‘God, she’s cute,’ Jack smiled.‘What’s her name?’
‘Peanut.’
Jack paused, his sharp blue eyes meeting mine, then burst into laughter.I sighed as Jack lowered himself into the seat next to me, still laughing at my expense.
‘You can’t be shouting Peanut across the park, mate.’ Jack wiped his eyes.‘Why don’t you rename her?What about Pippa?Pickle.Poppy.’
Peggy.
The name hit me, laced with a memory from ten-year-old me.Lydia leaving her worn, well-loved toy on the bus.Her face distraught.So I ran.She shouted for me to stop but I kept going, sprinting after the bus to the next stop.I launched myself on board, ignoring the driver’s protests, and retrieved the floppy plush dog.Then, I reunited it with its smiling owner.
I’d felt like Tom Cruise that day.But, you know, without the religious cult stuff.
‘Peggy.’
Peanut – or now, Peggy – lifted her head.
‘There you go.Peggy is much better than Peanut,’ Jack said, scratching behind her ears.She sighed as if she’d been waiting her whole life for this exact moment.
‘Traitor,’ I muttered.
Jack chuckled.His dirty-blond hair was cropped short, his usual crooked grin looked as if he had pulled a prank and was waiting for you to find out.But recently, he had an air of confidence as if he’d found his purpose.Not that he needed it.
‘What are you doing here?’ I asked, ‘Haven’t seen you in the club for a while.’
‘Meeting your brother for a catch-up about work,’ Jack said, taking a gulp of his pint.
As if he’d been summoned, the social club door swung open and Liam strode in, eyes searching, until he found Jack at my table.He nodded and ordered his drink with Sandra.I bit my lip.Jack and Liam were going to talk shop about HBC and, after he’d shut down my idea for Everly Heath Farm, I wasn’t in the mood to hear my brother’s demonstrative orders about what Jack should or shouldn’t do.Liam couldn’t help but stick his oar in, even though he didn’t work with Jack any more.
‘Ey up.Pat got you in the end then.’ Liam plonked his pint of Coke Zero on our table, pulling up a chair next to Jack.Peggy sat up, nuzzling her head into Liam’s legs, and he gave her a scratch behind her ears.My eyes narrowed.
Double traitor.
‘You can keep the lecture about how a dog is a huge responsibility to yourself, big brother,’ I muttered, sounding as petulant as I felt.
Liam’s eyebrows rose and Jack stifled a laugh.
‘He’s been seething away since I got here.What’s got you so miserable, Lawrence?’ Jack cocked an eyebrow.‘Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.’
‘Yeah, your mum’s.’
Jack laughed, and I was envious of how open and free he was.I used to be like that.I could pinpoint exactly when that stopped.When I boarded a flight to Mexico and made the cataclysmic mistake of leavingherbehind.
‘Come on then,’ Liam said gruffly.‘What’s up?’
‘We’re sharing now, are we?’
Liam shrugged.‘What can I say?Kat and Abi have made me more open.’
I huffed.‘Sure.How is my niece?’
I was asking because I’d not seen Abi in weeks.But also so I could steer Liam away from asking questions I didn’t want to answer.
‘Currently at a paint-and-sip party with Kat and Yas.’
My eyebrows shot up.‘Mum and Stepmum.Wow.Very modern.’
From what I could sense, Kat and Yasmin hadn’t started out as friends.Yasmin, my brother’s ex-childhood-sweetheart had been protective of Abigail, and was worried about bringing another woman into her life, for her to leave it.But once Yas realised Kat wasn’t going anywhere, they seemed to be getting on like a house on fire.
