Nomance, T Price [bookreader .TXT] 📗

obviously disturbedyou. And you must think I’m mooching through your cupboards.’Louisa said.

‘Yeah, Carl,’ Gwynnehollered from all away across the other end of the kitchen,‘where’s the coffee?’

Carla let go ofLouisa’s hand and took a step back to look her up and down.

So, this was the idiotwho had Gwynne for a new boyfriend. Without turning to him shesaid, ‘It was your turn to buy some more and that’s why there isn’tany here.’ She smiled at Louisa. ‘But I’ll brew you some tea, ifyou want. I fancy a cuppa myself.’

‘You sure?’

‘Yes, I’m sure. Go on,sit down.’

Carla grabbed thekettle and started to fill it at the sink. ‘So, Gwynne tells meyour father makes aeroplanes,’ she said over her shoulder.

‘Daddy is anaeronautical engineer,’ Louisa tittered from the table. Greaterproximity to Gwynne had reduced her IQ still further.

Carla connected thekettle. A depressing reality was dawning upon her now as she setthe cups out and dropped a tea bag into each of them. Louisa hadthat air of brainlessness and that cut-glass accent thatcharacterised the typical customer of Romance.

Gwynne had gonenative.

She took the milk fromthe fridge and poured some in each cup and then, steeling herself,she turned to face the happy pair.

They weren’tsmooching.

Thank God!

Gwynne already had hishands full, propping his head up off the table, while Louisa satadjacent, demure in a rock-solid sort of way and watched Carla withbenign curiosity.

‘Tea will be better forhim than coffee. It’ll stop him dehydrating in the night. You don’twant that,’ Carla said. She frowned. ‘You are staying over,aren’t you, Louisa?’

‘The train at ThamesDitton – ’ Louisa began, but Carla halted her with a raised hand.She understood and sympathised.

‘Say no more.’

A silence developed,broken only by the singing of the kettle.

Without warning Louisabroke out, ‘I like your rifle!’

‘It’s mine, Lou,’Gwynne splattered, full of pride.

‘I thought you might beburglars,’ Carla explained, stifling a yawn.

‘Is it a legal rifle?’Louisa asked.

‘It’s only an air gun,not a proper rifle, lover,’ Gwynne confessed bitterly. He draggedhis arms back, setting the ugly head they were supporting into amore upright position. ‘Though the fact is, it isn’t legal,’ headded, rallying a little. ‘Because it’s fitted with an extrapowerful spring.’

‘Ah,’ Louisa said.

‘It can kill at closerange,’ Carla chipped in. Then she scowled at Gwynne, her voiceheavy with suspicion. ‘It can, can’t it?’

‘Yeah!’ He protested indefence of his impeccable honesty.

‘Have you been burgledoften?’ Louisa asked.

‘Never!’ Carla spatwith disgust. ‘We’ve got nothing worth nicking, have we? A load ofplants, that’s all.’

‘I was thinking of thetakings.’

‘Huh, some hope. Thisplace is dead on its feet. That’s why the burglars don’t come. Theycan smell failure a mile off.’

‘But it’s so lovely,’Louisa neighed in distress. ‘Romance!’

The kettle boiled asCarla and Gwynne guffawed.

‘Trust her, sheknows,’ Gwynne confided to Louisa. ‘This place is a dog.’Smiling, Carla turned away and attended to the tea. She heardGwynne add, in a loud, loud whisper, ‘Carla’s going for a hardwarefranchise in Milton Keynes.’

There was no verbalresponse to this from Louisa.

When the tea was readyCarla took the cups to the table and set them out.

‘Sugar, Louisa?’

Louisa’s face was stillclouded. ‘No, thank you.’

Carla fetched the sugarbowl and spoon from the work top and placed them in the middle ofthe table. Gwynne lurched into action, grabbing the spoon andheaping sugar into his tea.

‘Leave some for me,pig!’ Carla yelled as she sat down. Then she giggled and smiled atLouisa. ‘We’ve both got a bit of a sweet tooth.’

Louisa’s expressionbrightened. ‘Sweet by nature.’

‘I’ll get anotherpacket when I get the coffee,’ Gwynne slopped and slurred, givingCarla the spoon.

‘You already sound likeyou ain’t got no teeth left,’ she observed happily as she spoonedsugar into her tea. ‘Never mind, that lets the beer sluice throughquicker, doesn’t it?’ She beamed at Louisa. ‘You’re not a drinker,are you?’

‘Hardly at all.’

‘Me neither,’ Carlasaid. She picked her tea up and slurped. Gwynne began to slurp too.Carla gave him a dirty look and then exchanged a covert smile offemale camaraderie with Louisa.

Louisa responded with,‘But I can’t believe you want to sell Romance.’

Carla stopped midslurp. Hadn’t she already covered that subject from every angle?‘Maybe it is a mistake,’ she said, to be nice, ‘but events havetaken over. I’ll be finalising a franchise tomorrow, and then I’llhave to put this place on the market soon. Of course, you’reright,’ she added with perfect equanimity, ‘it might be the worstmistake of my life.’

‘Oh, I don’t think itwill be,’ Louisa gushed, ‘though, I have heard that some people doget robbed by some franchises.’

Gwynne rinsed his mouthout with more tea and leered. ‘Carl’ll be okay. She’s got her veryown financial advisor.’

‘Oh?’

‘He’s a top-notchlawyer too,’ Carla said with an almost girlish pride. It soundedodd to her, this girlish pride of hers. Unnatural.

‘Oh, super,’ Louisasaid.

‘Yeah,’ Carla clearedher throat and spoke more gruffly. ‘He’s making sure I get the bestdeal. Like I’ll be able to buy out the new shop after a certaintime. The franchise companies didn’t like that, but David drives ahard bargain.’

‘David sounds nice,’Louisa tittered, provoking a double-take from Carla. But Louisa’ssmirk was already gone. ‘So anyway, if you asked him, couldn’tDavid give you some good advice on making Romance moreprofitable?’

‘I said he was atop-notch lawyer, I didn’t say he was Jesus Christ.’

‘But surely you don’tneed Jesus Christ,’ Louisa persevered. ‘I mean, Kew is a wonderfullocation for a florist’s shop.’

‘Milton Keynes is aneven better location for an ironmonger’s.’

‘Yes, but you’realready here. You have to move to Milton Keynes and that costsmoney, I should think.’

Carla considered this.‘Yes, you have a point there – except, getting out of this dumpwill be worth every penny. On the other hand, I like what you’resaying about Kew being a good location. See, I’ll have to starttalking this place up when the buyers come round. Okay, everyword’s going to stick in my throat, but I’ve got to try.’

‘Well, I shouldn’t mindbuying it, for a start,’ Louisa panted.

Gwynne, who hadpowered-down for a while, was now thrashing about like he was aboutto drown. ‘Lou! Lou! No!’ He gasped.

‘Hey,’ Louisa murmured,stroking his arm. ‘Be careful.’

‘Are you choking?’Carla enquired, before taking a delicate sip of tea.

Gwynne gulped andflopped about like a stranded fish, but in the end he managed todraw breath again. ‘Lou,’ he