“As long as you behave.”
Jaymes clapped his hands and whooped with joy.
“And promise not to show me up.”
“What? By stripping off, too? Would that constitute showing you up? Because, let me tell you, hotshot, once the photographer gets a glimpse of this smoking hot bod, Nathan Fresher will be totally off the programme.” Jaymes shoved Nathan on the shoulder and laughed aloud while Nathan rolled his eyes.
“You are such a dork. Who’s Polly going out with tonight?” asked Nathan.
“Bunch of old girlfriends, I think.”
“Really? She told me she had a date.”
“Did she now?” said Jaymes, his voice curious and roguish. “That’s not what she told me, the saucy little minx.”
Nathan peered out of the driver’s side window and stifled a snigger. He had used almost those exact words when talking to Polly. Was she right? Was he turning into Jaymes?
“Do you know which restaurant she’s going to?” asked Jaymes.
“We are not spying on her, Jaymes. Give the poor girl some privacy.”
“You’re no fun.”
Nathan drove for a little while without them speaking, wondering how to bridge the next topic.
“Surprised you’re not seeing Kelly tonight.”
“Kell-Bell?” said Jaymes, apparently surprised by the comment. “Why would I? She’ll be back in Wales by now. She was only here for a couple of nights.”
“Oh, I see,” said Nathan, his fingers drumming the steering wheel. “She’s nice.”
“She is.”
Nathan turned the heating down. His skin had begun to bake.
“Is that your type?
“Is what my type?”
“Long hair? Brunette? She’s a very sexy lady.”
Nathan noticed Jaymes’ grin broaden, even though he kept his gaze ahead.
“And you call me a dork,” said Jaymes. “Let’s just say thatPeter, herhusband, who is also my ex-colleague and best mate back in North Wales, clearly thought so. Otherwise he wouldn’t have married her. I’m the godfather to their little girl.”
“Oh.”
“Yes,oh. She stopped by Tuesday to drop off books I’d left behind. If you’d been feeling a bit more sociable and hung around, you’d have found that out. Any more questions? Hang on, is that why—?”
“Where do you want to go tonight?” interrupted Nathan, his cheeks aflame by now. “Couple of pints at The Arms and then the curry place on the high street? Or we could drive to the Golden Buddha Thai restaurant just outside Mayfield.”
Jaymes hissed out a laugh and slouched back in his seat.
“Nah, you know what? It’s bloody cold out, and I’m knackered. One of us won’t be able to drink if we eat out, so how about we just grab a Thai curry and some beers? Go back to your place and watch some mind-numbing Netflix movie or another?”
Which is precisely what they did. Nathan had left the heating on in the flat, and the place felt snug when they got back. Jaymes, as usual, made himself at home, kicking off his shoes and helping himself to beer. If Nathan was going to be completely honest, he liked having Jaymes over, enjoyed his easy company as much as the banter. Part of him wondered if he ought to offer to rent him the spare room. He still felt a little guilty about not doing so before. Not that he needed the money. He’d inherited the business with the flat above the shop, including a substantial sum from his father’s life policy. Maybe he would bring up the idea of the spare room with Polly.
After divvying up the food onto plates then taking trays and drinks to the sofa, they watched an old comedy about a bunch of widows planning to rob a bank. From time to time, whenever Nathan laughed at some of the scenes, he sensed Jaymes looking at him. Halfway through the movie, Jaymes excused himself and headed to the bathroom. Nathan quickly checked the time on his phone—ten to eleven—and wondered if he might have had a message from Clifton. Apart from the texts after the committee meeting, there had been radio silence.Maybe for the best.
