I swivel back to face him, still clutching the tin of beans. ‘What do you mean?’
‘Just keep out of it. It’s none of your business.’ He stands up, adjusting his overalls.
‘You’re such a pacifist,’ I snap, hearing how resentful I sound. Things would have turned out differently between us if only he’d taken more action – if he’d stood up for Rufus more when he was being bullied. If he’d stood up for me.
He ignores the barb. ‘You’ve got Rufus to think about. If these neighbours are dangerous, or whatever, you don’t want to be in their firing line. I don’t think you should have given Drew the recording.’
Feeling suddenly queasy, I put down the tin of beans. Charlie opens his mouth to say something else when we’re interrupted by the buzz of my mobile. I pounce on it, hoping it might be Drew with news about his police visit. But it’s Susi.
‘Hello,’ I say, moving away from Charlie to stand in the frame of the patio doors.
‘Lena, hi. I’m sorry to be calling you at home but we need a word.’ She sounds stern and I feel the first kick of unease.
‘Okay. What about?’
‘It’s about Drew Mayhew. It’s been brought to my attention that you’ve been visiting him at home. Is that correct?’
‘I … well, yes, but …’ How does she know? Have the police said something already or has Drew told her after I said no to dinner?
She sighs in disappointment. ‘Lena, this is unethical. You know that.’
‘But …’ I can sense Charlie’s eyes boring into my back and my body temperature goes into overdrive. ‘It’s a long story.’
‘Well, then,’ she says crisply, ‘you should tell it.’
‘I …’ I flounder, not sure where to start.
‘Not now,’ she snaps. ‘I want to see you first thing on Monday. And I have to warn you, Lena, your job is in jeopardy. If you can’t keep a professional boundary as an adviser, this line of work may not be for you.’
‘Listen, Susi, I …’
But she’s ended the call.
26
The silence echoes around my small kitchen, and I squirm under Charlie’s questioning gaze. A familiar heaviness presses down on me and I’m back to that day last winter and the conversation that ended our marriage. It had taken place right here in the kitchen too.
Why didn’t you fight for us?
I notice a blush reddening Charlie’s neck and he clears his throat. ‘So … er, I’m assuming Susi’s pissed off.’
I sigh as I place my phone face down on the worktop. ‘Yep. Nothing new. You know what she’s like.’ I force a laugh. I don’t tell him that my job is now at risk, although, from the look on his face, I can see he’s guessed.
He takes a step towards me. ‘Lena …’
Just then Rufus bounds in with Freddie, the two of them acting like excitable puppies as they chatter away about the gig tonight and how they’re going to ‘crash’ at Charlie’s flat afterwards. If Rufus is surprised to see Charlie and me standing so close together he doesn’t say.
‘You didn’t tell me you were staying with your dad tonight,’ I say to Rufus, trying to keep the peevishness from my voice.
Rufus’s face falls. ‘Sorry, Mum. I forgot we said we’d watchDisturbia.Can we do it tomorrow night instead?’
I plaster a smile over my face. ‘Of course we can. Oh, but didn’t you arrange with Kit to have a guitar lesson this evening?’
‘Oh, yes, how’s that going?’ Charlie interjects. ‘Kit seems like a nice lad.’
‘Yeah. Good. Kit’s great. A better teacher than you.’ He elbows Charlie good-naturedly in the side. ‘He had to cancel tonight. He said he might come over tomorrow when I get back. Anyway, come on, Fred, I’ll just grab my stuff.’ And then they disappear. I can hear their size tens charging up the stairs, and turn to Charlie with a half-hearted shrug.
He throws me a concerned look. ‘You’re welcome to come too? It’s been a while since you were at one of our gigs.’
