“Not really,” he replies. “I’ve had a surprisingly innocent childhood considering that my grandma was a famous jewel thief.”
Jez blinks. “Cynthia was a burglar?”
“Oh yes. She fed me cabbage soup and then tried to steal the crown jewels.”
I narrow my eyes. “That’s the plot ofGangsta Granny. It was on TV at Christmas.”
He starts to laugh, and I join him. I sober when I see Jez glaring at us. He has never liked being the butt of jokes. Never stops him from doing it to others, though.
Xavier pats Jez’s arm. “Relax. I know you were just a hookup of my mama’s.”
“Did your… Did your mum ever speak about me?”
“No. I don’t think you were that memorable, to be honest.”
Jez’s eyes kindle, and I look up in relief when the waiter arrives with our starters. “ThankChrist,” I say loudly. The waiter freezes before setting down the plates and scurrying off.
Xavier starts to laugh. “You must have worked up an appetite today, Reuben.”
Jez rolls his eyes. “He hooked up today. Only been here a couple of hours and pulled.”
“Wow.Fastworker,” Xavier says solemnly.
I focus intently on my plate. If I look at him, I will laugh.
Xavier stirs. “I’m curious about something, Jez. You were really insistent about meeting here. Why this hotel out of all the hotels in England?”
Jez looks at me and I shrug. He turns back to his son. “We’ve got a funeral next week.”
“But you both look sospry.”
I bite my lip to hold in a smile. Jez doesn’t look amused. “Not us. It was an old acquaintance of ours—a man called Sean. Reuben had already booked a room in the hotel because he wasgoing to visit Sean who lived nearby, but then he died.” He shrugs. “It didn’t seem worth Reuben losing his deposit, so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and meet you here.”
“Oh my god,” I breathe.
Xavier looks like he’s trying not to laugh. “Well, I do like a man who can multitask.” He sobers. “Were you close to this Sean?”
Jez shakes his head. “Not really. He was more friendly with Reuben.”
He stops talking so I elaborate. “He was sort of a mentor to me when we entered the profession. Sean was a brilliant photographer, and he helped me a lot when I needed it.”
Xavier’s face is absorbed, his eyes serious for the first time since I met him. “What was he like?”
I consider that for a long beat, my memories suddenly startlingly vivid. “He was clever. There wasn’t anything he didn’t know about world politics, and he shared his knowledge easily, unlike some others who store it like gold to be parcelled out in small portions. He was kind too. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.” I hesitate. “I think the job chewed him up, spat him out, and left him with nothing for himself in the end. He committed suicide.” I stop talking, unable to believe I just spewed that many words. Jez is looking at me incredulously and I feel my cheeks redden.
“I’m so sorry.” Xavier’s voice is heartfelt and I give him a crooked smile.
“Thank you. He was a good man. I miss him already.”
Jez shudders. “Christ, stop with all thatgloomyshit.” He has a superstitious fear of talking about the awful effect our job can have on us. He seems to think that if he doesn’t talk about Sean’s fate, it won’t happen to him. He turns to Xavier. “So, how did you know to get in touch with me?”
He shrugs. “My mum left a diary. I read it and found out about you.” He runs his fork down the tablecloth idly. He hasn’t touched his food yet. “Turns out my mother was a lady in the street and a freak in the bed, as Usher once said. I had to read throughwaytoo many chapters of random sexual encounters before she even mentioned your name.” I wince, and he shrugs. “She could have had a career as the next EL James if she’d wanted.”
Jez coughs. “You understood about the blood test I asked for, then?”
Xavier’s eyes edge with frost. “Of course. I’ve read my fairy tales. Once upon a time, a young man found out that he was the heir to a kingdom and went there to find his father. The exceedingly ancient king said he was a lying little cunt and was only after his money before demanding three rounds of blood tests because apparently there’s a percentage of deniability in paternity tests and he wanted to be completely sure.”
“What thefuck?” I say slowly.
