The One You Really Want (12 page)

‘Their loss. Anyway, what about you and charity boy? He couldn't keep his eyes off you. What was going on down here while I was in the shower?'

Carmen felt her heart begin to beat a little faster. ‘Nothing. We were just chatting.'

‘Hmm. Got yourself an admirer, if you ask me. Better shave your legs before Wednesday morning,' said Rennie with a grin.

B-bump, b-bump, b-bump went Carmen's heart against her ribs.

‘Luckily,' she told him as the
Coronation Street
theme tune began to play, ‘not everyone is as obsessed with sex as you. Some people, people with morals and principles, actually understand that there's more to life than—'

‘Sshh.' Rennie's attention was on the TV screen. ‘What's Norris been up to now?'

 

‘You big durr-brain,' Carmen exclaimed, when Nancy told her what she was planning to do. ‘I love having you here. You don't have to go back to Edinburgh just because you're scared about outstaying your welcome. If you want to stay here for the next five years, that's fine by me. It's so much nicer having you in the house.'

‘Really?' Nancy was incredibly touched.

‘Really.'

‘And me,' said Rennie, drawn to the kitchen by the end of
Coronation Street
and the smell of frying onions and garlic. ‘It's much nicer having me in the house too.'

Carmen rolled her eyes, then batted his hand away with a wooden spoon as he tried to pinch a mushroom.

‘It's much noisier, I'll give you that. And don't even look at that grated cheese. I'm making a Spanish omelette.'

‘And there was me, thinking that getting flirted with by charity boy might cheer you up.'

‘He wasn't flirting with me. Stop going on about it or I'll send you back to the Savoy.'

‘The thing is, I'd love to stay,' said Nancy, ‘but I'm worried about Mum. Maybe I should go up and see her. She never moans or complains but she must be feeling horrible. I hate the thought of her worrying, all on her own.'

‘Why don't we invite her down here?' said Carmen. ‘Would she do that, do you think? Come and stay for a week or two, give her a bit of a break?'

‘Great idea.' Stealing a mushroom while she wasn't looking, Rennie said, ‘Someone to be on my side for a change. Me and Rose against you and Nancy. We can gang up on each other.'

‘Really? Are you sure you wouldn't mind?' Nancy was searching Carmen's face for clues.

‘It was my idea, wasn't it?'

‘I'll give her a ring now.' Hugging Carmen, Nancy said, ‘She's never been to London before. Not once in her life.'

‘It'll be like Crocodile Dundee visiting New York.' Rennie grinned. ‘When she steps off that plane she won't know what's hit her.'

‘She's never flown in a plane.' Nancy knew what her mother would say. ‘She'll want to travel down by coach.'

‘Only because she thinks it'll be cheaper,' said Rennie. ‘I'll book her onto a flight with EasyJet. Just tell her she'll hurt my feelings if she doesn't use it.'

‘She doesn't like taking things from other people,' Nancy warned him. ‘She's very proud.'

‘Fine. Tell her to make me a chicken casserole and bring it down with her.' Rennie shrugged. ‘Then we'll call it quits.'

 

It seemed churlish, after that, to mind that Rennie never did get to see his chicken Madras birthday cake. A call from his manager in New York had him throwing a few things into a case at midnight and catching a cab to Heathrow.

‘It's Jessie, she isn't coping well,' Carmen explained the next morning when Nancy came downstairs to find Rennie gone. Dave, Red Lizard's drummer, was evidently having a rough time in rehab. Jessie, his highly strung wife, was finding it hard to manage without him and had taken to her bed with a bottle of vodka.

‘Shouldn't she be in rehab too?' said Nancy.

‘God, yes, but that's the thing, you have to want to go. If anyone can persuade her, it's Rennie. He's great with her,' said Carmen. ‘She trusts him. Anyway, he's going to do his best to sort her out and hopefully be back by the weekend. Right, I'm off to work. Shall I pick up a takeaway on the way home?'

‘Lovely.' By the weekend, Rennie's cake would be stale. Realising that she may as well just throw it away, Nancy tried hard not to feel miffed.

‘Indian?' said Carmen.

