‘No, I ran out of steam and into the ginger wine. I thought you might like to put that one together.’
‘Ah, okay, I’d love to... Ginger wine?’ He pulled a chair up next to Cherry’s. ‘The psycho juice Patsy makes? I’ve nearly had my stomach pumped on more than one occasion from drinking that.’
‘The very same. Would you like a glass?’ She lifted the bottle. ‘There’s still some left.’
‘I’ll stick to beer, thanks. Maybe you should too since I don’t have time to take you to A&E.’
Cherry reluctantly relinquished the ginger wine, and Sean went inside and got two beers from the fridge. Sitting in the old garden chairs, they slugged from the chilled bottles, the lush, verdant world humming around them.
‘Tell me how the interview went,’ she said, her tone forced casual. She would know that the chances of him being rejected for a visa were so small that he was almost certainly going to the States.
‘Aye, good. Visa granted. That’ll be me away to Tennessee next spring.’ He snuck a sideways glance at her, keen to see her reaction.
‘Ah, amazing. You’re going to have a blast out there. All the Tennessee girls won’t know what’s hit them.’
This response wasn’t what Sean hoped, but he knew she didn’t want him going with other women. And how could Tennessee girls compare to this – dirt-streakedlegs, chaotic hair, hypnotic femininity? They couldn’t. He swigged from his beer and changed the topic of conversation. ‘Thank you for all the gardening you did here. Although, I believe there’s another name for all of this.’
Cherry lowered the bottle she’d been about to drink from. ‘Oh, right. What’s that then?’
‘It’s nesting, isn’t it?’
A smile danced playfully at the corner of her lips, like she’d been sprung naked but quite liked it. ‘Nesting? Never heard of it.’
Aye, right.‘It’s when a woman buys lots of scatter cushions and candles to make the house all cosy ’cause she wants a nice place to settle down. Jamie tells me Alicia does it at his place.’
But Cherry continued to play innocent. ‘I can’t see any scatter cushions out here.’
‘Not yet, but I’m telling you, this is nesting, Paradise style. You want to stay here and feel at home, but you’re holding back, so instead of making the inside of my house all cosy and girly, you come at it from the side, going for the garden like I won’t notice. And you won’t notice yourself. But I’ve noticed.’
Cherry tugged at her shorts. ‘Oh, you’re smart, Butler. So smart.’
‘Aye, I am. We might not have been married very long, but I can see into your soul, woman.’
‘You wish.’ Now she adjusted her neck a little awkwardly. For a professional poker player, she had a fuck-load of tells.
Sean reclined, took a sip of his beer. It was so nice to be back with Cherry and fall into their teasing banter.
‘Anyway, darling husband, do you fancy a game ofSwingball?’ She motioned with her foot to the game she had pitched in the centre of the lawn.
Darling husband?Was this some sort of progress?‘Swingball?’ he said. ‘Are we expecting some children around?’
‘It’s not just for kids.’ She pulled on her baseball cap, bounced up, and began lightly batting the ball back and forth to herself. ‘I got it as part of your training regime. Don’t you like Swingball, Mr Poopy Pants?’
‘Regime?’ Sean laughed. ‘Aye, Mr Poopy Pants likes Swingball. I killed at it when I was nine. Come on, then.’ He lifted the other bat from the patio. ‘Let’s see who’s the winner round here!’
‘I think we know it’s me.’ Cherry bounced on her tiptoes and served the ball to him. Sean hit it right back.
‘We’ll see about that,’ he said. ‘So, are there any more surprises for the garden?’
‘Yes, there’s an unboxed garden swing in the summerhouse. Like the one at your mum’s.’
‘Like the one we were sitting on the other week?’
‘Yes, the same. I thought you might like one for your own garden; it was comfy.’
‘Sure, a love swing for me and myself. Thanks, Cher.’ He segued from this into the topic that was at the front of his mind. ‘By the way, did you see I put out a stamped envelope for the annulment form?’
‘Oh, did you?’ The cutest rosy blotches, which he could have kissed, bloomed on Cherry’s cheeks as she stared at him almost too intently.
