nothing on a mother’s vocabulary for tiredness.
“Don’t look at your mama like that!” Suze smiled and squeezed toddler Lucas’s cheek. He muttered something ungracious about the muffin and ramped up the cross look. Suze turned to her. “How old are yours?”
“I don’t have any kids myself. I’m just up here seeing Ollie and Freddie,” she said quickly, feeling like she should explain herself. After all, what the hell was she doing in Muswell Hill if she
didn’t
have kids? She wished the girl behind the counter could be a bit more slapdash and shove the food into the brown cardboard boxes so she could leave now.
“Ah.” Suze’s eyes narrowed. “Ollie. How
is
Ollie?”
“Well…” Jenny hesitated, not wanting to gossip about Ollie behind his back but not wanting to gloss over the situation either. “Could be better, obviously.”
“Poor, poor man. Well, at least he’s got his mum living with him. Thank God for mothers, eh?”
“She’s gone back home, actually. I think he wanted a bit of space.”
“Oh, has she?” Suze’s face brightened. She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Between you and me, Jenny, I’ve tried to help out a few times in the last few weeks and I’ve always found the mother a bit of a, well, a bit of a brick wall, to be perfectly honest. She doesn’t seem to want anyone else getting too close.” She shook her head, as if trying to stop herself from saying more. “So how’s Ollie coping
alone
?” She drew out the words slowly, as if hinting at the comprehensive length of answer she expected in reply.
“Well…”
“As Tash suspected.” Suze shook her frizz. “She had a peek through the letter box on Tuesday and said the hall looked like a festival site.”
“He’s not that domestic at the best of times,” she said and then felt disloyal.
“And as soon as he goes back to work…”
“Next week. He’s going back next week.”
“Next week! Blimey,” Suze exclaimed, oblivious to the surge of lunchtime diners trying to get past her to the till. She grabbed the sleeve of Jenny’s coat urgently. “This is fate, you know, me and you, meeting like this. Fate!”
“Er, fate?” She didn’t like the idea of fate anymore. It had pulled some nasty tricks.
“I actually tried to phone you last week, but of course, I’d lost your number.” Suze slapped her temple hard with the side of her hand. “I changed handbags and…Oh, I won’t bore you with the details.”
Jenny smiled politely. Alarm bells started to ring.
“It is time, Jenny,” Suze announced as her baby regurgitated something onto her left shoulder.
She now had absolutely no idea what Suze was talking about. “Time for what, sorry?”
“Sophie’s girls to come together.” She rubbed at the milk stainon her shoulder with a wet wipe that she’d plucked from her handbag. “I’ve always said we need a Help Ollie committee and, you know what?” she added determinedly. “We’re going to start it!”
Suze obviously didn’t realize that of all the people most likely to start a support group with a bunch of women she didn’t know, she, Jenny, would be at the bottom of the list. She even found the idea of a book group kind of excruciating, and hen nights only under severe duress. She had never, ever been a girlie pack animal.
“Lucas!” Suze hissed as her son stuck a finger into the golden disc of carrot cake on the counter. “That was your
third
warning. You are now
out
of warnings.” She blew her fringe up off her forehead in exaggerated exasperation.
The girl behind the counter finally finished the food boxes.
“Well, I really must be getting back to Ollie’s…”
Suze grabbed her arm again. It was a viselike grip. Jenny felt a surge of sympathy for the disobedient Lucas. “How are you fixed Wednesday morning next week?”
“Um, working, I’m afraid.”
“The afternoon?”
“Working too. Sorry.”
“Thursday?”
Jenny shook her head before she even considered
“Don’t look at your mama like that!” Suze smiled and squeezed toddler Lucas’s cheek. He muttered something ungracious about the muffin and ramped up the cross look. Suze turned to her. “How old are yours?”
“I don’t have any kids myself. I’m just up here seeing Ollie and Freddie,” she said quickly, feeling like she should explain herself. After all, what the hell was she doing in Muswell Hill if she
didn’t
have kids? She wished the girl behind the counter could be a bit more slapdash and shove the food into the brown cardboard boxes so she could leave now.
“Ah.” Suze’s eyes narrowed. “Ollie. How
is
Ollie?”
“Well…” Jenny hesitated, not wanting to gossip about Ollie behind his back but not wanting to gloss over the situation either. “Could be better, obviously.”
“Poor, poor man. Well, at least he’s got his mum living with him. Thank God for mothers, eh?”
“She’s gone back home, actually. I think he wanted a bit of space.”
“Oh, has she?” Suze’s face brightened. She lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Between you and me, Jenny, I’ve tried to help out a few times in the last few weeks and I’ve always found the mother a bit of a, well, a bit of a brick wall, to be perfectly honest. She doesn’t seem to want anyone else getting too close.” She shook her head, as if trying to stop herself from saying more. “So how’s Ollie coping
alone
?” She drew out the words slowly, as if hinting at the comprehensive length of answer she expected in reply.
“Well…”
“As Tash suspected.” Suze shook her frizz. “She had a peek through the letter box on Tuesday and said the hall looked like a festival site.”
“He’s not that domestic at the best of times,” she said and then felt disloyal.
“And as soon as he goes back to work…”
“Next week. He’s going back next week.”
“Next week! Blimey,” Suze exclaimed, oblivious to the surge of lunchtime diners trying to get past her to the till. She grabbed the sleeve of Jenny’s coat urgently. “This is fate, you know, me and you, meeting like this. Fate!”
“Er, fate?” She didn’t like the idea of fate anymore. It had pulled some nasty tricks.
“I actually tried to phone you last week, but of course, I’d lost your number.” Suze slapped her temple hard with the side of her hand. “I changed handbags and…Oh, I won’t bore you with the details.”
Jenny smiled politely. Alarm bells started to ring.
“It is time, Jenny,” Suze announced as her baby regurgitated something onto her left shoulder.
She now had absolutely no idea what Suze was talking about. “Time for what, sorry?”
“Sophie’s girls to come together.” She rubbed at the milk stainon her shoulder with a wet wipe that she’d plucked from her handbag. “I’ve always said we need a Help Ollie committee and, you know what?” she added determinedly. “We’re going to start it!”
Suze obviously didn’t realize that of all the people most likely to start a support group with a bunch of women she didn’t know, she, Jenny, would be at the bottom of the list. She even found the idea of a book group kind of excruciating, and hen nights only under severe duress. She had never, ever been a girlie pack animal.
“Lucas!” Suze hissed as her son stuck a finger into the golden disc of carrot cake on the counter. “That was your
third
warning. You are now
out
of warnings.” She blew her fringe up off her forehead in exaggerated exasperation.
The girl behind the counter finally finished the food boxes.
“Well, I really must be getting back to Ollie’s…”
Suze grabbed her arm again. It was a viselike grip. Jenny felt a surge of sympathy for the disobedient Lucas. “How are you fixed Wednesday morning next week?”
“Um, working, I’m afraid.”
“The afternoon?”
“Working too. Sorry.”
“Thursday?”
Jenny shook her head before she even considered
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