“Tea would be lovely, thanks. Can I charge my phone?”
“Of course. There’s a power socket just behind the sofa.”
While Spencer set about making mugs of tea, he kept an eye on Marshall watching him make his way over to the sofa and plugging in his phone charger. When he finally dropped onto the sofa, he let out a deep, heartfelt sigh. Seconds later, Tiger jumped into his lap and curled up. Spencer laughed in amazement and shook his head. He had never known his cat to be a people person, not even with her owner. While Marshallmassaged his cat’s head with one hand, he switched on his phone with the other and checked the display.
“Oh, heck, Marshall,” said Spencer. “There’s something I need to tell you. You won’t get a phone signal anywhere in the flat, in case you need to call somebody or you’re waiting for a call. You’ll have to go downstairs into the street. And the landlord never put in a landline or Wi-Fi, so we’re pretty much stuck on a desert island in here.”
Instead of being put out, Marshall appeared relieved.
“I knew there was a good reason for coming. Apart from being here with you. This is the perfect choice, my Last Homely House East of the Sea.”
Spencer smiled as he held the carton of milk in the air and waited for Marshall to nod.
“A Tolkien fan, too,” said Spencer, bringing the drinks over and placing them down on the coffee table. “You know, I might never let you leave.”
“Right now, that sounds absolutely perfect. And I bought you some marmalade, too. From the convenience store at the station.”
“Marmalade? Okay, that’s very kind of you,” said Spencer, a little baffled, as he took the seat next to Marshall.
“Marmalade and canned whipped cream, if my memory serves me correctly.”
“Oh, heavens,” said Spencer, putting his hands over his eyes and feeling his cheeks burning. Next to him, he heard Marshall laughing softly, the shoulder touching Spencer’s shaking with humour.
“It’s okay,” said Marshall, placing a warm hand on Spencer’s shoulder. “I’m only kidding. But you should know I have a solid memory for facts and figures, and especially for things people say.”
“Noted.”
Apart from Tiger’s loud purr and the soft music from Spencer’s speaker, they sat unspeaking in companionable silence, nursing their drinks, Marshall using a hand to massage the top of Tiger’s head.
“Thank you for doing this,” said Marshall eventually.
“My house is your house. And apparently, my cat is all yours, too.”
“Would it be really awkward if I asked to stay the night?”
Spencer’s heart started to speed up then until he reminded himself that Marshall needed to stay off the radar and Spencer’s flat had proven the perfect haven.
“Of course you can. I’d be honoured to have you stay. You can take my bed and I’ll sleep on the sofa—”
“Spencer, I can’t ask you—”
“It’s fine. I often fall asleep out here. And you clearly won’t fit on this old thing. Your legs would be dangling off the end. Now before you argue any more, do you want to grab a hot bath? Or you can use the attachment over the tub to have a shower, if you’d prefer.”
Marshall pushed his head back into the leather sofa and let out a deep sigh.
“You know, the mere thought of a hot bath is making me feel better already.”
“Done, then. I’ll run a bath for you. Have you eaten?”
“No, but you don’t have to—”
“I’m hungry, too. While you have a bath, I’m going to run downstairs and order us an extra-large pepperoni and chilli pizza. Hope that’s okay?”
“Sounds perfect. I’m really sorry to do this—”
“Right, that’s it. Stop now. If you apologise one more time, I will confiscate my cat. Just let somebody do something nice for you. Let’s start with a fresh towel and I’ll run you a bath while you entertain Tiger. And when you’ve finished your bath, go andchange in the bedroom. I’ll dig out some casuals for you to wear and leave them on the bed, a sweatshirt and tracksuit bottoms. The track bottoms may be a little short, but they’re the best I can muster. Hopefully, by the time you’ve bathed and changed into those, I’ll be back with the food. Something to note. Because of the ovens downstairs, the floor to the flat might be toasty-warm right now, but it gets cold during the night. I’ll leave out some thick woollen socks, long ones, for you to wear to bed.”
Without another word, Spencer headed to the bathroom, stopping for a quick look back over his shoulder as he reached the door. Marshall had been checking him out as he walked away. The realisation sent a thrill through him. The truth was, he enjoyed taking care of Marshall, loved seeing his smiled appreciation at the small kindnesses. Without a second thought, he pulled out his expensive bubble bath and plopped a generous amount into the running water while steam filled his tiny bathroom. Once he had the tub filled, he went back into the living area.
