This London Love by Clare Lydon Read Free Book Online Page B

“Hi Meg — it’s Kate, we met earlier in the week. You’re doing the flowers for my uncle’s funeral.”
    Meg cleared her throat before replying. “Of course — how are the arrangements going?”
    The arrangements. Not asking how Kate was, but how the arrangements were going.
    “It’s set for Monday, if that’s good for you?”
    “Fine for us. Did you get a chance to look at the options I sent over?”
    “I did — I like option two. The wreath for the coffin, some posies and other bits too.”
    “Excellent choice.” Meg paused. “You can pay now if you like — or if you have time, you can come in and sort the tribute and the payment on Saturday?”
    Kate stalled. Did she want to go in again? Of course she did, even though she knew it was probably pointless.
    “Saturday’s fine. I’m over at my mum’s anyway, so I could pop in then.”
    Meg cleared her throat again. “Best time would be around midday, when all the wedding flowers have gone out.”
    “Right — busy day for you?”
    “Yep, but at least it’s September, the wedding season’s nearly over.” Meg let out a low chuckle. “Come at midday and we can have a coffee and a chat.”
    “Great — it’s a date,” Kate said. And then smacked her forehead with her free hand. A date? What a moron.
    “A date.” Meg let out a nervous laugh. “And don’t forget to think about what you might want to write on the tribute.”
    “Tribute, got it.”
    “I’ll look forward to it — see you Saturday.” And with that, Meg hung up, leaving Kate staring at her phone.
    Kate’s face was glowing red — she couldn’t believe what had just come out of her mouth. On the plus side, though, Meg was looking forward to it, so it wasn’t the worst idea in the world for her.
    For Kate, this funeral-flower appointment sounded just about perfect.
    ***
    A few hours later, Kate was laying out the readers’ letters page and staring at a stock photo of a runner. Was the runner attractive? Kate couldn’t quite decide. Her phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. It was Jess.
    “Hello, dearest.” Kate settled the phone to rest at an awkward angle between her neck and ear — the sort of position that keeps physios in business.
    “Hello yourself,” Jess said. “I’m calling with a question.”
    Kate smiled. “Shoot.”
    “On a scale of one to ten, how lovely am I?”
    Kate’s smile got wider. “Depends on the day.”
    “Let me tell you, today I’m a ten.”
    “Really?” Kate moved an image box on screen while she spoke.
    “Really,” Jess replied. “Because today, as well as being your lovely flatmate, I also come bearing a hot lady for you.”
    Kate sighed. This was a road they’d been down a few times since Kate’s last relationship, which ended badly. Since then, Kate had been wary about dipping her toe back in the dating pool. Actually, scrap wary, she’d been actively avoiding it, declaring women toxic. In fact, the only woman Kate had laid eyes on and immediately felt something for was Meg. Her straight florist.
    So on second thoughts, perhaps Kate should listen to Jess.
    “How hot?” Kate asked.
    “Sizzling. George Foreman-grill hot. Smokin’.”
    “That is a weird way to describe a woman,” Kate said. “George Foreman-grill hot? My George Foreman grill had faulty wiring and I had to send it back. Not a good analogy.”
    Jess laughed. “You get the idea.”
    “So where did you pick up said smokin’, presumably char-grilled lady?”
    “Friend of Lucy. Well, not strictly a friend of Lucy…”
    Kate sighed. “I’m going to stop you there. Does this have anything to do with Julia?” Julia was Jess’s oldest friend from school who delighted in matchmaking all around her — and now that Jess was happily coupled, she’d turned her attention to Kate.
    “Negative — nothing to do with Julia.”
    “Okay, continue.”
    “She’s a friend of a friend of Lucy’s.”
    Kate surveyed her nails. “The link sounds tenuous. I think I