The next day, Steve went back to work after Kate insisted she would be fine attending the solicitor by herself. They had found one the previous afternoon who could fit Kate in to her diary this morning.
With that important job done, they'd spent the rest of the afternoon getting Kate moved in to Steve's spare bedroom before Kate had also started her search of finding somewhere to rent- booking some viewing appointments for the coming weekend.
"You like curry?" Steve had asked her as evening had approached. He was getting hungry and had little food in the place so resorted to his usual plan in times like this.
"Sure," Kate had said. Indian was her favourite take away and it looked like another thing her and Steve had in common.
"Great. Know any good take aways?" He'd then asked as he hadn't ordered one since moving, causing Kate to chuckle before she suggested a few of her favourite restaurants. They'd each ordered their favourite meal- garlic chilli chicken and rice for Kate and lamb madras for Steve and had a very pleasant evening together.
"Let me know how it goes at the solicitor's," Steve had suggested as he got ready to leave the flat for work, conscious he was running a bit behind time and his new boss was a stickler for punctuality.
"Will do," Kate had confirmed. She was having a lazy morning and still eating her breakfast in her pyjamas.
"Seen my keys?" Steve asked in a fluster as he searched desperately around the flat for them. If he didn't find them soon, he would be late.
"Little table by the front door," Kate replied, around a mouthful of cereal. She had found them the previous evening lying around in the kitchen of all places and had put them somewhere easy to remember. Steve went over to the suggested place and was relieved to see them.
"Cheers, mate," Steve said as he left the flat, the door closing heavily behind him as he ran to the car. Kate smiled to herself at the use of the word mate, pleased that he thought they were on good enough terms already to be calling each other friends. Finishing her breakfast she headed to the shower. She would take the bus in to the city centre for her appointment as parking would be a complete pain in the arse. She would then go round the supermarket and get some food in for them. She was going to surprise Steve with a nice home cooked meal as a thank you for his hospitality.
It was to the very nice smell of his dinner cooking, that Steve came home to later that evening. He'd had a busy day at work writing up his report in to Tony Gates' accident and it was most welcomed. He'd spoken to Kate at lunchtime after her legal meeting and was relieved to find her happy with how it had gone and pleased to find out she had a solid case for a good settlement. She'd mentioned that she was going to cook him dinner and if there was something he particularly liked, or didn't for that matter. They'd settled on lasagne.
As Steve opened the front door, he heard Kate laughing and chatting quite animatedly. It was nice to hear her so upbeat after the previous twenty four hours. He couldn't hear who she was talking to so deduced she was on the phone and obviously getting on very well with the person. Entering the living room he saw that she was on the flat's landline. Kate looked over to him as he entered.
"He's just walked in, Sue," she informed the person on the other end of the phone. Steve stopped dead. There was only one person he knew called Sue. His mother. God knows how long she'd been talking to Kate. He hoped Kate hadn't mentioned his finger injury as he still hadn't found the opportunity to bring that up to either of his parents as he didn't want to worry them. "I'll pass you over to him," Kate said as she got off the sofa and headed over to Steve, listening to what his mother was saying as she did so. "Lovely speaking to you to," Kate replied before handing the phone to Steve. "I'll go finish dinner," she informed him.
"Ok," Steve said. "Hi mum," he said into the receiver as he took a seat where Kate had just been. "You better have not said anything too embarrassing to Kate," he warned his mother as Kate turned and smiled at him before leaving the room. Great! He thought to himself. That obviously wasn't the case.
"I don't know what you are talking about, darling," his mother chastised him.
"Hmm," Steve muttered.
"So you've got yourself a housemate for the next couple of weeks?" Sue enquired. It had been a bit of a surprise when a woman had answered her son's landline. Her first thought was that this person was yet another one of Steve's now quite long list of conquests, before Kate had explained what was going on. "Kate seems a lovely girl," his mother prodded.
"Mum!" Steve warned, exasperated. He knew what she was up to. Ever since all her friends' children had started getting married and having children she had been relentless in hounding Steve to do the same. "Don't go there. It's complicated. She's my partner…,".
"That doesn't sound like a complication….," his mother interrupted.
"Did she tell you why she's moved in?" Steve asked
"Yes. What an awful situation for her. It's nice you're being so supportive,".
"Thanks,".
"So she's single," Sue continued.
"Mum! She's really not looking at dating right now,".
"Well not now but maybe once it's all over," Sue said. "You never know how things will go with you living together,".
"I give up," Steve said. "You're not listening to a word I'm saying. Why did you call, mum?" He asked, wanting to change topics before he blurted out his feelings regarding Kate to his mother.
"Just calling to see how the new job's going,".
"Everything's good," Steve replied not wanting to go further in to details right now.
"And you haven't forgotten it's Dan's wedding in two months, have you?".
"Pretty hard to, when you keep reminding me about it every week," Steve answered sarcastically. This was the reason she was phoning, the new job was just an excuse.
"Well you still haven't RSVP'd," his mother chastised him. "And they want to know whether you are bringing a plus one,".
"I don't know, mum!" Steve explained. In truth he really didn't want to go to the wedding, let alone subject anyone else to it,".
"You could bring Kate," Sue suggested with a smile. Steve rolled his eyes at her mention of Kate again. She wasn't going to let it go.
"I think Kate probably has better things to do like spending time with her son, than attending an Arnott family wedding,".
"Kate's got a son? Oh how lovely! She can bring him along," Sue argued. "There will be lots of children. How old is he?".
"He's five,".
"That's sorted then?" Sue said. "Promise me you'll ask her?".
"Fine. Don't be surprised if she turns me down," Steve warned her.
"You'll never know if you don't ask," Sue prodded.
