Dinner at Mine

Dinner at Mine by Chris Smyth Page B

Book: Dinner at Mine by Chris Smyth Read Free Book Online
Authors: Chris Smyth
Tags: Chick lit
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silence, Stephen passed round the white cups while Rosie showed Justin and Barbara out. As soon as the front door shut, Charlotte said, ‘Jesus, that man is annoying!’
    No one disagreed. Rosie came back in.
    ‘Aren’t they lovely?’ she said.
    No one disagreed.
    Sarah said: ‘I hate to do this to you, Rosie, but I think we’ll have to go too.’
    ‘Oh no, really?’ Rosie said.
    ‘If everyone’s going, I’ll be off too,’ said Matt.
    Stephen waited quietly with Charlotte while Rosie took the others out to the hall.
    After a while he asked: ‘More brandy?’
    ‘Thanks.’
    Stephen poured himself another glass as well and immediately wanted to go to sleep. How long was she going to stay? Could he go to bed anyway?
    ‘That was very sudden,’ Rosie said in a breezy tone as she came back in. ‘Just us now . . . Oh good, I see Stephen’s offered you another drink. Look, Charlotte, I’m
sorry about all that, earlier. I don’t know what came over me. Perhaps it was too much wine. But whatever it was, I’m sorry.’
    ‘You’re still wrong,’ Charlotte said.
    ‘I . . . maybe you’re right. I’ll look it up later. So how have you been, Charlotte? It’s good to have a chance to talk.’
    ‘All right.’
    ‘Because I know at work it’s hard to speak properly . . .’
    ‘I think I’ll go as well,’ Charlotte said, flicking the last of the brandy down her throat. ‘Now that I’ve given Matt a chance to get clear.’
    ‘Oh look, I’m sorry about that. Is it going to be too embarrassing? We can do separate nights if you want.’
    ‘He can do it on his own. I don’t think this is my sort of thing.’
    ‘Oh no, Charlotte! Come on, it will be fun. Matt’s not that bad.’
    ‘I’m sure he’s fine. That’s not the point. I’m going to get a cab.’
    Stephen waved silently as she left. He didn’t seem to be expected to stand up.
    ‘That was a total disaster,’ Rosie said when Charlotte was gone.
    ‘It was fine,’ Stephen replied, leaning back in his chair.
    ‘I can’t believe I got sucked into that stupid argument. It’s not like me. Charlotte was just being so annoying, being stubborn for the sake of it, and I . . . But she was
probably just getting her own back about Matt, so it was my fault, really. Oh dear, it was all going so well until then. Have I ruined everything?’
    ‘I’m sure it was fine.’
    ‘But why did everybody leave so suddenly?’
    ‘They were probably tired.’ Stephen yawned expansively.
    ‘Shall we clear up? Maybe I should have done it on a Saturday. But I just thought it would be nice for people on a Friday . . .’
    ‘It was fine.’ Stephen was thinking about how little he wanted to clear the table. Rosie had begun gathering glasses.
    ‘And what about Matt? You got on all right, didn’t you?’
    ‘It was fine.’
    Rosie gave him a concerned look. ‘Are you sure?’
    Stephen grunted.
    ‘And was the food OK? I thought I might have put too much salt in the soup.’
    ‘It was fine.’
    ‘But the duck was definitely overcooked, wasn’t it? I knew I should have waited until after the soup to start it. Was it ruined?’
    ‘It was fine.’
    ‘The pudding was good, though – thank you for that – and people did seem to be enjoying themselves for a while, even Marcus. How do you think it went, overall?’
    ‘It was fine.’
    Rosie took a handful of glasses through to the kitchen. Stephen reluctantly stood up and followed her, taking an empty coffee cup to show willing. Rosie piled up banks of dirty glasses and
crockery above the rumbling dishwasher.
    ‘Do you think we should do these now?’
    ‘No.’
    ‘I think I will.’
    ‘Just put them in the dishwasher tomorrow.’
    ‘I think I’ll make a start. I want to get the worst of it out of the way.’
    ‘I’m going to bed.’ Stephen put his empty brandy glass by the others and left the kitchen.
    From: Matthew Phillips
    To: Dinner At Mine

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