He comes forward. “Good afternoon.” His voice is deep and booming. “You must be James.”
“No, darling,” Holly says as she comes into the hallway. “We got it wrong. This is Clemo, known as Clem, and he is…”
Harry gets to his feet. “Erm this is my b-boyfriend,” he says.
I go to his side, taking his hand and smiling winsomely.
“You don’t sound too sure,” his dad says.
I wink at him. “He’s just stunned at his good fortune to land such a catch.”
Holly snorts and his dad observes me, his eyes sparkling. “Doesn’t a Clem work for you, Harry?”
“This is him. Clem, this is my father Graham.”
Graham smiles at me. “Well, thisisinteresting. I’ve heard a lot about you, Clemo, known as Clem. Far more than I ever did about James.”
I gape at him. “Harry’s spoken about me?”
“Oh yes. Alot.”
I grimace. “Probably eighty per cent is hyperbole.”
He chuckles and the warm sound suddenly makes him seem more approachable. “Oh, I think not.” He grabs Harry into a hug, ruffling his hair. “How are you, my boy?”
“Fine, Dad.”
The two men separate and Holly steps forward. “Let me show you upstairs.”
“Mum, I lived here. I think I know the way,” Harry protests.
She waves a careless hand. “We had a bit of a change around after your sister moved out. Grab your bags, boys.”
We follow her up the staircase as Graham retreats back into the room he emerged from with the dogs following him.
“Dinner will be ready at six,” Holly says. “And Alistair says he’ll meet you for golf if you’ve got time before you go back.”
“My brother,” Harry says at my questioning look. “He’s terrible at golf, but I’m worse, so he always wants to play. I suspect he makes up the rules.”
I chuckle. “Why?”
“Because last time he said a ball landing on the main road outside the golf club meant he’d won.”
“You should play Monopoly with my sister. She hit me with the board last time. It took ages to get the imprint of the little car out of my cheek and I found half of Mayfair down my shirt later on.”
Holly laughs and then comes to a stop by an old oak door. “You two are in here,” she says, and we follow her into the room.
It’s an airy room with a big window looking out over fields. The window is open, letting in the scent of freshly cut grass. A sofa is positioned in front of an old stone fireplace, but my attention is immediately drawn to, and stays with, the oak four-poster bed. I look at Harry who is gazing around with a confused look on his face.
“So, you’ve put Clem in here. Where am I sleeping, Mum?”
She’s humming and rearranging the vase of pink stocks on the table, but she looks up at his question. “What do you mean, darling?”
Harry gestures at the room. “Where am I sleeping?”
“Erm, in here with Clem.” She looks between the two of us. “Shouldn’t you be?”
“Pardon?” Harry looks around wildly and runs his hand through his hair, making the strands stick up. “You don’t like ussleeping with our partners. Which isfine.” His voice is fast and panicked. “Clem and I don’t mind a bit, do we, Clem?”
