As he closed the door behind him, Shay thought what a nice, un-diva-ish thing that was to say.
At the hospital, they had to wait a while for Red to be checked over by the doctor on duty. At last he was given the all-clear and they were allowed to leave.
‘Plenty of rest, remember,’ the doctor warned them. ‘No gadding about.’
‘My gadding-about days are over,’ said Red. ‘Am I still allowed to drink?’
‘In moderation.’
Shay shook his head. ‘Why are you even asking that question? You know you’re going to do it anyway.’
His father winked. ‘Sometimes it’s more fun to do things when they’re forbidden.’
As they drove back to Elliscombe, Red said, ‘Shall I tell you what’s great about being this ill? Everything looks better.’ He pointed through the window. ‘The fields, those hills, the birds in the trees. They’re all miraculous.’
A pigeon flying overhead took the opportunity to drop a white splodge on the windscreen. ‘Even that?’ said Shay.
‘Even that.’ Red chuckled and coughed. ‘Might not seem like it to you, but even pigeon poo is its own kind of miracle.’
‘Look, are you sure you want to stay on at Rosa’s? If you moved into my suite at the hotel you’d be more comfortable.’
Red pulled a face. ‘No thanks. I’m happy where I am. Can we stop at the house to see how it’s going?’
When they reached Hillcrest, Shay pulled up and gave him a brief tour. The roof had been repaired, the pointing completed, and the kitchen and living room both smelled of drying plaster where the walls had been stripped back to basics and completely redone. Red nodded his approval. ‘Coming along.’
At Frog Cottage, Rosa came running out to greet them. Having carried his father’s case inside, Shay laid out his various medications on a tray in the kitchen, along with a list of instructions as to how many needed to be taken, and when. A chicken casserole was simmering in the oven and a just-made Victoria sponge was cooling on the worktop.
‘See what I mean?’ Red said happily. ‘Why would I want to move into some fancy hotel when I’ve got all this here?’
‘Are you hungry?’ Rosa looked eagerly at Shay. ‘If you’d like to stay for lunch, you’d be very welcome. I’ve made tons.’
But Red was already shaking his head. ‘No need for him to stay. He’s spent the last week sitting by my bed. Off you go, do your own thing.’ He made a get-out-of-here gesture. ‘We’ll be fine here, just the two of us.’
‘Are you sure?’ said Shay.
‘Completely. After a week stuck in that ward, I’m looking forward to a bit of peace.’
Shay knew for a fact that his father couldn’t possibly know about the night he’d just spent with Caz Holloway. But from the way Red was looking at him, you’d think he did.
Returning to the hotel at one o’clock, he encountered Marcus, the nervous waiter. In a stage whisper like a pantomime spy, Marcus said, ‘Did they tell you who’s staying in the Midsummer Suite?’
‘Caz Holloway.’ Shay nodded. ‘Yes, I heard.’
‘If you see her, don’t ask for a selfie.’ Marcus shook his head seriously. ‘Sylvia said we mustn’t do that.’
‘I won’t, I promise.’
As he climbed the stairs, Shay passed the corridor leading to Didi’s quarters and deliberately averted his gaze. She was in London with Aaron; the time had come to accept this and get her out of his system once and for all.
Well, he’d already made a start.
He continued up to the top floor and tapped on the door of the Midsummer Suite.
‘Who’s there?’
‘Room service,’ said Shay.
Seconds later, the door opened and there she was, wearing nothing but a bath towel and a naughty smile. ‘Well hello, room service. I hope you have something special for me.’
He took a packet of red and black fruit pastilles out of his pocket. ‘Picked these up in the hospital shop. Will they do?’
‘To be honest, I was hoping for something a bit more special than that.’ Caz snaked her bare arms around his neck and insinuated herself against him. The white towel dropped to the floor.
Shay moved her backwards into the suite. ‘In that case, might be an idea if we close the door.’
‘Spoilsport,’ said Caz.
OK, it had felt before as if the fates were conspiring against her. But it was three o’clock in the afternoon now and Didi was starting to suspect them of cracking up laughing whilst pointing at her gleefully behind her back.
Raj and Kev had carried on sleeping and snoring until midday, before waking up and complaining about their terrible hangovers. When Aaron had made them cups of tea and offered to call them a cab, Kev had mimed vigorous retching and declared that he felt far too ill to get into any kind of moving vehicle.
Finally, finally they’d recovered enough to leave. There’d been mention of calling up friends and arranging to meet in a pub in Notting Hill for hair of the dog, and Didi had waved them off, sending up a silent prayer of thanks that she’d never have to see them again as long as she lived.
She and Aaron had still been watching from the window when another taxi pulled up outside the apartment building and a woman in a pink coat emerged from the back seat. Aaron said cheerfully, ‘Here she is, then. She’s early.’
‘Who’s early?’
‘It’s Mum. She wanted to surprise you.’
Chapter 28
Oh what? Come on, fate. Give me a break, please.
Didi had been all geared up to getting The Conversation started. And now this. ‘What’s she doing here?’
Aaron gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. ‘Hey, don’t look so horrified. It’s something nice!’
Aaron’s mother Kay lived in Swindon and worked as an assistant in a pharmacy. Two years ago, she had lost her husband and her confidence, and today – of course – was the first time she’d felt brave enough to make the journey up to London on her own. She was a sweet and lovely lady, and catching the train had been an ordeal for her.
‘But I gave myself a good talking-to and said it was time to get a grip,’ she told Didi. ‘Trips don’t have to be scary, I just have to think of it as an adventure. And of course I wanted to see you again. Has Aaron told you where we’re going? I booked it myself, as a special treat for the three of us.’ Her eyes bright, she added, ‘And we must take loads of photos, because guess what else I’ve done? Joined Instagram!’
What could Didi do but go along with it? She wasn’t a monster. Kay had organised for them to take a trip on a boat that travelled up and down the Thames while everyone on board enjoyed chicken and chips and jugs of sangria, and a bald man and a huge woman in a purple kaftan took it in turns to tell long-winded jokes and play mournful music on a harp.
For three extremely long hours.
After that, Kay said she’d always wanted to go on one of those topless buses to see the sights of London, so Aaron bought tickets and they dutifully admired Buckingham Palace, the shops on Oxford Street (‘Look, there’s another Marks and Spencer!’) and the traffic careering around Hyde Park Corner. By the time they got off, Kay had taken over two hundred photographs and uploaded most of them to Instagram for the benefit of her six followers.