Nancy, feeling she'd had enough of chicken Madras and three-coloured rice, said, ‘I'd rather have a Chinese.'

Carmen was glad to have Rennie out of the way for a few days. His teasing remarks about Joe James weren't what she needed right now. It was bad enough feeling the first flickerings of attraction for another man and discovering that you'd completely forgotten how to behave, without having to put up with Rennie's nudge-nudge attitude. For someone with so much experience with the opposite sex, he could be incredibly schoolboyish when it came to taking the mickey out of his long-suffering sister-in-law.

Anyway, it was Wednesday morning and the good news was that he was currently thousands of miles away.

The bad news was that he'd just sent her a fax, an extraordinarily unflattering portrait of herself in a bra and big knickers, with scarily hairy legs. Underneath it he'd scrawled: Don't forget . . .

Even more annoyingly, she hadn't forgotten. Telling herself it had nothing whatsoever to do with Joe James calling round this morning, it was something she'd have done anyway, Carmen had shaved her legs last night.

Not that Rennie was going to know that. She'd chop off her own legs before she'd let him see them in their naked state and put up with yet more teasing. It was bad enough that she was here now, in her bedroom, wondering what to wear.

God, it was like being fifteen again. How long had it been since she'd last tried on a pair of trousers then taken them off again because they didn't look right?

For heaven's sake, all Joe James was doing was popping round to collect a parcel. He probably wouldn't even set foot inside the house.

How about the striped jeans and Nancy's lacy turquoise top?

By the time the doorbell rang at ten o'clock, Carmen had a plan. She told herself it wasn't a plan, but deep down she knew it was.

Luckily it was also common sense.

‘Hi! Crikey, I didn't even realise it was raining! Come on inside, all the stuff's in the kitchen. What a filthy day. How are you anyway?' Gabbling, she led the way, praying her flushed cheeks would get themselves under control by the time she had to face him.

‘I'm great. Sorry, my jacket's wet. Nice to see you again.' Joe followed her into the kitchen. When she finally turned, Carmen saw that there were raindrops caught in his hair and on his eyelashes. He was wearing a weatherproof navy jacket and faded denims. And he was smiling at her as if he really was glad to see her again.

B-bump, b-bump, b-bump.

‘Now, Rennie had to fly to the States on Monday night, but I've got everything here. Leather trousers and tour jackets,' Carmen patted the bulky parcel, ‘and all the T-shirts, signed before he left.' She touched the holdall Joe had brought along with him on Monday evening, then the envelope lying next to it. ‘And he faxed his designs over last night. They're in that one.'

‘Brilliant. We're really grateful. Actually, I was wondering if . . .'

‘What?'

‘No, nothing, it's OK.' Joe shook his head and exhaled. ‘It's just . . . no, forget it.'

Breathless, Carmen said, ‘Actually, I was going to ask you something too. We've had a bit of a problem recently with one of our showers. Sometimes the water goes cold for no reason. I was wondering if your company could take a look at it for us?'

There, she'd been subtle, hadn't she? And it was true, she wasn't making it up.

‘Could be it just needs a service.' Joe shook his head slowly. ‘But then we get that awkward thing, don't we? My boss sends you a bill, you think it's too high, you feel resentful and start to think you've been ripped off.'

‘I wouldn't,' protested Carmen.

‘Well, I'm sorry, but I can't take that risk. No, very bad idea.' Smiling slightly, Joe said, ‘On the other hand, you could let me take a look at the shower now, then the company wouldn't have to send you a bill.'

‘I can't do that.'

‘Yes you can. It might just be a valve sticking. I could fix that in a flash. My boss would be none the wiser. And you'd be so grateful I might even end up asking the question I didn't have the courage to ask just now.'

Oh wow, this was thrilling, just so thrilling. Even if she had absolutely no intention of showing him her ultra-smooth legs.

‘OK,' Carmen said shyly.

‘Give me two minutes,' Joe told her, heading back to the front door. ‘I'll just get my toolbox out of the van.'

 

Carmen perched on the edge of the corner bath and watched Joe expertly dismantle the shower. It was so lovely to watch a man who knew what he was doing. Now, minus his jacket, she was able to admire the way the muscles rippled in his forearms as he deftly unscrewed and checked each component in turn.

