‘I don’t know about taming him,’ she says with a grin as the coffee machine starts to hiss and splutter. ‘I like to think of it more like harnessing his talents and giving them a focus.’
We’re both still laughing when the bathroom door opens, emitting a cloud of steam as Lena steps out. I may not have seen her for three months or more, but she hasn’t changed a bit. Mid-forties, waspishly thin with darkly tanned leathery skin that comes from spending so much time outdoors in hot climates.
‘Hot water’s run out,’ she announces matter-of-factly, as I notice with irritation that she has my bath towel wrapped around her head. ‘Hello, Tilly. Who’s this?’ She nods her head at Sarah.
‘I’m Sarah, Mike’s girlfriend,’ Sarah says brightly. ‘Would you like a coffee?’
‘Love one. Can’t remember the last time I had a decent coffee. The stuff they gave us on the plane tasted like soil. Mind you, most things taste like soil in camp.’
‘Did you have a good trip? How long are you back for?’ I ask.
Lena sighs wearily. ‘I’m not sure any trip can be described as “good”, Tilly, but we’re doing good, and that’s all that counts in the end, isn’t it?’
‘Where were you?’ Sarah asks as she pops another couple of pods into the machine.
‘Angola. Although the civil war ended years ago, people are still regularly coming into contact with landmines. It’s not a happy mix.’
‘Isn’t that where Princess Diana did her famous walk all those years ago?’
Lena smiles grimly. ‘Yes. Sadly there’s quite a lot of the country where she didn’t walk that’s still mined from here to next week.’
‘And how long are you back for?’ I ask again, my eyes fixed on the fluffy bath towel that I’d been hoping to wrap around myself shortly.
‘Not sure. They said three weeks of furlough, but it just depends what comes up, doesn’t it. Don’t worry. I’m not going to be here cramping your style all the time. My parents will want a visit, and I’ve got a couple of fundraisers to go to.’ She takes a sip of her coffee and sighs appreciatively. ‘Fuck me, that’s good. So, Sarah. Are you living here?’
‘No. Just stayed last night.’
‘Shame. I could do with the extra rental income. What about you, Tilly? Any live-in lovers I need to know about?’
‘Nope.’
She turns her attention back to Sarah. ‘And where is Mike?’
‘Still in bed, I think. He likes a lie-in if he’s not working at the weekend.’
‘Hm.’ Lena’s facial expression leaves us in no doubt what she thinks of ‘lie-ins’. ‘Well, I’d better get this stuff unpacked and in the washing machine. To be honest, I’m amazed customs let some of my clothes into the country, the way they smell. I’ll see you guys later, yeah?’
‘Great,’ I sigh once she’s disappeared into her room. ‘Not only has she stolen my bath towel, but she’s going to hog the washing machine for the entire weekend as well. Last time, she managed to clog it up and we had to get a man in to fix it.’
‘What have I missed?’ Mike says, appearing from his room looking sleepy and dishevelled. ‘Is there any coffee, Sarah?’
‘I’m not your personal barista, you know,’ she admonishes him gently as she gets yet another mug out of the cupboard.
‘You’re a woman of many talents,’ he assures her in a voice I’ve never heard him use before. ‘It’s just that the coffee-making one interests me the most at the moment.’
‘Flatterer,’ she laughs as she fiddles with the machine.
‘Lena’s back,’ I tell him once Sarah has furnished him with a steaming mug and settled herself beside him on the sofa. He smoothly moves his hand to rest it on her bare thigh, and she almost shivers with pleasure. There’s certainly more going on between them than I’ve ever seen with his other conquests.
‘Is she?’ He seems curiously unperturbed by the news. ‘Where’s she been this time?’
‘Angola. Landmines.’
‘Nice. She’d better not fuck up the washing machine again.’
‘I wouldn’t rule it out. She’s already stolen my towel and used all the hot water. I’m absolutely knackered, all I want is a hot shower and I can’t bloody have one.’
‘Sorry.’
