Three Amazing Things About You(9)

He’d survived, obviously. It had taken time, a lot of care and more money than some people earned in a year. But slowly, he recovered. And Elsa had taken note of the love and devotion Flo had lavished on her most beloved pet.

‘I have a proposition for you.’ She had broached the subject with typical bluntness. ‘If I die before Jeremy, will you look after him?’

‘Of course I will.’ Touched that she’d been deemed worthy of such an honour, Flo said, ‘I’ll have to check with my landlord. I know we aren’t allowed to have dogs, but I’m sure he’d be fine about—’

‘Good grief, are you mad?’ Elsa recoiled in horror. ‘Jeremy wouldn’t want to live in some ghastly damp basement flat. I meant you’d move in here with him.’

‘Here? Oh! For how long?’

‘For as long as he’s still alive, of course. This is his home. He’s happy here.’

‘Right. So I’d be Jeremy’s . . . lodger.’

‘Exactly. This place has to be nicer than where you are now. And you’d be living here rent-free. How does that sound?’

Well, she was certainly right about the huge Georgian flat in Caledonia Place being a cut above her damp basement bedsit in Barrow Street.

‘And Jeremy’s only nine years old,’ Elsa pointed out. ‘If I drop dead tomorrow, you could be here for the next ten years. I call that a good deal.’

Flo considered the offer. It actually was pretty good.

‘I’m only offering because I know you’d take good care of him,’ Elsa went on. ‘You might not love him as much as I do, but you’d be the next best thing once I’m gone.’

‘OK, fine, I’ll do it.’ Flo nodded and smiled. Think of the money she’d save in rent.

‘After Jeremy dies, the flat will go to my grandchildren. You’d have to move out then, obviously.’

‘Obviously.’ Amused, Flo envisaged herself staying on, refusing to leave, shackling herself to a radiator.

‘Good girl. That’s settled, then.’ Satisfied with this, Elsa said, ‘I’ll call Mary and arrange for her to put it in the will.’

Which she had.

Flo tuned back in to the current drama; Lena was on the phone now to some hapless legal expert who basically wasn’t telling her what she wanted to hear. Infuriated all over again, she snapped, ‘Oh Marcus, you’re such a pompous arse, no wonder Arabella left you,’ and abruptly hung up.

‘So I’m guessing that means Marcus agrees with me.’ Mary’s tone was dry.

‘He’s a pathetic wimp.’ Lena was still simmering with resentment. ‘What gets me is the way Elsa kept us in the dark about this ridiculous plan of hers. I mean, for God’s sake, why didn’t she tell us?’

Her brother drawled, ‘Are you seriously asking that question? Just listen to yourself.’

‘Well, this has been a bloody awful day and I’ve had enough of it.’ Lena snatched up her expensive black handbag. ‘Come on, there’s no point staying here. Let’s go.’

Flo watched from the window as the two of them made their way along the pavement in the direction of their own flat on the other side of the Mall Gardens.

When they’d disappeared from view, Mary said, ‘That went well, then. Let me know if they give you any more trouble.’

‘I will. Hopefully she’ll calm down.’ Jeremy had joined them in the living room; he rubbed his flank against Flo’s leg and she bent down to pick him up. ‘Poor boy, are you missing Elsa, hmm?’

Jeremy blinked haughtily and turned his face away.

Mary said, ‘I should leave too. Are you going to be all right here?’

‘We’ll be fine.’ Flo stroked the cat’s velvety head. ‘But just to be on the safe side, I think I might buy him a bulletproof vest.’





Chapter 5


The doorbell rang at eight o’clock that evening.

‘Hi, it’s Zander.’

‘Oh.’ Flo waited, her finger on the intercom.

‘Can I come up?’

‘That depends. Are you going to shout at me?’

‘No. God, no. I promise.’

‘OK.’ She buzzed him in, opened the door and watched Zander Travis run up the flight of stairs towards her. He’d changed out of his funeral suit into jeans and a pale grey shirt, which lessened the similarity to a vampire. But the haughty cheekbones and electric-blue eyes were still unnerving.

‘So. Hello again.’ He paused. ‘I thought I should come over and apologise.’

Flo tilted her head to one side. ‘You thought you should?’

Zander smiled briefly, acknowledging the poor choice of words. ‘I wanted to. I’m sorry. My sister is too.’