‘Sunday, seven until late, at Jude’s place,’ Radia read aloud, before telling her mum they weredefinitelygoing.
When Joy tried to invent reasons to get out of it, Jude had texted a reassuring message that it would absolutely be suitable for Radia, even though she’d be the only child there; it was just some pizzas and fizz with her family.
There was no point in protesting any further. Radia had danced around her bedroom, pulling the closest thing she had to a party dress from her suitcase and singing, ‘Two parties! Two parties in one weekend!’
Joy had to admit Radia’s excitement was catching. She’d enjoyed the last couple of days in the shop, even if she hadn’t seen Monty again. It hadn’t escaped her notice that every time the shop door chimed she’d turn her head, hoping it was him paying a visit, but it never was.
He had, however, texted during extra-long shifts at the pub, apologising that he couldn’t get away, saying he would if he could, and asking her if there was anything she and Radia needed. Each was signed with a single kiss. Each one had told her she wasn’t forgotten.
By Saturday, as they closed up the shop just before five and made their way down the slope to the Siren’s Tail, Joy had dark shadows under her eyes and she’d have happily spent the evening snoozing on Radia’s little bed in between episodes ofGilmore Girls. Instead, they were going to a stag do, of all things. The promise of seeing Monty was the only thing motivating her. That and Radia’s explosive excitement.
After the sailing date/not actually a date and the kissing on the shop doorstep, a stag do was another departure from her closed-off life. She could not have guessed how it was going to turn out as she filed into the Siren’s Tail function room, where Elliot sat cross-legged and blindfolded in the middle of the dancefloor and Monty held open the door for his guests, a silencing finger held to his lips, high-fiving Radia as she clamped a hand over her own mouth to hold in the happy squeal.
The last time Joy had seen Monty, they’d been kissing. It was almost impossible to believe. That whole evening had a dreamy, moonlit cast over it now.
As she passed him with a shy smile, a sudden memory of the way he’d moaned low and quiet against her lips sent a shockwave racing up her spine.
It had been real. The whole thing had been real and kind of amazing, and seriously hot, and he was smiling back at her now, not in the least trying to hide it, looking for all the world like he was thinking the same exact thing.
Elliot grimaced beneath the blindfold that shut out the afternoon sun still spilling in through the function room’s new blinds. Everything in here was new, in fact, and just like the rest of the village, it smelled of fresh emulsion and new carpet.
A woman approached, instructing Elliot to hold his arms out and not make a sound.
Elliot tipped his head. ‘I can hear a kid giggling, so this can’t be what I think it is.’
‘True, it’s a kid-friendly surprise,’ chimed Monty, rocking on the heels of his boots with glee.
‘This is making no sense, mate,’ Elliot replied with a nervous laugh.
‘OK,shhhnow, hold very still,’ the woman urged before placing the warm, heavy bundle gently onto Elliot’s lap. He instinctively wrapped it up in a hug, and Monty pulled away his friend’s blindfold.
‘You got me a puppy!’
‘We got you a whole zoo!’ Radia cried, delightedly, coming to sit beside Elliot on the floor with her legs crossed, patting the carpet beside her.
‘That’s right, don’t be shy. Come and form a circle,’ said the petting-zoo lady, who was dressed in a safari costume, complete with khaki helmet and with the words Bideford Bay Kids’ Party Petting Zoo in a jungly print across her back.
‘We got you themegaparty experience,’ added Monty, joining his friend.
‘It was my idea,’ Radia blurted. ‘I always wanted a petting-zoo party and you love animals, so…’ She tailed off into a happy shrug, her eyes fixed on the puppy which the zoo lady told everyone was her own dog, only five months old and called Pickle.
At the carpeted edge of the dancefloor, tables were set with a finger-food buffet, also Radia’s idea. The paper plates and napkins printed with cartoon monkeys and tigers, which Finan had ordered online especially, were an added surprise.
‘Everyone gets a balloon animal and a cupcake when they leave,’ Finan announced from the doorway, his eyes fixed on Radia.
‘Iloveparty bags,’ said Radia, making Joy wonder if the Siren’s Tail men had planned this more for her than Elliot. Had they been talking about the strange new Borrowers? Had they taken pity on Radia? It wouldn’t surprise her if they had. This was the most they’d had to do with any community of people in years, or indeed ever. It wouldn’t have taken the locals long to work out that Radia was a seriously lonely kid. Then Joy got to thinking whether her daughter had ever actually had a party bag before. She mentally added another guilty notch on the Bad Mum post of parenting fails.
Elliot, who had been rendered helpless as the beagle pup licked at his ear, had to agree – the mega partywasan excellent idea. The puppy’s waggy tail thwacked against the freshly polished dancefloor. The vet reached a fist out for Monty to bump. ‘Thanks, mate.’
‘Thought you’d prefer this to the usual kind of thing,’ Monty told him. ‘Well, Rads did.’
Radia was too busy taking hold of a gecko to reply. The zoo lady reeled off well-rehearsed facts about her little menagerie in the same enthusiastic voice she’d use with a gaggle of pre-schoolers, and Elliot truly looked like he couldn’t be happier with his lot in life.
Joy watched the whole thing from behind Radia’s back, where she snapped photos on her phone. Monty had asked her if she’d help document the party.
She smiled at the phone screen as she took shots of Elliot passing the wriggling, tumbling Pickle to Monty. Tom, now squeezed in between Monty and Elliot, gently cradled a white baby rabbit. Three men Joy hadn’t recognised were now introducing themselves to the group as Jude’s dad, Jude’s best friend from the Borders, Daniel, and Ekon, Daniel’s boyfriend. They were fussing over a fat grey chinchilla called Cilla who, the zoo lady said, was unlikely to wake up for the party, being such a sleepy girl.
Meanwhile, Leonid was teasing Izaak about not wanting to hold Craig, a giant stick insect, and it was all hilarious until the zoo lady brought Leonid a friendly rat called Louis, who she promised wouldn’t bite so long as he sat still. Now Izaak laughed and filmed his husband sitting stock still and wide-eyed while Louis scuttled up Leonid’s arm and onto his shoulder, sniffing the air.
