Chapter 14
R eady to meet Erin and Joyce for our usual get-together, I approached The Royal Oak.
The heat from the mass of bodies hit me as soon as I entered.
It was surprisingly busy and the volume of raucous chatter was deafening, the party atmosphere palpable.
Taking off my hat and coat, I couldn’t help but smile. ‘Merry Christmas, everyone.’
Squeezing through the revellers, I was hoping to have a word with Alex.
I hadn’t spoken to him since Gideon’s unacceptable behaviour, and I wanted to apologise and let him know I’d been as infuriated as he must have been.
Nearing the bar, a group of young women fawned over him as, to their squeals of delight, he threw a cocktail shaker up into the air and caught it one-handed.
He was relishing the attention, so it clearly wasn’t the time for a heart-to-heart.
Turning around, I went in search of Erin and Joyce.
Fighting my way through to one corner, I was forced to try another. ‘Where are you?’ I asked. Craning my neck in the hope of spotting them, my friends had to be in the mix somewhere.
‘It’s a works’ do,’ Joyce said, when at I last found them. ‘Staff from that big office block just outside town. There’s a buffet over there if you’re hungry.’ She picked up a mini quiche from the plate in front of her. ‘I can’t tell you how good everything is.’
I took in the mountain of food Joyce had availed herself of and decided not to ask if she’d got permission.
Although, turning my attention back to the crowd, I doubted anyone would have noticed if she hadn’t.
The drinks were flowing, and fun was being had by all.
‘There’s going to be a lot of people suffering hangovers tomorrow.
’ I pictured the people around me at work the following day, gathered at the water cooler, downing painkillers and rubbing their temples.
‘I’m not sure the organiser thought this through. ’
‘Hark at you, little Miss Prim,’ Erin said. ‘When I was their age, I was often out until the early hours and still at my desk on time.’ She glanced around. ‘A couple of paracetamols and a pint of fresh orange juice before bed, trust me, they’ll be good to go.’
‘It’s Alex that I feel sorry for,’ Joyce said. ‘Today was supposed to be his day off but he’s been roped in to help. Again.’ A naughty smile spread across her face as she looked my way. ‘Speaking of whom…’
‘Oh yes,’ Erin jiggled her shoulders in excitement. ‘What’s this I hear about you shutting up shop in the middle of the day and heading upstairs?’
I stared at Joyce. ‘Someone’s been talking.’
‘You’re not denying it though, are you?’ she replied, biting into a chicken leg.
I picked up the glass of wine that had awaited me. ‘I was showing him the flat if you must know.’
Erin narrowed her eyes. ‘Is that all you showed him?’
‘Yes,’ I replied, surprised yet not surprised she’d question otherwise. ‘I thought about what you’d said about my spare room. Thanks to Beryl breaking down, I need the extra cash, so it seemed like a no-brainer.’
‘Gideon isn’t happy with the situation though, is he?’ Joyce asked. She, too, picked up her glass.
Pursing my lips to hide my amusement, it seemed nothing got past Joyce. I often wondered if she had a network of spies in and around Settledown or if she operated some heavy-duty surveillance equipment. ‘No. He wasn’t.’
Erin smirked. ‘He suffered an attack of short man syndrome, by all accounts.’
I shook my head at her naughtiness. ‘Most men appear short next to Alex.’
‘Not that I’m surprised he felt threatened,’ Erin said. ‘What man wouldn’t? Our new barman is gorgeous to look at.’
We all stretched our necks trying to get a glimpse of him, each of us frowning at the crowds that blocked our view.
‘Regardless, Gideon’s behaviour was rude and embarrassing.’
‘I bet he’s since upped his game though, eh?’ Erin said. ‘Now he thinks he’s got competition.’
I chuckled. For a dedicated singleton, Erin seemed to know a lot about men.
Joyce tucked into a sandwich.
‘To be fair to him, once he got over his sulking, he did the right thing and apologised. To Alex and to me.’ Although, as much as I wanted to, I couldn’t say Alex’s presence didn’t continue to be Gideon’s primary focus that night.
‘He also said I was right for insisting we put more effort into our relationship.’
‘By we, he meant him though, correct?’ Erin asked. ‘And what about this Julia woman?’
I pictured my fingers hovering next to Gideon’s phone and how, in the end, I’d snapped my hand back, unable to bring myself to go through with it.
I shrugged in response to Erin’s question.
‘That’s something we still need to discuss.
He suggested another date night, so I’m planning on bringing it up then. ’
‘Well that’s progress,’ Joyce said. ‘It’s usually you making all the arrangements.’
‘Exactly. And not only that, he’s taking me out for a change.’ For weeks, Gideon had been too tired to do anything but land at mine, eat and then sleep. That’s if he turned up at all.
‘At least one of us has something positive to report,’ Erin said.
‘Still having problems with Callum?’ I asked.
Erin let out a laugh. ‘Funnily enough, he seems to have gone quiet. Which hopefully means he’s done with his fun and games.’ Her face turned serious. ‘It’s Mum that’s really worrying me. She’s acting a bit strange.’
