Chapter 4
All over, that Saturday night out was most unexpectedly thought Liz when she got up the next day.
She had never thought she was the kind of girl to go for a solider - but maybe it depended on the solider.
As she came down the stairs on Sunday morning she had a smile on her face which god only knew she had struggled to find the day before. All it took was one look and her mother gave her what could only be called a very knowing smile.
"So, was it the right thing? To go and be a friend to Patsy," her mother asked as she came down the stairs.
"I think it might always be the best thing to do, to go and be a friend."
"Well for one I am glad to hear you say that—you had fun then."
Liz nodded slowly. "I think I met someone last night."
"And this is the girl who told me last night she was never going to get over Flynn," Carol said as she rolled her eyes.
Liz knew at that moment there was not a lot she could do but smile and agreed for she had been a fool over Flynn the night before.
But there was also a part of her which was hurt that her mother would compare the two things.
When she had been contemplating going out with Flynn, she had felt as if she had to be older, so she was able to keep up with him but when she had been with Jim the night before she had felt as if she had to be no one but herself and that pleased her.
"So, I take it is a soldier who you meant last night if you were at the barracks."
Liz nodded. "Who else?"
Her mother grinned. "well as long as he does not hurt you I approve. Did our Pats have a good night?"
Lizzie confirmed it with a nod. "Her and Dan really do seem as if they are taken with one another which pleases her no end but I do not think that is going to work for everyone." She said and she did not have to say much more for her mother to know what she was talking about. "I don't think Patsy parents will be pleased either."
"Well – poor people, they have had their troubles. As for myself, I do not think there is anything wrong in you girls having a little fun and some summer love. It's good for the soul."
"So, you are not going to mind if I go back there and met this lad again."
"You are my daughter Elizabeth. And I trust you." She had a silly streak in her but she was also old enough to know right from wrong and she had faith her girl was a good one. She was not going to come to any harm.
Liz knew at that moment her mother was never going to understand how much those words meant to her or how good it was to hear them. It was true what the old saying said – mother knew best. Or she certainly had done the night before. She crossed the room and threw her arms about her mother and Liz thanked god she was who she was.
X x x
"Now there was me thinking you did not want to go last night but for a girl who did not want to go, you have come in to work with one hell of a spring back in your step."
Liz felt as if she was entitled to troll her eyes at Marty right then but she resisted.
"Well, I might not have wanted to go out but when I did get there – yes I had a nice time."
"And I might be wrong, but it seemed as if that rotten Flynn is of your mind."
He did not know why for he knew the lad was a long-standing friend of the Greenwoods but he had found he could not take to him whenever he had come to the spoon.
Liz smiled. It was true. It felt to her as if for the first time in a long time had he had not crossed her mind.
Strange that one meeting should change so much.
Yet she was so glad it had.
She swallowed. Yes, there was a chance this was an infatuation. But after one meeting with the lad Jim and she did feel different. She felt as if she was not only lighter but as if she was worth more, and that she did not think you could put a price on.
"I think he is."
"Well good for you girl. There is nothing wrong with a bit of summer fun and god knows you and Patsy deserve it after the hard work you put in here and at school you deserve it. Have you decided whether you are going to go back next year yet?"
Liz shrug. "I think my parents want me too – but I do not know. And if I did not go back then I do not know what I would do either. Could I work here full time?"
"I would like nothing more than for you to come and work for me full time, but I don't have the capital for that right now."
Elizabeth sighed. That was a shame.
She knew that there were going to be plenty of snobby people out there who thought nothing of a job at a cafe but to her, it was more than that, it was the people. She liked serving the customers. That was not to say she liked them all, or she enjoyed being on her feet all the time, but she thought it more fun than being a secretary which was what her mother had used to do before she had got married. For herself, she did not think she could imagine anything worse.
"I would have you if I could."
He did not want her to think this came down to anything more than cash flow for it did not.
"Oh, I know that," she said as she gave him a hug." Thank you, Marty."
He nodded but she could tell he was not happy with what he had to say but not being happy with it was not going to change it.
But then his face changed.
"Looks as if someone has just walked in who is none to please with my hugging you," said Marty as he drew back. The first thought in Liz's head was she hoped Jim was not the jealous type as she feared that could put her off him, which she did not want to happen when he seemed to be such a nice lad. But when she turned, she saw it was not Jim at all and someone who had a lot less right now as far as she was concerned to care about who she went around hugging.
It was Flynn.
To do him some credit he did look as if he was embarrassed but that did not go anyway as far as she was concerned to go to making up for what he had done. He had a lot to be embarrassed about.
From where she stood she could see that Patsy was staring evils at the lad but if Liz had had her way then, she would have told her not to bother, for the truth of it was he was not worth any of their energy any more.
"Liz, can I have a word?" he asked. It was clear he did not want to talk when she was standing behind the counter, but she was not going to talk to him anywhere else.
