‘I’m pretty sure I want to do emergency medicine.’
‘I think you’d be great at that. You’re very good at staying calm. Remember when Sasha got her head stuck between those railings and all the rest of us were panicking but you got her out.’ And he was fantastic with people, which would have to help.
‘You weren’t panicking, you werelaughing.’
‘Well, yes, because it was hilarious.’
‘What about you? Did Sasha tell me you’ve started teacher training?’
‘Yep. Hoping to be a secondary school geography teacher.’
‘I think you’ll be a great teacher.’ Dan stopped. ‘What’s that?’ He bent down to pick something up. ‘Someone’s dropped a scarf. Maybe someone who was at the party. I’ll hang onto it and Mum can ask around tomorrow.’
Evie peered at the scarf in the moonlight.
‘I think it’s actually mine.’ She took it from Dan. Yep, pink and gold faux fur. Her mum had borrowed it this evening. She’d probably dropped it mid-passionate al fresco embrace with Jack. Not what Evie wanted to think about. She kind of felt like she was never going to want to wear it again herself. She was imagining the scarf being involved in the embrace in some way. Maybe her mum had flirtatiously twirled it round both their necks at once.
No, no, no. She needed to stop with the imagining.
What had they been talking about?
‘So, yes, I’m planning to be a teacher.’ Bugger. Now she sounded like she wanted Dan to elaborate on why he thought she’d make a great teacher. That was what he’d been in the middle of saying. Shewouldlike him to elaborate but she wouldnotlike to look like she was fishing for compliments. ‘It’s cold. Do you think we’ll get a white Christmas?’
‘Doubt it. I mean, you never know. Maybe. But also, we never do, so no.’
‘That’s very pessimistic. Although probably right. Oh. My. Goodness.’ Evie stopped in the middle of the lane opposite her house. The sitting room curtains were open and her mother and Jack were in the middle of the room, wearing not nearly enough clothes. And doingstuff.
Neither she nor Dan moved for far too long, very rabbit-in-headlights, and then Dan said, ‘Right, so here’s a plan. You’re going to go back round the corner and I’m going to knock on the door and shout “Oo-er” – they won’t recognise me, I’m sure, given that they’re, um, busy – and then we’re going to walk round the green for a few minutes and then I’m sure when you get back they’ll have gone upstairs.’
Evie nodded. ‘Thank you. That’s an excellent plan.’
She’d just got round the corner when she heard Dan knock and shout, and then his footstepssprintingdown the road. She was already sniggering when he got to her and when she saw his face she full-on snorted, and then Dan laughed too, and then they were both doubled up, staggering around, almost crying with laughter.
‘Myeyes,’ Evie said when she could talk. ‘I can’t believe we saw that.’ Did it make it better or worse that her mother was in seriously good shape body-wise? ‘Why did you decide to shoutOo-er? I mean, why not justGood eveningor something?’
‘I was too overcome to think straight.’
‘Yeah. Oh God.’ And they both started sniggering again.
‘This is so ridiculous,’ Evie said, when they’d finally recovered. ‘It’s like we’re naughty kids. But my forty-two-year-oldmumwas practically having sex in full view of the whole village.’
‘Well, not really. I mean, it’s two thirty in the morning. No-one’s around.’
‘We’rearound. Anyway. I love my mum. She’s amazing. I don’t want to sound like I’m criticising her, but, whenI’ma mother, I’m going to be a boring mother. No sex in the sitting room. I saywhen. If. Obviously I might never have kids.’
‘I reckon you’ll totally have kids. If you want them.’ They’d reached the bench in the middle of the green. ‘Want to sit here for a few minutes to give them time to get to bed?’
Evie nodded and they sat down.
‘I know it’s not something everyone would say at twenty-two, but Iwouldlike kids one day. Once I’ve established my career, obviously. But I feel like I’d much prefer to have children within a serious relationship.’ She didn’t fancy being a single mother like her mum had been – it looked very difficult – so, man-wise, she was going to need someone solid. She did keep trying but they never worked out. Which you could also say about her mother; she definitely kept trying and the men definitely never worked out. ‘So there’s every chance it will never happen.’
‘Yeah, I mean, you’re already twenty-two. You only have about twenty-odd years left to start a family and then that’s it. No chance of meeting someone and having kids. I mean, you need torush. You’re soold.’
Evie shook her head. ‘You mock, but, you know, time passes quickly. One of those famous facts of life. Anyway, I want to have at least two kids and I want to have them well before I’m forty. So I need to meet someone by the time I’m thirty.’
‘Well, shit. Only eight years to go. That’s a tight deadline.’
‘I’ll remind you of this if I’m single on my thirtieth birthday. Which, now I say it, I probably will be.’
