Little Miss Cautious By Nicola Gill

Lucy was trying valiantly to rekindle their spark – but was Seth just too much of a wet blanket?

What would they have done if it had been raining?” Seth whispered to Lucy. Typical Seth, to be thinking about practicalities. The beauty of the sunlight dappling through the canopy of orange, gold and red leaves seemed lost on him. He was not the sort to go for a woodland wedding – or any kind of wedding for that matter. “Huge waste of money,” he’d said.

Lucy, on the other hand, was transfixed. Not so much by the setting, magical though it was, but by the way Scarlett and Jamie were looking at each other. She didn’t think she and Seth had ever been like that.

“And you may now kiss the bride.”

The congregation erupted into whoops and cheers and Jamie and Scarlett exchanged a lingering kiss.

Lucy put her hand on Seth’s thigh and he gave it a fleeting pat.

The wedding reception was in a converted barn festooned with fairy lights and flowers in rich autumnal shades. A huge log fire warmed the room.

“They should have had the ceremony in here,” Seth said.

“The woods were gorgeous,” Lucy said. “But what if it had started to rain? It’s over a mile from here and everyone would have got soaked.”

“But it didn’t –”

Lucy was interrupted by the arrival of Harry Fowler.

“Hey,” Harry said. “Little Miss Cautious, Seth. Long time, no see.”

Lucy forced a smile. She wished Harry hadn’t dug out her teenage nickname. Harry, Scarlett and she had all grown up in the same tiny village. But it was annoying when people assumed they knew you just because they’d been around a long time.

She’d changed a lot. She wasn’t the same girl who’d refused to swig Malibu from the bottle or ride on the back of Harry’s motorbike.

“Fabulous wedding,” Harry said. “Are you still working at Braithwaites, Lucy?”

Was that a veiled criticism that Lucy shouldn’t be at the same firm of solicitors she’d been at since leaving uni? Lucy wasn’t going to be made to feel bad about having sticking power. And Harry wasn’t to know she had been wanting to leave Braithwaites for years but never quite found the courage to make the leap.

“Yeah. What about you?”

“I started my own ad agency six months ago.”

Who would start their own business in the current climate, she thought? Madness!

We’re going to miss our train,” Seth said, checking his watch. Lucy called the cab company. She’d booked it days in advance and then phoned this morning to confirm.

“Hi, we’re waiting for a cab… we’ve got a train to catch.”

The man on the other end sounded bored and uninterested.

Lucy ended the call. “It’ll be here any minute,” she said, trying to sound more confident than she felt.

“Good,” Seth said.

Lucy gave him a hug, breathing in his familiar smell. It was great to be with someone so dependable. She’d had her heart broken before, and it was not an experience she fancied repeating.

“Have you got any food?”Seth said. Neither of them had eaten much at lunch after Lucy had spotted the buffet being laid out hours in advance. Asking for trouble, given how warm it was in that barn.

“Of course.” She was renowned for carrying around a bag full of things for every eventuality. Whether you needed a plaster or a spare pair of tights, Lucy was your girl. “Apple or cereal bar?”

“Cereal bar, please. I can’t wait to be home now, can you?”

Lucy pushed away the thought that Seth sounded more like sixty-four than thirty-four. It had been a long day.

A motorbike roared into view and pulled up beside them.

“You two OK?” Harry said.

“Yeah, just waiting for a cab.”

“I’d offer you a lift but I don’t think I’d get you both on the back.”

Lucy and Seth smiled. Neither would ever dream of getting on a motorbike.

Lucy stood in the lingerie department of her local department store, hoping she wouldn’t be spotted by anyone she knew.

She’d decided she was going to put the spark back into her relationship with Seth. She kept thinking about the way Scarlett and Jamie had looked at each other as they’d said their vows.

Lucy’s initial attempts hadn’t gone well. When she’d suggested they “do something different” the weekend before, Seth had looked aghast. On Friday they would have a curry and watch a movie, on Saturday they’d have dinner with another couple who lived in the same postcode (no one wanted to go into town on a Saturday night). On Sunday they’d read the papers before getting intimate and then a roast – the beginning of October had seen a switch from barbecues to roasts.

Lucy examined the tiny pair of pants in her hand. The label claimed they were her size but they looked much smaller than the white cotton briefs she normally bought in a three-pack from M&S.

They were also twenty-four pounds! Lucy could afford them – unlike a lot of her mates, she’d always been a saver – but twenty-four pounds? Still, needs must. She picked up the matching bra and headed for the changing rooms.

