Chapter 13

It was an uneventful journey home. They had a non-descript lunch at a motorway eatery and arrived home just before six.

"Darling," said Emma looking doe-eyed, "I know you've just spent a huge amount on a holiday but do you think you could rise to dinner at the Trout?"

Jerry sucked his teeth. Joanna watched them with dancing eyes.

"You, my beautiful wife are a constant source of arousal to me. What's my reward?"

Emma got the giggles. "You're provoking me to say something improper in front of my impressionable young daughter."

Joanna exploded. Jerry and Emma laughingly fell in to each other's arms.

Jerry dutifully lugged all the luggage upstairs. Joanna hugged him.

"Thanks, Dad," she said. "The two of you make me laugh." And then added almost wistfully, "You're almost one person with two bodies."

Jerry smiled. "Love can do that," he said softly.

Joanna could only stare at him but nevertheless she took in what he had said.

There was little point in her unpacking as she would be off the next day back up to Putney. What she really wanted to do was ring Simon on the pretext of telling him they were home safely. She sat on her bed and stared at her phone. She did not want to appear too forward. It took her some time to make up her mind. In the end she texted him. 'Back in one piece. Clearly no residual alcohol in the bloodstream. J.'

Less than half a minute later her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. It was Simon. Almost breathless with excitement she answered it.

"Hi, Simon."

"Hi, Jo-Jo. Thanks for your text. It gave me an excuse to talk to you."

All Joanna could do was to giggle shyly.

"Where did you stop for lunch?"

"A pretty ordinary motorway noshery somewhere in Cheshire. Still, it filled the gaps. We're going to the Trout for something decent this evening."

"Good for you. Um, Jo-Jo, um, do you really have to go to Hertfordshire next weekend. It's ... er ... just that I ... um ... don't think I can wait a fortnight to see you again."

That floored Joanna and she was unable to speak.

"Jo-Jo?"

"Um, sorry, Simon. You ... you took me by surprise. I ... um ... I..."

"I mean it, Jo-Jo. I ... I can't stop thinking about you."

"S-same here. Oh, Simon, isn't this all a bit quick?"

"I s'pose but..."

"We're both as bad as each other. Perhaps we ought to leave it a fortnight to let things cool down a bit."

"It's not going to happen, Jo-Jo."

"But we hardly know each other. It was only after my vertigo that it really started."

"Not for me. For me it started last Saturday evening and it just grew and grew. I didn't want to make you feel you were being rushed into anything but yes, your vertigo and your bravery and then our time together after that ... They pushed me over the edge. I-I've fallen in love with you, Jo-Jo."

"Oh!" she gasped weakly.

'And I've fallen in love with you, ' she thought. 'I can't have. It can only be infatuation at this stage.'

"Jo-Jo?"

"I'm still here. I just couldn't believe my ears."

"Believe me."

"I want to, Simon, I really, really do but I'm frightened that it's too sudden and is just infatuation on both our parts."

"There's only one thing to do about that: get to know each other even better which will either show us it's true or we'll both realise it isn't. It's just that at the moment I can hardly bear not being with you and talking to you."

"I-I feel the same. Simon, I'll give Liz a ring and cry off next weekend. I'll call you later."

"Thank you. I can't wait."

Despite herself Joanna could not restrain a slight chuckle. "'Bye for now, Simon."

"'Bye, Jo-Jo."

Joanna sat on the edge of her bed in a bewildered heap. Part of her was euphoric: Simon loved her and she was pretty sure she felt the same way about him. Another part of her was apprehensive: it was a huge and sudden step. Yet another part was doubt: despite her own strong feeling for Simon the suddenness of it could so easily end up in misery for both of them. She must have stayed there for a good ten minutes before deciding that she had to talk to her mother.

She crossed the landing to Emma's bedroom door which was half open.

"Mum?"

"Yes, sweety, come in."

"Can I have a word?"

"Of course. What's up?" She had a pretty good idea it was Simon.

"I've just been talking to Simon on the phone. He told me he loves me."

"What about you?"

"I think I love him but it seems too quick."

"Tell me more."

Joanna repeated their conversation ending up, "I don't know what to do." She burst into tears.

Emma held her gently. "I think you do, sweety," she said softly after a while. "You're going to cancel next weekend and spend it with Simon instead."

"But what do I tell Simon. I do love him but I'm frightened to say so in case it all goes wrong. I mean he said he started to fall me for me last Saturday and of the two of them I found him the more attractive from the start. We got on so well together..."

"Go on."

"But it was only after he was so sweet and understanding and caring over the vertigo that other feelings came into it. And, Mum, that was only yesterday. It's too quick."

"Is it necessarily? OK, it wasn't love at first sight but pretty nearly. Do you think you might have been getting closer all week and that yesterday was something that just tripped the signal? After all, Jerry and I only took three weeks and we weren't in each other's pockets like you two have been this last week."

Joanna stayed motionless for all of half a minute as her mind raced. Then she looked up. "Thanks, my darling Mum. That was a huge help. Have I got time to ring Liz before we go out?"

"Not if you go on gassing like you usually do."

Joanna chuckled. "I'd better leave it until later," she agreed.

It was just as well that she did because at that moment Jerry called from the foot of the stairs, "Who's for a warmer into the bank?"

"Me!" chorused Emma and Joanna and they both ran downstairs. They waited patiently while Jerry finished pouring the drinks although Joanna let her tongue hang out and panted.

"You've got a dypso daughter," Jerry said sternly to Emma.