Joker in the Pack (Blackwood UK #1)

Chapter 13

CHAPTER 13

THE NEXT MORNING brought an unexpected bonus. After a frenzied bidding war, a set of Aunt Ellie’s sad-faced china dogs sold for four figures and the buyer paid right away. I stared at the balance for ages and even refreshed the page in case I was dreaming.

“Maddie, you’ll never guess what just happened.”

“What?”

“Someone bought those hideous dogs from the dresser, and I’ve finally got a chunk of money.”

“Seriously? Did they have impaired vision?”

“I think they must have.” After all, I’d have felt guilty offloading them on the charity shop.

“But that’s it? For a moment, I thought you were going to tell me you’d met an eligible country gent with a Land Rover and room for a pony.”

“Uh, that too. Well, I don’t know if either of them has got room for a pony, and Warren drives a Ford Galaxy.”

“Warren? The taxi driver? He asked you out?”

“Last night.”

“Ooh, where’s he taking you?”

“Nowhere. I said no to dinner.”

“What? Why?”

“Uh, it was a bit awkward. I’d already agreed to go out with Tate, and I’m not sure Warren’s my type. I mean, he’s nothing like Edward.”

“Wait a second. Back up. Tate? Who’s Tate?”

“I met him in the pub last night, and he asked me out for lunch. Although it’s not a date. I made that very clear.”

“So what’s this Tate got that Warren hasn’t?”

How did I explain his charm and his twinkling eyes? I tried to think of the right words, but what came out was, “He was wearing Ralph Lauren.”

Ouch. How shallow did I sound? I cringed inside and pictured Maddie as she smacked her palm off her head. The noise certainly echoed down the phone line.

“Olivia Porter, you’ve got to look beneath the superficial. The last thing you want is another Edward.”

“I know. Really, I do. But Tate stepped in like a white knight when another man was bothering me, and the fact that he knows how to dress is just a bonus.”

Maddie sighed, long and loud. “I suppose it’s about time you met a nice guy. Tell me you didn’t sell your Agent Provocateur lingerie?”

“Of course not! Who would want to buy used underwear? I certainly wouldn’t, even if it was washed.”

“Olivia, you’re so sweet. Don’t you have any idea how many men get off on that? And they don’t want it washed.”

“Are you serious? That’s disgusting!”

“They pay top dollar, babe.”

“I don’t care if they pay in gold bullion. I’m not selling my dirty undies.”

What would they do? Sniff them?

“At least that means you’ve still got something saucy to wear for Tate. Or even Warren. I still think you should consider him.”

“Don’t you ever give up?”

“Not often.”

“It’s only lunch with Tate. I won’t be removing any of my clothes.”

“What about his?”

“I’m not that sort of girl!”

“One word: Taurus.”

I put my head in my hands. “Can we just not talk about that?”

She took pity on me. “Okay, okay. What are you going to wear? Do you want to borrow something of mine? Or shall we go shopping?”

“I don’t have a lot of money to spare.”

“That doesn’t matter. Shopping on a budget is the story of my life.”

Maddie had Saturday off, so early that morning, I printed off the bus timetable and braved rural public transport with my handbag and a “deluxe faux-leather multiway laptop case” with Aunt Ellie’s computers in it as well as my own. That way, I could work on the bus. I’d forgotten to ask Maddie about her techy friend, but I figured I’d take them just in case.

Curry night at The Cock and Bull might have a buzz about it, but it didn’t compare to an evening out in the West End. I couldn’t wait to visit some of my old haunts and experience the delights of Oxford Street again. Even the two-hour journey couldn’t dampen my mood. Not only was I going to see my best friend, but on Monday, Tate would be introducing me to what he claimed was the best spaghetti outside London at Middleton Foxford’s Italian restaurant. He’d originally suggested going today, but I’d had to give my apologies and ask him to reschedule.

“No problem. I’m free next Monday or the following Saturday,” he’d said.

Not a grumble—such a far cry from Edward, who’d sulked for days if I asked him to rearrange a meal out.

Maddie was already dressed for a day of bargain hunting when I arrived, complete with sensible shoes and a handy umbrella.

“Good to go?” she asked. “Or do you want a cup of tea first?”

“I’d love a cuppa. And I don’t suppose that computer guy you know might be around today?”

Maddie wrinkled her nose. “Vitaly? He went to visit his family for an extended Christmas break.”

I quickly explained the situation. “I just want to know whether they can be made to work properly, either to sell or use myself.”

“Vitaly’ll definitely take a look. He loves challenges like that, but he’s not due back until the end of the month.”

A few weeks? It was a setback, but a minor one, and I had plenty of bric-a-brac to flog in the meantime.

“Can I leave them with you? I don’t fancy lugging the extra bag back on the bus with me.” My slim Toshiba would fit in my handbag.

“What, that classy pleather contraption? How many pockets does it have?”

“Enough that if I put my phone in there, I’d never find it again.”

Shortly after our second cup of tea, we headed for Oxford Street, where under Maddie’s critical eye, I picked up a floaty top and a pair of smart trousers in the sales.

“There you go,” she said. “That’s classy enough for your posh bloke.”

“He’s not my posh bloke. And I’m not even sure he’s that posh. I only spoke to him for a couple of minutes.”

After all, Mother had trained me to speak the Queen’s English, and I certainly hadn’t been born with a silver spoon in my mouth.

“You could also wear that outfit to go out with Warren. Just saying.”

“Maddie, enough.”

Mission accomplished, Maddie agreed to indulge my love of Japanese food by eating at a sushi place. I wasn’t likely to find maki rolls or salmon sashimi within a ten-mile radius of Upper Foxford, so I had to make the most of London’s restaurants while I could.

I was smiling as I climbed onto the last bus of the night back to the countryside. An evening out with Maddie always cheered me up, and even though I missed the city, life could be worse. After all, I had three new friends, a house of my own, and an adequate though unpredictable income. Oh, and a date-and-possibly-more with a hot guy. I’d deliberately downplayed the heat factor there so Maddie didn’t get too excited.

And maybe, just maybe, the memories of Edward and Becki would eventually fade.

That positive vibe lasted the whole trip home, a long bus ride and the short walk from the bus stop to Lilac Cottage.

It lasted while I stumbled down the uneven path and pushed past the rosemary bushes.

It lasted until I saw my open front door.