‘No, your family would never approve.’ Brian laughed.
Cripes, the family!In her excitement, Kate had forgotten she’d have to tell them – and they wouldn’t exactly be overjoyed at the prospect of Brian as an in-law. ‘The thing is, once I tell my family it’ll be hard to rein them in and stop them taking over.’
‘Well, I’m pretty busy all summer. Why don’t we keep it to ourselves for the moment and spring it on them nearer the time?’ Brian was feeling claustrophobic now with all this talk of weddings. He needed breathing space.
‘Good idea,’ Kate agreed. She was relieved at not having tobreak the news to her family straight away. They’d have time to get to know Brian better and warm to him.
‘Well, we should celebrate, shouldn’t we? They don’t do champagne here, but we could have another pizza – start as we mean to go on.’
Kate grinned. ‘I’ll have pepperoni on mine.’
4
Kate managed to keep her engagement secret for the next fortnight, even though she was bursting to tell someone. She had told Freddie, of course, but that didn’t count. ‘It isn’t a formal engagement,’ she had said, swearing him to secrecy.
‘In other words, no ring.’
But that was it. She had been feeling remarkably flat about the whole thing, but she put it down to the fact that she couldn’t talk about it. There were no congratulations, no wedding plans. It made the whole thing seem unreal. Still, she had promised Brian, and she felt quite proud of herself for holding it in.
Then her mother called. ‘Darling, Helen’s having one of her singles things tonight. You should go.’
Kate groaned. ‘But I’m not single, Mum,’ she said.
‘Oh? Did I miss the wedding?’ her mother replied.
‘You know what I mean. I’m with someone. I’m not looking for a man because I already have one.’
‘Hmm.’ Her mother sounded unconvinced. ‘If you’re not married, you’re single,’ she said firmly. ‘Anyway, it’d be no harmto meet some new people. You shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket, you know.’
‘Mum, Brian and I are serious about each other.’ Kate longed to say more, to impress on her mother just how serious they were, but she clenched her teeth and said nothing.
‘You’re wasting your time with him, Kate. I don’t think he’s marriage material – and you’re not getting any younger.’
Kate sighed. She was only twenty-eight and her mother was consigning her to the scrapheap!
‘I mean, do you honestly see him marrying you, Kate?’ Grace persisted.
‘Actually, Mum, I’ve got news – but I don’t want you to tell anyone else just yet, okay?’
‘Of course not, if that’s what you want,’ Grace assured her. ‘What is it, darling?’
‘I’m not going to be single for much longer,’ she said, pleased to be able to take the wind out of her mother’s sails. ‘I’m engaged!’
Silence.
‘Mum? Are you there?’
‘Oh yes, darling. I’m still here.’
‘Well?’
‘Well, what?’
‘Aren’t you pleased?’
‘Is it the Tree-hugger?’
Kate sighed. ‘I wish you wouldn’t call him that. He has a name, you know.’
