Liverpool Love Song Read Online Free PDF Page B

have lunch together, but it would seem churlish when he’d been so kind to them. Chloe thought she was afraid to refuse in case it started an argument.
    ‘I’d like to, Mum. It’ll be all right, won’t it?’
    Helen smiled warily. ‘I suppose so. Then I’ll see you later, darling.’ She kissed Chloe’s cheek. ‘And thank you so much, Adam, for your help with the clocks.’
    Polite words, but her mother’s tense back as she strode down the street told Chloe she was unhappy. A thrill ran up her arm when she felt Adam take it to lead her inside. He was a jolly sort of person who laughed a lot, the very opposite to her mother. She could feel herself opening up to him. Her cheeks felt on fire as she told him about herself. In the next couple of hours, they didn’t stop talking.
    Afterwards, Chloe had no idea what she’d eaten. She was conscious only of him; everything else faded into the background. She thought she’d found the soulmate she’d pined for since she was fourteen. He was her first real boyfriend and she was bowled over.
    She saw a lot more of Adam before her mother’s clocks came up for auction. He lived in Manchester, and two or three times a week he’d drive over to Liverpool to take her out, usually for dinner in a smart restaurant or to the theatre. He seemed to enjoy the finer things in life and wanted her to enjoy them too.
    ‘It’s a long way to come so often,’ her mother told him.
    He laughed. ‘I drive miles all over the country to antique shops and auction houses and to see private clients. I like driving and it’s part of my job.’
    They were having fun. Her mother had always been strict about the time she came home at night. Ten o’clock was the limit when she went to the pictures with her girlfriends. But Adam called at the house to collect her and asked if he might make it a little later so they didn’t have to leave the theatre before the end of the show or rush their coffee in a restaurant.
    ‘She’ll be safe with me,’ he told Helen. ‘I’ll take good care of her.’
    So that gave them time alone in his car. It was what Chloe enjoyed most. Adam would pull her close and tell her again that he’d fallen in love with her within seconds of first seeing her.
    ‘All my life,’ he said, ‘I’ve been hoping to meet a girl like you.’ She found his kisses could be tender as well as passionate.
     
    It was Friday, and Rex had spent the afternoon gardening with Helen. During the early part of the week he’d dealt with other clients, but Chloe had been very much in his thoughts. He wanted to tell her he loved her, but he’d have to build up to it gradually, make her see that he was serious about her.
    At this time of the year, it grew chilly as evening approached. It had become routine for Helen to ask him indoors for a cup of tea.
    They’d chatted about bringing more scent into the garden. He’d told her what plants were available now and advised where they should be planted. Helen had made up her mind about what she wanted. They’d reached what previously would have been a companionable silence, but Rex was unable to relax. The words he wanted to say to Helen had been on the edge of his tongue all afternoon, but he hadn’t yet voiced them. He was afraid it would come as a shock to her.
    As always, she seemed to welcome Rex’s company, and he usually stayed until Chloe came home from work. These days it was the only time he could be sure of seeing her. Tonight she was later than usual. His anticipation was growing; he felt very much on edge. They’d drained the teapot, and Helen had offered him a bottle of beer and poured herself a glass of wine before he heard the front door slam and Chloe came bounding into the kitchen. She brought with her a gust of cold air and seemed to light up the room.
    ‘Hi, Rex,’ she said, and pulled a face at his beer glass. ‘No tea?’
    Helen said, ‘You’re late, we drank it all. Shall I make some more?’
    ‘No thanks, Mum.