Chapter Thirty-Five
Ros slept the best she had for a long while and for the first time in many months when she woke up the sense of impending doom wasn’t weighing upon her. She’d not realised how much her father’s condition had been a dark shadow over her life. Thankfully now that shadow had lifted. Her father had taken a risk and it had paid off. It was an odd sense of elation even though her dad had advised caution and had gone over all the expected caveats that it was still early days on the treatment and it did not mean he was in remission or that his battle with cancer was over. But his future looked decidedly brighter, which was definitely cause for celebration.
‘Good morning,’ said Cameron, walking from the bathroom to his bedroom with a bath towel slung low on his hips and his usually bouncy hair in wet curls. Seeing him reminded her that whilst her biggest concern had been resolved it had now created another one.
‘Morning. Actually when you’re dried and dressed do you think we could have a chat?’ she asked, trying hard not to stare at his naked torso.
‘Sure, what about?’ he said, coming over. His glistening body was somewhat of a distraction.
‘It’s about the contract. Or more precisely the impact of Dad’s announcement on said contract.’
‘Okay.’ He sat down and the towel gaped open.
‘Naked!’ she squeaked. Ros quickly averted her eyes. ‘You’d best get less exposed under there with no clothes. Some clothes. Anything to cover things up.’ Apparently she’d lost the ability to form proper sentences.
‘I don’t think we should make any snap decisions but—’
There was no way Ros was going to be able to concentrate while he was wearing just a damp towel, especially one that was no longer providing proper coverage. ‘I’m sure you’d be more comfortable with clothes on. You get dressed and I’ll make us both a coffee.’
‘Okay. I’ll be back in a jiffy.’
Ros made the coffees and Cameron returned in a Cookie Monster T-shirt and flowery board shorts. She was getting used to his childish attire and now found it endearing. Perspective was an interesting thing. A little like looking at the world through a kaleidoscope so that you only saw the pretty things.
‘Thanks,’ he said, sitting down and moving his mug onto a nearby coaster. It was an added bonus that he was house-trained. ‘It’s brilliant news about your dad. I’m really stoked about it. And it explains why he’s not needed me to walk Gazza lately. He obviously has the energy to do it himself, which is a great sign.’
‘I know. I feel the same but we do need to discuss the contract. And basically it is now null and void so you are free to go, but I will of course pay you up to the original anticipated end date so you won’t be out of pocket. And thank you. You did the job beyond my expectations.’
‘Oh right.’ Cameron seemed shocked. ‘I was hoping I’d be able to stay here until the new house share is sorted.’
Ros almost slipped off the arm of the sofa in her haste to answer him. ‘Of course you can stay. Stay as long as you like. I’m not chucking you out. I just didn’t want you thinking you were stuck with the um... situation and with me. But we can stop this silly sham now, which will be a relief, won’t it?’ She nodded more times than was necessary to a sentence that she didn’t agree with. In the end she’d thoroughly enjoyed being in a fake relationship with Cameron.
‘Right. Because I don’t think we can just call a halt to it without letting on that it was a set-up and that would upset Barry, which I definitely don’t want to do.’
‘Nor do I. Good point. We need a credible way to end it.’
‘We do and one that won’t upset your dad.’
‘Right.’ They both thought for a moment. It was a lot harder to end a fake relationship than she’d imagined it would be. Of course she’d not had to think about how it would end because they’d envisaged that her poor dad’s demise would be the end point on a number of levels. ‘I don’t have the answer,’ she said at last.
‘Nor me.’ He sipped his coffee. ‘If you agree, how about we carry on as we are and have a think about some options for ending this in a way that doesn’t upset anyone?’
‘Excellent idea,’ said Ros, feeling slightly guilty because it meant she got to spend more time with Cameron. The thought made her happy. It also took away the pressure of having to come up with an immediate exit strategy.
‘Cool. I’m going for a run before lectures and I thought teriyaki beef salad for dinner?’
‘Sounds lovely. I’ll see you after work.’ They had settled into a routine and she was going to miss it. Coming home to an empty apartment would be a hard thing to readjust to, but readjust she would have to. At least she had Cameron in her life for a little while longer.
An impromptu lunch with Darla was a lot more appealing than it once would have been. She was starting to realise that she had lived her life to a far too rigid schedule. The early June sunshine was gentle and an added bonus as they sat in the park, ate their sandwiches and updated each other on their lives.
