‘I was hoping you’d tell me.’
‘You could try meeting all three of them,’ she said. ‘Pick threepubs close to each other, arrange to meet them at three different times, then keep making excuses to leave one and go onto the next.’
‘You’re joking.’
‘Of course I am, you eejit. Imagine what a nightmare that would be for someone like you.’
‘What do you mean “someone like you”?’
‘You know exactly what I mean. Someone nice and polite and a bit anal.’
I couldn’t take offence as she was absolutely right. ‘So what should I do?’
‘Several options spring to mind. You could pick your favourite and keep the others warm, you could pick your favourite and reject the others, you could say you can’t make it to any of them, or you could suggest Friday night to one, Saturday to another, and Sunday to the other. Although I’m with you on Saturday night so that scuppers that plan.’
‘Which would you do?’
‘I’d date all three on the same night.’
‘And if you were me?’
‘I’d pick one. Do you have a favourite?’
‘I like them all so far. It’s hard to judge from a handful of messages.’
‘You must be leaning towards one of them.’
I thought for a moment, trying to separate them in my mind, mentally picturing my columns of Post-it notes. ‘Steven Fox. I think. Perhaps.’
‘Foxy it is then,’ Clare said. ‘But I’d keep the other two warm; tell them you already have plans for the weekend, but would love to meet up after Christmas, and hope they don’t catch you out with Foxy.’
I thanked Clare and headed back to the shop, feeling slightly more relaxed. I’d give it till the end of the day and message Steven Fox. No point in looking too keen.
Cathy was serving a customer, Jade was still cleaning, and I could hear Mum on the phone in The Outback.
‘Did anything exciting happen while I was gone?’ I asked Cathy and Jade when the customer left.
‘I sold another of those silver teddy bear money boxes for a christening,’ Jade said before shyly adding, ‘and I talked her into a really cute teddy bear, a card, and some gift wrap.’
‘That’s brilliant, Jade. Thank you.’
‘The customer who just left wanted two bouquets; a twenty-pound and a ten-pound one,’ Cathy said. ‘She’s coming back in half an hour.’
‘Thank you both.’
‘What about that guy, Mum?’ Jade said.
My stomach lurched. What guy?
‘Soup for brains,’ Cathy said. ‘Nick came in looking for you.’
Oh my God!‘Did he leave a message?’
‘He looked a bit disappointed that he’d missed you and said he’d probably see you after Christmas.’
‘Anything else?’
‘No. That was it.’
