‘How do you feel about that?’
‘I don’t think I can. Definitely not now, anyway.’
‘Maybe think about it in your own time? There’s no hurry, is there?’
Dan nodded.
‘Want to dance again when we’ve finished our drinks?’ he asked.
‘Definitely. Although you have big shoes to fill now. Greggy’s afantasticdancer.’
Twenty-Eight
Now – August 2022
Evie
‘Evie, your lipstick looks very nice.’
‘Thank you, gorgeous Autumn.’ Evie smiled at her younger sister, bouncing on Evie’s bed. ‘It’s a new one. Maybe don’t bouncequiteso high, Autumn. You might break the mattress springs. Maybe don’t bounce atall.’ She leaned forward to get a better view of her eyes in her mirror and applied another coat of mascara carefully. She put the mascara back in her make-up bag and checked her fingernails. Yep, they still looked good from the manicure that she’d had with Sasha, Lucie and Dervla on Friday. She looked back into her mirror. Maybe just a little bit more eyeliner.
‘Evie, you’re taking a very long time to get ready,’ Autumn said. ‘Where are you going?’
‘Just for a walk.’ Evie put her eyeliner back in her make-up bag and patted her hair into place.
‘A special walk?’ Honestly. Now that Autumn was nearly eight you could have semi grown-up conversations with her, and that was lovely, but this was taking grown-up too far. Evie did not need her little sister to be this observant.
‘Not really. Just a normal walk.’
‘Who with?’
‘Just a friend from the village.’
‘Do you mean Sasha? But she’s on holiday after her wedding.’ Autumn tilted her head to one side and Evie smiled at her. Funny how you couldadorea child while simultaneously really wishing they wouldshut up.
‘Sasha’s brother. Dan.’ Evie tried to keep her face completely emotionless. Autumn was far too clever for Evie’s good. She still wasn’t quite sure why or even how Dan had suggested meeting for a walk today – they’d danced together for hours last night and, as everyone said their goodbyes, he’d made the suggestion – but she did know that she was having a hard time not smiling away just at the thought of seeing him. Which there was nothing wrong with. You weren’t cheating on someone by going for a strictly platonic walk with someone else, and a lot of people had fantasy crushes, didn’t they? That they’d never act on. Unless they were single and drunk in Vegas. And, frankly, if Matthew was going to play golf the whole time, she was bound to go for walks with old friends occasionally.
‘Oh. But isn’t Matthew your boyfriend?’Seriously. Bloody seven-year-olds and their questions. ‘So how can Dan be your boyfriend too?’
‘Dan isn’t my boyfriend. He’s just a friend. You know, like you’re friends with Sammy at school.’
‘Well, I’m actually going to marry Sammy. Are you going to marry Sasha’s brother?’ Thank God Autumn hadn’t been old enough to hear about Vegas.
‘No. You can go for a walk with a boy or a man without marrying them.’
‘Iknowthat.’ Autumn practically tossed her head in scorn. ‘I just wondered. Do you want him to be your boyfriend?’ Maybe, in a fantasy world. But in reality, no. Dan clearly didn’t want a relationship, and from Evie’s side she wasn’t sure she could really cope with being with someone who had so many unresolved issues. It felt like it would be similar to living with her mum’s roller coaster love life. Evie wanted a solid relationship, like the one she had with Matthew.
‘No. I have a boyfriend already, remember.’ She lifted her wrist and said, ‘Goodness, is that the time? I’m going to have to go.’ She wasn’t meeting Dan for another ten minutes but walking aimlessly around the village by herself for a few minutes would be vastly preferable to continuing Autumn’s inquisition.
‘Can I come with you?’
‘I’m really sorry but we have plans to walk a really long way and, even though you’re a very big girl now, I think it’ll be too far for you. And, also, I think Mummy has plans for you.’
‘What plans?’
‘I don’t know. Let’s go and ask her.Mum,’ Evie called as they went downstairs. ‘I’m busy this afternoon and I can’t look after Autumn and I know that you have plans for her.’
‘I thought we could bake a cake together, Autumn,’ said their mum, ‘and then we’re going to see Grant’s new puppies. Going somewhere nice, Evie?’