‘Ros, I am over the blooming moon for you and your dad. That really is the best news ever.’
‘I agree. I can’t quite believe it.’ It had felt like she had dreamed it up and yet it was real.
‘Oh, but what happens with you and Cameron now?’ asked Darla.
‘I’m afraid Cameron and I come to an end.’
‘Or...’ Darla looked serious for a moment. ‘We bump off Gina and you two date for real.’
‘Nice idea.’ Ros shook her head good-humouredly at her friend. ‘If not somewhat murderous. I told him this morning that he’s free from the contract but Cameron said we can’t just finish things; we need to think through a plausible and non-traumatic end to the relationship.’
‘If only life was like that,’ said Darla with a sigh.
‘Oh don’t tell me there are problems between you and Elliott.’
‘The complete opposite. It’s great. Apart from his ridiculously early starts. He’s good fun and I even like mucking out when I’m with him. And the sex. If it was an Olympic sport he would be getting gold medals all the way.’
‘So what’s the problem?’
It was unlike Darla but Ros could see that she was less bubbly than usual. ‘Like you and Cameron, at some point it has to end and I’m already feeling a bit sad about that.’
‘I understand about my situation because mine is entirely fabricated but you and Elliott, why do you need to split up?’
‘In a few months I will be kicked out of The Brambles. By then I will be debt-free and hopefully in a position to set up my own company, but in order to do that I’ll have to move back in with my parents in Oxford and, as Elliott lives here and is working virtually 24/7 on the farm, that makes it a bit too difficult to see each other.’ She looked glum but only for a moment. ‘But that’s assuming we last that long. Who knows? I’m going to stop grumbling and focus on enjoying myself. I need to live in the moment.’
‘Good idea.’ Ros finished her sandwich. ‘Have you got any further with ideas for your own company?’
‘Nope. I can’t think of anything unique and original. I guess I’m not cut out to be an entrepreneur. But I’ve not given up – I’m still hoping something completely genius will pop into my head.’
‘Does it have to be unique and original?’ asked Ros, thinking that perfectly ordinary businesses were set up all the time.
‘If it’s not then I’d be in competition with long-established businesses and it’s hard enough getting a new company off the ground anyway. Loads fail every year. I thought about setting up my own little cleaning business, but there are literally hundreds in the Oxford area. Why would mine stand out? It’s a shame because I think Dusting Darla has a ring to it.’
Ros held her hand up. ‘I might have an idea.’
Darla shuffled her bum forward. ‘Go on.’
‘How about if you specialised? You could stay in Southampton and set up a cleaning company specifically for boats. Mr Rogers was pleased with what you were doing and thrilled at how well you removed the bloodstains from his floor, so that could be something unique and original.’ Ros was pleased with her suggestion.
‘Boats with bloodstains might be a little too niche and slightly worrying if I ended up with a large regular customer base. But I do like your thinking.’
‘You have lots of good concepts for cleaning. Like your suggestion for getting rid of the Gazza urine smell on my curtains. It really did work.’
‘I’ve got loads of tried and tested hacks for cleaning. Especially where animals are concerned.’ That was the moment when they both had the same idea at the exact same time, pointed at each other and gasped.
***
Darla was buzzing since her lunch with Ros. Not only did she think they had come up with a pretty original idea, she already had a ready-made client base locally from all her pet-sitting clients. Her plan was to set up Dusting Darla and focus on two sets of clients: boat owners and pet owners, and when they overlapped like Mr and Mrs Rogers she’d offer them a discount.
Her excitement was unfortunately matched by her fear that setting up and running a business was beyond her. After the mess she’d got into thanks to Patrick she was particularly afraid of making a total hash of it and either ending up in even more debt or, worse still, going bankrupt. Thankfully Ros had allayed her fears on that front by promising to be there for her every step of the way.
She relayed her ideas to Cameron as it was a very quiet night at the bar. A nearby pub was having a tequila night.
‘It sounds amazing,’ he said when she’d finished explaining her idea. ‘And Ros will make the best business adviser.’
‘I know. I’m lucky to have her. I’ll need to find some new lodgings when my gig at The Brambles ends. I don’t think I’ll be able to do the house-sitting and run a business as moving every few days won’t really work.’
‘I’m sure you could move in with Ros when I move out,’ he said.
‘Have you two got a splitting-up date yet?’
‘Nope. I think we’re both avoiding it.’
