Lauren had a nap on the sofa and got up and showered and changed her clothes, she grabbed her phone, keys and some money and headed for the Vic. She didn't have to meet Joey for a couple of hours but she needed a drink.
She brought a double vodka and coke and sat down at a table, she dialled Ant's number and they had a very long interesting conversation as she filled him on her life and the lies she had told. Ant agreed that he would cover for her when he came down this weekend and they had both come up with a convincing story.
Sharon and Jack came into the pub and Sharon joined Lauren as Jack brought the drinks
'Hello you' she said with a smile 'I hear that you had a nice break'
'Yeah we did' Lauren said nodding her head
'You seem about as pleased to be back as Joey does' Sharon said 'You know he's even making plans for the next time you two can go'
'He is?' she looked at her
'Yeah. I didn't say anything mind' she told her Lauren 'I'm glad that I've run into you actually. I was thinking about running a promotion on Valentine's Day and I need someone to come up with a theme for night and decorations for the club as well as flyer…. You interested?'
'Yeah of course' Lauren grinned at her 'Valentine's Day is three weeks away'
'Oh well you better make a start then. Can you have something ready for me by Friday?'
'Yeah I can work on it Thursday'
Jack brought the drinks over and he gave Lauren a kiss on the cheek 'Thank you' he said putting a drink down in front of her 'For all your hard work at Derek's funeral. You were a brilliant' he said
'Thanks. I just wanted to make things easier for Alice and Joey'
'Well I am sure that they both appreciated it' Jack replied 'I know I did and so did your dad'
Lauren sat with Jack and Sharon until Joey came in, he checked his watch and looked around the bar looking for her, smiling when he saw her.
'Well I am going to love you and leave you' Lauren said as she stood up 'Joey's buying me drinks for the rest of the evening'
'Abandoned for a younger model hey?' Jack teased her
'Well he is better to look at it' Lauren grinned
'Oi!' her uncle exclaimed loudly with a laugh.
Jack watched as the two cousins hugged and Joey kissed Lauren on her cheek 'Hey babe' he whispered in her ear.
'Hey' she replied 'What's with the hug?'
'Well we've both been away so it's a welcome back hug and I missed you' he replied, he let her go not wanting to hold on to her for longer than was acceptable for cousins. 'Drink?'
'Yes please vodka and coke' she told him 'I'll go find a table'
'Alright I'll come find you'
Lauren walked passed Jack and Sharon and round to the other side of the bar and chose the table in the corner. She played with a beermat as she waited for him.
A glass appeared in front of her 'Sorry, Just got caught by Jack' he told her as he shrugged his coat off, put it down between them and sat down beside her.
'Sharon offered me another job' Lauren told him 'Designing the theme for Valentine's day and club decorations and a flyer'
'Yeah that's great' he told her
'I'm going to work on it tomorrow night, glass of wine, a little music' she smiled
'So does that mean we're not seeing each other tomorrow night?' he picked up his beer and took a drink
'You'll be working' she said 'and its one night' she rolled her eyes. 'Oh you remember Ant's coming up Friday night?' she asked him 'So make sure you tell Alice to get her glad rags on we're all going clubbing'
'Maybe I should meet him first…'
'Joey. Just do what you're told please' Lauren told him firmly
'Okay I'll tell her' he said taking a sip of his beer 'When did you get so bossy' he muttered under his breath
'Do I need to remind you of my humiliation this morning?' she turned to face him, putting her hand down on his coat,
'No' he replied biting back a smile 'What time is the appointment again?' he asked her
'I can go on my own' she said to him 'You've already taken a lot of time off work and it's the results rather than the test itself that could be a concern'
'I told you that we would do this together and I meant it, every step of the way. And that includes me coming to all the appointments. So what time is it?'
'10:00am' she replied
'Do you want to meet at the hospital again?'
'Probably be easier' she nodded, Joey dropped his hand onto his coat and found her hand and took it in his.
They ordered some food and ate whilst she told him about the conversation that she had with her mother and Lucy and the lie that she found slipping out of her mouth about where she had been.
He brought it up again when they walked back to his at 9pm.
'You know that this is going to make it more difficult when we tell people?' he said
'Yeah I know but it came out before I could stop myself' she told him 'and then it was too late to take it back, Lucy would have been suspicious about why I lied and I had to lie to mum because Lucy could hear. I know it's a mess and I'm sorry' she said as he held the door open for her and she stepped inside.
'We'll figure it out' he told her. 'Alice you here?' he yelled out 'Kat?'
Hearing no reply he turned and looked at Lauren and grinned 'We're alone' he told her 'Maybe I should check out that hickey?'
'Joey is that you?' Alice called from upstairs
'Saved by the little sister. Unlucky' Lauren grinned back at him as Alice bounded down the stairs.
AN: Thank you again for all the reviews they are much appreciated and keep me posting this story. Glad you are enjoying it.
