Another Cup of Coffee (36 page)

As if reading Amy's thoughts, Kit laughed, ‘Keep that information to yourself until you need to share it. You'll know when the time's right. Trust me; I'm a literary kink queen.' She laughed again as Amy's face reached lobster level. ‘I take it nothing of that nature has occurred between you two yet?'

‘Kit!' Amy giggled again, embarrassed at being asked such a personal question so directly.

‘That's a no then.'

Making a split second decision to confide her concerns, Amy sat down as close to Kit as she could, ‘Nothing at all. I was pleased at first, not being pushed into anything and all that. The whole idea of seeing Paul as more than a friend was enough to get used to. And, well, it's been a hell of a long time since I had any comfort beyond your stories and a bright blue dildo, but well, now …'

‘Now you wish he'd hurry up and make a move, ‘cos you've realised you fancy the pants off him.'

‘That about sums it up, although I am beginning to worry that I won't remember what to do myself!' Chickening out of hearing Kit's response to her confession, Amy made an excuse and retreated to the kitchen, leaving Kit privately chuckling to herself as her friend disappeared out of sight.

An hour later, as she was about to leave, Kit pulled Amy to the privacy of the counter and whispered, ‘You'll have to make the first move then won't you. And don't worry, you read my stuff, so you'll know exactly what to do when the time comes. It's like …'

‘Riding a bike?'

‘Well, riding something anyway.' Kit smirked at the horrified waitress's expression.

‘
Kit!
'

Sixty-three

January 28
^th
2007

‘Only seven days to go until you start your new job, then.'

Amy countered Jack's statement with one of her own. ‘Only four days till you leave with Toby, then.'

The frosty air smelt fresh and alive with the promise of spring as, sat opposite each other under the Pavilion's veranda at Kew Gardens, Jack and Amy watched a group of Sunday morning walkers pass by.

‘It's going to be very strange without you here, Jack. In fact,' Amy gripped her coat closer about her shoulders as a gust of wind blasted against her back, ‘a lot of things are going to feel strange.'

‘Are you nervous about the job?' Jack drank from a white china cup, more suited to tea than his shockingly strong espresso.

‘You know me, I get nervous about everything. Although I'm not as bad as I used to be I don't think. I'm more concerned about fitting into an established team, being the new girl, than the actual job itself. You nervous about seeing your Dad and Jane?'

‘A bit, but not as much as I thought I might be. At least my sister won't be there, I imagine she'll be the one who'll be awkward about all this. Having Toby helps. Perhaps we're growing up at last.'

‘Cheek! I don't know about you, but I have no intention of growing up.
Ever
.' Amy threw a screwed-up serviette at him as if to prove her point, ‘But you're right in a way. Having someone helps. Just knowing that Paul's there for me helps.'

Jack's eyes flashed for a second, but his voice remained unchanged. ‘I'm glad you have someone too, Amy.'

‘And yet,' she had seen and understood the disquiet in his eyes, ‘you aren't quite comfortable with the idea of me being with someone other than you, even though you expect me to be fine with you and Toby.'

‘Are you happy?' Not wanting to admit she was right, Jack looked away as he spoke so Amy couldn't read his eyes.

‘Yes I am.'

‘Then that's all right, isn't it.'

Amy returned his question, ‘And are you happy with Toby?'

‘Oh yes, he's great.'

Amy peered up through her fringe at him, ‘Then we're both all right aren't we.'

His chair creaked as Jack rocked back, ‘I don't know Amy; it's just that sometimes I wish …'

‘No Jack, there'll be no “if onlys,” not now.' Amy was a bit taken aback by the sound of her own forcefulness, but it had to be said, and time was running out.

She had spent ages thinking about this. Ever since Jack had retuned her tape to Aberdeen. Ever since she'd upped sticks, moved south, and turned her life upside down, Amy had tried to put her emotions into some sort of order, and attempted to make sense of how Jack fitted into her life, and how she fitted into his. Rob, Debbie, Kit and Paul had all played their part in helping her work through her maze of feelings, and at last she felt as if the puzzle pieces were in place.

