Squeezy turned and hooked his elbows over the bar, surveying the room. ‘How does he do it? Our little Benjie. He knows fucking nothing about anything but look at him: he’s got them eating out of his bleeding hand.’
‘I think it’s because he’s nice.’
‘Yeah. Reckon that must be it.’
‘I wonder what that is like.’
‘What? Being nice?’
‘Hmm.’
‘Dunno. You should see him when he’s at our charity whatnots with the veterans. Those poor old bastards are out on the streets because they tried to have fucking conversations about things no fucking bugger wanted to hear, especially their bleeding wives. They look at him and see hope or something; I don’t fucking know. They look at me and think why the fuck isn’t he sitting here with us? Or maybeone day, Matey, one day.’
‘You think you’ll end up homeless one day? You might be right. I’m not taking you in.’
‘Ta, Mate. If I wanted your fucking glass house, Crusoe, I’d fucking take it. Nice little home invasion one day. Take what’s in it, too, if you get my drift.’
‘Hah. I long for the day you try it. Then we’d finally find out, would we not?’
‘We would.’
‘What are you doing over here! I told you to mingle!’ Tim was fussing with some nuts. Aleksey was tempted to make a joke about this.
Squeezy only replied calmly, ‘We’re practising being nice. With each other. Like you said.’
‘Oh, you’d try the patience of a bloody saint. Pass these around.’
They went back, as ordered, into the fray.
‘Ah, almonds, no thank you.’ Madeline held up her hand at the offered snack. ‘I only eat food I know is ethically sourced. You have to be so careful these days.’
‘Do rabbits count?’
Austin appeared to pick up on Aleksey’s accent, if not his joke, or he may have been forewarned, for he asked, ‘What do you, as a Russian, think about the PM’s stance on Ukraine? You must have some interesting thoughts on it all.’
Aleksey did, but not ones he was apparently allowed to share.
Instead, he employed a tactic he’d used many times with Phillipa’s friends and family. It worked a treat, regardless of what subject was being discussed. He hung his head thoughtfully, toed the beautiful slate slabs, which he was fairly sure were not particularly ethical, and murmured, ‘May we live in interesting times.’
‘Ah, yes, quite so. Good point.’
The war nicely brushed over, he asked politely, ‘Do you live in Exeter?’
‘Yes, we snapped up one of the new apartments on the canal off plans. It’s rather nice—entirely green. Almost doubled in value since we bought it. Maddy’s a rower.’ He gazed thoughtfully at his wife's back as she chatted to another couple next to them. ‘Very handy for her to practise—the whole complex has its own dock.’
‘I know two men who recently did a long paddle. They were…outstanding.’
‘Maddy competes internationally. She’s got a race in a couple of weeks. She’s going to be…’ He quirked his lip, as if seeking for a word, and was berating himself for not being able to find it. ‘Standing out, too. Yes, I think she’ll be standing out.’ He shook himself lightly and glanced out once more at the view. ‘Do you live in the city, too?’
‘No, we live here on the moors. We walked over today.’
‘Really? I got the impression from Michael that you both worked in London.’
Aleksey was going to queryworked?but amended this to, ‘London? Yes, occasionally.’ He was struggling. ‘Do you teach at the university?’
‘No, I own my own company: Belleropon Labs. Tim’s lucky to be out of it though, if you ask me. Although he's a bit vague about what he does do now. He’s done a marvellous job with this house. We had absolutely no idea. The interiors are superb. We just adore the Florentine brocade on the armchairs and sofas. Obviously, we wouldn’t have it—ours are upholstered in organic hemp. But the oak framing…Tim assured us it was a local sustainable hardwood? Although, I believe he also let slip once that he just rents? Bit of a puzzle really.’
Aleksey wasn’t going to enlighten him and changed the subject. ‘Do you have children?’ He could usually find something amusing to relate about Molly that didn’t fall into Ben’syour usual bullshitembargos.
