Oh, now it was coming back to her. Gina had called a while after the funeral to find out how she was, and to let her know that she was flying to the States to sort out some family business. Yes, that was right, so maybe she was still there. It seemed a very long time to be away; however Gina and Charles’s daughter, Lydia, was in New York, so maybe Gina was with her. She’d ask Pamela when she came home if she’d heard from Gina lately, then she’d patiently endure Pamela’s snipes about her Alzheimer’s setting in.
As if Pamela’s memory was any better.
It wasn’t, for she had to remind Pamela of things every bit as often as Pamela had to remind her. That was age for you: so depressing when even a look in the mirror showed two women who surely couldn’t be considered anywhere close to mid-sixties – or not in the way Rowzee thought of sixty-year-olds, all fusty dry skin, grizzled grey hair and frumpy clothes. She and Pamela had, in her opinion, still-youthful complexions, soft bouncy hair, and the fashionable clothes they wore often came from Zara and Next.
Where had Pamela said she was going, again?
Oh yes, that was right, she hadn’t said, but apparently she wouldn’t be home until late. That meant Rowzee stillhad plenty of time to sneak a little nap without Pamela knowing and accusing her of getting old, before applying herself to the secret research project she’d recently started online.
It was quite exciting in its way, although frightening too, and she couldn’t imagine for one minute that any of her family would approve if they were to find out about it. The point was not to let them find out.
And take upon ’s the mystery of things . . . That was from King Lear , Act 5, Scene 3 – proving that her memory wasn’t as rusty as she sometimes feared.
‘Andee, you’re still here,’ Graeme Ogilvie stated in cheerful surprise as she and Blake came through from the workshop. ‘I was hoping I wouldn’t miss you.’
Appreciating his friendliness, Andee smiled as she noticed that the blonde from earlier was nowhere to be seen. ‘It’s good to see you again,’ she said, glancing curiously at the bags that he was loading on to his desk, full of what looked like acres of foaming lace, ribbons, pink satin and – was that a sword sticking out of the top of one?
‘I can explain,’ he promised with a twinkle. To Blake, he said, ‘Is everything OK?’
Blake turned to Andee, apparently wanting her to answer.
‘I’m going to talk to some of Jessica’s friends again,’ Andee told them, keeping the plans for her next step to herself for now.
Evidently pleased with the reply, Graeme said, ‘It never does any harm to go over things with fresh eyes. You know how sometimes you can’t see for looking,so there’s a chance something might have been missed somewhere.’
Andee couldn’t deny his reasoning, nor could she feel quite comfortable with the way his dark eyes rested so easily, yet intently on hers. She knew he couldn’t help it, it was simply the way he looked at a person, but it was that look, combined with the proximity of him, that had made her realise, the last time she was here, that she was still attracted to him. She’d even been ready, at the time, to believe the feeling was mutual, but that was before she’d come across his new partner, assistant, whoever she was, who’d just appeared from a storeroom with a giant roll of bubble wrap.
‘Ah, have you met Lucie?’ Graeme asked, turning to hold out an arm to the younger woman. ‘She’s been holding the fort for me this afternoon. Lucie, I’d like you to meet Andee Lawrence.’
‘I recognised you the minute you came in,’ the gorgeous Lucie declared, coming to shake Andee’s hand. She looked so friendly and happy to be there – and clearly saw Andee as no threat to her position at all. ‘I think it’s wonderful that you’re going to help Blake,’ she ran on. ‘We all do. We’ve come to think of him as
As if Pamela’s memory was any better.
It wasn’t, for she had to remind Pamela of things every bit as often as Pamela had to remind her. That was age for you: so depressing when even a look in the mirror showed two women who surely couldn’t be considered anywhere close to mid-sixties – or not in the way Rowzee thought of sixty-year-olds, all fusty dry skin, grizzled grey hair and frumpy clothes. She and Pamela had, in her opinion, still-youthful complexions, soft bouncy hair, and the fashionable clothes they wore often came from Zara and Next.
Where had Pamela said she was going, again?
Oh yes, that was right, she hadn’t said, but apparently she wouldn’t be home until late. That meant Rowzee stillhad plenty of time to sneak a little nap without Pamela knowing and accusing her of getting old, before applying herself to the secret research project she’d recently started online.
It was quite exciting in its way, although frightening too, and she couldn’t imagine for one minute that any of her family would approve if they were to find out about it. The point was not to let them find out.
And take upon ’s the mystery of things . . . That was from King Lear , Act 5, Scene 3 – proving that her memory wasn’t as rusty as she sometimes feared.
‘Andee, you’re still here,’ Graeme Ogilvie stated in cheerful surprise as she and Blake came through from the workshop. ‘I was hoping I wouldn’t miss you.’
Appreciating his friendliness, Andee smiled as she noticed that the blonde from earlier was nowhere to be seen. ‘It’s good to see you again,’ she said, glancing curiously at the bags that he was loading on to his desk, full of what looked like acres of foaming lace, ribbons, pink satin and – was that a sword sticking out of the top of one?
‘I can explain,’ he promised with a twinkle. To Blake, he said, ‘Is everything OK?’
Blake turned to Andee, apparently wanting her to answer.
‘I’m going to talk to some of Jessica’s friends again,’ Andee told them, keeping the plans for her next step to herself for now.
Evidently pleased with the reply, Graeme said, ‘It never does any harm to go over things with fresh eyes. You know how sometimes you can’t see for looking,so there’s a chance something might have been missed somewhere.’
Andee couldn’t deny his reasoning, nor could she feel quite comfortable with the way his dark eyes rested so easily, yet intently on hers. She knew he couldn’t help it, it was simply the way he looked at a person, but it was that look, combined with the proximity of him, that had made her realise, the last time she was here, that she was still attracted to him. She’d even been ready, at the time, to believe the feeling was mutual, but that was before she’d come across his new partner, assistant, whoever she was, who’d just appeared from a storeroom with a giant roll of bubble wrap.
‘Ah, have you met Lucie?’ Graeme asked, turning to hold out an arm to the younger woman. ‘She’s been holding the fort for me this afternoon. Lucie, I’d like you to meet Andee Lawrence.’
‘I recognised you the minute you came in,’ the gorgeous Lucie declared, coming to shake Andee’s hand. She looked so friendly and happy to be there – and clearly saw Andee as no threat to her position at all. ‘I think it’s wonderful that you’re going to help Blake,’ she ran on. ‘We all do. We’ve come to think of him as
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