‘You and I have a friendship that is so close it really isn't a friendship at all.' Jack opened his mouth to protest, ‘No, please, Jack, this conversation is well overdue. Listen.' Amy pushed her empty cup away and clenched her hands together. ‘We aren't really friends; we're not even like brother and sister. We have something that hangs between friendship and a relationship. A sort of link, something strong, but without definition. Perhaps, in a parallel universe, we are living happily ever after, with 2.4 children and probably a pet Labrador.' Amy paused, stretching out a hand for him to take. ‘But we aren't in a parallel universe, Jack. We're here. This is now, and we both have the chance to do something with our lives; separately
and
together. Who else is that lucky, Jack? Don't you think what we have is incredible?'

Jack said nothing, but he stared into her eyes intently, seeing for the first time how far Amy had travelled emotionally since she'd arrived back into his life, and the expression on his face agreed with her. He seemed to be waiting for her to say more before he was ready to comment, so Amy continued, ‘We can walk around a garden and admire the same plants. I know five minutes before you do that you want a coffee, and you can always tell if I'm in need of a cake-induced sugar rush. We can talk about anything and everything, and then, at the end of the day, we go back to our partners and have fun with them too. I think they call it “having the best of both worlds” and I think that makes us two of the luckiest people in the world. Don't you think so? Jack?'

Jack continued to watch Amy closely; her greyish-blue eyes were brimming with sentiment. He grabbed the offered hand and held it tightly. ‘Not only are you incredible, you're right as well. I love you, Amy Crane.'

‘And I love you, Jack Brown. Now let's walk, it's absolutely bloody freezing sat here.'

‘So tell me,' Amy asked once they had strolled enough to get their circulation flowing again, ‘are you and Toby ready for your European adventure?'

‘Sort of, we're all packed up. Just need to order a cab to Heathrow, make sure our hand baggage meets with the new security regulations, stuff like that.'

‘It's all happened so fast hasn't it?' Amy knelt to one of the first clumps of snowdrops that had made it through the frosted winter ground.

‘You're telling me. I've only been with Toby since the start of December, and yet at the same time I feel I've always known him. Is that silly?'

‘Not at all. I, on the other hand, have known Paul for absolutely years, and it's like I've meet someone new, someone fresh, but with the added comfort of all that's gone before.'

‘Paul's looking good. Seeing you obviously agrees with him.'

‘Thanks.' Amy started to blush. She wanted to keep how little Paul had seen of her private for now. ‘Although I don't expect I'll see too much of him over the next couple of weeks.'

‘Why not?'

‘I'm starting at Home Hunters, and then Paul starts at the British Museum a week after that.'

Jack was thoughtful, ‘Do you think you'll live together?'

‘It's only been a few days, Jack.'

‘He's the one, though, isn't he?'

Amy noticed there was a new acceptance to his voice, and she inwardly sighed with relief. ‘Is Toby?'

‘I asked first!' Jack playfully poked Amy in the ribs as they strolled, a favour she pointedly returned, ‘Oh, all right, I think he probably is, or will be, in time. You?'

‘Possibly. Probably.' They laughed at their mutual reluctance to say what they truly felt. Putting his arm around Amy's shoulders Jack steered her back towards the café. ‘Come on, we haven't had any caffeine for at least half an hour. Let's go inside this time and warm up a bit.'

FEBRUARY

In which Jack is missed, and things change faster still for Amy…

Sixty-four

February 10
^th
2007

Amy was exhausted. The gravitational pull of the mattress had her firmly in its padded grasp, and her body didn't want to leave the soft cocoon of her duvet. Her first week as a Trainee Property Manager at Home Hunters had been exhausting, hectic, and complicated. Her brain physically ached, packed as it was with new information about procedures, company policies and the role each staff member performed.

Amy had shadowed Phil around the office, been introduced to major clients, and taken to view a number of potential properties. Next week she'd be on her own with Chris. Something she wasn't allowing herself to think about yet.

Mustering all her willpower, Amy poked her toes out into the chill of the room, slowly followed by the rest of her pyjama-clad body. The hands on her alarm clock told her it was already a quarter to ten. It was only the promise of lunch with Paul that spurred Amy towards the bathroom and a hot shower.