"Yes mum," Steve said, accepting defeat as he hung up. He closed his eyes and pinched his nose trying to calm down after the call. As he sat there he became aware that there was something different with the sofa. Reaching behind his back he pulled out a scatter cushion. It was patterned and co-ordinated with the colour of his furniture. A quick glance around the room revealed a couple more of them, all the same design. They were new additions to the room. His new house mate had done more than just food shopping by the looks of it. Getting up he took one cushion with him to the kitchen where Kate was busy finishing off the meal and currently had the oven open as she checked on the lasagne. "Kate, what are these doing in the living room?" He asked, showing her a cushion.
Kate looked at the cushion Steve was holding. She stood up sheepishly, closing the oven door as she did so. "I er, thought you could do with some after spending the night on the sofa," she explained. "Any good sofa has them. You don't mind do you?".
"No, it's fine. I actually quite like them," Steve reassured her truthfully. They did compliment the furniture very well. When furnishing a room, Steve always focused on the main stuff, not thinking about the decorative accessories. This was the first lot of cushions he had ever had.
"Your mum seems nice," Kate said smiling, as she changed the topic.
Steve looked at his new friend warily. "I'm sorry if she said anything out of turn," he apologised. "She's hell bent on seeing me settle down," he explained. "Grand child envy I think,".
Kate smiled. "She was fine,".
"Dinner smells great," Steve complimented her.
"Thanks," Kate replied. "You've probably just got time to get changed if you want," she informed him.
"I might just do that," Steve said before heading to his room and changing into some more comfortable clothes than his work suit. He also used the bathroom and came across some new scented device- a ceramic pot with wooden sticks coming out of it. Kate again. If he didn't know better it was like she was trying to improve his apartment and make it more to her liking.
Heading back in to the kitchen, Kate was serving up. As well as the lasagne she had made some garlic bread. On the table were two glasses of wine. "You shouldn't have gone to all this trouble," he said as he took a seat at the table.
"It's a thank you for letting me stay and because you had to write that report up all by yourself," Kate explained as she joined him. She hated writing reports up normally and felt a little guilty at having left Steve to do it solo.
"This is great," Steve complimented Kate after a few mouthfuls. He wasn't lying. It was so much better than the microwave meals and take aways he usually existed on.
"Thanks," replied Kate, pleased that he was enjoying the food.
They spent the meal chatting easily about their day- Kate filled Steve in on the solicitors and how she was going to apply for joint custody of Josh. Steve briefed her on the report he had written.
"I've repeated that Tony Gates died in the line of duty," he informed her hesitantly. "I hope that that's ok,".
"It's fine, Steve," Kate answered.
"Really? Because I sort of got the impression you weren't all that happy about it before,".
"I've had time to think about it," Kate explained. "If I were ever in the same position, I'd do the same for Josh," she continued. "Just don't make a habit out of it. I dread to think how the gaffer would take it if he ever found out,".
"I can imagine," Steve said. "Is he usually the way he was during that case? Does he ever y'know, relax a bit?".
"Nope," admitted Kate. "What you've seen of him is how he usually is,".
"Right. I'm going to have to keep towing the line. Message understood," Steve reminded himself. "But he can surprise you with some things," Steve revealed.
"How's that then?" Kate asked intrigued and saw Steve place a key on the table in front of her. "What's that a key to?".
"My flat," Steve answered and Kate looked surprised. "Just so that you don't have to take the first place you see. You deserve to get something nice. The gaffer's okayed it. No rules about being flat mates with your partner as far as he's aware,".
"You're sure?" Kate asked, not quite believing Steve would be so generous.
"Absolutely," Steve replied. "Besides you seem to be moving in gradually with those cushions and whatever that scented thing in the bathroom is!" He teased.
"It's a diffuser and I liked it!" Kate defended her purchase before contemplating the offer Steve had put to her. She was tempted as she could find somewhere that she really wanted and could make her own. "If I did move in, I'll go half on everything," she stated.
"Fine," Steve acknowledged, pleased she was giving his offer some thought.
"Thanks Steve. I don't know how to thank you,".
"More meals like this will be more than enough," Steve commented. They sat and ate in companionable silence for a while.
"You're sure mum was ok?" Steve decided to be absolutely sure she hadn't made Kate feel uncomfortable when she had called before doing as he had promised.
"She's lovely,".
"She's just being nice as she doesn't know you very well," Steve retorted.
"I don't believe you," Kate bantered back. "You're lucky having a mum like her. I'm not very close to mine. Think that's why I got married to the first man who asked which turns out to have not been the best decision I ever made,".
"She was ringing to pester me about something," Steve explained. "Feel free to say no but my cousin is getting married in two months. I have a plus one and mum is wanting to know who I'm going to bring," He ventured.
"I don't know," Kate answered shyly. "Let me think about it,".
"That's fine and please don't feel you have to say yes," Steve said. "Just have a good excuse if you say no and stick to your decision, because my mum can be pretty persistent when she wants to be,".
"Is that where you get if from?" Kate asked, smiling.
"Shut up! I'm nothing like my mum!" Steve argued, appalled that Kate could say such a thing.
"I don't know," Kate retorted. "You seemed pretty persistent to me in your dealings with Tony Gates!".
"I might have to retract that house mate offer if you don't shut up," Steve threatened. Kate swiped the key off the table before Steve got there first.
"Too late!" She replied, smugly. "I have just the place for this," Kate mentioned before leaving the table and returning with a little something in her hand. She handed over the wrapped parcel to Steve who carefully opened it. It was a little wooden plaque with four hooks on it and 'Where did I leave my keys?' written above it. "So we don't have a repeat of this morning," Kate explained, fairly sure Steve was one of those people who was always losing his keys.