‘So what's it like, having Rennie Todd as a boss?'

‘Sorry?'

‘What's he like to work for?' said Joe, reaching for a screwdriver. ‘You seem to get on pretty well together.'

‘We do.' Thinking of this morning's cheeky fax, Carmen said, ‘Well, most of the time. But he isn't my boss.'

Joe looked surprised. ‘He's not?'

‘Rennie's my brother-in-law.' She was able to say it now, without worrying that her voice might go wobbly. ‘I was married to Spike.'

‘Oh my God, I didn't realise. I'm so sorry.' Mortified, Joe put down the screwdriver. ‘I had no idea.'

‘That's OK. Why would you?' Some rock star wives loved the limelight, others didn't. Carmen had always preferred to remain in the background.

‘I thought you were his personal assistant or something. I'm really embarrassed now.'

‘Don't be. It's fine. To be honest, I quite like people not knowing who I am.'

Reassured, Joe said, ‘Still, it must be nice, staying here in his house.'

‘Actually, it's my house,' said Carmen. Oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound. ‘Rennie's staying here with me.'

‘Bloody hell.' This time Joe looked truly appalled. His gaze took in the Italian marble bronze and cream bathroom. ‘You mean all this is yours?'

Embarrassed, Carmen saw it through his eyes. ‘Spike bought it.'

‘I can't imagine what it must be like, to own a place like this.'

‘The same as any other house, just bigger. When Spike and I first started going out together, we didn't have any money,' said Carmen. ‘We lived in a really grotty flat in Edinburgh. But we were just as happy. Maybe happier,' she added, because those were the days before Spike had begun to experiment with drugs.

‘It must have been awful for you when he died. I'm sorry.' Joe picked up a pair of pliers. ‘You must miss him terribly.'

‘I do. But it's been three years. I'm getting better.' Hearing the phone begin to ring downstairs, Carmen rose to her feet. ‘I'd better answer that.'

Rennie had forgotten to cancel his appointment with the accountant. By the time Carmen had finished explaining to him that Rennie was out of the country and apologising on his behalf, Joe had come back downstairs.

‘All done,' he said easily, rolling down his sleeves as Carmen hung up the phone. ‘Good as new. The valve just needed a good clean.'

‘You must let me pay you. Now that you know I can afford it.'

‘Not a chance.' Joe smiled. ‘On the house.'

‘Well, thanks.' Feeling brave, Carmen said, ‘But now you have to tell me what it was you were about to say earlier.'

‘Oh, that. I can't.'

‘Fair's fair. You promised.'

‘Did I? OK.' Joe paused, running the fingers of his left hand thoughtfully through his dark hair. ‘The truth? When I came over here on Monday evening I thought you were fantastic. I really felt we, you know, clicked? And all day yesterday I couldn't stop thinking about you. So I decided I'd ask you out. Then I wondered if you'd like to come along to the charity ball with me on Friday night, and I thought wouldn't it be great if you did, we'd have such a brilliant time together . . .' He stopped and waited, then looked regretfully away. ‘But it's no good. There's no way in the world I can do that now.'

Feeling weirdly light-headed, Carmen said, ‘Yes you can.'

‘No I can't.'

‘Why not?'

‘Come on. You know why. I thought you were Rennie Todd's PA. But you aren't, are you? You're Spike Todd's widow. This is your house. How can I ask you out now? You're way out of my league.'

The trouble was, Carmen knew what he meant. It didn't matter that what Joe was saying wasn't true; he would feel uncomfortable because the fact that she had money did make a difference. This was why she'd never told anyone at the shelter who she had once been married to, and why she avoided the socialising that went on amongst the rest of the staff and volunteers. If they knew she lived in a house like this, they would treat her differently.

It was unfair, but it was a fact of life.

The way Joe was looking at her made Carmen want to start tearing up twenty-pound notes on the spot. It was the first time in three years that she'd actually experienced the crackle and spark of physical attraction. Realising she was on the brink of not seeing Joe James again, she blurted out, ‘Please ask me to go to the ball with you!'