she didn’t tell you. Well, that’s Mitsy for you. Must get on. Do pop round for coffee some time. Penelope would love to see you.’
Carole was too stunned to reply.
‘So Grandma Mitsy’s got a toy boy then?’ Sebastian said after his father had walked on. ‘I haven’t met this Nick guy yet but everyone seems to think he’s the best thing since sliced bread. He’s only in his mid-thirties though, from what I hear. Is he after her money, do you think?’
‘What? Sorry, Sebastian, I have to go.’
‘Oh … okay. May I call you?’
‘Yes. Yes, any time.’
‘I’ll be in the pub tonight if you fancy joining me,’ he said.
Carole was already hurrying down the road but she called back over her shoulder. ‘I’ll have to see how things go.’
Meeting Sebastian for a drink was not top on the list of her priorities right now. She had to get to Josie’s before she left for school, and find out how long her gran had been working at the garden centre and exactly why Josie had failed to tell her that too.
***
‘I thought you knew!’ Josie said when Carole banged on her door ten minutes later, demanding to know why she’d kept that piece of news a secret.
‘Based on what?’ Carole asked, stepping into the hall of Josie’s small, flint cottage. ‘When I spoke to you yesterday I made it clear that I didn’t know this Nick guy from Adam. Surely it must have occurred to you that if I hadn’t heard about him, I also didn’t know Gran was working for him?’
‘Well, when you put it like that, I suppose it should have,’ Josie said, leading the way into the kitchen where she had been having her breakfast. ‘But I can honestly say that it didn’t. Your gran’s been in and out of there since the day he opened it, even before he opened it, come to think of it. At first she just seemed to be hanging around and ... well, I think I assumed she just liked the company, living on her own as she does. I don’t know when she actually started working there. Or whether she really does. Perhaps she still just hangs out there. I know I would, given half the chance.’
Carole pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table. ‘That’s not helping, Josie. I’m supposed to be apologising to this guy for accusing him of beating up Gran and for possibly trying to steal her money or something and now I find out he’s actually her employer! No wonder she–’
‘Excuse me! Did you just say you accused Nick of violence towards your gran? And theft? Good God, Carole, that’s almost funny! Nick? Violent? And a criminal?’
‘Okay, don’t make a big deal out of it. Gran’s already read me the riot act. The point is – and I don’t know how many times I have to keep saying this – I know nothing about the guy. I’m beginning to feel as if I’ve walked into a remake of The Stepford Wives or something. Everyone keeps telling me how wonderful he is but until yesterday, I hadn’t heard his name more than once when Gran says she told me he pruned her apple tree. Don’t laugh at that and don’t make dirty jokes about my gran!’
‘I wasn’t going to! Although you must admit ... okay, I’m sorry. I’ll shut up.’
‘I’m worried, Josie and I’m convinced he’s hiding something. I don’t care what anyone says. I’ve just got a feeling about him. My insides are definitely giving me warning signals.’
Josie handed Carole a mug of coffee and sat down opposite her hugging a bowl of cereal to her chest. ‘Are you sure that your insides aren’t giving you some other sort of signals? Mine definitely go all weird every time I see him.’
‘Absolutely not!’
‘I can tell when you’re lying, you know. You fancy him too, don’t you?’
‘No! I’m practically engaged to Dominic. I admit that I did think he was rather good-looking but if I fancy anyone other than Dom, it’s Sebastian. God, I nearly threw myself in his arms just now in the middle of the street without giving Dom a second
Carole was too stunned to reply.
‘So Grandma Mitsy’s got a toy boy then?’ Sebastian said after his father had walked on. ‘I haven’t met this Nick guy yet but everyone seems to think he’s the best thing since sliced bread. He’s only in his mid-thirties though, from what I hear. Is he after her money, do you think?’
‘What? Sorry, Sebastian, I have to go.’
‘Oh … okay. May I call you?’
‘Yes. Yes, any time.’
‘I’ll be in the pub tonight if you fancy joining me,’ he said.
Carole was already hurrying down the road but she called back over her shoulder. ‘I’ll have to see how things go.’
Meeting Sebastian for a drink was not top on the list of her priorities right now. She had to get to Josie’s before she left for school, and find out how long her gran had been working at the garden centre and exactly why Josie had failed to tell her that too.
***
‘I thought you knew!’ Josie said when Carole banged on her door ten minutes later, demanding to know why she’d kept that piece of news a secret.
‘Based on what?’ Carole asked, stepping into the hall of Josie’s small, flint cottage. ‘When I spoke to you yesterday I made it clear that I didn’t know this Nick guy from Adam. Surely it must have occurred to you that if I hadn’t heard about him, I also didn’t know Gran was working for him?’
‘Well, when you put it like that, I suppose it should have,’ Josie said, leading the way into the kitchen where she had been having her breakfast. ‘But I can honestly say that it didn’t. Your gran’s been in and out of there since the day he opened it, even before he opened it, come to think of it. At first she just seemed to be hanging around and ... well, I think I assumed she just liked the company, living on her own as she does. I don’t know when she actually started working there. Or whether she really does. Perhaps she still just hangs out there. I know I would, given half the chance.’
Carole pulled out a chair and sat at the kitchen table. ‘That’s not helping, Josie. I’m supposed to be apologising to this guy for accusing him of beating up Gran and for possibly trying to steal her money or something and now I find out he’s actually her employer! No wonder she–’
‘Excuse me! Did you just say you accused Nick of violence towards your gran? And theft? Good God, Carole, that’s almost funny! Nick? Violent? And a criminal?’
‘Okay, don’t make a big deal out of it. Gran’s already read me the riot act. The point is – and I don’t know how many times I have to keep saying this – I know nothing about the guy. I’m beginning to feel as if I’ve walked into a remake of The Stepford Wives or something. Everyone keeps telling me how wonderful he is but until yesterday, I hadn’t heard his name more than once when Gran says she told me he pruned her apple tree. Don’t laugh at that and don’t make dirty jokes about my gran!’
‘I wasn’t going to! Although you must admit ... okay, I’m sorry. I’ll shut up.’
‘I’m worried, Josie and I’m convinced he’s hiding something. I don’t care what anyone says. I’ve just got a feeling about him. My insides are definitely giving me warning signals.’
Josie handed Carole a mug of coffee and sat down opposite her hugging a bowl of cereal to her chest. ‘Are you sure that your insides aren’t giving you some other sort of signals? Mine definitely go all weird every time I see him.’
‘Absolutely not!’
‘I can tell when you’re lying, you know. You fancy him too, don’t you?’
‘No! I’m practically engaged to Dominic. I admit that I did think he was rather good-looking but if I fancy anyone other than Dom, it’s Sebastian. God, I nearly threw myself in his arms just now in the middle of the street without giving Dom a second
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