He knew all of her and she wanted to know and not just remember all of him, as she traced the falling crumbs down his bronzed and toned chest - right the way to his belt buckle and the promise beneath it. She noticed in the folds of his crouch that a little of the sandwich she had made had come to rest, sending her body into a downward spiral of pure desire and lust.
‘Mable’ came her grannies voice from the kitchen, ‘You remember Anthony Dick, don’t you; he was in your year I think.’
Mable put the Mills and Boon book down on her Grannies reading table.
‘Another Dick? Ye, sure. The only kid with a name worse than mine. Wow she thought. That was a name from the past. The memories came flooding back. ‘Gran you really ought to get out more’. She looked up from the book and was horrified.
‘Hi Able Mable’ Anthony Dick chuckled ‘good to see ya again. He came across the living room and shook her hand. Gone was the spotty teenager that she remembered and there stood a truly ‘fit’ (in every sense of the word) man.
She blinked hard a couple of times. The twinkle in her Gran’s eyes sparkled in the way that normally Mable would have smiled at but at this moment in time it only made her embarrassed and irritated.
‘I asked him round to give me a quote for a new house’ the amusement in her voice made Mable throw her a ‘now behave Gran’ sort of expression. She caught the delighted glee in Anthony’s face. He had always had a sense of fun.
‘What new house?’
‘On the land by the village pond’
Anthony filled her in ‘the one we used to hide in when we were kids being chased by Jimmy’
Out of her memory banks lurked a picture. ‘The one with the beautiful barn?’ Gran nodded
‘Didn’t know you owned that Gran’ Mable still looked at Anthony transfixed by the transformation he had gone through. His gaze was as fixed and steady on her. ‘Been waiting for the right time and person, to make the best of it; location and barn being what they are. Now you have had a couple of years to get to grips with architecture and Antony
Mable was taken a back, she never realised her Gran had such big plans, though she had constantly encouraged her to become an architect, just like her Granddad had been. Now it seems, she was going to make full use of what she had nurtured.
‘Does mum know about this?’ She asked her Gran.
‘Not on your Nelly, she would have spent the money and put me in a home. So you have to keep it hush hush and no telling ya dad either, he wouldn’t keep his mouth shut.
Here’s a sketch of how me and ya Granddad envisaged it. Anthony knows the land and the housing market around here. I wanted to be your first client that you have.’
‘You certainly will be; haven’t even moved into the office yet!’ Mable loved her Gran she was everything she wanted to be. Sharp, witty and kind but didn’t suffer fools or overbearing and spiteful pompous prigs (which is what she called her mother). A no nonsense woman that loved life and the people around her with one exception, Mable’s mum.
Mable was given the ugliest name by her mother because she was the ugliest baby, she had been told. There was no denying she was the scrawniest, thick black haired baby with piecing ugly blue eyes you could ever imagine. But in spite of her mothers best efforts she turned into a good looking girl; a little late perhaps but as Gran had told her some of the best things in life are worth waiting for. Now in her twenties about to embark on her thirties she was elegantly tall and womanly, with a joyful disposition which was a miracle her Gran would say.
‘Well off you go then, have fun. Don’t forget these and take good care of her Tony my boy, she drinks heavily when she’s thinking’.
‘Gran’ Mable protested. But Gran pushed the young ones out of the house with genial contentment and they took their leave.
Mable could see her Gran peaking at them through the curtains and turned and stuck out her tongue and smiled, as she always had done. It was good to be back in the village, now she could see her more often. She breathed deeply the crisp spring air and the new grass and buds. She turned to Anthony and asked
‘Do you prefer to be called Tony or Anthony?
‘He shrugged which ever you’re comfortable with. What about you, you happy with Mable?’
‘I go as May at work and to my friends’
‘So May it is. I’ll take you in my truck. Save you drinking and driving’
‘Why? Where we going?’
‘Your Gran gave me orders to take you out, wine and dine you, while I talk you through her plans.’
‘No need, we could go back to my office.’
‘Trying to get me killed? Or just wanting her to have my guts for garters?’
‘You know her that well? Lord we had better do as we’re told. Wouldn’t want a death by Gran; after you managed to escape from Jimmy’s efforts to kill you. Talking of the devil what does he do now?’
‘He works for me.’
‘You’re kidding me.’
As they got in his impressive truck with his logo on the side, May tried to get her head around what she had just been told. Jimmy was the village bully that had relentlessly hounded Mable and Anthony. Some how, she would have to meet Jimmy again just to see how the dynamics of these two had turned out. She will have to grill Tony and get the lowdown.
‘So which pub are we off to?’
‘Your Gran booked it up. Never been there before, ‘Cat ‘n’ Mouse’ I think she said it was.’
‘Oh!’
‘Is it that bad?’
‘Oh you’ll have a good time. The food is great and the surroundings (not that you will notice) are beautifully understated and the atmosphere relaxed and warm.’
‘So why the “Oh”?’
‘Gran, I think is trying to write a ‘Mills and Boon’ romantic noval with us as the main characters’.
Tony looked across at May. Confused, he took in her words again by repeating them to himself. He mulled them over and then the meaning hit him. His smile was board while his eyes glistened like they always did when they were young.
‘I love your Gran’
May rolled her eyes and giggled. ‘As I remember it Tony, writing was not your strong point and romance was a definite no, no.’
‘Oh but I’ve grown up since then, I still can’t write but I can do romantic’
‘What ‘Mills and Boon’ romantic?’
‘You want ‘Mills and Boon’ I will give ya ‘Mills and Boon.’
‘From what I just read, could we just go with romantic?’ His laugh had not changed, it filled her with a fun bubble that had kept her sane through all the ugly years and still had the same effect. Yep! She thought, it was great to be back where she belonged.
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