Keren didn’t say anything, instead she topped up Rayah’s glass with more prosecco.
“Key, you can’t leave. This is your home… You love it here,” Rayah said, using exactly the same tone as she had to persuade Keren to go with Connor Roberts to the after-prom party so Rayah could tag along with his brother.
“I do love it here, Ray. But I’m thirty-two. Time’s ticking by if I want to meet someone and have a family. And if that’s not going to happen, I’d like to specialise in children’s dentistry,” Keren said. “There’s a post opening up in Manchester, working with kids with complex physical disabilities. I’d love to do something like that and there’s nothing to keep me here.”
Rayah pouted.
“I know,” Keren said. “But it isn’t going to change us. We coped through university being at opposite ends of the country. I have to at least consider this.”
“Have you applied?” Rayah said accusingly.
Keren shook her head. “No. It isn’t advertised yet. I know the person in post at the moment is moving to Australia with his wife, but there’s no time frame on it yet.”
Rayah hopped off the worktop and strutted into the lounge with her glass. “I can’t have you leave Severton,” she said. “So I guess I need to find you a reason to stay.”
“That sounds ominous,” Keren said.
Then Rayah’s mouth curved into a smile wide enough to swallow a bus. “Would you let me set you up?”
“No,” Keren shook her head. “We’ve tried that. Twice. Both went horribly wrong. Embarrassingly so.”
“This won’t. Honestly. He’s just moved to Severton and he’s joined Scott’s band,” Rayah said, sounding as if she’d just discovered the solution to end world poverty.
“I can’t see myself in a relationship with a musician,” she said, trying to hide under a blanket on the sofa and hoping Rayah would go away. “Too unreliable.”
“He’s an accountant. I suspect he’ll be reliable.”
“If he’s an accountant, he’ll be boring.”
“He’s joined the search and rescue team.”
“That doesn’t mean he’ll be interesting.”
“He plays guitar…” Rayah was at her most persuasive.
“So does Scott.”
“But Olly is the right age, he’s had a couple of long term relationships. He’s intelligent and good with money…”
“You can’t assume that just because he’s an accountant…”
“He’s just bought the Jacksons’ place on Moorcroft. He’s good with money,” Rayah said, now looking as if she had not only discovered the solution for world peace, but had also worked out how to stop global warming. “And he’s hot. Let me set you up for a drink with him. Just a drink.”
Keren began to flinch. “Why can’t you just ask him to join us all for drinks on Friday and then if we click, I can ask him out?”
“Because that’ll make it sound likeI’minterested. And he’ll hear you and Scott bickering. If Scott can speak by then. Go on, let me set you up.” Rayah beamed at her.
Keren held her head in her hands and shook her head.
“Even if I say no, you’re going to do it anyway.”
2
Making it to thirty-five without having a filling or a tooth extracted was probably something Scott should consider an achievement. But, given that his mouth hurt like hell and he resembled a hamster on one side of his face, it made him wish that the achievement was a bit more substantive, like another ninety years.
“Are we still going to be practicing tonight?” said Kenny Albright – his name was definitely false advertising but he was a great drummer. “You know, with you having that thing in your mouth.”
“I’ve had a fucking tooth out,” Scott closed the fridge door with the bottled beers. “Thatthingis no longer in my mouth.”
