here.’
‘Foxtons?’
He nodded, pulled at his nose and said, ‘With a promotional six-month zero per cent commission. It’s going to kill us,’ he added, starting to chew on his nails before shunting his chair backwards and disappearing, jerkily, towards the loos at the back of the office.
Elaine looked across at her.
Jessica was about to say something when her mobile started to ring.
‘Jess?’
It was Lennyher stepmother.
She didn’t feel like speaking to Lenny right then and started to scratch nervously with a drawing pin at the edge of her desk.
‘I was just phoning to see if Arthur got into St Anthony’s.’
‘I don’t knowthe post hadn’t arrived when I left this morning.’
‘Oh.’ Lenny paused at Jessica’s flat tone.
Jessica let herself fall back in her chair, slouching uncomfortably as she started to swing it from side to side.
‘Well, give us a ring later.’
‘I will. How’s Dad?’ she said, with an effort.
The line started to break up and Jessica, now swinging aggressively from side to side, hoped they’d lose the reception altogether, but Lenny was still there. It was something she’d been trying to come to terms with since she was fifteenthe fact that Lenny would still be therealways.
‘I saidhow’s Dad?’
‘He’s fineengrossed in some new cat-deterrent he got by mail order this morning.’
At the beginning, because of what happened between Joe and Lenny, it had been more necessary for Lenny to get on with Jessica than it was for Jessica to get on with Lenny, and this early imbalance in their relationship had never really been redressed. Lenny had made huge effortsJessica could see that now, from the vantage point of being thirty-fiveand not only out of necessity. Lenny had genuinely cared, but at the time Jessica felt she was owed too much to bother responding to overtures made by the woman her father had been having an affair with while her mother was still alive, who became the woman he moved in with after she died.
‘You keep cutting outwhere are you?’
‘I don’t knowsomewhere between Brighton and Birmingham; on a train. How’s work?’
‘Fineyeah, it’s fine.’
‘Well, you know where we are if you need anythingwhy not bring the kids down and have a weekend to yourself?’
‘I don’t knowit’s busy at the moment.’
‘We haven’t seen them in ages, and Dad’s started on that tree house for Arthur.’
Jessica tried to think of something to say to this, but couldn’t.
‘And I miss EllieI really do.’
‘I’ll call,’ Jessica said, as the line broke up for a third and final time.
As she came off her mobile, the office phones started to ring. ‘Lennox Thompson sales departmenthow can I help you?’
‘I’d like to speak to someone about the Beulah Hill house you’ve got on the market.’
‘Well, you’re speaking to the right person.’
‘Wait a minuteis this Jessica?’
‘This is JessicaJessica Palmer.’
‘Jessicait’s Ros.’
‘Ros?’
‘Ros Granger from No. 188?’
‘Ros…’ Why was Ros calling? Ros never called her…
had never called her since she took Toby to McDonald’s in Peckham that time for Arthur’s fourth birthday. In fact, nobody from the PRC apart from Kate had phoned since Arthur’s fourth birthdayand that was nearly a year ago.
‘Sohow’s it all going?’
‘Fine.’
Ros let out a long, smooth laugh as though Jessica had just said something funny. ‘I was phoning to arrange a viewing -.’
‘You’re not thinking of moving as well, are you?’
‘Who else have you been speaking to?’
‘Nobody,’ Jessica said quickly.
Ros paused. ‘Today would be good.’
Chapter 8
Even late as she was after the impromptu Beulah Hill viewing, Kate still found time to stop at St Anthony’s vicarage on the way to Village Montessori. Jolting over a speed bump at the crest of the hill, she was sure she saw someonethe vicar?in the vicarage garden, and on an impulse decided to stop, parking behind a
‘Foxtons?’
He nodded, pulled at his nose and said, ‘With a promotional six-month zero per cent commission. It’s going to kill us,’ he added, starting to chew on his nails before shunting his chair backwards and disappearing, jerkily, towards the loos at the back of the office.
Elaine looked across at her.
Jessica was about to say something when her mobile started to ring.
‘Jess?’
It was Lennyher stepmother.
She didn’t feel like speaking to Lenny right then and started to scratch nervously with a drawing pin at the edge of her desk.
‘I was just phoning to see if Arthur got into St Anthony’s.’
‘I don’t knowthe post hadn’t arrived when I left this morning.’
‘Oh.’ Lenny paused at Jessica’s flat tone.
Jessica let herself fall back in her chair, slouching uncomfortably as she started to swing it from side to side.
‘Well, give us a ring later.’
‘I will. How’s Dad?’ she said, with an effort.
The line started to break up and Jessica, now swinging aggressively from side to side, hoped they’d lose the reception altogether, but Lenny was still there. It was something she’d been trying to come to terms with since she was fifteenthe fact that Lenny would still be therealways.
‘I saidhow’s Dad?’
‘He’s fineengrossed in some new cat-deterrent he got by mail order this morning.’
At the beginning, because of what happened between Joe and Lenny, it had been more necessary for Lenny to get on with Jessica than it was for Jessica to get on with Lenny, and this early imbalance in their relationship had never really been redressed. Lenny had made huge effortsJessica could see that now, from the vantage point of being thirty-fiveand not only out of necessity. Lenny had genuinely cared, but at the time Jessica felt she was owed too much to bother responding to overtures made by the woman her father had been having an affair with while her mother was still alive, who became the woman he moved in with after she died.
‘You keep cutting outwhere are you?’
‘I don’t knowsomewhere between Brighton and Birmingham; on a train. How’s work?’
‘Fineyeah, it’s fine.’
‘Well, you know where we are if you need anythingwhy not bring the kids down and have a weekend to yourself?’
‘I don’t knowit’s busy at the moment.’
‘We haven’t seen them in ages, and Dad’s started on that tree house for Arthur.’
Jessica tried to think of something to say to this, but couldn’t.
‘And I miss EllieI really do.’
‘I’ll call,’ Jessica said, as the line broke up for a third and final time.
As she came off her mobile, the office phones started to ring. ‘Lennox Thompson sales departmenthow can I help you?’
‘I’d like to speak to someone about the Beulah Hill house you’ve got on the market.’
‘Well, you’re speaking to the right person.’
‘Wait a minuteis this Jessica?’
‘This is JessicaJessica Palmer.’
‘Jessicait’s Ros.’
‘Ros?’
‘Ros Granger from No. 188?’
‘Ros…’ Why was Ros calling? Ros never called her…
had never called her since she took Toby to McDonald’s in Peckham that time for Arthur’s fourth birthday. In fact, nobody from the PRC apart from Kate had phoned since Arthur’s fourth birthdayand that was nearly a year ago.
‘Sohow’s it all going?’
‘Fine.’
Ros let out a long, smooth laugh as though Jessica had just said something funny. ‘I was phoning to arrange a viewing -.’
‘You’re not thinking of moving as well, are you?’
‘Who else have you been speaking to?’
‘Nobody,’ Jessica said quickly.
Ros paused. ‘Today would be good.’
Chapter 8
Even late as she was after the impromptu Beulah Hill viewing, Kate still found time to stop at St Anthony’s vicarage on the way to Village Montessori. Jolting over a speed bump at the crest of the hill, she was sure she saw someonethe vicar?in the vicarage garden, and on an impulse decided to stop, parking behind a
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