The Old Girls' Network by Judy Leigh

Author:Judy Leigh [Leigh, Judy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Published: 2020-06-15T23:00:00+00:00

19

A week passed and Barbara spent most of it resting in a deckchair in the garden, watching Bisto in his pink shorts and grubby white vest moving rubble from the old conservatory. He seemed to have broken a lot of bricks and glass and created piles of rotten wood but not much more. By Saturday morning, he was still lifting the broken bits of the conservatory into piles and shovelling dust. As she frowned in his direction, he turned to her with a grin on his face and called across, ‘Don’t worry, boss. It’ll all be grand. I’ve done this all before.’

Barbara lowered the book she was reading, an interesting non-fiction about how to be popular and likeable. She scowled. ‘So, what was your job before you became a professional drinker? Did you work on a building site?’

He winked at her. ‘Ah, trust me, but I know how to deliver the goods, Babs. Last thing I rebuilt was a turret on my château.’

‘I’m sure the last thing you built was a big bar bill.’ She drew her lips into a straight line. ‘When will this garden room start to look like anything but a recycling centre?’

Bisto lifted some rotten timber and piled it into a wheelbarrow. ‘For sure, by next week you’ll see it starting to take shape.’

‘It’s the beginning of July. Will it be finished this summer, do you think?’

‘I always keep my word, boss. It’ll be the dandiest garden room you ever saw. And Pauline will just love it.’

Barbara put her book in front of her face and closed her eyes. Everything seemed to be about Pauline. Not that she was jealous – she’d started to see her sister in a new light. Pauline wasn’t as fretful or as needy as Barbara had imagined. In fact, she was kind-hearted and good fun. People liked her. Dizzy had been around first thing to talk to her and ask for advice, proclaiming that she was now dating Kostas after their supper at her house. Barbara had given her opinion: it was hardly dating. He’d had a meal with Dizzy, listened to her babble about herself for several hours, left without even giving her a kiss and he’d politely offered to reciprocate with a snack at his lodgings in Milton Rogus. However, no date had been set.

Dizzy was ridiculously excited, and Barbara had thought it only wise to point out that Kostas could have no interest in a middle-aged woman who was far too needy and had lurid hair, otherwise he’d have contacted her already. Barbara was dismayed to see tears form like glass bulbs in Dizzy’s eyes, and Pauline had quickly suggested that Dizzy contact Kostas and remind him that he’d invited her to sample his mezze and she would be delighted to pop over. Barbara resolved to try to be more encouraging, like her sister.

Barbara glanced at the pages of her book about learning to be popular. She’d picked it up in Taunton, hoping that she could understand Pauline’s secret, her way of being magnetic, drawing people into her warmth.

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