Page 21 of Mayfair Madame

Josh was right. I lived a lonely life. No friends or family nearby. I’d barely got to know anyone at the station other than those I had direct contact with.

Now, sitting here alone, I wondered not for the first time if this move had been the right one. Perhaps I should have returned home, but the thought of dealing with an overbearing mother didn’t appeal to me.

No, moving to London had been the right choice. Career progression, the promise of a better salary, they had all been the deciding factors.

I turned on the TV, but nothing interested me since I’d finished my last show. The programmes I loved to watch reminded me too much of Kate and how we’d snuggle in bed watching our favourite shows. Often it would end in lovemaking, something I missed dreadfully.

I might have been quiet, but when it came to sex, I was the adventurous type, and nothing was off the table as long as we both agreed.

I lay on my sofa and grabbed my phone. Doom scrolling was all I seemed to do these days. I browsed social media, where old friends posted photos of their families, holidays abroad, and pictures that screamed domesticity. Did I want that? Kate and I hadn’t lasted long enough, although for a moment, I thought it was where we were headed.

The wedding, kids, the whole nine yards.

Curiosity had me searching out Naomi’s name. Unsurprisingly, it yielded nothing, but our earlier conversation came back to me.

Was I really that unattractive? While I usually refrained from having my picture taken, there were a few on social media. Pictures of Kate and me in our happier days, snaps of my family taken when Dad was alive.

I certainly looked more cheerful back then, and I missed that. The old me who’d go out at the drop of a hat and not come home in the early morning.

I was lucky if I stayed up past nine these days, even on the weekend.

Should I go? Should I take a chance?

Damn right I should.

I pulled up her number, and before I could back out, I pressed the green button. She answered on the second ring.

“Ellie Sharpe, I hope you’re calling to tell me you’ll come out on Saturday.”

“Yeah, I’ll come out with you, but only for drinks.” With my track record for eating, I was definitely not comfortable eating in front of people.

“Drinks are good. You know Sam’s bar? Well, it’s not called Sam’s bar, but he’s the guy who owns it.”

“I know which one it is. What time?”

“Shall we say ten?”

“In the evening?”

She laughed, a warm, rich sound that nestled in my chest.

“Yes, in the evening. That’s not too late for you, is it? A young woman like you should be out having fun on a Saturday night. Are you up for some fun, Ellie Sharpe?”

It should have felt strange when she called me by my full name, but I loved it. I felt seen, and that hadn’t happened in along while. Her soft voice melted me, and feelings I shouldn’t have welled up inside.

“Well, it’s been a while, but yeah, I could be up for it.”

“I’m happy to hear that. The dress code is casual, so wear what you’re comfortable in. You won’t miss us. I’ll be looking out for you.”

She whispered the last words, and I knew I’d made the right choice.

“I’ll see you Saturday, then.”

“You definitely will. Sweet dreams, Ellie.”

Chapter Seven

Naomi