Charlie clips a lead on him. ‘He can’t keep away from you.’
I sniff. ‘I had noticed. Pancake’s still at mine by the way.’ Just flagging it up.
‘Great.’ He looks about as happy as if I’d stolen her. ‘I’ve left more cat food by your door, along with a copy of the Resident’s Code. Page three is very clear about noise and disruption.’
I’m blinking at him with the shock. ‘Unbelievable. So, the man who spends all day inflicting the noise of bulldozers on Cornwall lends me his copy of the effingSilenceRule Book?’ After last night’s guests leaving more quietly than nuns going to vespers, I was hoping we’d be sidestepping this bit.
He doesn’t rise to my shriek. ‘That’s the one. Put it this way, Clemmie, if St Aidan were a train, Seaspray Cottage would be the quiet coach. And that’s how I intend to keep it.’
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. ‘So what kind of coach do bonking Airbnb guests banging the headboard against the wall all damned weekend travel in? You might be blissfully unaware of them in your poncy penthouse, but they’re on the train too. Sortthemout first,thencome and pick on me.’
He drags in a breath. ‘Let’s put this another way. Some of us have spent a lot of money buying seclusion, so let’s clear this up. Non-stop student parties willnotbe tolerated. End of.’
Of all the luck, I get the joyless neighbour who hates fun. ‘You need to lighten up hereandget real. That wasn’t a wild party, it was ahandfulof friends enjoying a quiet evening in.’ If we’d been at his place they’d have fitted in his broom cupboard. It only looked a lot because Laura’s flat is tiny.
Nell’s straight in to back me up. ‘It was a soiree not a party. And you might need to know, Clemmie does have a few more friends who’ll be dropping in to catch up and try her sorbets while she’s still around.’
I’m not backing down on this. ‘As you say, it’s best to clear this up now.’
And finally, Charlie’s voice rises. ‘What is this … class of ninety-five reunion?’
‘We were a very big year.’ Nell’s holding her line. ‘And we’d hate to disappoint old friends. Three more evenings should knock it on the head.’ Nell’s got her eyes fixed on Charlie’s face, gauging his reaction. ‘Or maybe four.’
Indignant of St Aidan just about covers it. ‘And I suppose you’re expecting to use my freezer for all of those?’
Sophie’s straight in there, taking the wind out of his T-shirt. ‘Absolutely not, Clemmie’s super grateful for you stepping in yesterday. Butmyindustrial freezer makes yours look like a toy. So, we won’t be needing your fast-freeze facility.’ I can tell how much she enjoyed saying that.
Nell’s beaming. ‘We’ll make sure we eat our sorbet quietly. So long as we don’t rattle our spoons too loudly, I can’t see you’ll have anything to grumble about.’
‘Great.’ Now we’ve left him with nothing to grumble about, Charlie’s backing off the decking. ‘If there’s any spare sorbet, I don’t mind helping out with that.’
I’m shaking my head at the gall. ‘I take it you’ll keep Diesel at yours when my friends are round? And Pancake can stay at mine as long as she wants.’
Sophie’s shaking her head as he and Diesel bounce back down the steps. ‘So, not contrite at all then?’
As we watch Charlie and Diesel amble off down the sand, Nell’s smiling. ‘We’ll handle him, don’t worry. You have to admire a man who’s totally driven by his stomach but still has abs to die for.’
Sophie’s rubbing her lip. ‘A tendency for muffin envyanda weakness for sorbet. We should remember that.’ She’s grinning at me. ‘So now you’ve got a flatanda cat. Who’d have thought?’
I have to keep her right. ‘Bothstrictlyshort-term.’
Nell’s laughing. ‘Whatever next?’
‘I learn to cook meringues?’ Even I can’t quite believe that will happen. But if I don’t try, I’ll never know.
She’s straight back at me. ‘Brilliant. I’ll bring you some eggs. You can get started right away.’
12
In Laura’s kitchen
Breaking eggs
Wednesday
If you’re in St Aidan and want newly laid eggs, Nell’s your woman. As promised, she’s back round at the flat before I have time to say ‘fry up’.
‘Two dozen?’ I say, taking the stack of boxes from her. Twenty-four eggs sounds a lot. ‘So who laid these?’ Although I haven’t had them before myself, I know Nell always likes to personalise her egg deliveries.
