Seize the Day - 2

Part Two

Sitting in the autumn sun didn’t make her mind think any easier, but she couldn't concentrate on her book either, and when Bill joined her with a ceasefire gesture of a bottle of wine, Naomi couldn’t focus at all.

                “Sorry mate, I know Vin has wild ideas. But I still think you should go. Raise your head high and then toss them the ‘v’ when they’re suitably impressed!” He seemed deep in thought after filling two glasses and handed her one, “what about my brother?”

She sprayed a mouthful of chardonnay across the small square of grass, “what?! Lord Henry Swift on a ‘date’ with me???”

He sighed, “He’s not a Lord!”

                “No but he thinks he is! Bill the problem isn’t you! Any woman would be more than glad to have you on their arm...hell they fight over you every night of the week! It’s just the whole going back in time thing. The last year...I don’t know!”

He sipped his wine, kicking out his feet and looking like a country gentleman with his ankles crossed sprawled across the small area they called a garden.

                “Is this to do with your folks? I mean they’ve constantly abandoned you for the greater good!”

                “So I should be used to it?” She half laughed. A childhood spent staying with relatives or in boarding school was not an overly happy one. “No it’s not that. I am used to that. But, well my brother’s got it all, lovely home, beautiful wife...”

                “She is that!” He nodded enthusiastically, but with Bill it was purely an observation. He was that kind of guy.

Naomi raised her eyebrows, “kids, great job...and he takes every opportunity to remind me of that. I’m just some drop out...he doesn’t get me living here...” She grinned at the sudden drop in his face, “or me giving up a ‘perfectly good career’. He makes me feel a failure.”

He was smiling, taking it all in the good humour it was meant with, “why do you let him? You know how my brother scorns me! I just laugh at him!”

Naomi sighed, “You’re strong, successful and financially viable. All the things he pulls me up on. It’s my weakness and he dives on it like a bird of prey every time he sees me. And I suppose my parents wouldn’t care about what I’m doing, they are all for what ‘feels right’, but growing up, Nick was more like a parent than them, it hurts that he judges me.”

Bill leaned forward and patted her shoulder, “you’re doing the right thing following your dreams Beck. You’re not a slave to the money, you never have been. This will work! How are the plans going?”

Her latest challenge was to submit her ideas illustrations for a series of six children’s books about supernatural occurrences. The publishing company would select the best one and Naomi had spent several hours with the author trying to visualise her ideas. But it was still a lottery. Securing the deal would be a huge coup, and would secure her a decent financial income for the next few years. Then she could concentrate on her real love. Art...for art’s sake.

                “I have no clue, Bill. I had inspiration today in the bath...but if I don’t get this commission, then I don’t know how I’ll survive.”

                “I’m not chucking you out mate, and I’m more than happy with you choring for your rent!”

She punched his shoulder in play as he broke into guffaws at his gaff, for the last few months she’d been cleaning and cooking for the group, running errands, almost being a house keeper, it was a way of reducing her rent to Bill, and made her feel that she was contributing to the house, though at the back of her mind she was felling more and more indebted to her friends.

                ”Where’s Vin?” Naomi had thrown her feet up onto Bill’s knees, and he was back to reclining the wine glass in his hand.

                “Some work thing...though she’s acting a little suspicious. I thought you’d know about that?”

Vincenza was a complicated character. Whilst she was the greatest friend a girl could ask for, patient, caring, there was no problem too great for her to take on, she kept her own cards close to her chest. Increasingly she was bottling up her emotions, and Naomi worried about her periodically. That Bill had picked up on that must mean that she was being particularly evasive.

                “Hey! Let’s get some food delivered and open another bottle of wine?”

                “Aren’t you going out? It’s Friday, I’ve not known you spend a Friday in the house for years. How will the female population of North London cope?”

He laughed, “Naomi I really am not that bad...am I?”

Her response was a knowing giggle as she headed inside to find some food menus.

Suddenly her inspiration to draw and paint the supernatural was at a high. Maybe her inner torment was awakening her creative juices. She didn’t care; all she was grateful for was the pages of sketches that came to life over the next two days. She barely saw her housemates she was buried away in her bedroom, and they knew better than to disturb her.

Sunday evening was the cathartic moment that Naomi could bundle together more than fifty percent of the images she was aiming for. Emerging from her room still dressed in dirty overalls she favoured for working, she carried two days worth of mugs and pot noodle containers.

Passing the hall, she head Vincenza’s lilting voice call after her, “you’ve had success cara?

