BooksBarbecue
Back Reluctantly Home Save as PDF
Chapters (55)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  55. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘I’m not sure how,’ replied Nicholas. ‘I’ve tried to get her out from under all that crap, I really have. The box I brought here is testament to that.’

‘And that went so well,’ muttered Pip under her breath.

‘But she won’t have anyone in the house, and she won’t let me touch anything. She can be downright difficult when she wants to be.’

Pip didn’t doubt it. ‘Well, maybe I could have a word with her. About the mess, I mean,’ she said. ‘I get the impression she’s had enough of it, too, but doesn’t know where to start. Maybe between the three of us . . .’

Nicholas looked unsure. It seemed that if there were sorting to be done, it would be she and Evelyn who did the bulk of the work, but she found she didn’t mind the prospect. It might be good to have a project, something to really get stuck into.

Then Nicholas stuck his hand in the breast pocket of his jacket and retrieved another business card. He handed it to Pip. ‘Here’s my number,’ he said.

Pip took it, not wanting to reveal that she had an exact copy sitting in her bedroom at home.

‘Perhaps we could go out for a drink, chat it all through,’ he said.

Was he coming on to her? Pip wasn’t sure. She had lost all radar for that kind of thing over the last few months. She hoped not, though. He really wasn’t her type. Then again, she had thought Dominic was the perfect man for her, but now she wasn’t sure what she had ever seen in him.

‘That would be nice,’ she replied, without making a commitment. ‘But now I ought to be getting back to my window.’ She cocked her head in the direction of the half-naked mannequin. ‘I can’t leave her like that. The poor lamb has no dignity. I’ll be in touch.’

And then she skipped back into the shop, leaving Nicholas looking slightly flummoxed on the pavement.

image

That evening at home she put together a small ad for the Evening Standard. She really didn’t have that much to go on and she didn’t want to attract the attention of all and sundry. In the end she settled for:

Looking for Ted.

Friends with Evelyn Mountcastle, 1980.

She created a new email address specifically for the purpose and added it to the message. Then she went on to the website and set the ball rolling.

44

44

‘I hope you don’t mind,’ said Pip’s mother over dinner the next day, ‘but I told Jez you’d take him out for a drink tonight. He’s so low with all that Teresa business and he just looked as if he needed cheering up.’