‘Was there a message with it?’ asked Nora, studying the grainy image of Jay in jeans and T-shirt.
‘No, but given it’s me when I popped to Tesco Express last week I think it’s safe to say that’s a clear message in itself.’
‘Bloody hell, this is a bit scary. Are you OK?’
‘Let’s say I’m really glad I have Bruce at home. I guess this is the price of fame. Not that I’ve had much of that.’
‘Now come on. Those press pictures of Tasha and you leaving the restaurant the other night were all over social media.’
He pulled a face. ‘In most of them all you could see of me was my elbow.’
Nora pointed at the cardboard cut-out’s elbow. ‘And a very photogenic one it is too.’
He rolled his eyes at her. ‘Anyway, let’s stick this in a cupboard.’
‘Do you not want to burn it?’ she asked, thinking it was weird to keep it.
‘I don’t think watching my own effigy go up in flames will be great for my mental health and I can’t put it out with the bins in case the neighbours think I bought it. So for now it’s living in the cupboard. Maybe if I get famous I’ll donate it to charity.’
‘One you don’t like,’ said Nora, and Jay rolled his eyes at her.
Nora relayed her evening with Liam once more for Jay’s benefit over a supermarket pizza and received a similar response to the one she’d had from Dixie. At least her friends were consistent.
‘What’s the plan now?’ he asked, getting out a pull-along hoover.
‘I’m going to let Liam make the next move and anyway I’ve got my meet-up with Mickey tomorrow.’ Nora watched as Jay plugged in the vacuum. This was weird: he was a bit of a neat freak but they’d not made any mess with the pizza.
‘Tomorrow? You’re taking time off work to see him? You never take time off work.’
‘Which is why I have loads of holiday I need to take.And a Friday was better for him because he’s a personal trainer so he works weekends.’
‘Of course he is,’ said Jay. ‘So a day at the beach then. Weather forecast is sunny. Should be the perfect day for it.’
‘It should. Are you working tomorrow?’ she asked.
‘I wish. But I’ve an audiobook coming up so no need to sign up for a job pushing supermarket trollies just yet.’
‘That’s good news.’
‘Thank you. And it means tomorrow I will be free as a bird.’
Nora smiled at Jay’s unsubtle approach. ‘Did you and Bruce still want to come to Skegness?’
‘Absolutely, say a time and we’ll be ready and waiting. Bruce is a different hound.’
‘He did seem calmer when I arrived.’
‘I mean,totallydifferent. I was considering taking him to the vet to get his microchip scanned in case Renee had got in a stunt double.’
Nora chuckled.
‘Don’t laugh,’ said Jay. ‘I would not put it past her and he has no distinguishing features.’
Nora remembered a disturbing conversation she’d had when she’d been telling someone that her childhood tortoise had changed colour while in hibernation and both her parents had started to laugh and all the little traumatic pieces of a twisted puzzle had slotted into place. Nora involuntarily shuddered at the memory. ‘Do you really think she’s swapped your dog?’
‘Nah, he still keeps taking the robovac outside to bury it. I’d not be that unlucky to have two identical dogs who do that.’
Nora watched Jay fire up the cleaner. Bruce came trotting in from the kitchen and flopped down in front of Jay, who started to run the nozzle over the German shepherd’s middle.