"You can talk away but if you are going to then I think you had better do it here. I am on Marty's time now," she said to him. If he had had any respect for her then she thought, he would have tried to have found a more private time and place for them to have this conversation but she was realising they were two things he was pretty low on.
If Marty had thought she wanted a moment, then he would have gladly of given it to her – but she didn't.
Flynn might, but Marty did not care a jot for that.
The young man cleared his throat.
"Liz, I wanted to say sorry for what happened this weekend. It was so wrong of me and I swear I am going to make it up to you," said Flynn.
For the first time Elizabeth knew in her heart there was nothing for him to make up to her.
"You do not have to do this." In fact, she wished he would not as it felt embarrassing to her. Still, she would rather have this chat in the middle of a busy café rather than on their own she found.
"But I do – we have known one another for too long for me to treat you like that!"
She wondered who he would think it was ok to treat in the manner.
"Why don't we go out for dinner at the end of the week? We can go out and make a night of it and I swear to you I am not going to back out this time."
Liz was just thinking how on earth she was going to let him down when Jim walked into the case.
She felt her heart flutter. The timing could not be more perfect.
"I can't."
"Why? I feel so bad about the weekend Lizzie, please let me make it up to you."
"I really can't."
"You could if you wanted to," he said and there was something mean about his eyes at that moment.
"Well I couldn't – because this weekend I am going out with the lad behind you on Saturday - because I know he is going to turn up."
Liz had not wanted to go that low when it came to Flynn. He was not going to get to her, that was what she had said to herself. It turned out she had lied just a little.
She had had a good talking to herself and said she was going to go high, where he had gone so low, but it had been too tempting for words. He had hurt her and so she had been willing to hurt him. Strange she thought when not so long ago she had thought the sun shone out of somewhere it reality did not.
Jim, on the other hand, felt as if he was ecstatic the whole reason he had gone to the Spoon that day was to ask Liz if she was willing to out with him, and this time on more than a date by default.
And now he had got that without so much as having to ask.
He felt his chest puff out with pride as he came to her side.
"Isn't that right?" she said to him and took his arm. He had a feeling he was being used to make a point right then, but he did not know if he minded that.
In fact, he knew he did not.
As for her, everything which she had just thought about going high seemed to out of the window.
After they had had such a nice time together there was not part of her which was sorry to show Jim off.
And now she could see him in the daylight instead of the pub it was impressed on her once more that this soldier boy she seemed to have picked up was a handsome young man.
That worked for her right then.
"Oh," Flynn said as he looked Jim up and down as if she was trying to work out what he had that Flynn did not but then that was fairly clear.
The answer was Liz.
"Yeah…." Liz nodded as she once more felt a little embarrassed as to how far she had gone with this but if the smile on Patsy's face was anything to go by her friend did not think she had gone too far.
"Is there anything which we can get you Flynn?!" asked Marty from the counter but the young man shook his head.
"And now if it is ok with you fella, I am going to buy the lady a tea." Jim finished off before he looked at her boss. That may have been too presumptuous, but Marty nodded.
He had a feeling the two of them were going to get on famously.
Flynn was left standing there was Jim and Lizzie beaded over to a table.
"I am so sorry about that," she admitted once she was sure the two of them were out of Flynn's earshot. She felt as if the two of them were friends and co-conspirators then, and there were relationships based on much less than that she thought with a smile.
"Do not be – I am so glad I was there to help."
He had not liked it the other night when she had been so down because she had been hurt by a man and on meeting Flynn he could see that he did not like him any more than he thought he had done.
He seemed as if he was the kind of ass who loved himself enough for the lot of them.
Elizabeth was something special and he was able to see that.
He was almost at the end of the day glad he had let her down for Jim could see he did not deserve her.
"If I am honest," she said with a smile, "so am I!"
"So, where are we going to go on Saturday?" Jim asked.
Liz's eyes lit up - "you want to go out on Saturday?"
"Well I thought we had a date planned - and the last thing in the world I'm going to do is stand you up."
She grinned which not so long ago she would not have been able to. "You got me out of a sticky situation with him there but please don't feel as if you have too."
He cut her off. "I do not do anything because I have to. I do it because I want to, and I want to go out with you Elizabeth, please…"
She nodded. "Ok then."
For the very first time, she felt as if it was ok to let hope blossom somewhere within her and that was a rather lovely thing to do she had to say.
"So, it was not just me who had a good time on Saturday evening?" she asked with a smile. He had come here, and he had approached Saturday in the real ways, so she knew she now had to try and give him some encouragement back. After all, whether he knew it or not he had a lot to be encouraged about.
"Are you kidding? Ever since I met you, you are all I can think about."
That was more than enough for her.
"I am very glad to hear it," she said with a bright smile. "And just for that, let's go for dinner on Saturday – then we can go for a walk – find a place where we can be alone."
All in all, that sounded like bliss to Jim.
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