“He likes his sleep does he?” I asked, moving to the cupboard that Maisie was pointing to.
“Yeah he does. He’s an absolute nightmare to get up in a morning if he hasn’t had enough sleep.”
“Is that why he’s not allowed music at bedtime?”
I placed the plates next to the hob and leaned back against the counter, watching Maisie as she continued to stir the eggs.
“He told you that?” she asked, turning to me.
“Said Josh wouldn’t let him, but seems to think you might be of a different opinion now.”
We both laughed and Maisie rolled her eyes.
“Always spying his chance that one,” she said. “I would never dare have asked for or said half the things he does.”
“Is that right.” I ducked my head and scratched my ear, trying to hide my grin.
“Hmm, it appears he may have picked up a few traits from his father.”
Maisie’s lips thinned, but I could tell that it was all in good nature and it made my chest feel a little tight. Standing talking about my son and how much he was like me was something I would never have imagined, would never have wanted – yet it felt right; strange but right.
“What you going to do about the prick?” I asked, feeling it best to change the subject before I started wailing and wafting at my eyes like some stupid teenage girl.
Maisie sighed and reached for the toast that had popped up. “Report him to the police, I suppose.” She started to butter the slices, putting one on one plate and two on the other. “Although, it sounds like they won’t be bothered, because what’s he actually done except try to get back into his home.”
“Yeah, but it’s how he tried to get back in which is the problem,” I growled. “He fucking scared both of you, shouting and banging in a violent manner, so they should fucking listen. You want me to come with you?” I asked without thinking twice.
Maisie stopped spooning egg onto the toast and looked up at me. “You don’t have to,” she said. “You’ve helped enough.”
“I told you, I don’t mind.”
Maisie then handed me the plate with the two slices of toast on it. “Knives and forks are in the drawer on the right. You want some orange?”
I nodded and watched as she went to the fridge. Her dressing gown stopped mid-thigh and her long legs looked smooth and silky and seeing as I’d not been laid in a while since I was too busy and it was morning, my dick decided it might want in on some action. When she leaned into the fridge and the tops of her thighs and a pair of skimpy pink shorts were revealed, I had to adjust myself, repeating in my head ‘it’s just morning wood, it’s just morning wood’.
I quickly moved to the table, grabbing two sets of cutlery as I did, placing Maisie’s on the other end of the small rectangular table to where I sat myself.
“This looks great,” I said, cutting into the toast and adding a forkful of eggs.
“I’m not the best cook,” Maisie said, placing a glass of orange in front of me, “but I can do the basics well. Frankie loves my sausage and mash.”
I got the sense that she was trying to offer me snippets of my son’s life, without having to admit it. It was an olive branch of sorts and I just had to decide whether I wanted to take it or not.
“He’s got a good appetite?”
Maisie nodded as she chewed on her food. “Hmm,” she finally said around a swallow. “Really good. My mum reckons he’s got hollow legs.”
I laughed. “My mum used to say that about me. I think it was the swimming, it made me hungry all the time.”
Maisie looked at me over the rim of her glass, her eyes studying me.
“What?” I asked.
“Why did you take on the swimming lessons? Did you know Frankie was in the class?”
I was surprised that she’d think that, knowing how adamant I’d been about not being in his life. Yet, my recent actions – threatening Josh, rushing over here, insisting I stay the night and sharing his damn iPod with him, kind of contradicted that, so I supposed it was a natural conclusion to jump to.
“I had no idea he was,” I replied. “It was Amy hounding me for days about it. Bella, her and Elijah’s little girl, is in the water babies’ class and if I hadn’t stepped in their teacher would’ve had to and nooo waaay was Amy allowing that to happen.” I grinned, thinking about the force of nature that was my sister-in-law.
