Page 58 of Hit For Six (Balls and Banter #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Lola

Lola felt like she was in a Richard Curtis movie when she spotted Monty at six p.m. On the dot.

Beneath Paddington station’s Real Time Clock.

That was surprising enough but on further inspection, he had a very familiar cat in his charge.

And to top all this surreality off, both man and moggie were surrounded by an expectant crowd, with people eagerly poised to capture something intriguing on their mobile phones. What was going on?

Slowly, Lola approached the scene as Monty caught sight of her and his jaw dropped.

And then all of him dropped… down on one knee.

Lola’s heart hammered. She absolutely loved him.

She’d known for a while now, that awareness turning all-consuming on the bus journey to the station.

But a proposal was just a little too soon– even taking yesterday’s drama out of the equation.

Oh, god. How to handle this with all these eager faces longing to witness something beautiful– through the lenses of their cameras?

Seriously though, was there really no escaping a screen when she was in this man’s presence?

Or a crowd, come to think of it? Although, this one did seem a bit kinder than the Bath Beasts brigade.

Monty looked vulnerable down there on the pavement.

And incredibly hot. No other male could rock purple like this.

Okay, no other living male. Prince was the exception to that rule.

But not even Prince had come with an adorable cat.

Lola stopped walking and everyone held their breath.

She had no clue where their path would take them from this moment on.

If she was brave enough and adept enough to phrase things in such a way that they could pick up where they’d left off. Was that even sensible?

But as she blinked away the tears in her eyes, she realised they were so full of joy that there was only one answer to this dilemma.

Let the haters continue to hate. Somehow Lola also knew that love would equally, and surely, conquer all.

She moved closer to Monty, no longer trying to block out the onlookers.

They were part of the story. Lola wasn’t about to break out in song and dance but for once she would take to this makeshift stage, switching places with the audience, embracing her moment in the spotlight.

‘You’ve hit me for six, Lola Smith,’ Monty’s voice was that irresistible whisky on the rocks.

The timbre that turned her legs to jelly, and other parts of her to descriptions that were deeply unsuitable in front of all these people and a cat.

‘I was wondering if you would do me the honour of… accompanying me to watch SIX tonight? For your sixth time and my first? In a box?’

In this time and this place in their narrative, Monty’s question was a million times more exciting than any wedding proposal. Especially when he pulled a pair of tickets out of his pocket.

‘In an actual box ?’

‘A very real-life box.’ He grinned infectiously. ‘With plush seats, champagne, popcorn. The works.’ Monty looked up at the clock and his face turned to mild panic. ‘As much as I don’t want to hurry this moment, we’ve got less than an hour before the show starts… and a cat sitter to find!’

‘Make that two,’ said Lola, gritting her teeth. ‘Although, as luck would have it, Fumiko’s cousin’s tabby lives en route to the Vaudeville theatre.

‘I’m a cat sitter!’ somebody piped up from the crowd and everybody erupted in ear-splitting cheers.

‘I knew there was another reason you lot were following me, besides the fact I’m an international T20 cricketer,’ Monty shouted above the ruckus. ‘Step forward, oh, wonderful human being!’

A handful of traditional cricketing purists peeled away at this point and Monty shook his head. Fortunately, their volunteer wasn’t one of them, and she shuffled forward, beaming victoriously as she waited to hear Lola’s answer.

‘Ahem,’ Monty prompted.

‘Oh, right.’ Lola giggled, her head swimming with the loveliest things, her heart bursting at the sight of her gorgeous family.

And then there were all these awesomely amazing people who renewed her faith in just that thing: what it was to be a decent human ; someone so selfless that they felt genuinely, joyfully, over the moon with excitement for two strangers, their darling cat, and their happy ending.

‘YES, Monty! I blimming well will!’ screamed Lola.