Chapter 8

‘Damnit Jon what the hell are you doing? Richie glared at him.

‘Asking the questions for ya bro!’  Jon grinned back at him.

‘Since when have I ever had trouble talkin to a woman?’

‘Since you found Gail workin on me!  He laughed, he’d never seen Rich so taken with a woman so damn quickly, even Heather. ‘Plus, I wanted to see what she would say, but Christ she certainly got a spray on there didn’t she?’ 

‘I thought she was going to have a heart attack!  Hell, you could have killed her!’  But looking back, yeah it had one hell of a spray out of her nose!  He chuckled.

They looked at one another and both started to laugh.

That’s how Gail found them ten minutes later, ‘So I’m funny am I?’  Grinning when they jumped.

They both stood as she sat back down, ‘Aw babe I’m sorry looks like your tee’s ruined!’  Jon said eyeing the cola stains down the front of her, as well as having a good check of her chest.

‘Nah, just needs a soak and a wash, it’ll be fine.’

Mai came over with another coke and the three started to talk again.  ‘You never did get answer my question about Lance.’ Jon asked.

‘Shit Jon!’  Richie wanted to smack him.

‘Calm down Richie, its okay.  When I met Lance, he was the best masseuse in the business, and he was in his late fifties, Mr Nosy! He became my second father, not ever my lover. Ok for ya Jonny?’  Then went red realising what she’d called him.

Jon laughed and told her she could call him that, and that the answer had been fine by him.  ‘So why ‘Laurels’?’ He chose safe ground, for a while.

She groaned, people had asked her that for years and she’d never told them, not even her family, but from the look of Jon, he’d not give up till he knew.  ‘Ok, you two will be the first to ever know this, and I don’t want people to know, got it?’  They both nodded as she gave them a meaningful look, then she continued.  ‘When I was at school, I was over weight and geeky, and easily bored with subjects that didn’t have hands on experience.  My maths teacher was a swine, it was hate at first sight, and that was when I was eleven!  He told me I’d never amount to much because I was always resting on my laurels!  I left school, barley scraping on qualifications, but I was bound and determined to prove the old sod wrong.’

‘Well darlin you certainly did that didn’t ya.’  Richie said, he couldn’t imagine her over weight or geeky!

‘And I bet when you came back and opened Laurels, you invited him didn’t you?’

She smiled they got her, ‘Yeah I did.  And do you know what he said to me, ‘I knew you could do it if I told you that you couldn’t’!  The git had seen something in me that he knew needed poking with a sharp stick, so he prodded me for freakin years.  He also told me he loved the name, he’d remembered what he’d told me, and that he’d followed where I was, by ‘bumping’ into mum and dad occasionally. He passed away several years ago with cancer and I went to his funeral.  I wasn’t the only one there from school; he’d turned out to be a damn good motive over the years for many people to be proven wrong.’  She laughed thinking of the old fart, after he’d come to the shop they’d kept in contact till the end, she was glad.

‘So, he pushed you to achieve your best?  Damn wish I’d got that sort of teacher.’ Jon said smiling.

‘Why are you retiring?’ Richie asked softly.

‘Because I can, I’ve worked my entire life tending to others, working my ass off, now I want to enjoy myself, before I’m too damn old and life has passed me by.  I want to travel more too.’ She shovelled in some chilli beef and sighed with pleasure.

Jon perked up at the travel bit, ‘But I still say you’re not old enough.’ He stated, trying to wheedle her age out of her.

‘Jon you’re as subtle as a brick?’ Gail laughed at him.

He sniffed haughtily, ‘I’m sure I don’t know what your implying young lady.’ He said in that crappy English accent.

‘Ok I’m taking bets, how old am I, and I won’t be offended.’ She grinned at both of them.

‘No way!  You try guessing a woman’s age and it’ll lead to tears, mainly ours!’ Richie stated shaking his head.

‘Chicken!’ Was all she said laughing at him?

‘Cluck, fuckin cluck.’ Gail laughed even harder, he made a cute chicken.

‘So, Jon what about you? You going to cluck too?’

‘Nah, I’m going to be a man, I’ll say…’ He checked her up and down, looking into her eyes, damn he was so hot up close, her friends really would kill her to be in her place.  ‘Thirty-five.’  He held his hands up in front of him to ward off a possible attack, making Gail snicker, bless him.

She turned to Richie, who was eyeing her up, she smiled at him, ‘Go on Sambora, I double dog dare ya!’ Mischief making her seem impish.

He rolled his eyes and groaned, ‘Ok, I’ll go for thirty-two!’  He squeezed his eyes tight shut waiting for the slap.

Gail barked out a laugh, got up lent forward and gave them both a peck on the cheek. The guys looked at her warily. ‘Oh god you’re good for a woman’s ego you know?’

Jon and Richie exchanged looks, ‘So I take it we’re nowhere near your age then?’ Richie asked.

‘Not even close.’ She crowed.

‘Come on darlin spill it.’ Jon said laughing with her.

‘Oh, alright pushy, I was born on March the first.’

‘Well that explains the ‘take no shit, and work your ass of attitude’ you’ve got, just like Frank here.’ Richie laughed. Jon flipped him off.

‘What year though?’

‘1962.’

‘You’re fucking kidding me; you’re a day older than I am?’  Jon sat mouth agog.

‘Yup baby boy I am.’ She chortled at their stunned looks.

‘Well least I’m not robbing the damn cradle.’ Came Richie’s rejoinder.

Which made Gail stop laughing and swallow at the heated look he sent her.