Chapter Ten #3
Because it was good not to have to explain that to him, she took out her phone and went to the WhatsApp group Joey’s kids, tilting the screen so Leo could see.
When his head hovered closer, she was aware of the apple smell of his shampoo, even over the aroma of coffee, and pushed the phone closer so he could hold it himself.
He gazed at the three photos she indicated.
They’d been ‘real’ photographs, which Rosalie had scanned in and captioned economically.
A friend’s barbecue. Rosalie looked to be about ten, in jeans and a pink hoody.
Someone’s birthday sleepover. She appeared a couple of years older, wearing an oversized white T-shirt and inexpert make-up, braces on her teeth.
Then came School-leaving bash. There, she was the kind of blossoming beauty that ad agencies searched for, with gorgeous skin and silky hair to go with a perfect smile.
Her stretchy dress was the palest lilac and shimmery.
Rosalie had typed: I thought he was going to swing for the teacher who demanded to take a photo of Dad and me when he came to pick me up from the leavers’ party.
In each photo, Joey scowled into the camera, a tall man with untidy dark hair and an unkempt beard.
Invariably, he wore creased jeans and a washed-out top.
In the final photo, he’d grown his hair into a ponytail and plaited the beard, as if he didn’t care how much they grew as long as they needed the minimum of attention.
Both Jade and Erin had written, Thanks, Rosalie.
Jade didn’t show him another chat, where Erin had messaged Jade privately.
He picked her up from parties??? Fuck me.
The snark had made Jade giggle and be glad that it wasn’t only her who felt freshly ignored by Joey.
Self-conscious, because Gran might not have liked swearing, but Erin never seemed to guard her language at all, she’d sent back: Fuck me too.
Leo frowned at the phone screen and scrolled slowly through once more. ‘Has he changed much from Mairead’s old photos?’
Jade cricked her neck to inspect the images. ‘Older, obviously. Scruffier.’
‘I’m sorry he cost you sleep.’ He passed the handset back. ‘Have you shown them to Mum?’
‘They hadn’t arrived when I saw her yesterday.
’ And, to be truthful, it hadn’t occurred to her.
Was there significance in Jade feeling she could show Leo?
An indication that there was some trust left between them?
‘It’s the weirdness of Rosalie having such a different experience with him than mine and Erin’s.
It sounds as if his parenting was casual, but he stuck with her – while he abandoned us.
Anyway.’ She sucked down her cappuccino.
‘Guestrooms. Thank you so much for helping with breakfast. Maybe the hangover ladies will have put the non disturbare sign on their door and sleep for the rest of the day. Then I’ll have only fifteen rooms to service instead of sixteen. ’
He pulled off his apron too. ‘OK. Do we need to carry up cleaning stuff?’
She hesitated in surprise. ‘Are you helping with the rooms too?’
He flexed his biceps. ‘I’m here for the full shift, boss. I’ve done every job in a hotel, so put me to work.’
Her cheeks warmed as she realised she’d stared at his muscly arm. ‘Really? OK, then.’ Today wasn’t turning out as badly as she’d anticipated. ‘There are utility cupboards on each floor. Let’s ask Yara if anyone’s already checked out so we can start there.’
Upstairs, armed with a cleaning cart, a pile of linen and towels, and a laundry trolley, they broached room 302, throwing open the windows to replace the fuggy air with the fresh breeze that blew from the lake over the oleanders of Piazza Cavour.
Leo stripped the bed while Jade emptied bins and scooped soiled towels from the bathroom floor into the laundry trolley.
‘Bed?’ he asked.
She froze.
‘Erm, I meant do you want to put the fresh sheets on next?’ He sounded strained.
Silently ordering the heat to leave her cheeks, she reached for the clean linen. ‘OK. Let’s do the bed. Then, if you clean in here, I’ll do the bathroom.’
In silence, they shook out the fresh sheets, bright white in the summer sunlight streaming in via the open window. A laundry-fresh scent wafted up as they mirrored each other’s movements on either side of the bed, tucking in the bottom sheet and replacing pillowslips in a whisper of pressed linen.
Never had Jade been quite so acutely aware of a bed. It loomed between her and Leo, reminding her of all the long-ago nights when they’d made hot, naked love and fallen asleep in tangled sheets.
She literally couldn’t look at him.
‘Done,’ she said as they smoothed the lightweight quilt into place. ‘You’ll find cloths and spray on the cart.’ Then she grabbed rubber gloves and cleaning products, and bolted for the bathroom. It was probably the first time she’d ever been glad to clean a shower and toilet.