‘Have you anything for blisters?’
33
‘Dean, whereare you?’ I finally managed to get hold of him at nine the next morning.
‘What d’you mean,where am I?’ Dean’s voice was muffled and I assumed he was under the bedclothes. Whose bedclothes I wasn’t at all interested in finding out. ‘D’you know what time it is? It’s Saturday morning.’
‘But whereareyou?’
‘Jess, where I am and who I’m with is, I think you’ll find, no longer any of your business. You asked me to leave’ – Dean was being at his most sanctimonious – ‘toldme to leave… and now you’re chasing after me again at… seven on a Saturday?—’
‘Dean.’ I cut his sermon short. ‘I need you to look after Lola this morning. I’ve… we’ve… a restaurant meeting this morning.’
I was thinking on my feet. I’d already messaged Robyn and Fabian and Mum and Kamran simply saying we needed to get together without delay. I didn’t know if Kamran had told Fabian what had happened the previous day up at The White House. And I was almost certain he’d have had no idea that both Lola and I had been down at Darren Singleton’s place. Why would he?
‘I’d planned to spend my day with Farrah…’ Dean paused, obviously wanting a reaction from me.
‘That’s great,’ I said pleasantly, really not caring a fig that he’d moved on so quickly. Par for the course with Dean. ‘But please include Lola in your plans. It’ll be good for her to meet your new girlfriend.’
‘You’ve never thought that before,’ Dean said huffily.
‘Shall we say ten? Hmm? Lovely. I’ll have her ready. See you then.’ I ended the call quickly, just as Joel came into the kitchen.
‘I’d pack my bags,’ Joel said quietly as he went to sit back at the kitchen table we’d left only a couple of hours earlier, ‘but I’m not sure where I’m allowed to go…’ He trailed off, unable to look me in the eye.
‘This is wherefamilycomes in,’ I said, sounding like something out of a sugary sweet TV drama. ‘They’re all coming round…’
‘You’re not cooking again?’ Joel stared in my direction. ‘Isn’t it someone else’s turn? And after what you and Lola went through last night?’
‘Joel, I’ve been told not to leave the house until the police have been here again. I need to sort all this out, and I don’t want Lola here earwigging. But I do wantyouhere…’ I broke off as Lola came down, yawning, still in her nightdress.
‘Dad’s coming to take you out, sweetie,’ I said. ‘You need to get showered and dressed. He’ll be here in the next hour or so.’
‘I can’twaitto tell him about what happened last night.’ Lola had obviously bounced right back from the goings-on down at Queen’s Gardens.
‘Lola, do me a favour and don’t tell Dad what happened. Not just yet, anyway.’
‘Why not?’ Her face fell.
‘I think the police will want to keep it all under wraps,’ I said. ‘You know…?’ I lowered my voice confidentially, and Lola nodded in response. ‘For the time being anyway.’
‘Might mess up their investigations?’ she asked, lowering her own voice and turning her back on Joel. ‘Interfering with witnesses and all that?’
‘You’ve got it.’ I winked and nodded back.
Lola tapped her nose. ‘Mum’s the word,’ she said, and I wanted to laugh. She offered a knowing look in Joel’s direction as he continued to sit in silence at the table, before returning upstairs to get ready.
I really wasn’t sure what to do with him.
So, I scrambled us both some eggs and waited for the others.
* * *
Kamran and Mum arrived with bagels, croissants and enough Costa coffee to sink a ship. ‘Didn’t know who was actually going to be here,’ Kamran said once he’d put the goodies on the table.
Fabian was seated at the table, perusing my SaturdayGuardian, but Joel had already gone back up to his room: ‘I’m notfamily,’ he’d said, loading the word meaningfully as I had done.
‘You OK, Jess?’ Robyn asked before sitting down with Fabian, who was looking pale.
