11 Ladysmile Lane – Episode 62
11 Ladysmile Lane by Val Bonsall
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- 1. 11 Ladysmile Lane – Episode 62
That was Friday. Over the weekend, Georgia tried to order her thoughts.
First on the list: now that the misunderstandings with Alex were sorted out, why had she run away from him?
The best answer she could come up with was that perhaps she just needed a break from any romantic involvement for a while.
She had good reason. Russ had misled her. Neil would have, too, and she wasn’t just talking about his interest in Number 11. With just the slightest bit of encouragement – which she had never given – he would have tried to take things between them further. Behind his fiancée’s back.
Georgia’s own behaviour had puzzled her at the time – the way she had kept her distance from Neil who, when they’d first met, had been so charming and attentive. He was good-looking and successful, too, but Georgia just hadn’t been interested.
She wondered now if she’d somehow sensed he wasn’t being honest with her.
By Sunday evening she had come up with another theory. She hadn’t encouraged Neil because of Alex. He had said he’d wanted to kiss her for a long time. The truth was that she had wanted that, too, from the very first few weeks at Number 11.
She actually picked up her keys and went to her car, intending to drive round to his house and tell him so. But something held her back.
She knew exactly what it was. When Mel had told her about the fears that had engulfed her in relation to the purchase she’d been going to make, she had described them as ghosts from the past.
That was what this was. Not that she thought for a moment that Alex would behave like either Russ or Neil. He just wasn’t that kind of man.
And yet . . .
Her car remained on the driveway to her parents’ house until Monday morning.
Having parked in her usual place at the corner of Ladysmile Lane, she was walking towards Number 11 when she saw, ahead of her, Jason coming out.
He gave her a wave, which she returned. She was glad that, following Eloise’s reading of his tea leaves, he’d decided to give his old books business a bit longer to get off the ground.
“It’s given me the will to carry on, Georgia, sort of like an omen that I should!”
That, she decided, was what she could do with, too – some kind of omen to indicate that she should tell Alex how she felt.
Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned. It was Alex. They walked the last few paces to the building together in silence, until, looking up at the lovely old façade, he suddenly spoke.
“I’ve often thought what a wonderful house this place would make.”
Georgia stopped in her tracks and stared at him. How many people had she said that to? A lot. How many had ever agreed with her? Not one! Until now.