Excerpt: Moving On

The afternoon that Dee first asked after Kate, Jane invited her to her office and gave her the envelope, which smelled faintly of cedar from its time resting in the Doctor's desk drawer.

She recognised the paper. The texture on her fingertips sparked memories of a Christmas shopping trip to Manhattan, hastily planned for Thanksgiving weekend when Kate's sister's kids had come down with measles three days before they were due to visit.

Kate had been devastated at losing the opportunity for time with her family, and Dee had booked the trip as a surprise and pulled out all the stops.

It started with a limousine that collected the women and their luggage and
drove them to the airport. Their suite in an uptown hotel had spectacular
views over Central Park and a vast jacuzzi they could both fit in at once.

They spent the first afternoon shopping for clothes. It had never been Dee's favourite occupation, but she insisted that Kate needed a new dress and accessories for the following evening, and Kate, in her turn, persuaded Dee that she too should splash out on something new. They were returning to the hotel laden with bags advertising the names of upmaket clothiers, when Kate spotted the shop.

xxx

"Hey!" she called at the rapidly retreating form of her lover.

Dee stopped and looked round, sighing dramatically. "What more could you
possibly need?" she asked, raising her arms and waving the bags she already carried.

"Come here, love. Just one more shop. For me?"

There was something in the particular tone that Kate used that Dee had never quite been able to resist, so, with yet another dramatic sigh, Dee retraced her steps back up the street.

"So, what was so important that we're putting off our bath and champagne for?"

"You ordered champagne?"

"To be delivered to the room in about..." She struggled with the bags to look at her watch. "Oh, forty five minutes. We've been doing this for ages!"

"You have been so sweet to me, today."

"And I'm not sweet to you every day?"

"You know what I mean!"

Dee grinned at the mock irritated woman before her, and winked, earning
herself a gentle slap across the backside.

"Behave or I'll send you to bed without an supper."

"Ooh, you wouldn't!"

"Try me."

Kate gave her the full force of her "foolish mortal" glare over the top of her
glasses, and Dee quailed. Satisfied, Kate gestured to the door and allowed Dee to hold it for her, while she floated serenely through it.

They found themselves in an emporium dedicated to paper and pens. The shelves, counters and many glass cases were filled with greetings cards and wrapping paper, customisable stationery for people or events, bottles of ink of many shapes and shades and pens of all sizes and descriptions.

"This," said Kate firmly, "is my treat."

Over the following half hour, they picked out a pair of matching fountain pens and ordered custom headed letter paper and envelopes for each of them. The gentleman in a dapper dark grey three piece pinstripe suit who served them was almost overcome with delight when he passed Dee a particular sample of their wares and she simply stopped talking mid-sentence. The paper had the most arresting texture, and having tried it, Dee simply would not countenance any other option.

They left the store with a small bag each containing their pens and an ink
that best suited each of them, and a receipt for the paper which would be
delivered later to their home.

That evening's bath, with its accompaniment of champagne and caviar, was, in Dee's mind far more perfect even than the following day's romantic dinner and Broadway show.