Bittersweet Love - Cathy Williams [63]
Natalie gave him a vague smile and mumbled some-thing about passing it on to Eric, but her thoughts were already flying off to what Underground train she would need to catch and whether she should simply grab a taxi instead outside the office, and spare herself the trauma of taking the Tube.
In the end, she caught a taxi and spent just as long sitting in traffic as if she had caught the connecting Tube trains to her destination.
Eric was waiting outside, his eyes darting from the watch to the road. Anna, it transpired, had not yet arrived, and he laughed nervously at Natalie.
‘I’d hate to become a statistic.’
‘Statistic?’ Claire was running up the steps where her taxi had deposited her, and Natalie waved in her friend’s direction.
‘One of those men who get stood up at the altar.’
‘You won’t be,’ Natalie reassured him. ‘And, besides, there won’t be an altar.’
‘Well, then,’ Eric said drily, ‘I suppose that’s something to be grateful for.’
Claire bounded up to them, her face flushed from the exertion of running, and hugged Natalie enthusiastically.
‘You haven’t called me in over a fortnight,’ she accused, and Natalie shot her a guilty look.
‘I haven’t been very sociable recently,’ she admitted. ‘In fact, I think I’ve forgotten where the phone in the flat is.’
Claire giggled uncontrollably at that while Eric worriedly scoured the street for approaching taxis, in between nervously adjusting his tie.
‘Don’t worry,’ Natalie whispered, ‘she’ll be here. She’s only fifteen minutes late. Have you met her?’ She turned to Claire who shook her head.
‘Actually, I’ve been rather busy myself. Out of the country for ten days. I’m only just getting back into the swing of things over here.’
Just then, Eric muttered under his breath, ‘At long last,’ and both women turned to see Anna moving unhurriedly towards them while Eric gesticulated at his watch frantically.
Claire’s mouth dropped open and Natalie whispered to her, ‘I think your jaws will become unhinged if you don’t close your mouth soon.’
Claire’s teeth snapped together. ‘Is that her?’
Eric was hurrying down to kiss Anna, a look of rapture on his face, and Natalie nodded drily. ‘Does she live up to your expectations?’
‘Wow! What does she see in my brother? Wasn’t she involved with your ex-boss? Correct me if I’m wrong, but he was way out of Eric’s league, wasn’t he?’
Natalie tensed. Even talking about Kane had the ability to make her feel flustered and defensive, even when that talk was only casual conversation. His image might subside occasionally but it was always there, waiting to pop out against her will.
‘You’re right,’ Natalie answered, her voice a shade cooler, ‘he wasn’t in Eric’s league, by which I mean that Eric was way ahead of him in every respect.’
Claire tore her eyes away from Anna, now swaying up the steps on Eric’s arm, and looked at Natalie with interest.
‘Do I detect a note of bitterness there?’
‘Of course not,’ Natalie said hurriedly, ‘just stating facts.’ She moved down, curious to see how Anna would respond to her, and much as she expected the other woman looked at her with a mixture of embarrassment and defensiveness.
‘Eric didn’t tell me that you would be here,’ she said petulantly, her fingers tightening on his arm, and Eric looked delighted at this small show of jealous pique.
‘I’ll try not to be obvious,’ Natalie said obligingly, and got a scowl for her efforts.
They trooped quickly up to the building and after a few minutes of scouring signs managed to locate the general direction of the register office.
It was a room. One room with some seats. They were shown in and told to wait, and Natalie looked around her curiously-Eric and Anna were talking under their breath, but even so their voices rebounded against the walls, reminding them how empty of people the place was.
Not romantic, but that didn’t seem to bother either Eric or Anna overmuch. He was staring at her, besotted, and she, Natalie noticed, was responding with sheer delight. Adoration had its own peculiar sex appeal, and Anna was basking in Eric’s adoration. Natalie looked