Read Still Thinking of You for Free Online Page B

sat in cafés drinking smoothies and refusing to don jackets. They laughed and joked. They hung on to summer and ignored the displays of Halloween pumpkins that had crept into the window of every shop.
    Not Mia.
    Mia was also fighting time, but not simply because she wanted to lazily loll in cafés. She didn’t like wasting precious hours simply having fun. Since Action Man and Barbie Babe had announced their engagement, Mia had been planning and plotting and scheming to find a way to turn their situation into one that was advantageous for her. It might be Barbie Babe’s wedding, but Mia was trying for something even higher. Mia wanted a baby. Nothing was more important than that.
    Mia rummaged around her bag for the small make-up mirror that she thought might be hiding in there. She sighed, briefly disappointed by her reflection. She ran her fingers through her hair – it was too short. She hated it. However, she was almost thirty-four and had come to accept that hating her haircut was part of her hairdressing experience, as intrinsic as the ugly nylon gowns and the luxurious head massage. She would hate it intensely for twenty-four hours, then she would forget it until she needed it cut again. She’d love it for the week between booking her next appointment and attending her next appointment. She used to think that this showed her insecurity, but she now chose to believe that it showed she was a perfectionist.
    She fumbled for her mobile phone, and searched for Lloyd’s number. She rang it and was surprised to find that it was out of use; it had been a while since they were in touch. Mia called his ex-wife, Sophie, to secure his new mobile number; she’d provided it, but not much else by way of conversation, and was barely civil in response to Mia’s question about how little Joanna was faring – ‘Extremely well, thank you.’ Sophie had never had any social graces, thought Mia.
    Mia dialled Lloyd’s new number, and he picked up after just two rings.
    ‘Checkers, it’s me.’
    Lloyd knew immediately that it was Mia on the line, even though he hadn’t heard her voice for nearly six months. No one else still used this nickname from uni. He wished Mia wouldn’t. He’d never liked it. Checkers was the less cerebral little brother of chess and the nickname had never seemed like a compliment. Apparently Mia had chosen it because, as she said, ‘Lloyd appeared very black and white, and you could guarantee he was always one move ahead.’ He’d never been sure what she meant by that, although she had made her proclamation with a big smile, as though she were being nice. He supposed that she meant he was a great planner. And he was. Or at least had been. Nowadays it seemed hard enough to put one foot in front of another, let alone plan years ahead as he had always prided himself.
    ‘Checkers, how the devil are you?’ she screeched. ‘You have been on my mind for so long now. I’ve been meaning to call. Meant to almost every day. Have you heard Action Man’s news?’
    ‘He called last week, actually, to say that he’s finally taking the plunge. But he was rushing to a meeting so we didn’t get a chance to talk at any length. Great news. Tell me, what do you know about Natasha? I like her name.’
    ‘Do you?’
    ‘Is she Russian?’
    ‘Hardly, she’s from Manchester. I think her parents must be a bit pretentious.’
    ‘What’s she like?’
    ‘I’ve only met her a couple of times.’
    ‘And?’ Lloyd knew Mia well enough to know that she always made her mind up about people instantly. She’d then declare a great fondness – or, more often, a damning condemnation – then she would hastily add that it was unfair to judge a book by its cover, and that she was reserving judgement until she got to know the subject better. In reality, no one got a second chance after a first impression.
    ‘She’s slim.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘Blonde.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘Tall.’
    ‘As tall as you? Do you see eye to eye?’