Meeting Amy outside the local supermarket, Paul embraced her before they headed to Pickwicks. ‘We could go to a pub down by the river or something instead, if you don't want to go back to a work-type place today.'

‘Oh, no, I've missed it! I know it's only been a week but, well, I loved working there. Plus I want you to meet Peggy and Scott.'

Paul tugged playfully at the plait that hung down the centre of Amy's back, noticing affectionately that she hadn't quite got all her hair through its tie. Wisps of blonde hair stuck out at odd angles around the red circle of elastic. ‘Still prefer coffee stops to pubs then?'

‘Definitely!' Amy was emphatic as she expounded on the subject, ‘You can go to a café alone or in a group, and neither status is questioned. In a café you can eat something more satisfying than a packet of crisps, and yet less cloying than a gigantic plate of sausage and mash and, should you have to sit near the toilets, the smell of stale urine is unlikely to knock you out.'

Paul laughed, ‘All good points.'

Amy paused as her hand rested on the handle of Pickwicks door, ‘You ready to go in and be questioned relentlessly about your intentions?'

‘Yep.' Paul took her hand firmly in his, ‘come on; introduce me to your friends. I was beginning to think you were ashamed of me.'

Poking him in the ribs, Amy rolled her eyes. ‘Idiot! Come on.'

Amy was only mildly surprised to see Kit sitting at her corner table on a Saturday. She had mentioned to Phil she'd be bringing Paul to Pickwicks today. He must have told his wife, and there was no way Kit's curiosity would have let her miss out on that.

Introductions were made to her past employers in between customers, and renewed with Kit, who Paul hadn't seen for years. They both sat with the writer, who hastily piled her notes together, out of the way of prying eyes.

Paul dived into conversation as Scott absented himself, apologising as he wheeled himself back to the kitchen to see to some pies, just as Peggy delivered a tray of steaming hot drinks and a mountain of pastries. ‘Any word from Jack and Toby, Kit?'

Kit answered between mouthfuls of scolding coffee. ‘Only that they arrived safely, and that his dad has neither killed Jack nor disinherited him.'

‘That's great, but I'm not surprised;' Amy paused to pick a huge Belgian bun off the tray, ‘Jack's dad is cool, I bet he had a pretty good idea anyway.'

‘Jack's not mentioned anything about taking Toby to meet his folks yet then?' Selecting his own pastry, Paul settled back against his chair, mutely observing the women relax around the table together.

‘Not as far as I know, but he's not been in touch much, and I haven't wanted to interfere.'

‘I guess we'll hear soon enough,' Peggy chipped in as she took a rare opportunity to sit down, ‘God, I'm exhausted. Boy, we don't half miss you, Amy!'

Habitual guilt shot through Amy, who was about to apologise for abandoning them yet again, when Paul stopped her. ‘Peggy was paying you a compliment, silly. Not working here anymore isn't something you should feel bad about.'

‘Quite right!' Peggy looked at Paul approvingly, ‘You listen to him. I'd soon be complaining if business was slack!'

Kit, whose mind had been elsewhere during this exchange asked, ‘Haven't you heard from Jack then, Amy?'

‘No,' Amy, who'd been trying not to feel abandoned by Jack's lack of contact, regardless of a couple of “good luck” texts she'd sent, shook her head, ‘no, I've heard nothing.'

It was unseasonably mild. Hand-in-hand, Paul and Amy left Pickwicks, and trudged down the now-familiar pavement towards Princes Road. Paul hadn't asked Amy about her contact with Jack, but he'd sensed her disappointment when she'd found Kit had heard from him, and she hadn't. ‘You OK?'

‘Yes, of course,' Amy looked at him brightly, ‘why?'

‘I thought you might be missing him.'

There was no need to say who the “him” in question was. ‘A bit, but he has new things in his life now', she gripped Paul's palm as she spoke, ‘and so do I.'

Paul said nothing as the usual frisson of sexual tension swept over him. He badly wanted to make love to Amy, but the longer they waited the harder it seemed to be to bring the subject up. Never in his life had he felt so awkward about making a move. Hung up on getting it exactly right, he found himself tongue-tied and frustrated. He simply had to do something before he exploded with an overload of testosterone.