I shook my head. “Stupid, stupid, stupid.” I was still glaring at him. “Fine, but we can’t take Kenny, it’s not fair for him to spend six hours in a car with us on a hot day. I’m going for a shower. You ring Nigella and ask if she’ll take him for the afternoon.”
He nodded, and I departed upstairs. I took a long shower, trying to calm my nerves. Stupid Simon bloody Anson and his stupid bloody … arms. And his stupid hair that I wanted to run my fingers through, and his stupid crooked bottom tooth that made me want to put my fingers in his mouth, and his thighs like tree trunks that I wanted gripped around my waist while he …
There was a knock on the door. “You ready? You’ve been in there for ages.”
I absolutely did not lose my footing and fall spreadeagled on the shower floor. “Yup, just a minute, thanks.”
Simon went and picked up his truck while I dropped off Kenny at Gella’s house.
“Why can’t we take my car?”
“Will that thing even get us to London?” he’d asked, giving the tyre a kick.
“Rude,” I told him.
Nigella was waiting at her door for me when I arrived. “Where exactly are you and Simon off to?” she asked as I walked up her path.
“London,” I said, my voice strangled. “It’s a long story. I’m doing what you told me to do. Trying to keep him from doing anything stupid.”
“And what about you doing anything stupid?” She touched the graze on my arm and grimaced. “Have you spoken to Sonia? Poor thing has been out of her mind. I don’t know what’s going on, but she’s all over the show.”
I shook my head. “Could you look out for her? I’ll see her tonight when I’m back or tomorrow. But make sure she’s okay?”
Nigella narrowed her eyes. “Of course, though I may need to hear the full story about what’s going on.”
I kissed her on the cheek and handed her Kenny’s lead. “Trust me, you don’t want to know. Anyway, thanks for looking after him. You sure it’s not too much trouble?”
She crouched to give Kenny a stroke. “Not at all, the boys will be over the moon to play with him. If I end up having to get them a dog, I’m blaming you.”
Simon pulled up at the end of her garden in his ridiculous pickup truck. Which was a blessing as it stopped me from telling Nigella that if she wanted to blame me for things, she needed to join a very long line.
I gave Kenny a kiss. “Have fun,” Nigella said with a wink and took him inside, stopping to give Simon a wave.
“Can I make a quick call?” I asked as I got in the truck.
He glared. It had already been well over an hour since we’d agreed to this, we now wouldn’t reach London until mid-afternoon at the absolute earliest. He held up his hands in defeat.
“Thanks.” I rang Sonia.
At that moment, my absolution came in the shape of Odette Douglas. She leaned in the truck. “Oh, Simon. I saw Nigella, but she mustn’t have heard me calling as she slammed her door quickish. Probably trying to contain Arden’s vicious, brutish mutt. But how are you, darling? Me? I’m so fatigued. Gosh, pregnancy is tiring. Lucky you, gay men don’t have families, so you’ll never have children and won’t ever have to worry about anything like that.”
Sonia finally answered.
“Arden, thank God. You’re alive.”
“Were you worried I might not be?” Wish I wasn’t having this conversation next to an employee of the British Government.
“Well, after I— ahem, was told about the break-in on Sunday, I was so worried. Dhapinder and Trevor were spitting tacks. Even Dad had to tell them to calm down or leave. Dhaps looked like she wanted to kill someone.”
“Yeah, about that …”
“Oh my God!”
“Yeah.”
“That’s it. I can’t work there any longer. I have to quit. I have to get out. They’re crazy.”
“Uh, no, don’t do that. Wait a few weeks, maybe a month. Take some time off, say the break-in shook you up. And then wait a bit, and then quit. Okay?”