Naomi beamed a smile as she headed for the kitchen, “inspiration and success! How are you?”

Vin followed her into the kitchen, “good. But I’ve missed you!”

                “Everything ok?” Naomi turned to face her friend.

                “I’ve met a man Naomi, and he’s really lovely!”

Naomi felt her eyes widen, “really? That’s amazing. When? Where? How? And most of all who?”

Vincenza chuckled, “it’s a man called Edward. He works at a distributor we use. He asked me out a few weeks ago, but you know me, I’m not one for dating!” That was an understatement, Vin never brought a man home, she’d had encounters, met men, but it never went past a first, or at the very most a second date!

                “Wow!” Naomi gushed, “It’s no wonder you’ve been quiet! That’s great news, I’m so pleased! Why are you so...reticent?”

Vincenza toyed with her thumbs, avoiding her friend’s eyes, “he doesn’t know...”

Ah, it all made sense to Naomi, Vincenza hated the legacy of her family, her wealth and all the trappings that went with that life. Her two siblings, an older brother and sister lived the luxurious life to the hilt. But Vincenza had been free of that for long time, much to her father’s chagrin. She constantly worried that people would judge her, like or hate her because of her family, not herself. But in situations like this where she’d withheld that information, became untenable as it always made it seem that she was lying.

                “Tell him Vin, if he likes you it won’t make a scrap of difference. If it does make a difference then he’s not the man for you.” Seeing the indecisiveness in her friend’s eyes, she reached for her hand, “do it now before you really start to care about him. It’ll hurt him, and you, the longer you let it go.”

                “I was going to bring him around for dinner one night, so you two can cast your eyes over him, tell me what you think.”

Naomi smiled, this was another first, “look that would be a bit intimidating, why don’t me and Bill bump into you one evening? By accident!” She winked elaborately. “Talking of Bill, where is he? It’s so quiet around here.” Normally they couldn’t have a deep and meaningful conversation for this long without him dipping into it. Usually with chaotic results.

                “Cycling club of course. Southend-on-Sea and back, a Sunday afternoon jaunt of eighty odd miles!”

Naomi shook her head, that wasn’t unusual for Bill, but it was still a phenomenal activity, six or seven hours of cycling.

                “Shall I do us roast beef for supper? Bill will be in his craving five thousand calories when he gets back.”

Vincenza smiled, “with those lovely Yorkshire puddings?”

By the time a euphoric but exhausted Bill fell through the house at seven o’clock, the food was almost ready. With an exaggerated sniff he craned his neck around the kitchen door, all sweaty and muddy, “Is the artist out of isolation? Something smells di-vine!”

                “Beef,” Vincenza purred, “with all the trimmings. Half an hour...go shower!”

Grinning he disappeared. If it wasn’t for Naomi the other two would survive on microwave meals, a disgrace given that Vincenza was Italian. Her cooking had become more and more legendary as time went on; it seemed now that she was indispensible.

                “So have you attacked your project?” Bill asked between shovelling food into his mouth as though he’d not eaten for three months.

                “Made great headway...” Naomi sat back and thought for a moment, “in fact I might contact the author tomorrow, I’ve got a few questions now that I’ve started to brainstorm.”

Bill smiled, happy to see the old happy Naomi emerging from the ashes, “that’s great news, hey Vin?”

Vincenza nodded, “it is.  But I still have that dress upstairs. I think you should go to the wedding, with William Swift!”

Naomi glanced at Bill who smiled, “I’m game if you are.” When she nodded he laughed, “I’ll make that man think I’m the luckiest guy alive, and he’s a fool!”

Naomi’s week flew by, her creative forces were still strong and she produced ream after ream of illustrations, even found time and energy to deviate from her commitment to paint a landscape, a watercolour version of the view from her bedroom. Primrose Hill in the bright autumn sun was the inspiration, and as she finished the details on the trees, the benches and the children playing, she added a blonde man, leaning against his bike, running a hand through his hair, on the bench beside him sat a dark petite girl, and a taller one, heads turned towards each other, the energy of their gossip almost lifting off the canvas.

Smiling at the finished product, she was pleased, the three of them being in the picture made it special, Bill would want to hang it in the lounge, but a lot of her material was for her, she’d neither share nor part with them. Later that day she sent her RSVP to Melody’s family, with an apology at the lateness of her reply, and the information that Sir William Swift would be her guest.

Bill hated being called Sir, but as the second son of an Earl, he took the lesser title of 2^nd Baronet to his brothers Viscount. Henry would then step into the Earldom when their father passed away. Bill on the other hand hated his title, never used it, and in fact despised people who used or referred to it. But on this occasion, where he was there purely as intelligent arm candy, he’d have to put up with it.