‘How so?’ Joyce asked.
‘She dug out some old letters the other day, from a penfriend she used to have. A French girl, through one of those correspondence exchanges schools used to organise. Hers was a long time ago, as you can imagine. I’m surprised she still had them.’
I took in Erin’s concern. ‘A trip down memory lane, maybe?’
‘Possibly. But I can’t help thinking there’s more to it than that. Reading them clearly isn’t doing her any good. She keeps telling me about how close they were, although they never actually met, and she’s got this sad look in her eye. She just keeps saying she wishes they’d never lost touch.’
‘That’s life for you,’ Joyce said. ‘It has a habit of getting in the way of things.’ She turned her attention to a sausage roll.
‘But is that normal for someone her age? Or a sign that something isn’t right?
’ Erin chewed on the inside of her cheek, as if contemplating her own question.
‘Plus the lad from next door’s still showing his face.
Not that Mum sees him as a problem. According to her, she’s glad of the company.
I mean, what am I? Chopped liver? It’s not like I never visit.
I’m round there every week.’ She took a deep breath and exhaled.
‘Anyway, that’s enough of that.’ Shaking her worries away, she fixed a smile on her face and turned to Joyce. ‘So, how are things with you?’
Pushing her plate of food to one side, Joyce wiped her lips with its accompanying napkin. ‘I have both good and bad news.’
‘This sounds interesting,’ Erin said, raising an eyebrow.
‘Firstly, I took your advice about encouraging Richard on the domestic front and the very next day, I got him to work.’
‘Excellent,’ I said.
‘Depends on how you look at it. On the plus side, he’s no longer following me around like a lost puppy.’
Erin gave Joyce a satisfied smile. ‘So our words of wisdom worked then?’
‘I’ll get to that. I’m still on the good news.’ Joyce drank a swig of wine. ‘Having introduced him to meal prep, it would seem Richard has discovered a love of cooking. He’s spending hours finding recipes, learning all about herbs and spices, weights, temperatures, the lot…’
‘Impressive,’ I said. ‘I just cook everything at 200.’
‘Me too. Medium if it’s on the stove,’ Erin said.
‘Not only has he taken over shopping duties, giving me even more time to myself, he’s banned me from going anywhere near the kitchen.’
‘Fantastic,’ Erin said.
Joyce sighed. ‘That’s what I thought too.’ She pursed her lips. ‘Initially.’
Perplexed, Erin and I waited to hear more.
‘Now we have the bad news.’
‘Which is?’ I asked.
‘He’s rubbish at it.’
Clamping down on my jaw, I tried not to snigger.
‘Honestly, it’s like he has zero palate.
’ Joyce looked from Erin to me. ‘Why I ever listened to you two, is anyone’s guess.
Do you know how hard it is to pretend you’re on a diet when you love food as much as I do?
Because that’s what I’ve had to resort to.
The hours I’ve spent wondering where the next digestible meal is coming from. ’
That explained the mountain of food she’d just waded through.
‘It’s downright torture.’ She glanced over at the buffet table.
‘For the love of God, I wish I’d brought a bigger handbag.
’ She turned back to us. ‘I’m really struggling with what Richard puts in front of me.
I mean look…’ She indicated her torso. ‘It’s only been a week and I’m already withering away. ’
Taking in her fuller figure, neither Erin nor I had the heart to say anything.
‘If something doesn’t change, I’m gonna die of starvation.
’ Joyce drank another mouthful of wine. ‘If I thought I was going mad before, that’s nothing to what I feel now.
’ She sighed. ‘If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again.
It’s no wonder couples get divorced after goodness knows how many years.
Now I really am on the verge of suggesting it myself. ’
‘What are you going to do?’ I asked.
‘You tell me.’ She eyed both Erin and me. ‘On second thoughts don’t. It’s because of you two I’m in this mess.’
‘At least now you’ve got space to breathe. Which is what you wanted.’ Erin said. ‘Every silver cloud and all that.’
Joyce’s eyes widened. ‘You do know people can die from malnutrition?’
One of the things I’d grown to love about Joyce was her flair for the dramatic and unable to hold my amusement in any longer, I let out a laugh. ‘You could try telling him how awful his food is.’
‘And ruin his fun? Richard is like a pig in the proverbial. I haven’t seen him this happy in months. It’s like I’ve no choice but to keep suffering in silence.’
‘And eating between meals,’ Erin said, nodding to her discarded plate.
‘Exactly!’ Joyce said. ‘I suppose I could do what Janice did.’
‘Janice from the bookshop?’ I asked. Having seen the ‘For Rent’ sign go up, I’d wondered what had happened to her.
‘Haven’t you heard? She went on a pre-Christmas holiday to Cornwall, met the love of her life, and decided not to come back.
Of course, in my case I’d be leaving the love of mine.
’ Joyce pondered a moment. ‘Or I could save myself the hassle and just kill him before he kills me? Prison food’s got to be better than what I’m being served now. ’