The One You Really Want by Jill Mansell

Author:Jill Mansell [Unknown]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi

‘Nick and Annie? No, of course they wouldn’t. They’re not like

that,’ Carmen said defensively. ‘It’s just ... easier this way. Like this

morning, Annie was having a moan about their electricity bill, trying

to figure out ways to reduce it. At lunchtime we discussed the best

cheap shampoo you can buy. And this afternoon we were talking

about what we’d do if we won the lottery. You see?’ She spread her

hands. ‘We wouldn’t be able to do any of that stuff if they knew I

lived in a house like this.’

Rennie nodded. ‘I think you’re right.’

‘Blimey, don’t say you’re actually agreeing with me.’

‘Just this once. Don’t worry, I won’t make a habit of it.’

Reaching into the fridge, Rennie took out a foil-covered bowl of

leftover apple crumble.

‘I’ll share that with you,’ said Carmen.

Rennie looked like an eight-year-old being asked to give away

half his sweets. ‘It’s fattening.’

‘Good, that’s why I like it. If it was a salad,’ Carmen told him

generously, ‘you could eat the whole lot yourself.’

‘Actually, we’ve got a bit of an emergency situation on our

hands. Our supplier’s threatening to leave the country.’

‘What?’

Rennie was busy searching through the cutlery drawer. ‘Rose

and I were watching Gone with the Wind tonight. When Scarlett said,

"I must go home again, to Tara," Rose said she must go home too. I

just thought she was joking. Then when it was finished I said that one

of Vivien Leigh’s other old films was coming out on DVD next week

and we’d have to watch it together.’ Turning, he handed Carmen a

teaspoon and a small bowl, keeping a dessertspoon for himself. ‘That

was when she told me she wouldn’t be here, it was time she headed

back to Scotland.’

Carmen was shocked. ‘Why?’

‘That’s what I asked. She said she couldn’t impose onyour

hospitality indefinitely. I told Rose she wasn’t imposing and not to be

ridiculous, but I think she’s made up her mind.’

Carmen looked down at the tiny bowl in her hands, into which

Rennie was doling thimble-sized amounts of apple crumble. She

gazed around the gleaming kitchen, ran an index finger along the

spotlessly clean cooker top, then watched as Rennie greedily dug into

his own, much larger helping of crumble.

‘OK.’

‘OK what?’ Rennie spoke with his mouth full.

Carmen knew he was imagining a world devoid of casserole,

crumble and crisply ironed shirts. ‘I’ll have a word with Nancy. See

what I can do.’

Chapter 30

Yesterday’s torrential rain had given the square a jolly good

clean. As Rose made her way through the iron gate leading into the

communal gardens, she breathed in the cool fresh smell of damp

earth and greenery. All the dust and grime of the city had been

washed away overnight; leaves were glossy, the gravel path looked as

if it had been varnished with Cuprinol. A pair of squirrels, darting up

the trunk of an ash tree, skittered along its silvery branches before

leaping intrepidly across to a neighbouring conifer.

Rounding a bend in the path, Rose saw that her bench was

already occupied. Oh well, never mind, it was plenty big enough for

two.

As she drew closer, Rose recognised the woman sitting rigidly

on the bench. A couple of weeks ago she had

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