Home Front Girls
idea where we’re going.’
His eyes moved back to the two girls standing uncomfortably in the doorway then, and without even realising he was doing it, he sniffed at the air.
‘Oh, that’s Annabelle you can smell.’ Lucy giggled now. ‘She works in the cosmetic department and she has to spray herself so that the customers can decide which perfume they want to buy.’
But Annabelle didn’t hear a word she said because her eyes were glued to the flame-haired young man sitting by the fire; the weirdest sensations were coursing through her. He looked at her and suddenly he too felt colour flood into his cheeks. She was undoubtedly the most beautiful girl he had ever set eyes on, and for no reason that he could explain, his stomach flipped. They both seemed to realise that they were staring at each other at the same time, and both hastily averted their eyes, wondering what the hell was going on. It was as if an unspoken message had passed between them and they were both confused and bewildered – a rare experience for Annabelle at least, who had had more boyfriends than she cared to remember. Yet none of them had ever made her heart dance as this Joel did. It was all very strange. He certainly wasn’t the best-looking young man she had ever seen, but there was something about his shorn red hair and the intense green eyes that she found mesmerising.
‘Look, you two have an awful lot of catching up to do. Annabelle can come to my flat for tea,’ Dotty said tactfully.
‘Oh no, there’s no need for you to go, is there, Joel?’ Lucy asked as she stared up at her brother. He had placed Mary in the chair and was standing now, and Annabelle saw that he was tall; so tall that he towered over her.
‘No, of course there isn’t. You’re very welcome to stay,’ Joel said immediately, but Dotty would not be swayed. She could see how thrilled Lucy was to see her brother and thought they deserved some time alone. She and Annabelle could always come for tea another day and it wouldn’t take very long to get back to her flat, although she couldn’t offer pork chops. In fact, they might have to stop at the local chippie on the way and take their meal home with them. Taking Annabelle’s elbow in a firm grip, she was surprised to find that the girl was shaking. Annabelle was staring at Mary now and was relieved to see that she was actually a very pretty little girl. Nothing at all like the freakish monster she had imagined her to be.
‘No, really. We’ll do this another time,’ Dotty said decisively, turning Annabelle about and giving her a little nudge in the back. ‘Goodbye, Joel. It was nice to meet you.’ And then without another word she steered Annabelle out through the front door. It was not until they were out on the pavement that Annabelle began to breathe again.
Dotty stared at her curiously. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked with concern. Even in the dim light she could see that Annabelle was as white as a bleached sheet.
‘I er . . . nothing,’ Annabelle stammered as she struggled to regain her composure. ‘I just felt a bit faint, that’s all. I didn’t have any lunch, that’s probably what did it. Come on, let’s go and find something to eat. I’m sure I’ll be all right then.’
Dotty peered at her from the corner of her eye. She had seen the look that had passed between Joel and Annabelle, and had the strangest feeling that she might just have witnessed the start of something beautiful.
Back inside, Lucy was clinging to Joel with tears streaming down her cheeks as he absently stroked her hair, his thoughts fixed on the gorgeous blonde-haired girl who had just left. Joel had never had the time or inclination for girlfriends – he had been far too busy for the last few years caring for Mary and Lucy and keeping them safe. But if he were to look for a girlfriend . . . he stopped his thoughts from going any further. As if a girl like her would ever look at the likes of him! Joel was under no illusions. He knew he wasn’t ugly, admittedly, but he was also aware that he wasn’t the most handsome chap in the world. He was tall and muscular, but he considered his nose to be a little too long and his eyes a little too far apart for him to be classed as handsome in the conventional sense. His hair didn’t help either. Red curly hair might be considered attractive on a female – Mary and Lucy were proof of that – but he had always hated it on himself, although it did look slightly
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