kissable his lips looked; how lustrous his blond hair was and that little gold lights seemed to twinkle in his green eyes when he grinned.
Jess and Susie raced to Becky’s side; they’d seen Max come in and heard the exchange between them.
‘Everything all right Becky?’ Jess asked.
Max raised his eyebrows and still grinning said, ‘And these must be the Flowertots, Fifi.’ He glanced from Becky to her friends and the grin turned into a friendly smile, exposing perfect white teeth. ‘Very pleased to meet you. I’m Max Bedford.’
‘Hi. I’m Jess and this is Susie. Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Bedford. We saw you earlier this morning ... buying a paper ... in the Stores.’
Becky watched her friends almost visibly swoon.
‘Please, call me Max.’
Jess smiled then glanced at Becky. ‘You didn’t tell us you had already met Max.’
Becky tried to avoid her friend’s eyes. ‘I ... I forgot.’
‘Ah, forgotten so easily, I’m cut to the core.’
He didn’t look cut to the core, Becky thought. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely – at her expense.
‘I’m sure you’ll recover,’ she hissed, and headed to the counter to pay.
‘Not until we meet again, Madame Fifi.’
Becky could hear the laughter in his voice and she spun around to face him. She knew she should have ignored him, but there was just something about his attitude that made her see red and for some reason, she wanted him to know that she’d had a good education.
‘How charming,’ she said as calmly as she could, ‘I’ve progressed from a children’s comic character to a fictional 19 th century French prostitute. What next I wonder?’
Max raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised but still grinning he said, ‘I’m impressed. Your reading has come on in leaps and bounds in such a short time, although, I think that was Mademoiselle Fifi. But no. I was actually reminded of my mother’s poodle, Madame Fifi; she too, had curly brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and her bark was also far worse than her bite.’
Becky felt as if her body had transformed into an active volcano as anger bubbled up inside her. ‘A poodle! Now you’re calling me a dog!’
‘I’m not calling you a dog. I’m merely saying you remind me of her. You seem to have similar temperaments. It’s actually a compliment. I was very fond of that dog.’
The volcano erupted. ‘I have never met such an arrogant, conceited, rude, obnoxious ...’ Words failed her. She was already being repetitive.
‘Twerp?’ Max offered.
‘Pig!’ Becky shrieked.
‘So ... does that mean dinner is out of the question?’
Becky took a step forward but Susie grabbed her arm and without a word, handed Jess the shopping basket and almost dragged Becky from the Stores.
Jess paid a rather flustered Mary Parkes for the shopping, threw Max a cursory nod and dashed out after them.
CHAPTER TWO
‘I see what you mean about not calling him darling anytime soon,’ Jess said when they were safely back at Becky’s. What the hell was all that about and why did you lie and say you hadn’t seen him, when we were in the café earlier? You obviously had.’
Susie handed Becky a glass of red wine. ‘Are you okay? I haven’t seen you lose it like that for years.’
Becky was sitting on the sofa in front of the fire, her legs curled up beneath her and her head resting in her right hand. She took the glass and gulped down the contents then held the glass out to her friend. ‘More please.’
Susie refilled it but not before she glanced across at Jess, Becky noticed.
‘I’m okay. I’m sorry about what happened and I’m sorry about lying. I don’t know why I did. It’s just ... oh I don’t know. He made me so cross this morning and then just now, when he laughed at me, I ... oh, it’s just today, that’s all. I got some more bad news yesterday and this morning, I went for a walk to try to think, and that man started shouting at me and grabbing me and
Jess and Susie raced to Becky’s side; they’d seen Max come in and heard the exchange between them.
‘Everything all right Becky?’ Jess asked.
Max raised his eyebrows and still grinning said, ‘And these must be the Flowertots, Fifi.’ He glanced from Becky to her friends and the grin turned into a friendly smile, exposing perfect white teeth. ‘Very pleased to meet you. I’m Max Bedford.’
‘Hi. I’m Jess and this is Susie. Pleased to meet you too, Mr. Bedford. We saw you earlier this morning ... buying a paper ... in the Stores.’
Becky watched her friends almost visibly swoon.
‘Please, call me Max.’
Jess smiled then glanced at Becky. ‘You didn’t tell us you had already met Max.’
Becky tried to avoid her friend’s eyes. ‘I ... I forgot.’
‘Ah, forgotten so easily, I’m cut to the core.’
He didn’t look cut to the core, Becky thought. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely – at her expense.
‘I’m sure you’ll recover,’ she hissed, and headed to the counter to pay.
‘Not until we meet again, Madame Fifi.’
Becky could hear the laughter in his voice and she spun around to face him. She knew she should have ignored him, but there was just something about his attitude that made her see red and for some reason, she wanted him to know that she’d had a good education.
‘How charming,’ she said as calmly as she could, ‘I’ve progressed from a children’s comic character to a fictional 19 th century French prostitute. What next I wonder?’
Max raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised but still grinning he said, ‘I’m impressed. Your reading has come on in leaps and bounds in such a short time, although, I think that was Mademoiselle Fifi. But no. I was actually reminded of my mother’s poodle, Madame Fifi; she too, had curly brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and her bark was also far worse than her bite.’
Becky felt as if her body had transformed into an active volcano as anger bubbled up inside her. ‘A poodle! Now you’re calling me a dog!’
‘I’m not calling you a dog. I’m merely saying you remind me of her. You seem to have similar temperaments. It’s actually a compliment. I was very fond of that dog.’
The volcano erupted. ‘I have never met such an arrogant, conceited, rude, obnoxious ...’ Words failed her. She was already being repetitive.
‘Twerp?’ Max offered.
‘Pig!’ Becky shrieked.
‘So ... does that mean dinner is out of the question?’
Becky took a step forward but Susie grabbed her arm and without a word, handed Jess the shopping basket and almost dragged Becky from the Stores.
Jess paid a rather flustered Mary Parkes for the shopping, threw Max a cursory nod and dashed out after them.
CHAPTER TWO
‘I see what you mean about not calling him darling anytime soon,’ Jess said when they were safely back at Becky’s. What the hell was all that about and why did you lie and say you hadn’t seen him, when we were in the café earlier? You obviously had.’
Susie handed Becky a glass of red wine. ‘Are you okay? I haven’t seen you lose it like that for years.’
Becky was sitting on the sofa in front of the fire, her legs curled up beneath her and her head resting in her right hand. She took the glass and gulped down the contents then held the glass out to her friend. ‘More please.’
Susie refilled it but not before she glanced across at Jess, Becky noticed.
‘I’m okay. I’m sorry about what happened and I’m sorry about lying. I don’t know why I did. It’s just ... oh I don’t know. He made me so cross this morning and then just now, when he laughed at me, I ... oh, it’s just today, that’s all. I got some more bad news yesterday and this morning, I went for a walk to try to think, and that man started shouting at me and grabbing me and
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