This London Love Read Online Free PDF Page B

issues anyhow. And then a woman walked into her shop one day and she was ready to throw all logic out the window and fling flowers in her direction. Meg shook her head as she arrived home 15 minutes later, letting herself in through the black front door, eyeing her reflection in the shiny chrome knocker.
    Once inside, she heard Tanya in the kitchen, her laughter echoing down the hallway of their Victorian terrace. Meg’s shackles went up immediately and she narrowed her eyes. Tanya was cooking again. Tanya was entertaining again.
    In their four years together, Meg could count on her two hands how often Tanya had cooked for her. But now, Tanya couldn’t seem to get out of their kitchen, which made it awkward for Meg to cook most days. Plus, Tanya seemed to have a never-ending stream of new friends to invite for dinner, which also set Meg’s nerves on edge.
    In the year since they’d split up and been trialling their new ‘situation’, Tanya seemed to have embraced London lesbian living, whereas Meg had retreated into her floristry world, happy to watch life pass by on the pavement outside rather than experience it first-hand.
    And every time Tanya flaunted her new life in Meg’s face, it hurt — physically hurt. In her bones and in her flesh. Like today.
    Meg hung up her jacket on the bulging coat rack and was just about to take the stairs up to her room when Tanya appeared in the hallway. She was wearing her usual cocky smile and a black apron with ‘Good Lookin’ And Cookin’!’ emblazoned on the front in red. Tanya licked the last remnants of tomato sauce off of a wooden spoon, pausing briefly to give Meg a satisfied glance.
    “I thought I heard you sneak in — you’re working late again.” Meg looked at her watch: 7.15pm. Twelve-hour days weren’t uncommon in her life and besides, it kept her mind off other things. Like the fact she was still living with her ex when they officially split up over a year ago.
    “You look tired too.” Tanya waved the wooden spoon in her direction. “And I bet you haven’t eaten properly today.”
    Meg held up her hand. “I already have a mother to do this speech.”
    Tanya cocked her head in response. “I’m cooking a lasagne, it’s just gone in the oven.” She shrugged. “Imogen’s over and we’re having dinner in 45 minutes. Get washed and join us. There’s plenty.”
    Meg gripped the stair banister. This arrangement wasn’t working. She wanted to get on with her life, but she was stuck in a rut with no way out. When she’d mooted the idea of getting the house ready for sale, Tanya had been non-committal, claiming she had far too much to do at work to think about selling the house too. But that was nearly nine months ago. Now, it should be clear they needed their own space and to move on with their lives.
    However, much to Meg’s surprise and horror, Tanya appeared to be reveling in the new status. No upheaval to her life at all, and no Meg to deal with as a girlfriend, either. Tanya appeared to have just slipped effortlessly into friend mode without so much as a backward glance. And now here was Tanya, inviting Meg to dinner in her own house like she was a lodger, with Tanya’s hippy friend Imogen along for company. How was it that Meg was so in charge of her business life, yet so ineffective in her personal life?
    “Great,” Tanya said, not waiting for a response. “And don’t worry about wine — I already used the bottle you’d half drunk and you’ve got another couple in the rack anyway.”
    Meg stood on the second stair up for a few moments as she watched Tanya disappear and then heard laughter coming from the kitchen once more. Meg clutched the bannister even tighter, exhaled and took the rest of the stairs one by one, feeling the reassuring soft carpet cushion the soles of her feet.
    Even if she did like Kate and got as far as bringing her back here, how was that going to work out with Tanya forever parading around like some sort of social