‘HowisNina?’ Adrian asked his brother.
Leo just shook his head and laughed.
‘Busy at the boathouse today?’ his dad asked Leo, maybe picking up that the boys were on the cusp of winding one another up further. ‘I was worried you weren’t going to make dinner on time.’
‘Always busy, Dad.’ Their parents loved to hear about the boathouse. Adrian had hated talk of it for a long time – or perhaps hate was too strong a word. He just felt indifferent to it for years, like he wanted to move back a few paces, further and further until it wasn’t a part of his life any more.
‘People still want lessons?’ Jimmy asked.
‘They do, although it’s starting to tail off now. We’ll still get bookings in autumn and winter but not so many.’
‘I wouldn’t even dip my toes in the sea now it’s no longer summer,’ said Camille. ‘I don’t blame Molly and Arthur for spending part of their year in Spain. Oh, itwould be lovely and warm, sounds ideal to me. My arthritis plays up the moment the weather forecast so much as hints at a frost.’
‘You’re not going to abandon us for Spain are you, Gran?’ Adrian checked.
‘Course not.’
‘You’ve done us proud with this meal, Adrian,’ Jimmy approved, scooping up another mouthful.
‘Yep, you can seriously cook,’ Leo agreed.
Pleased with the praise, Adrian nodded. ‘Not my only dish either. I’m good with Caribbean food after I took a cooking class last month. Thought I’d try something different,’ he added when Leo’s look must’ve shown his acknowledgement that his brother had never once been into cooking classes. He supposed there had been a lot of changes over the years, some he’d seen or knew about, other things he didn’t.
‘What’s Caribbean food like?’ Camille pondered.
‘Think colourful, lots of flavour, spices. Next time I come I’ll make sancocho.’
‘That sounds complicated,’ said Anne.
‘Meat and vegetables basically,’ Adrian laughed, ‘with different flavours. Or I can make curried shrimp, jerk chicken.’
‘Jerk chicken sounds about right,’ Leo laughed, earning himself a punch on the arm at his emphasis on the first word.
Sometimes when he and Leo were together it was as though nothing had ever changed, as though they were still those two boys who’d run out of the door every morning in the summer holidays, down to the boathouse to see their parents, into the sea the minute they could. Andwhile he knew that wasn’t the case, it felt good to be back here, and tonight was grounding. It told him he was really home. And he felt something shift inside of him.
When the boys and Camille handed Anne and Jimmy the card with the booking for the hotel and the show, they were overwhelmed that so much thought had gone into their anniversary. Jimmy even opened the single malt he’d had in the cupboard since one of his customers gave it to him upon his retirement from the boathouse.
‘No more for me thanks, Dad.’ When Jimmy tried to offer Leo one more glass of single malt he declared he had work tomorrow. ‘Always an early start for me.’
‘You’re a good lad.’ He put an arm around each of his sons’ shoulders. ‘You both are.’
When Adrian and Leo left together they’d only reached the end of the path when Adrian said, ‘Wonder if Dad will finish that entire bottle of single malt tonight.’
‘Wouldn’t put it past him.’ Leo zipped up his jacket with the wind whipping around as though summer was forgotten about already. ‘Although it was potent stuff.’
‘I can’t believe he opened it at last. I tried to get him to at Christmas if you remember?’
‘Yeah, I remember.’ Leo laughed. ‘It’s good to see him and Mum so happy after all this time.’
‘He’ll be even happier after another few glasses.’
They crossed over once the passing car had gone past. ‘You got your name down for supply teaching yet?’
‘Not yet. I’m lucky I’ve got savings but they’ll be eaten up in no time if I don’t sort something soon.’ Although his heart really wasn’t in it. But rather than feeling miserable and sorry for himself with no idea where to go next apart from come back here, seeing Maeve after all thistime had given him a form of hope. Hope about what, he wasn’t sure, but he didn’t mind that.
‘Maybe a permanent role might suit you better,’ Leo suggested.
But Adrian shook his head. ‘I can’t deal with the politics. The last school I worked in would’ve been all right if it hadn’t been for the deputy head being a complete tosser.’
