

‘Who knows. I’m sure not sorry he’s leaving. But I’ll bet I haven’t seen the last of him.’

‘Poor Olivia,’ Rose said, unable to keep a faint trace of resentment from her tone. ‘How awful it must be to have everyone in love with you.’

Olivia made a face at her. ‘Be fair. I’ll bet you wouldn’t want Malcolm Watts mooning around after you.

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