tall as
him. This close, though, she still needed to look up slightly.
“Anyway,” she continued, “did you find your dad?”
He nodded slowly, hesitantly. The smile had gone
now. “Yeah.”
“You don’t sound very sure.”
“It was definitely him,” he said, more positively.
“I’m guessing it didn’t go too well.” Tanya knew she
was taking a risk with this comment. But then, she was taking a risk by
just coming over like this and talking to him.
The smile came back, but it was a wry one. “You could
say that.”
“Want to talk about it?”
He gave her a look. “Now?”
She spread her arms slightly, palms towards him. “No
time like the present.” Catching him glancing around the yard, she
gestured towards the house. “I didn’t mean out here. We can go and
sit inside.”
His look became more questioning. “Don’t you think that’s
a little dangerous, Mrs McLean?” She knew the formal address was
deliberate, a reminder that she was married. And she recognised it for
what it was: a request for clarification of her intentions.
Grinning, she said: “Well, as the buyer, I should be the one
to make that judgement.”
He grinned back. “I’ll remember that next time.”
She turned to lead him back to the house, but his next words
stopped her. “It’ll have to be another time, though.”
Puzzled, disappointed, and – if she was honest with herself
– a little angry, she stared at him. She’d thought he’d understood.
Was he stupid, or something? She was offering herself to him on a plate.
He must have recognised something in her expression, because
he shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry, Tanya. I really do
have to get on. I’m supposed to be meeting up with my dad and the rest of
the family this evening. And in the mean time, I’ve got to find myself
somewhere to stay.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s already nearly
three-thirty, and I don’t know how easy it’s going to be to get a room round
here. I’ve been away a long time, so I’m not even sure where to start.”
For a moment, Tanya thought she had just made a fool of
herself. But listening to him talk, she realised that the situation could
yet be salvaged. It might even give her an opportunity to really get back
at Ian.
“How long are you stopping for?”
Martin shrugged. “In all honesty, I don’t know.
Depending on how things go tonight, I could be gone tomorrow morning.” He
paused, allowing his gaze to wander. It was as if he was taking in his
surroundings, and possibly something more. “I doubt it, though,” he said
at last. “I suspect I’ll be around for a few days at least.”
A few days, eh? That prospect had plenty of
appeal.
“Where were you planning to try?”
“The obvious place is the pub, but I don’t know if they even
have any rooms.”
“They do,” Tanya said, “but they’ll probably need to know
exactly how long you’ll be stopping for.” She hesitated, pretending to
think things over. “You know, Ian and I have been making plans to offer
B&B here.” Which wasn’t entirely true. They’d included it among
their lists of options when looking at how to improve their financial
situation. But they hadn’t taken the discussion any further than that.
“We’ve got an annexe at the side of the house that has a bedroom and its own
bathroom.” Which was true. David Sullivan had used it as
guest accommodation when his children came to stay with their families.
“We haven’t started to offer it, so we don’t have any bookings at the
moment. If you wanted to, you could use that, and we could treat it as a
trial run.”
“Well, it would solve a problem for me,” Martin said
thoughtfully. “But how will your husband feel about it?”
“Frankly, he’ll probably just be glad of the money.”
And he’d be suspicious as hell, but that was his hard luck. “So what do
you
him. This close, though, she still needed to look up slightly.
“Anyway,” she continued, “did you find your dad?”
He nodded slowly, hesitantly. The smile had gone
now. “Yeah.”
“You don’t sound very sure.”
“It was definitely him,” he said, more positively.
“I’m guessing it didn’t go too well.” Tanya knew she
was taking a risk with this comment. But then, she was taking a risk by
just coming over like this and talking to him.
The smile came back, but it was a wry one. “You could
say that.”
“Want to talk about it?”
He gave her a look. “Now?”
She spread her arms slightly, palms towards him. “No
time like the present.” Catching him glancing around the yard, she
gestured towards the house. “I didn’t mean out here. We can go and
sit inside.”
His look became more questioning. “Don’t you think that’s
a little dangerous, Mrs McLean?” She knew the formal address was
deliberate, a reminder that she was married. And she recognised it for
what it was: a request for clarification of her intentions.
Grinning, she said: “Well, as the buyer, I should be the one
to make that judgement.”
He grinned back. “I’ll remember that next time.”
She turned to lead him back to the house, but his next words
stopped her. “It’ll have to be another time, though.”
Puzzled, disappointed, and – if she was honest with herself
– a little angry, she stared at him. She’d thought he’d understood.
Was he stupid, or something? She was offering herself to him on a plate.
He must have recognised something in her expression, because
he shook his head apologetically. “I’m sorry, Tanya. I really do
have to get on. I’m supposed to be meeting up with my dad and the rest of
the family this evening. And in the mean time, I’ve got to find myself
somewhere to stay.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s already nearly
three-thirty, and I don’t know how easy it’s going to be to get a room round
here. I’ve been away a long time, so I’m not even sure where to start.”
For a moment, Tanya thought she had just made a fool of
herself. But listening to him talk, she realised that the situation could
yet be salvaged. It might even give her an opportunity to really get back
at Ian.
“How long are you stopping for?”
Martin shrugged. “In all honesty, I don’t know.
Depending on how things go tonight, I could be gone tomorrow morning.” He
paused, allowing his gaze to wander. It was as if he was taking in his
surroundings, and possibly something more. “I doubt it, though,” he said
at last. “I suspect I’ll be around for a few days at least.”
A few days, eh? That prospect had plenty of
appeal.
“Where were you planning to try?”
“The obvious place is the pub, but I don’t know if they even
have any rooms.”
“They do,” Tanya said, “but they’ll probably need to know
exactly how long you’ll be stopping for.” She hesitated, pretending to
think things over. “You know, Ian and I have been making plans to offer
B&B here.” Which wasn’t entirely true. They’d included it among
their lists of options when looking at how to improve their financial
situation. But they hadn’t taken the discussion any further than that.
“We’ve got an annexe at the side of the house that has a bedroom and its own
bathroom.” Which was true. David Sullivan had used it as
guest accommodation when his children came to stay with their families.
“We haven’t started to offer it, so we don’t have any bookings at the
moment. If you wanted to, you could use that, and we could treat it as a
trial run.”
“Well, it would solve a problem for me,” Martin said
thoughtfully. “But how will your husband feel about it?”
“Frankly, he’ll probably just be glad of the money.”
And he’d be suspicious as hell, but that was his hard luck. “So what do
you
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