looks about nineteen. ‘What’s going on, Rob?’ she asks coolly, trying to cut out the girl from her vision.
‘Nothing, I told you, she’s just helping.’ Rob clamps his mouth shut, and Nadine shoots him an alarmed look, as if expecting instructions on what to do now.
‘You make it sound as if you’ve been living in squalor,’ Kerry remarks. He’s lying, she knows it; Rob cleans the cooker hob daily and replaces his toothbrush if so much as one bristle flares out.
‘The place was looking a bit unloved,’ he mutters. ‘People are coming round, I’ve already missed the first lot—’
‘Why?’
‘Uh?’
‘How come you missed them?’
‘Er, I was just out … just popped out for a few minutes …’
‘Really? Where did you pop out
to
?’
His dark eyes meet hers imploringly. ‘Okay,’ he says, exhaling forcefully. ‘It was a big night last night. The guys at work had put on a bit of a party for me and I had too much to drink. Crashed out at Nadine’s place because it was handy …’ His bottom lip twitches as he tails off.
Kerry glances at Nadine, then back at Rob. ‘So why didn’t you just say that?’
‘I knew what you’d think,’ he mutters.
‘We were just chatting, Kerry,’ Nadine offers, her voice rising to even breathier heights. ‘There was a whole gang of us from the office. It was just an impromptu get-together, a bit of a laugh, you should have been there …’ She smiles nervously, then glances at the living room window as if considering launching herself through it.
‘And then,’ Rob cuts in, clearly getting into his stride now, ‘Nadine said she’d come over and help me do some, uh, scrubbing … didn’t you?’ He turns to her and she nods over-enthusiastically.
‘Yeah! Er, anyway, I think I’d better go. Really nice to meet you, Kerry.’ Nadine flashes a wide, fake smile and hurriedly lets herself out.
‘Um … bye,’ Rob mutters to the floor.
‘So,’ Kerry says flatly when she’s gone. ‘What the fuck was all that about?’
Rob reddens. ‘Nothing. I told you, she was just
helping
.’
Feeling ridiculous now in her dress and shoes, with her make-up carefully applied and that black lacy bra and French knickers underneath, Kerry wills herself not to cry.
‘Don’t insult me,’ she gulps. ‘It’s absolutely obvious what’s going on …’
‘Oh, so I can’t have female friends, is that it?’ Rob barks. ‘D’you know how hard it’s been for me at work since Eddy and the new lot arrived, how stressed I’ve been about the move and the possibility of losing my job and—’
‘Poor darling,’ she snaps.
‘Stop being like this!’
‘Being like what, Rob? Do you
know
what I was, just ten minutes ago when I was buying champagne? Excited, that’s what …’ She gives the carrier bag containing the bottle a fierce kick. ‘And I was excited putting on my red dress and heels—’
‘You look lovely,’ he blurts out. ‘Very, er … done up.’
‘Done up? What does
that
mean?’
‘No, no … I mean nice. You look, er … sexy.’
‘Really?’ she barks. ‘You know what
you
look? Post-bloody-coital …’
He shakes his head and rubs his hands across his face. ‘That’s ridiculous.’
‘Is it?’ she rages. ‘Just tell me, Rob. Did you sleep with her?’
‘Of course not!’ he cries. ‘God, Kerry, I can’t believe you’d think—’
‘Oh,’ she cuts in, ‘and I made you
this
…’ She bends down to snatch the cake tin from its bag and whips off the lid.
‘Er, that’s … lovely. You’re great at, um, icing …’ He winces involuntarily.
‘Don’t bloody patronise me, Rob, after you’ve spent the entire night with a girl who must be half your age. Don’t think you can make it all right by telling me what a great
icer
I am …’
‘Kerry, please—’
‘Happy birthday,’ she snaps, accompanied by a gulping sob, the words ROBERTO TAMBINI THIS IS YOUR CAKE! mocking her now as she finds herself lifting the
‘Nothing, I told you, she’s just helping.’ Rob clamps his mouth shut, and Nadine shoots him an alarmed look, as if expecting instructions on what to do now.
‘You make it sound as if you’ve been living in squalor,’ Kerry remarks. He’s lying, she knows it; Rob cleans the cooker hob daily and replaces his toothbrush if so much as one bristle flares out.
‘The place was looking a bit unloved,’ he mutters. ‘People are coming round, I’ve already missed the first lot—’
‘Why?’
‘Uh?’
‘How come you missed them?’
‘Er, I was just out … just popped out for a few minutes …’
‘Really? Where did you pop out
to
?’
His dark eyes meet hers imploringly. ‘Okay,’ he says, exhaling forcefully. ‘It was a big night last night. The guys at work had put on a bit of a party for me and I had too much to drink. Crashed out at Nadine’s place because it was handy …’ His bottom lip twitches as he tails off.
Kerry glances at Nadine, then back at Rob. ‘So why didn’t you just say that?’
‘I knew what you’d think,’ he mutters.
‘We were just chatting, Kerry,’ Nadine offers, her voice rising to even breathier heights. ‘There was a whole gang of us from the office. It was just an impromptu get-together, a bit of a laugh, you should have been there …’ She smiles nervously, then glances at the living room window as if considering launching herself through it.
‘And then,’ Rob cuts in, clearly getting into his stride now, ‘Nadine said she’d come over and help me do some, uh, scrubbing … didn’t you?’ He turns to her and she nods over-enthusiastically.
‘Yeah! Er, anyway, I think I’d better go. Really nice to meet you, Kerry.’ Nadine flashes a wide, fake smile and hurriedly lets herself out.
‘Um … bye,’ Rob mutters to the floor.
‘So,’ Kerry says flatly when she’s gone. ‘What the fuck was all that about?’
Rob reddens. ‘Nothing. I told you, she was just
helping
.’
Feeling ridiculous now in her dress and shoes, with her make-up carefully applied and that black lacy bra and French knickers underneath, Kerry wills herself not to cry.
‘Don’t insult me,’ she gulps. ‘It’s absolutely obvious what’s going on …’
‘Oh, so I can’t have female friends, is that it?’ Rob barks. ‘D’you know how hard it’s been for me at work since Eddy and the new lot arrived, how stressed I’ve been about the move and the possibility of losing my job and—’
‘Poor darling,’ she snaps.
‘Stop being like this!’
‘Being like what, Rob? Do you
know
what I was, just ten minutes ago when I was buying champagne? Excited, that’s what …’ She gives the carrier bag containing the bottle a fierce kick. ‘And I was excited putting on my red dress and heels—’
‘You look lovely,’ he blurts out. ‘Very, er … done up.’
‘Done up? What does
that
mean?’
‘No, no … I mean nice. You look, er … sexy.’
‘Really?’ she barks. ‘You know what
you
look? Post-bloody-coital …’
He shakes his head and rubs his hands across his face. ‘That’s ridiculous.’
‘Is it?’ she rages. ‘Just tell me, Rob. Did you sleep with her?’
‘Of course not!’ he cries. ‘God, Kerry, I can’t believe you’d think—’
‘Oh,’ she cuts in, ‘and I made you
this
…’ She bends down to snatch the cake tin from its bag and whips off the lid.
‘Er, that’s … lovely. You’re great at, um, icing …’ He winces involuntarily.
‘Don’t bloody patronise me, Rob, after you’ve spent the entire night with a girl who must be half your age. Don’t think you can make it all right by telling me what a great
icer
I am …’
‘Kerry, please—’
‘Happy birthday,’ she snaps, accompanied by a gulping sob, the words ROBERTO TAMBINI THIS IS YOUR CAKE! mocking her now as she finds herself lifting the
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