Page 16 of The Woman Who Said Yes

‘I, um… haven’t been,’ she replies, with something like a grimace.

‘You’re kidding.’ I stare at her.

‘There hasn’t really been time,’ she explains, although obviously there’s been time to go to the registry office and put things in motion for spending the rest of her life with this man.

‘You mean… he hasn’t invited you over?’ I ask lightly.

With a shrug, she starts to shuffle the pictures into piles. ‘Not yet. Says it’s a building site at the moment. He’s having major work done. An interior wall taken down so it’ll be a big open space with a huge glass wall leading out into his garden.’

‘That sounds amazing!’

‘It does, I guess. A bit flashy, I think.’ Eva adores her little flat. It’s nothing fancy – but it’s hers, the place she worked so hard to scrape together a deposit for thirty years ago. I know for certain that Dom’s apparently lavish home won’t be a factor in her marrying him. Eva has never been remotely interested in a man’s financial status; in fact, virtually all of her boyfriends have been broke.

‘Couldn’t he just show you what it’s like?’ I ask tentatively.

‘Well, it’s full of builders right now.’ A trace of impatience has crept into her voice. Yes, but couldn’t you see the builders?

A silence hovers, as if she knows I’m not completely thrilled by this new revelation. The chunky emerald glints in the afternoon sun.

‘So, you’re going to live there,’ I venture, ‘when it’s all done?’

Only now does a flicker of doubt cross her face. ‘Well, I guess so. That’s what we’re planning, and it’d seem ridiculous for us to live here, wouldn’t it?’

‘Would it, though? You love your place!’

She shrugs, seeming to want to change the subject. As if the thought of leaving her home is quite painful for her, yet she doesn’t seem able to admit it. ‘It might be a while though,’ she adds, brightening. ‘He says at the moment, it’s kind of like camping inside his house.’ She rolls her eyes. ‘He’s been staying at my place a lot. I think it’s that thing of, when something’s your business, you’re the last on your priority list⁠—’

‘Like Harry?’ I ask, meaning the gardener she was seeing. By all accounts his own garden was choked with undergrowth, its focal point a wheelbarrow heaped with broken paving slabs.

‘Exactly.’ She goes to fetch her laptop, and we browse more prospective reception venues. ‘Look, I know what you’re thinking,’ she adds. ‘That it’s so quick, that I’m rushing in…’

‘I haven’t said that.’ I sense my face reddening.

‘Yeah, I know. You haven’t and neither has Sam.’ Her smile seems to set, and she hesitates, as if it’s important to her that I understand. ‘The thing is, we’re kind of similar, Dom and me. He’s never been married or had kids or even a big, significant relationship before now. All these years he’s just done his own thing, like I have…’

‘You mean…’ I hesitate to find the right term. ‘He’s a bit of a free spirit?’

‘I guess so.’ She nods.

I inhale deeply and touch her arm. ‘And you’re absolutely sure, are you? I don’t mean about Dom,’ I add. ‘He’s great! He really is, Eves. I just mean about getting married so quickly, before you’ve even had time to⁠—’

‘Time to what?’ She blinks at me.

‘Oh, I don’t know! Go to the supermarket. Put the bins out. Unblock the loo…’ I meant this semi-jokingly but it’s come out all wrong.

Eva frowns. ‘You really think those things matter?’

‘No, no, of course not,’ I say quickly. ‘I’m sorry. I just…’ I look at her and then, somehow, we’re hugging and my vision is blurred with tears. ‘I just care about you and I want you to be happy…’

‘Oh, my darling. I know that. I really do.’ There’s a catch to her voice, and as we pull apart I see that her eyes are wet too. ‘But honestly,’ she adds, ‘he makes me feel so good. So loved, I guess. And I’ve never had that before with anyone.’ But we love you! I want to cry. Me and Sam! We’ve loved you for nearly forty years, even though you were even worse than us at folding cardigans! ‘Y’know, after the cruise I did wonder if I’d ever hear from him again,’ Eva continues. ‘That it had just been one of those mad holiday things. Proposing over dinner that night – well, he’d had a few drinks. I assumed he’d just got carried away with himself. But he was in touch right away and the more I’m with him, the more I love him and…’ She tails off, fixing me with her brown eyes.

‘I get that,’ I murmur.

She presses her lips together in a smile. ‘I can’t really explain it. I know it sounds a bit pathetic…’

‘What does?’ I’m trying – but failing – to understand.

‘Oh, you know how it’s been with me and men. That feeling of, “Oh, Eva’s great to hang out with but she doesn’t need any… special treatment”.’