For a moment Darla was hopeful he was having second thoughts. ‘Why’s that?’
‘It’s quite a big thing to unpick, and it needs to be believable because it would be awful if Barry found out that we’ve been acting all this time.’
‘You’ve grown quite fond of Barry and Ros, haven’t you?’
‘Yeah. Barry’s a mate, and Ros... well, she’s Ros.’ What did that mean?
‘I might be shooting my mouth off but I think you and Ros would make a great real-life couple.’
‘Ahh well you see the thing is—’
‘I know what the thing is. The thing is Gina, right?’
Cameron stared at his toes and let out a long slow breath. ‘Yep. That’s the th... I mean she’s the thing.’
‘Are you and Gina a big thing then?’ asked Darla, watching him closely for his reaction. His contorted facial expression was something to behold.
‘Me and Gina... it’s a very long story,’ said Cameron.
Darla glanced around the quiet bar. ‘I have time.’
Cameron leaned back against the bar top. ‘We’ve been going out off and on since we were kids and then we had a break when she went to uni.’
‘And now?’ Darla was keen to get things crystal clear.
Cameron scratched his head. ‘We’re not actually seeing each other but we’re not seeing other people either.’
‘Does that mean you’re single?’ Darla felt a spark of hope for Ros.
He looked sheepish. ‘At Christmas a couple of years ago I had a bit too much to drink and I went around to Gina’s parents’ place and did this whole big speech thing about me wanting to better myself and that I was going to ask her to marry me when I had got my degree.’
Darla spluttered out a laugh. ‘You’re not really going to do that are you?’
He ran his hands down his face, momentarily warping his features and reminding her of the Edvard Munch painting entitled The Scream . ‘I meant it when I said it. I really did...’
‘And now?’ she asked, feeling apprehensive.
A tiny frown darted across his forehead. ‘I can’t go back on my word.’
‘You can. She’ll think you’re a bit of a shit but you can change your mind. That’s assuming you don’t love her anymore.’
‘That’s the thing. I do love Gina. I’ve always loved Gina. It’s just...’
Darla wasn’t the most patient person. ‘It’s just what?’ She waved a hand for him to finish the sentence.
‘No, it’s definitely Gina. It’s like it was mapped out for us long ago.’
‘Sure?’
Cameron scratched his head and sighed. ‘Yeah.’
Darla couldn’t help but feel disappointed for Ros, but she put on her best smile for Cameron because he was her friend too. ‘Then that’s grand and I’m very happy for you.’
‘Cheers,’ he said, giving her a brief hug.
‘I’m really sorry,’ repeated Darla for the umpteenth time. They were sitting on Ros’s sofa clutching empty mugs. She’d felt compelled to tell Ros about the Cameron and Gina situation because she didn’t want her harbouring any false hope, especially as she felt Ros had been putting off the break-up and enjoying playing house with Cameron a fraction too much.
‘It’s not your fault,’ said Ros looking sanguine. ‘It’s fine. I’m fine. It was always only a business arrangement and it would, quite frankly, be weird if we strayed outside of those boundaries.’
‘That’s a good way to look at it,’ said Darla. ‘Are you any closer to working out how you and Cameron are going to end things?’
‘No, it’s a bit of a tricky subject.’
‘Right,’ said Darla, rolling her sleeves up. ‘Get that flip chart out. I’ll break you two up.’
‘Thanks, I think,’ said Ros, drifting off to her bedroom.
When Cameron came home thirty minutes later they had quite a list.
‘Hiya,’ he said. ‘What have we got here?’ he asked, putting down his satchel and joining them both at the flip chart.
‘Fifty ways to leave your lover,’ sang Darla. When that got no response she pointed to the header on the chart. ‘Fifty reasons to split up,’ said Darla, feeling quite proud of herself.
‘But we’ve not reached fifty yet. It’s quite hard,’ said Ros.
Cameron scanned the list. ‘They’re good and everything, but for each of these one of us has to take the blame.’ He pointed to the list and read aloud. ‘Cameron is cheating on Ros. Ros is too busy at work and has no time for Cameron. Cameron has got an infectious disease and Ros doesn’t want to catch it. They’re all like that.’
‘Apart from these two.’ Darla tapped the board near the bottom.
‘Either Ros and Cameron are incompatible sexually or they’re allergic to each other,’ he read out. ‘I’m not sure we’d be telling anyone the first one even if it was the reason. And allergic to each other? Not very likely. Is it even a real thing?’ he asked and looked between the two women. Darla nodded as Ros firmly shook her head.
