“Hi. Where are you two off to? I thought Amira was going to spend the morning with Denny before we leave for the weekend.”
Emma looked up. “Good morning, Marianne. Amira asked me to take Denny to the park. She said she’s got to go out today.”
Marianne frowned. “Is that right?” What was Amira playing at? Much as she liked to accuse Marianne of poor parenting, Amira seemed to spend very little time with Denny these days. Marianne worried he was missing out on quality time with her.
“Okay then, have a good time at the park, sweetpea.” She kneeled in front of her little boy and zipped up his coat. “Are you going to go on the swings?” He just stared, his brown eyes wide.
“Or the slide? You love the slide. Wheee.” He smiled at the noise but didn’t make a sound. Much as she didn’t want to make a big deal of his lack of speech, she was beginning to wonder if they needed to seek professional advice.
She wrapped him in her arms and covered his face in kisses until he squealed and pulled away.
She straightened. “Thanks, Emma. Here’s something for an ice cream for you both.” She held out a note and Emma took it.
When they’d left, she went looking for her wife and spotted her out by the loading bay, handing over a pile of notes to a tall figure she recognized as Joey O’Hara. At least, they were finally getting paid.
“Is that everything we owe you, Joey?” she asked as she approached.
They both looked up quickly; Joey wore the soft, shy smile they often had, and Amira grimaced.
“Yeah, all paid up.” Joey waved the wad of notes. “Thank you.”
“I’ve explained to Joey that you don’t deal with the finances, and if they have any future concerns, they come straight to me.”
“I asked you yest—” Joey cut themself off. They pocketed the cash and looked down at their boots, a curtain of light brown hair falling across their face. It had a roughly chopped style, and Marianne often had the urge to take a pair of scissors to it to tidy it up.
“Nonsense.” Marianne put her hand on Joey’s forearm, and they raised their head. “Joey, if you have any problems with payments in the future, you come straight to me. Call me. I’ll ensure the issue is rectified immediately.” She pinned Amira with her iciest glare, but unlike her staff, Amira was not intimidated and glowered back.
Joey backed up toward their van. “I will, but we’re all good here now.” They swung open the door and jumped in as if they couldn’t get away quick enough.
“See you tomorrow.” Marianne waved as they drove away and then turned on Amira.
“Why the fuck are you paying them in cash? You’re supposed to do a bank transfer after they deliver.”
Amira pushed past, barging her shoulder hard against Marianne’s arm. “They asked for cash. I was trying to help them out.” She turned. “And don’t you ever contradict me in front of a business contact again.”
When she marched indoors, Marianne followed, rubbing her arm, to the small office where Amira managed the front of house operations. “Oh, so now you’re worried about appearances? It’s fine not to pay suppliers, but God forbid anyone thinks we’re not blissfully happy together.”
Amira sank into the seat behind the desk. “Have you not got a job to get on with?”
That reminded her why she’d gone looking for Amira. “Why aren’t you spending the morning with our son, as you promised? You won’t see him all weekend.”
Amira crossed her hands on the desk. “I was going to, but Emma wanted to take him to the park as it’s such a nice day.”
That hadn’t been Emma’s take on it.
“He won’t miss me, Marianne. He’s only interested in hanging out with you. You’ve got him so clingy, it’s ridiculous. Do you do it to make me feel excluded?”
She ran her fingers through her short hair. “What are you talking about? Yesterday you accused me of neglecting him.”
“Did I? Or is that just the guilt talking?” Amira waved at the wall clock. “Are you going to stand here all day nagging me, or do you need to get to your precious kitchen?”
She stifled the anger that boiled up. Amira was correct; she needed to get to work. In the kitchen, life was straightforward. She knew what to do to make everything work out.
“This conversation isn’t over,” she snarled, and turned on her heel.
“Good morning, Chef.” Colette looked up from shelling prawns. The greeting was repeated by the other staff, all busy with their jobs. As it was Friday, they were open for lunch andthe preparations started early. Now the tourist season was on its way, it wouldn’t be long before they served lunch every day.
She didn’t know what had changed, but she used to thrive on being constantly busy. Now, the thought of working flat out all summer made her feel sick. The fights with Amira were draining, and she was constantly under pressure by the need to spend time with little Denny. She loved him absolutely, but he was a time sponge; everything they did together took twice as long.
