Knowing Me Knowing You (10 page)

‘
Yes, of course. This is television,
’
Becky answered with a grin.

‘
Lead on then Becks, you’ve just become my new best friend,
’
Kate responded, hurrying after her.

‘
I’ll have a rum and
C
oke, make it a double
.
H
ang on, make it two
-
doubles that is. Did you want anything?
’
Kate asked, turning to look at Joel.

‘
Just
a water
thanks
.
D
on’t you think perhaps you should have water too?
’

‘
Didn’t you hear the girl with the p
ink hair? FREE DRINKS she said, I can get water any time I like.
W
ater for the fitness guru here please, he needs to rehydrate after all that excitement with the golden egg,
’
Kate spoke to the barman.

‘
I think you drink too much,
’
Joel told her bluntly.

‘
I’m not paying you to have an opinion,
’
Kate retorted
eagerly waiting for her drink.

‘
Just an observation.
’

‘
Well I don’t want you to have any of those either. We don’t hav
e to pretend we’re a couple now.
Miranda and Frank and anyone else it matters to
are
sat out there,
’
Kate reminded him.

‘
Why does it matter to you that they believe you have a boyfriend?
’
Joel wanted to know.

‘
Rum and C
oke
,
m
y best friends!
And a wat
er for you.
C
heers, bottoms up and all that,
’
Kate spoke as the drinks arrived and she immediately began to drink her glass dry.

‘
You shouldn’t need someone on your arm to make you feel adequate, particularly if it’s only for the benefit of other people,
’
Joel spoke, leaning on the bar.

‘
I don’t need someone on my
arm,
the
Lady Dragon set me a challenge.
S
he insisted I brought someone to this function and I didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb by not bringing anyone so I
bought
you. Anyway, isn’t it
people
feeling inadequate for being single that keeps you in business?
’
Kate asked
.

‘
Not at all.
Most of my clients are
businesswomen who don’t have
time or the need to form a relationship, they just like a bit of male company every now and then. I don’t think that’s you.
’

‘
Why not?
I’m a business woman, I didn’t have time to find a date for tonight and I don’t need a relationship. I’ve just got rid of one piece of deadwood I don’t need to look for any more. I have
Bethan
,
’
Kate reminded him.

‘
Fair enough,
’
Joel responded, sipping his water.

‘
What about you? Do you have time to form a relationship when you’re taking desperate business women out to dinner?
’
Kate asked, beginning to drink the second rum.

‘
No and I’m too busy perfecting my biceps in any spare time I get,
’
Joel answered quickly.

‘
That reeks of someone with a relationship hang up. Now do you have a wandering eye or do you just find it hard to trust?
’
Kate asked mockingly.

‘
Neither actually, it’s just not every woman chooses a tiger as their favourite member of the cat family,
’
Joel replied.

‘
So you do escorting for your bit of female company.
’

‘
Well it’s always entertaining and you never know quite what you’re going to get.
’

‘
So do you have “
regulars
”
like Jonny?
’
Kate asked, drinking more alcohol and enjoying the burn on the back of her throat.

‘
Jonny?
’

‘
Apparently he’s Libby’s very special friend.
’

‘
I see two women regularly, about twice a month; they’ve been clients for just over a year.
’

‘
God, where do you go? What are they like?
’

‘
I can’t tell you details, it’s confidential,
’
Joel replied.

‘
Come on, I don’t want their names, I’m just intrigued. Do they wine and dine you? Do they take you to the opera? Do you have to take their coats on and off and open doors? Do you have to call them Hot Lips?
’
Kate ramb
led
.

‘
One woman wanted me to call her
Evita
once. She had a bit of a musical theatre obsession. But her real name was Rita so trying to remember to call her
Evita
–well
i
t fell apart altogether when I ended up calling her
Ryvita
,
’
Joel informed her with a smile.

‘
No!
’
Kate exclaimed and laughed out loud, making other people in the green
room look up from what they were doing.

Joel laughed with her. He had a nice laugh. It made his whole face crinkle up.

‘
I haven’t been on a date since my husband left me,
’
Kate spoke heavily.

‘
You told me.
’

‘
I don’t want to, you know, because I don’t think I should, with
Bethan
. But other people seem to think I should want to and
they
want me to. Hermione, she’s
Bethan’s
childminder, and my friend, she is
so desperate for me to “move on”
. She keeps trying to push men in front of me at every opportunity and I don’t think I’m ready for that. Besides, the men she lines up, well they’re either Morris dancers from one of the folk fairs she’s done tarot readings at
,
or it’s one of Philip’s archaeological friends from the university and I don’t do relics of any kind, I mean I can’t even stand
Time Team
,
’
Kate explained.