As she stripped off, she wondered if she was being ridiculous. She and Seth loved each other, didn’t they? And, well, they weren’t lovey-dovey like some couples but so what? They didn’t need expensive “storm” coloured lingerie. Storm? Why couldn’t they just call it grey?

Last night Lucy had rushed home early

As she stripped off, she wondered if she was being ridiculous. She and Seth loved each other, didn’t they?

from work to cook Seth a romantic dinner, but just as she was digging in the cupboard for candles, he’d walked in and announced he’d had a big lunch. He said she should have told him she was doing supper.

Lucy had swallowed her irritation because she supposed he was right – only it was meant to be a lovely surprise.

She inspected herself in the mirror and had to admit the bra did good things for her boobs. They looked completely different to how they did in her normal T-shirt bras – like two ripe peaches.

Lucy deeply regretted both the tequila shots and telling Scarlett the truth about what a flop, in the most literal sense, her storm-coloured lingerie had proved to be. Because now Scarlett was being honest – best friend we-can-say-anything honest.

“Was there ever really a spark between you and Seth?”

“Yes,” Lucy responded hotly. Because there must have been at one point, right?

“Let’s get more tequila,” Scarlett said. She was in a just-back-from-honeymoon party mood – though to be fair, she was pretty much always in a party mood.

Lucy knew that if she and Scarlett hadn’t been friends since the year dot, they probably wouldn’t be now. But they loved each other enough not to rail against their differences – and anyway, secretly Lucy always liked herself a bit better when she was around Scarlett.

Scarlett went to the bar and Lucy sat at the slightly sticky table, using her straw to poke at the ice melting in the bottom of her cocktail glass. Cocktails and tequila on a weeknight? Whatever was she thinking?

Her mind flashed back to a conversation she’d had with Seth the day before. “Don’t you just love this time of year?”she’d said. “The crisp sunny days, the beautiful autumn colours, cosy evenings, soups, stews…”

Seth had shrugged. “Yeah, it’s all right.” “Did you apply for the job you saw advertised?” Scarlett returned with shots. “No.”

“I thought you were all excited about it.” Lucy shrugged. “It’s not a very good time to start somewhere new. I’ve built up some goodwill at Braithw –”

“Oh, you’ve been ‘Seth-ed’.”

“What does that mean?” Lucy snapped, even though she knew exactly what it meant. And Seth had discouraged her from applying for the job, but it had still been her decision. “I know you don’t like Seth.” Scarlett downed her shot.

“It’s not that I don’t like him. It’s that I worry that you don’t.”

Lucy was determined to prove Scarlett wrong. It was Friday night, which meant curry and a movie, but instead of pulling on a pair of ratty PJs, she donned some new at leisure garments. Then she chose a romantic-sounding movie. “Peshwari or plain naan?” Seth asked. “I think I’ll pass on the naan.” She wanted to ensure she wasn’t in a carbcoma later. They could get intimate on a day that wasn’t Sunday – couldn’t they?

A deep crease appeared between Seth’s brows. “You feeling OK?”

Should she be insulted that declining naan bread made Seth think she was ill?

“Fine. I bought us some fizz.”

Why had she said “fizz”? Surely she hadn’t become one of those women? Any minute she’d be changing the spelling of her name to Luci and dotting the i with a heart. Still, at least she’d not said “bubbles”. “I always have a beer with a Ruby.” Lucy quashed a wave of annoyance. It was fine that Seth wanted beer, even if she’d bought the Prosecco/fizz/bubbles as a special treat.

“I’m applying for that job,” she said. “OK.”

See, Lucy thought, Seth wasn’t stopping her doing anything. He might have a face like he’d just bitten into a lemon but he was still being supportive.

“Shall we have dinner at the table?” He looked as if she’d suggested he dance the Macarena naked through his office. Curries were eaten in front of TV.

Lucy stared at the congealing puddle of lamb pasanda in the foil container. How were she and Seth arguing over some forgettable rom-com? It had started when Seth said he hated scenes where people were kissing in the rain because it was ridiculous. Why the hell didn’t they head inside? And he was right, of course he was, because kissing in the rain wasn’t nearly as romantic in real life. You got wet, you got cold and you both smelled of damp dog.

Yet suddenly, in that moment, Lucy knew she wanted to be with someone who she needed to kiss so badly they were both totally unaware of what the weather was doing. She wanted to be with someone whom she looked at like Scarlett had looked at Jamie as they said their vows.

It was time to say goodbye to Seth. And goodbye to Little Miss Cautious. She might even give Harry a call. Maybe it was finally time for a ride on that motorbike?