‘Oh God, was I crazy? I’m so embarrassed. I will never look at a cocktail hot-dog again as long as I live.’
She got up and trailed into the shower in the hope of feeling a bit fresher. Her headache was beginning to kick off and she was in urgent need of painkillers so she padded back into the kitchen, where Finn was sipping on a glass of red wine and expertly chopping chicken and vegetables to add to what smelled like a Thai green curry. Cassie remembered that she’d had very little to eat since breakfast. She slipped her arms round his waist and breathed in the aroma.
‘Yummy, that’s exactly what I need.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘Glass of red?’
‘I’ll need something to wash down the Panadol.’
They sat on the sofa and ate with the plates on their knees. He really was a fantastic cook when he put his mind to it.
‘This is exactly what I don’t let the kids do.’ He smiled.
‘It’s great being a parent, isn’t it?’ Cassie leaned against Finn’s shoulder, feeling as safe as she’d felt since .?.?. Well, since she was little. ‘You get to make all the rules.’
‘Do you ever wonder about how everything came together for us to meet that morning, with Phyllis and randy Napoleon that kept trying to bonk Patricia’s Bichons?’
They laughed at the ridiculous memory.
‘If either of us had been half an hour either way, we might never have met. Do you ever regret it?’ he asked.
‘Well, my life is a lot more complicated than it used to be, but no, I don’t regret it.’
‘And you never regret leaving London?’
‘No.’ She sighed, aware there was a note of sadness in her voice. ‘I mean, I regret how things ended with Gav. But I suppose it was the end of an era. I gave it everything I had. It just didn’t repay me.’
‘Cass, I owe you an apology. You were put in a rotten position with Samantha, and you shouldn’t have been. It was my responsibility, mine and Marisha’s.’
‘Being called the wicked stepmother was a first, I’ll admit.’
Still, she had the niggling feeling that he hadn’t put a stop to Samantha’s behaviour. He hadn’t actually stood up for her. She took a deep breath.
‘Finn, I’ve never asked you this before but .?.?. what am I to you?’ She cringed. It really was one of those questions men hate being asked. But she had to confront it.
‘Cassie, you know what you are. You’re my girlfriend.’
‘I know, but sometimes I feel like the girlfriend of .?.?. a part of you. The other part I don’t feel like I’ve much connection with at all.’
There, she’d come out with it.
‘What do you want me to say?’ He sighed.
She wanted him to say that he loved her, that she was the most important thing in the world to him and everything else would work out around that.
‘If you have to ask, I can’t help you,’ she muttered, aware of sounding petulant.
‘Come on, Cass, you know how difficult things have been .?.?.’
‘Sure, of course, I’m sorry,’ she said, though underneath the doubts still niggled.
Chapter 28
Roger Newcombe was definitely wearing the same jacket again this week, and definitely the same pair of shoes, God love him, as Mam would say. He met Cassie in his office on Monday morning, looking sheepish, and explained that Miss Upton wasn’t well but would be in by break time. She replied agreeably that it was no problem but did notice Helen, the secretary, shooting a jaundiced expression towards his back. Not to worry – no Marisha meant a hassle-free morning, although Cassie had to admit that her attitude had softened considerably in recent weeks.
The class began rehearsing. Cassie had composed a rock ’n’ roll routine which included Rowley belting out some early Elvis-style lyrics through a crackly microphone. He and Ahmed, who was now playing the part of the giant’s electric guitar, rather than the harp, were learning what could potentially be a showstopping routine, if only Rowley could remember the steps and Ahmed didn’t keep tripping over both of their feet.
The show was scheduled for two weeks’ time and shaping up to be a far cry from the original sedate affair. It might veer in the direction of outrageous, but look, wasn’t that what everyone dreamed of, a bit of excitement in an otherwise mundane world?