‘
I don’t know anything about having children but I really don’t think you should let go of who you are as an individual just because you have someone relying on you.
’

‘
Goodness, those sound like wise words coming from a personal trainer.
’

‘
Actua
lly, besides the biceps I have four
A-levels and a degree.
’

Kate looked at Joel, astounded. He couldn’t be clever and that good looking, it wasn’t legal was it? Perhaps in the pages of Mills and Boon but not in real life surely!

‘
Appearances can be deceptive. You shouldn’t judge every book you meet by its cover. I’m a personal trainer because I enjoy it, not because I’m a fitness freak who’s academically challenged,
’
Joel replied.

‘
Now I’m feeling very stupid,
’
Kate answered, draining the contents of her glass.

‘
Its
fine, I know most people book me because of how I look, that’s all part and parcel of the job
.
A
nd I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t flattering.
’

‘
But if you’re so qualified why do you do the escorting? You could work part-time doing personal training and part-time doing something that would use your skills and challenge you,
’
Kate suggested.

‘
Maybe I don’t want that,
’
Joel responded coolly.

‘
Goodness, if I had four
A-levels and a degree I would be ruling the world by now.
’

‘
You don’t know that. Just because you have something doesn’t mean using it is the right thing to do.
’

‘
Are we having a debate? I don’t think I’ve ever had a debate with anyone before,
’
Kate remarked.

‘
No, we definitely aren’t. Conversation closed,
’
Joel replied, drinking some of his water.

‘
So am I the best date you’ve had this month? Don’t think too hard about the answer, I need a confidence boost,
’
Kate spoke.

‘
You’re probably the most bizarre date I’ve had since
Ryvita
,
’
Joel answered.

‘
What do you think I should do about dating then?
To date or not to date?
That is the question,
’
Kate spoke, picking up Joel’s water glass and drinking from it.

‘
If you don’t think you’re ready to date again don’t let anyone else make the decision for you, no matter how well-meaning they are,
’
Joel replied.

‘
Hermione is quite difficult to sidestep when she’s fully loaded with good intention.
’

‘
And as for Miranda, I think you need to stop worrying about what she thinks
.
She’s one of those people who
needs
to be admired all the time. She has major confidence issues; she’s not someone to be intimidated by. And as well as all that, I’m convinced she wears a wig,
’
Joel informed her.

Kate almost spat out the water she had in her mouth. She hurriedly managed to swallow and take a breath of air and then gasped out loud.

‘
What?
’

‘
I’m sure that mane of blonde hair is a wig.
A good wig mind
you, well made and expensive, but I’m pretty sure it’s fake,
’
Joel repeated.

‘
No, it can’t be.
I mean you should see how much she flicks it around at
work,
it’s he
r signature move, the Hair Toss.
T
hat’s what she does, that’s who she is,
’
Kate explained, picturing Miranda swishing and sweeping the blonde locks around.

‘
Well, as I said, not absolutely positive, but pretty sure. One of my regulars wears a wig, I would never have known if she hadn’t told me, but now I can spot one a mile off, even a good one. It’s all about the rise and fall,
’
Joel responded.

‘
No, it can’t be, I mean
…
’
Kate began, still re-running Miranda’s hair flick in her mind.

‘
Ooooooooooo
!
’

The loud squeal was accompanied by Becky suddenly appearing and starting to jump up and down in front of them like an excited rabbit. Her pink hair swung about wildly and her hand clapped against her clipboard.

‘
I’ve just been told you’re through!
’
she shrieked at the top of her voice and she threw her arms around Kate excitedly, almost bowling her over.

‘
What?
’
Kate questioned
a shiver running over her as she tried to detach the girl.

‘
You’re through
to
the next round, you came second.
C
ome on, quick
,
quick, we need you back on stage after the commercial break with Hayley and Anthony
.
Oh this is so exciting, didn’t you do well?
’
Becks said happily, sounding more and more like Bruce Forsyth by the second.

‘
Jesus, I don’t believe it, I don
’t want to go back on the stage.
T
his whole thing is completely ridiculous,
’
Kate said and she picked up an abandoned glass of wine from the bar and downed it in one go.