                “Where is this wedding on Saturday?”Bill asked as they strolled to the wine bar where they’d ‘accidently’ bump into Vin and Edward, though Bill was also in the dark over that. He was surprised that Naomi had dragged him to the bar on a Thursday evening, but he was a good time guy and just assumed that it was her impulse for the moment.

Naomi had deliberately not told him where the wedding was as he’d hate it, she knew Hassington Hall was the premier wedding venue south of London, but for Bill it would remind only him of Henry’s twenty first birthday held at the same venue. It was the location of one of his famous family arguments.

                “Don’t go mad, ok?” he groaned as she added the words, “Hassington Hall” rather quietly.

Silence greeted her words and they’d walked for a few moments before she slipped her hand in to his elbow and pulled him to a stop. “Is that a real problem?”

Bill shook his head, “I’m bigger than that Naomi, you know that. I’ll do this for you no worries.”

She nodded, encouraging him to walk further, “you never said what really happened that night.”

Silence again. They were almost at the door to the bar when he turned and offered, “it was that night that I found out my mother had had an affair around the time I was conceived, and it wasn’t until the DNA technology existed in the early 90’s that he found out I was his. That may explain why I was always the black sheep. Either way I hate the old bastard for it and Henry for gloating!”

With that he stormed into the pub and ordered them a couple of beers.

Naomi tried to contemplate that information as Bill flipped to the charming Bill she knew and loved. It was very rare to see the morose or angry side of him, and even less of a chance of hearing stories like the one he’d laid on her. Men didn’t talk as much as women though, she knew that. He’d confide ALL his lady problems, even work, but never family. It was a closely guarded secret.

Naomi watched him across the room, a slender blonde woman hanging on his every word. He really was great company, intelligent, worldly, good looking. The perfect man...if he wasn’t Bill her best mate! The woman was ensnared already, hook, line and sinker, from the flirtatious hand on his chest to the fluttering of eyelashes, and as usual Bill seemed none the wiser, laughing and complimenting the other woman in a way that was as natural as breathing.

                “I wish I had half his luck and charisma!” A voice whispered close to her, and Naomi spun around to see Vincenza next to her.

Hugging her she whispered back, “where’s this man?”

“At the bar,” she nodded her head in the direction of a tall man buying a bottle of wine.

“Very nice!” She approved, “very nice indeed.”

And he was very nice, the man was obviously really keen on Vincenza, he had a wistful way of looking at her when she wasn’t aware, and when she was, he was tentative, funny and encouraging. Naomi was more than happy.

                “Hey, when did you turn up squirt?”

Vincenza snapped around to scowl at Bill, he rarely called her quirt, or referred to her smaller stature, unless they were fighting, it was another sore spot for her. “William.” She snapped.

Bill merely laughed, “Who’s your friend Vin?” Before she could answer he’d extended an arm to him, “I’m Bill her friend!”

Edward nodded, “I’ve heard all about you! I’m Ed Crossley.”

Bill shook the hand enthusiastically, “any mate of Vin’s is a mate of mine...though I’m sure you’ve not heard about all the skeletons in her closet yet! I am that man!”

Ed laughed, “Tell me more!”

The two women groaned at the male bonding and bravado, but Naomi knew that Bill would do nothing that would jeopardise Vincenza’s happiness.

The four of them talked for a while, the night was only disturbed when Bill’s blonde started to hang around, she’d obviously missed him. He very discreetly disappeared off and Naomi ended up walking home alone, she had no intention of walking home with the lovebirds.

The next morning Naomi was up early brewing coffee and baking cakes. Cooking was becoming the therapy that she’d lost through the change in the role of her art.  Vin groaned she wasn’t a morning person, but work dictated she had to be! Whereas the person with no time dictations in her life - Naomi woke early and with ease.

                “Coffee?”

Vin groaned again, she hadn’t got home much later than Naomi but obviously she’d struggled to sleep after the fifteen minutes spent on the door step with Edward!

As Naomi filled a mug, the front door opened and a rather windswept Bill emerged still wearing yesterday’s clothes with a smile. Morning ladies!” Then he turned to Naomi, “Are you baking?”

Naomi nodded, neither surprised nor judgemental that he’d spent another night with another lady. He was careful, and never brought women to his house, and it was his own business! “It’s therapeutic. I’m up to date with my work, and trying not to think about the wedding in four days time!”