Val and Nancy were sitting at the kitchen table, mugs of tea in hand, biscuit barrel open in front of them. Both of them immediately greeted her with sunny smiles.
‘Hello there, lovely,’ Nancy chirped. ‘What are you doing home? Just as well we weren’t in here with two male strippers, Val. In saying that, I once went to see Thunder From Down Under and I don’t think I’ve been right since.’
‘Those fellas can give a woman high expectations,’ Val whistled, shaking her head, before giving Tress her full attention. ‘Are you okay, pet? How has your day been?’
Tress didn’t even know where to begin to answer that one. Still carrying Buddy, she slipped onto the end of the kitchen bench and propped him on the table right in front of her, holding him while he attempted to eat her hair as his afternoon snack.
‘Eventful,’ was the best she could come up with to describe the dramas since she’d left the house that morning. ‘I’ve two things to tell you. First, if it’s still okay with you, Nancy, I’d like to take you up on that offer to look after Buddy tonight because I’ve been invited out.’
‘Invited out? As in by Noah, and as in sweeping you off somewhere lovely?’
Tress was the one chuckling now. These two never gave up. ‘As in, no, that’s never going to happen, and as in, I’m actually going out with someone from work. Rex Marino. The actor onThe Clydeside.’
‘You are not! Oh my word, that’s a fine-looking man,’ Nancy exclaimed. ‘When is he picking you up, where are you going, and do I have to grill him about his intentions?’
Tress laughed, making Buddy giggle too. ‘About eight, we’re going to dinner in town, and I think his intentions are to eat, drink and avoid really nosy ladies who love a bit of excitement.’
‘They’re going to put that on my gravestone. “Here lies Nancy. Really nosy but she loved a bit of excitement,”’ shecackled. ‘But I’m not wrong about that man. What I could have done with him before my knees gave up.’
Val wasn’t as enthusiastic when she interjected with, ‘I mean, back in the day, my Don would have wiped the floor with him, but he’ll do, I suppose. Although, I’ve seen him being interviewed onLorrainein the mornings, and is it just me or does he sometimes come off as if he’s a bit too fond of himself?’
That was the biggest crime in the West of Scotland psyche. You could be all kinds of awful, but people drew the line at anyone who felt themselves to be something special.
Tress shook her head, then rebounded back quickly when she realised Buddy now had a firm grip on a large clump of her hair. She began gently trying to release his fingers. ‘No, he’s not, really. That’s all just part of the show. He’s very nice in real life, I promise.’
Val tried to hide her disappointment, while remaining supportive. ‘Well, you’ve got great judgement, lass, so I’m sure you’re right.’
Tress couldn’t help raise an eyebrow at that. ‘Val, did you meet my husband?’
The older woman flushed. ‘Good point. Except for him. You might want to get me and Nancy to vet this one.’
Tress knew that neither Nancy nor Val actually watched the show. It had never struck her to ask them why, but now wasn’t the time, not when she had other crucial information to impart.
‘Okay, and the second thing I have to tell you…’
They both had mugs in mid-air, so Tress waited until they’d been put back down on the table before going on, ‘I just met Anya. She’s sitting on the bench on Noah’s front porch.’
Nancy didn’t even blink. This was the type of woman who offered to bury the bodies of anyone who hurt her friends. And Val would be right next to her with a shovel.
This was one of those situations. These two women had an almost maternal bond with Noah. They adored him, and more importantly, they were beyond proud of how the four of them had banded together and got through the most unimaginable destruction and loss. They were family.
Nancy didn’t even hesitate. ‘Tress, the birthday boy is all yours for now. Right, Val, get your coat. Let’s go and see what that one thinks she’s doing here.’
19
NOAH
‘That’s the face of a man who is not having a good day. Anything I can help with, my friend?’ Carlo asked, as he brought over the bill.
‘Not unless you want to pull up a chair and open a bottle of Scotch,’ Noah replied, meaning every bit of the sentiment, even if it was delivered as a flippant comment.
Carlo chuckled as he cleared the table of Cheska’s unfinished meal. ‘Ah, Scotch only helps until you fall down,’ he said. ‘But pasta…’ With that, he patted his generous belly and made his way, fully laden, back to the kitchen.
Noah had been sitting on his own, nursing a mug of black coffee since Cheska had walked out the door of the restaurant. Her words were still ricocheting around the inside of his skull.‘There’s only one thing that will fix this, Noah. Come to America with me. Choose me. Do you think you could do that?’
They both knew the answer before he’d said the words. ‘I can’t.’
‘You won’t,’ she’d corrected him. ‘You absolutely could. You’re a paediatric consultant, one of the best there is, and you know you could walk into a dozen really good jobs there.Any college would kill to have you on their teaching staff. And you’d be in demand as a practising surgeon too. Didn’t you get headhunted for a job in Philadelphia last year?’
