‘Iwill,’ Lola piped up, moving from the table once more. ‘Ilike peas as well…’
I was saved from replying by the kitchen door opening and everyone turning.
‘Fabian, you’re here! Where’ve you been…? I’ve kept some of the starter for you… We’re just about to start on the lamb… but…’ I trailed off as I saw his face. ‘What’s the matter?’
‘Fabian?’ Robyn was on her feet, moving with some difficulty round the crowded table to where Fabian stood, Mum immediately and diplomatically standing as well in order to place a restraining hand gently on my arm. This was between Robyn and Fabian and nothing to do with me.
17
‘Fabian? Where’ve you been? What on earth’s the matter?’ Robyn was visibly upset. ‘Look at your hands! They’re filthy. And you’ve a hole in your jeans.’
‘I was trying to change a flat tyre,’ Fabian said. ‘I’m never very good at that sort of thing to begin with…’
Dean, always the mechanic, snorted derisively in Fabian’s direction, while Pat offered a knowing glance towards her son.
‘…and then,’ Fabian went on, ‘I realised the Porsche doesn’t even carry a spare. And even if itdidcarry one, I still wouldn’t have been able to drive here.’
‘Why?’ Joel spoke almost for the first time and Fabian turned in obvious surprise to see the kid he’d defended in court sitting at the table.
Fabian paused. ‘I’d have needed four.’
‘Four what?’ The whole of the table was now listening, apart from Pat Butterworth who, now the conversation didn’t involve herself or her son, was tucking into her dish of microwaved peas and helping herself to more than her fair share of the Hasselback potatoes.
‘All four tyres were flat.’
‘Had you gone over some glass? Some nails? It is a building site up at The White House, you know,’ Kamran said.
‘Look, your food’s going cold.’ Fabian frowned. ‘Please carry on,’ he added. ‘Nothing worse than cold food. I’m so sorry, Jess.’
‘Come and sit down, Fabian,’ Mum encouraged. ‘Kamran, pour Fabian a glass of wine. He looks like he needs it.’
‘Please, carry on,’ Fabian said again as I moved to fetch the last of the warm plates from the oven. ‘Just let me go and wash my hands.’
‘Upstairs,’ Lola instructed, reaching for the peas that Pat had left her. ‘We’re not posh enough to have a downstairs crapper.’
‘Lola!’ Both Mum and I glared at her.
‘What? We’re doing Victorians at school. Thomas Crapper invented the loo.’ Lola had a silly smirk on her face, and I realised my lovely little girl was playing up, still furious with me for throwing Dean out. And, let’s face it, Lola wasn’t little any more. At eleven, Lola, having inherited both Dean’s and my own somewhat stocky genes, was already developing a chest that had outgrown the little crop tops all the pre-pubescent girls wore these days. Oh golly! A trip down to M&S for an actual bra looked to be the next step.
Once Fabian had returned from the bathroom, I handed him a plate, urging him into the seat next to Robyn.
‘So, where’s your car now?’ Kamran was asking, passing dishes down the table in Fabian’s direction.
‘Had to leave it there. There was no garage going to come out to help me on Easter Sunday. I tried the RAC but, being a bank holiday, they’re all out dealing with breakdowns of cars on the way up to the Dales or the Lakes. Apparently.’
‘So, how did you get here?’
‘Uber. I’ll have to sort the car tomorrow.’
‘I’ll get one of my lads to get the breakdown lorry out to you in the morning.’ Dean glanced in my direction, holding my eye, and I knew he was trying to accrue brownie points. For what, I wasn’t quite sure.
‘I’ll go up there myself in the morning, Fabian,’ Kamran said. ‘Have a word with the builders. They must have left the area in a total mess for you to end up with four flats. Although, to be fair, they’re usually pretty good at tidying up before they leave the site.’
‘On a bank holiday?’ Robyn said. ‘The builders aren’t going to be up there tomorrow, surely?’
‘Actually, no, that’s a point.’ Kamran frowned. ‘Well,I’llmeet you up there in the morning, Fabian, if Robyn will drop you off. We can have a tidy up of the site ourselves if necessary.’
‘Of course,’ Robyn said, her eyes lighting up. ‘I’m dying to see how far you’ve got with the place. How much longer until I’m going to be giving up my man?’
