Alex laughed.‘No, I guess mine and Den’s tastes are different, mate.’
Leo tried to take all this in.‘So, for all these years I’ve been looking up to Den and thinking he was my best mate, and he’s been finding different ways of making me look a prat?’
‘That’s about it,’ said Alex, ‘and this last time…’
‘You mean Sophie?’
‘No, I meant Mab really.’
‘Mab?What are you talking about now?This is getting surreal.’
‘As soon as we got to Clayton, Den could see how the land lay with you and Mab.You were eyeballing each other all the time, don’t try and deny it,’ said Josh.Alex continued, seeing that Leo was speechless.
‘So Dynamic Denis moved in.He was flirting with her, teasing her, rescuing her from the lake, making her feel pampered.He knows all the tricks and he never gives in.Then suddenly, for no reason, he gets bored.’
‘But… but… if he wanted Mab, what’s he doing with Sophie?’said Leo, feeling as if he was wandering through a swamp.He drained his beer, and Josh put another one in his hand, patting his brother on the back.
‘Den just likes the chase.He won’t want either of them really.I expect Sophie will come crawling back to you later.He’s probably promised her that penthouse flat she’s been after for so long.’
‘Do you think I’d have her back after this?I only came up here to tell her it’s over anyway.I want to be free to get to know Mab properly.She’s just avoiding me at the moment.I don’t know what to do.’
Alex turned back to his chopping board.‘Right, forget all three of them for a bit and have dinner with Josh and me.It’s chicken in a creamy white wine and cracked black pepper sauce tonight, with crunchy garlicky potato wedges and some buttered green beans and carrot sticks.’
Alex had always been able to make his family’s mouths water.His food descriptions were poetry.He never worried about fat content or calories, just sent himself out for an extra run the next day, and always refused second helpings.Alex’s willpower was legendary.Leo realised that he hadn’t eaten since that morning.He settled into his chair and drank his beer, almost moved to tears again by the way his brothers were rallying round to cheer him up.Who needed Den anyway?Leo would think about his treachery another time.For now, he seriously needed to eat.
‘So, are there any developments on the shop opening date?’asked Alex, as he bustled around the kitchen.‘Did… Edward was it… the man next door, get in touch again?’
‘No, it’s all gone quiet.We never did find out who cancelled the orders for the books and catering stuff.’Leo saw Josh and Alex looking puzzled, and filled them in on the story of the emails, finishing, ‘And it must have been someone who knew my password and email account, or someone in the flat, but who would want to do that to me?’
There was a short silence as all three looked at each other, not wanting to speak.Alex was the first to crack.
‘Surely Den wouldn’t stoop that low to wind you up?’
‘Wouldn’t he?’said Josh.
25
Mab sat at the computer, clutching a hot water bottle to her stomach.The stress of the postponed opening day was really starting to depress her now and she had still not managed to get hold of either of the Crabtrees on the phone to talk about the baby.After days of avoiding their calls, the irony of having to chase them made her smile grimly, but the thought of actually going to find them and talk face to face was too much to bear right now.At least while Leo was away she didn’t have to deal with her growing feelings for him, but missing him was almost as bad as trying not to love him.
The lack of emails from Den was a big relief, thought Mab.She blushed whenever she thought about the shrubbery moment.Den was a poor substitute for the real thing but Leo was way out of her reach.Sophie had first claim on him, and Mab had vowed never to chase after a man again, even if he was free.Since Leo’s departure, Mab had spent a sleepless night thinking over her situation, and had decided that she had two choices.She could either leave the shop and flat, find another job and forget Leo, or she could put all thoughts of wanting him out of her head and get on with making the business a roaring success.There was no contest really.If only they could get the go-ahead to open, thought Mab.If she could get her teeth into the job properly, surely she’d be too busy to think about Leo?She heard Jess and George come in, and stood up, glad of the company.
‘Hi, guys.How did you get on at the library?’said Mab, going into the kitchen to put the kettle on.She slotted four crumpets into the toaster.George was always hungry these days.
‘It was wicked,’ said George, watching his mum dump a huge pile of books on the table.‘We got loads of interesting stuff.School at home might be quite cool, if we still have break, and PE, and all the best bits.But I want the shop to open, and I can’t do numeracy properly without Leo.’
Mab came back into the room carrying a tray with a giant milkshake for George, the buttered crumpets and a little coffee pot and cup for Jess.
‘Are you still off coffee?’asked Jess, looking dubiously at Mab’s mint tea.‘That stuff smells foul.Mab, are you OK?Really?’
Mab looked down at her mug.She knew she was going to have to talk to Jess about the baby soon.Jess had been unusually tactful since Nina had told her that Mab was pregnant, but Mab knew she was itching to ask for more details.Jess must be assuming it was Pete’s baby.Maybe she thought that the two of them had been having a last-ditch attempt to patch things up?Mab decided to put off the moment for a bit longer.
‘No, not really, but I thought that now that I’ve lost some weight, I’d keep it off.If I have coffee, I have to eat a biscuit mountain to help it down but mint tea puts you off eating.’
‘Don’t start getting silly about this dieting lark, Mabel.You’ve always looked great, hasn’t she, Georgie?’
‘Well, shewasa bit fat before…’
‘George!’
