Oh no, not again!

There’s one good thing about staying at the Petersons’ – oh, that’s not fair, there are many good things, actually, I’m just a bit too stressed at the moment to dwell on them – no, the one good thing I’m thinking of is that I still have access to the Internet any time I like as Chas’s mum says I can use the computer in what she calls here ‘boudoir’ (looks like a chintzy cross between a snug and a study to me). So I can still keep this blog going. Which I jolly well need to. So I don’t explode. Will I survive the week here? I don’t know. This first night hasn’t got off to an exactly easy start – and I’ve only been here a few hours!
I raced over to Greg’s as fast as I could.
‘What’s up?’ he said. It was pretty obvious from my appealing sweat patches and my scarlet face that something was. Panting, I explained.
He pulled a face. ‘Well, that’ll be nice then,’ he said. ‘A whole week in the same house as lover boy.’
‘Greg – don’t call him that!’ I said. ‘It’s so…’
‘What?’ said Greg. ‘That’s what he is, isn’t he? As far as you’re concerned.’
I turned away. I just didn’t know how to answer. What is Chas? I just don’t know any more. ‘Look,’ I muttered. ‘Can we not talk about Chas? I’m sorry I told you I’m staying there. It’s not like I really want to.’
‘Why on earth not?’ said Greg. ‘It’s like a photo-shoot for ‘Homes and Gardens’ from what I hear. Why not just enjoy?’
‘Yeh, but I’ll have to mind my ps and qs all week. The only escape is Chas’s outhouse and I don’t know how much he’ll want to have me hanging around in there – or how much I’ll want to either.’
‘You’ll have a bedroom, won’t you?’ said Greg. ‘You can get loads of homework done.’
‘Yeh, I guess.’
We were both silent.
‘I’ll get the dogs,’ said Greg.
I stood outside the gate, churning things over in my mind. What was the matter with me? Why wasn’t I thrilled at the thought of spending a whole week at Chas’s house? Why did I think he wouldn’t want me hanging out with him? OK, so his mum could be a bit much and I was guessing I’d have to be a lot tidier than I was at home but all that was trivial really.
Greg returned, the dogs straining at their leads.
‘Oh come on, Kate,’ he said. ‘Look pleased to see them, at least. They’re thrilled to see you – and if you bite your lip any harder, you’ll get right through to your chin!’
I smiled limply and half-heartedly made a fuss of the dogs. Then we set off. For a while, neither of us said anything. Then, when we had turned off the road into a field and had let the dogs go free, Greg turned to me.
‘Why don’t you accept it, Kate?’ he said. ‘It’s not working with Chas. He’s a great friend – but that’s all. It’s not the end of the world.’
I stared at the ground. I didn’t dare look at him. I knew if I did, I would either cry or kiss him – or both. I love Chas – I really do. I’ve been so close to him for so long and we’ve been through so many ups and downs – but right now, he feels more like a brother than someone you’d go out with. And I don’t know how to tell him. Or get over it myself. I guess I’ve been thinking for years that eventually we would go out together and it would be fantastic. And now we sort of are – and it just isn’t.
And then Greg took me by the shoulders and pulled me gently towards him and I looked up and – stupid, stupid, stupid! – then we were kissing – again!
It took me until my knees began to melt before I pulled myself away.
‘No!’ I said. ‘No, Greg – don’t!’
Greg stood, hands on his hips, his face turned down and away, his lips clenched.
‘You know what, Kate?’ he said. ‘You need to sort yourself out. Decide what you want to do. ‘Cos what you’re doing right now is doing my head in.’
That made me angry.
‘What I’m doing?’ I snapped. ‘I didn’t grab you by the shoulders! I didn’t say it wasn’t working with Chas! I’m sure you know how I feel at the moment and you just keep taking advantage!’
‘Yeh – like you don’t want me to!’ said Greg.
We stood facing each other, glaring furiously.
‘I think,’ I said, ‘it would be best if I took Fairfax and Darcy one way and you went another, all right? And tomorrow, I’ll walk them on my own, if you don’t mind!’
Greg turned on his heel. ‘Suit yourself,’ he said. ‘Chloe! Biggles!’
The next moment Chloe and Biggles came racing towards him, tongues hanging out, tails flailing.
‘I’ll take them to the park,’ he said. ‘You go there tomorrow and I’ll come up here. Then there’ll be no chance you’ll have to see me – except at school, of course.’
With that, he stalked off. And I burst into tears.
Fairfax and Darcy had come running back too. They sat either side of me and whined. Darcy laid her big paw on my thigh. I sank to me knees and wrapped my arms round them both.
‘What am I going to do?’ I sobbed. ‘What am I going to do?’

What we did, of course, was finish the walk. The great thing about having a job, whatever it is, is that whatever other rubbish is going on in your life, you still have to do it if you want to be paid. And I did. And even more, I wanted to prove to my wretched mother that I could do a job that didn’t involve counting coffins! I returned the dogs at the right time, rushed home, packed my bags and Mum gave me a lift out to the Petersons.
Mrs Charming Peterson came gushing out into the yard to meet us.
‘Kate! How lovely! What a surprise this is! Jo, I know it must be a terrific nuisance for you – but how delightful for us to have Kate here for the week. I know Chas is absolutely thrilled. Kate, come in and I’ll show you your room and then you must go over and talk to him – he’s in his outhouse – of course!’
Mum did the goodbyes quickly – she had plenty to do back home to get my room sorted out for our unexpected guest, even though Belle and Ben had promised to help. Then I followed Mrs Charming up the stairs.
Well – you should see my room! It is gorgeous! All snowy white with old lace trimmings. The bed is one of those antique brass ones with rails and lovely shiny knobs at both ends – the sort that just make you long for Christmas so you can hang up your stocking. There’s no carpet, just dark, polished boards but there’s the thickest, softest, whitest sheepskin rug beside the bed. The duvet must be goosedown or something – it’s so thick and light and it crackles slightly when you touch it. It’s all so restful and comforting, I just wanted to go to bed straightaway. But no such luck.
‘Now put your things down, Kate – you can unpack later. Chas’ll be wanting to see you before you turn in – better get over there or he’ll be wondering what’s happened to you. Cocoa in about half an hour, all right?’
There’s no fighting Mrs Charming when she’s decided something. I’ve tried and failed before. That’s why Chas escapes to his outhouse so much and Mr Peterson escapes to commune with his pigs. So off I went to see Chas.
He was playing on his computer when I walked in.
‘What do you think of this then?’ I said, breezily. ‘I’m here for the week.’
Chas spun round on his chair to look at me. There was a very serious expression on his face.
‘Yeh – I know,’ he said, ‘and don’t think for a moment I don’t want you here, Kate, it’s just…’
‘It’s just what?’ I said.
Chas sighed. ‘Kate…well, I don’t know how to tell you this…but something’s happened...’