‘Cameron’s right,’ said Ros. ‘I don’t think there’s a way to do this without one of us taking the blame. I guess as this was my idea it should be me.’
‘Actually it was my idea,’ said Darla.
‘Then I definitely blame you,’ said Cameron with a smile. ‘Could we say we were in a threesome but we both wanted Darla so we agreed that nobody would have anybody?’
‘No,’ said Darla and Ros together.
There was a lull while they all perused the board. Cameron held up a finger as if he’d had a flash of inspiration. ‘Whilst I would have liked to have kept in touch with Barry, I think you should blame me for the break-up. Nothing too awful though, please,’ he said.
‘Why?’ asked Ros.
‘Because you’re his daughter and I don’t like the thought of him thinking you did something wrong. And you don’t want him to badger you to fix it. So it has to be me.’
Ros squeezed his shoulder. ‘Thanks, that’s a gallant thing to do.’
‘You know me,’ said Cameron with a shrug.
‘I do,’ said Ros.
‘Great,’ said Darla, feeling pleased that they’d found a way forward but the other two looked rather glum considering she’d solved their issue. ‘I’m going to put a star by all the ones where Cameron initiates the split, then I’ll leave you two to work out the details. I think that deserves—’ But she was interrupted by the entry buzzer.
Ros answered it. ‘Dad! Hello, how lovely it’s you.’ She waved frantically at Darla and Cameron who were already manhandling the flip chart out of the room.
Darla and Cameron hid it in Cameron’s wardrobe. Darla caught sight of a Ken and Barbie T-shirt. ‘Seriously?’
‘Yeah. They’re the original perfect couple,’ he replied.
‘If you like out-of-proportion boobs and no penis,’ she said, coming back into the living area. ‘Barry, hi, how are you? I’ve heard the good news.’ And she pulled the slightly bemused man into a hug.
‘We were talking about Ken and Barbie,’ explained Cameron, looking embarrassed. ‘Nice to see you, Barry. Drink?’
‘No, I’m not stopping. Amanda is downstairs with Gazza.’ He pulled a face.
‘Is she still here?’ asked Ros.
‘Yes, your mum’s still here. But she’s leaving soon. I’d really like you to sit down with her before she goes. Please.’
‘I’ll need to check my diary,’ said Ros.
Cameron cleared his throat and gave her a look. ‘I’m sure we can sort something out.’
‘Great,’ said Barry brightly. ‘Anyway, the thing I came round to tell you was I’m having a party!’ He waved his hands in the air and grinned at them all.
There was no response for a beat too long so Darla felt she should say something. ‘Who doesn’t love a party? Great idea, Barry. What’s the occasion?’
‘No reason other than I am happy to be alive and I thought you only get all your family and friends together when there’s either a wedding or a funeral and if it’s the latter I’ll miss it so I thought, sod it let’s just have a party. You’re invited, Darla.’
‘Ace. Thanks, Barry. Do I need to RSVP or can I say yes now?’
‘No formal reply needed. So that’s one definite. How about you two?’ He looked at Cameron and Ros.
‘When is it?’ asked Ros.
‘I still need to finalise a few things but it’s next Saturday and I’m hiring one of those fancy floating gin palaces for the night. I’m really going to push the boat out. Get it?’
‘No,’ said Ros.
‘That sounds like a great night,’ said Cameron, with a glance at Ros. ‘I just need to see if I can get the time off work.’
‘Oh.’ Barry had a look of disappointment on his face. ‘Of course. Fingers crossed. It wouldn’t be the same without you.’
‘Thanks,’ said Cameron, appearing touched.
‘Anyway. I’d better dash before someone gets bitten.’ Barry pointed down the stairs.
‘Most likely Gazza,’ muttered Ros. ‘Bye, Dad. Take care.’ She gave him a kiss and he left looking at least ten years younger than he had done only weeks before. The door closed behind him.
‘I guess we need to split up before the party,’ said Cameron, looking disappointed.
‘No, you saw Dad’s face. He wants you there. You’re like family now. We’ll have to wait until afterwards.’
‘Cool,’ said Cameron, instantly brightening up. ‘Because I’d hate to miss it.’
‘And I might be able to get some leads for my new business from whoever owns the boat,’ said Darla and she put up her hand for a high five, but there were no takers.