Free The Cheesemaker's House by Jane Cable

maybe?”
    â€œFair enough.” He starts towards the door but then he says “There’s just one thing, Alice – why did you call me Charles?”
    â€œCharles?”
    â€œYes, when you yelled at me to stop, you called me Charles.”
    â€œDid I?”
    â€œI wondered if Charles was your ex or something.”
    â€œNo – he was Neil. And for all his faults, Neil was never aggressive.”
    Richard winces. “I didn’t think I could be either. I may have thumped a bloke or two but I’ve never touched a woman in anger in my life, but there I was, trying to force you...”
    â€œWe were both very drunk.”
    â€œI’ve been drunker. I’ve been over it time and again in my own head and I still don’t know why I did it – it was almost like it was happening to someone else.”
    â€œSomeone called Charles, maybe?” I joke.
    Richard laughs as he climbs into his van. “Let’s hope so – it would get me off the hook, anyway.”

Chapter Fifteen

    It is with a great deal of satisfaction I close my computer down. I pick up a sheaf of papers from my printer; red and white Caffé Bianco leaflet and loyalty card mock ups. They look clean, fresh and eye-catching and I am sure Owen and Adam will like them. I send a text to let Owen know they are ready, and wait for his reply.
    In the end I wait almost a whole day. And it annoys me, because although I am busy moving my bed into the spare room ready to decorate my own bedroom and putting the nets over the raspberries, I am acutely aware that I am waiting. I keep picking up my phone to make sure I haven’t missed it bleep and that exasperates me even more. I stuff it in the cutlery drawer and don’t look again for a whole hour.
    As I potter around avoiding the kitchen I try to make sense of it; surely if Owen really likes me he wouldn’t leave me hanging on like this? And as he’s not showing a great deal of interest, why am I hanging around waiting for him? I end up feeling like a sad loser and over the course of the day I become more and more miserable.
    At last I receive a reply from Owen: ‘Can you come to the house tonight – about 8.30?’ I cheer up instantly. Bugger.
    I hear Kylie bark in the distance when I ring the doorbell, then footsteps in the hall. Owen has changed out of his work clothes into a bright blue tie-dyed T-shirt and the colour really suits him. He leads me into a dining room at the back of the house.
    â€œI hope we’ll be comfortable enough in here, but it will be easier to spread things out if we work on the table.” He pulls back a chair and I sit down.
    â€œNow, what would you like to drink? Glass of wine? Cup of tea?”
    â€œA glass of wine would be nice.”
    â€œI’ve got some dry white in the fridge – is that OK?”
    â€œIt would be lovely.”
    As I wait for him to come back I examine my surroundings and find that they are not so very different in style to the front room. The table and chairs are of the period of the house, and in a rich mahogany. The table is covered with an old fashioned chenille protector which matches the slightly faded dark green velvet curtains.
    When Owen comes back he is smiling cheerily and carrying two large glasses of wine.
    â€œIs Adam joining us?” I ask.
    â€œNo, he goes to Middlesborough on a Thursday night – there’s quite a gay scene there and he enjoys it better than being buried in the country. He says hello though.” He laughs, “I think he’s rather taken to you, you know – it’s a great compliment – he normally can’t stand women.”
    I get the sample leaflets out of my bag and explain what I’ve done. Owen suggests small changes to the wording here and there and we include a voucher for a half price cup of coffee. Owen likes the loyalty card as it is; with any luck it will keep people coming back, but in reality