“I’m still finding it tough.”
“You can always talk to me, you know?”
“I know. Thanks for that.” Vicky nodded, shifting the weight of the basket to the other hand. “I’m still trying to do that ‘don’t take your work home with you’ thing.”
“It’s not easy.”
“Nope.” Vicky nibbled at her bottom lip, rolling the flesh between her teeth. “Just so many things to juggle on my own.”
A grin crept across Liz’s face, eyebrows flicking up and down a couple of times. “Dave’s got a new best mate. Our new neighbour. They’re getting on really well.”
Vicky didn’t like the insinuation. “Are you suggesting any thin g, Lizzie?”
“No!” Liz rested her basket on the floor. “Well, maybe I am. We were going to go out with him on Saturday . . .”
Vicky put her free hand to her hip. “So you’re suggesting a double date, right?”
“No! . . . Well, aye.” Liz reached into the chiller for a bottle of Prosecco. “How about it?”
“What’s he like?”
“He’s really nice. He’s a teacher.” Liz raised an eyebrow as she put the bottle back. “You’d like him.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“We’re going up to the Ferry for a curry then maybe go for a couple of drinks afterwards.”
Vicky laughed. “You’ve still got a downer on Carnoustie, right?”
“Oh, come on. The Ferry’s a lot better. So, how about it?”
“We’ll see.”
Liz’s forehead wrinkled. “I do worry about you still being single at your age.”
Vicky scowled at her — what was it with everyone today? “I’m hardly decrepit, am I?” She took a deep breath. “Look, I’ll think about it, okay?”
“You do that.”
Vicky checked her watch. “I’ll need to shoot off. Got to pick up Bella.”
Chapter Seventeen
V icky knocked on her parents’ front door, looking back along Bruce Drive as she waited. The old street looked the same, except for the absence of children — the parents of her youth were now the grandparents of the present. How many of her old friends were as reliant on their parents as she was?
Her mum opened the door. She wore black trousers and a short-sleeved top with blue and white hoops. Her hair was still long, though trimmed on the top. “Good evening, Victoria. Nice of you to finally show up.”
“I’m not late, Mum. Besides, I’ve got a big case on just now.”
“I see.”
“How’s Bella been today?”
“Fine, I suppose. I do worry about the pair of you. She barely gets to see you. If it wasn’t for us, you’d be in real trouble. You need to get yourself a man, Victoria.”
Vicky took a step back onto the paving slabs lining the front lawn. “Is this my day for getting unsolicited advice about what to do with my life?”
“I’m just saying.” Mum folded her arms, loose skin hanging from her upper arms. “You know best, don’t you?”
Vicky pressed her teeth together. “Has Bella had her tea?”
“I gave her a plate of soup when she got in but you know what they’re like at that age.”
“Okay.”
Mum reached to the ledge in the porch. “Here’s a DVD from your brother. Said you’d like it.”
“I told him to stop doing that for me.” Vicky took the disc. Breaking Bad series 4 was written in black marker. “Is he still up?”
Mum put her hands in her pockets. “He’s gone to bed.”
“Well, I’ll speak to him on Sunday, I suppose.”
“You’ll thank him, I hope. He doesn’t do much these days. Giving people CDs and DVDs really helps him.”
“Shame he’s pirating them off the internet.”
Mum ignored the comment. “Your father’s going to put up those shelves for you on Saturday.”
“Is he in?”
“He’s away playing snooker with Eric.” Mum descended to the bottom step, resting a hand on Vicky’s shoulder. “Victoria, what are we going to do with you? You really need a man, you know that?”
Vicky stared at the hand stroking her arm. “I’m fine, Mum. We’re fine.”
Bella came bouncing
“You can always talk to me, you know?”
“I know. Thanks for that.” Vicky nodded, shifting the weight of the basket to the other hand. “I’m still trying to do that ‘don’t take your work home with you’ thing.”
“It’s not easy.”
“Nope.” Vicky nibbled at her bottom lip, rolling the flesh between her teeth. “Just so many things to juggle on my own.”
A grin crept across Liz’s face, eyebrows flicking up and down a couple of times. “Dave’s got a new best mate. Our new neighbour. They’re getting on really well.”
Vicky didn’t like the insinuation. “Are you suggesting any thin g, Lizzie?”
“No!” Liz rested her basket on the floor. “Well, maybe I am. We were going to go out with him on Saturday . . .”
Vicky put her free hand to her hip. “So you’re suggesting a double date, right?”
“No! . . . Well, aye.” Liz reached into the chiller for a bottle of Prosecco. “How about it?”
“What’s he like?”
“He’s really nice. He’s a teacher.” Liz raised an eyebrow as she put the bottle back. “You’d like him.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“We’re going up to the Ferry for a curry then maybe go for a couple of drinks afterwards.”
Vicky laughed. “You’ve still got a downer on Carnoustie, right?”
“Oh, come on. The Ferry’s a lot better. So, how about it?”
“We’ll see.”
Liz’s forehead wrinkled. “I do worry about you still being single at your age.”
Vicky scowled at her — what was it with everyone today? “I’m hardly decrepit, am I?” She took a deep breath. “Look, I’ll think about it, okay?”
“You do that.”
Vicky checked her watch. “I’ll need to shoot off. Got to pick up Bella.”
Chapter Seventeen
V icky knocked on her parents’ front door, looking back along Bruce Drive as she waited. The old street looked the same, except for the absence of children — the parents of her youth were now the grandparents of the present. How many of her old friends were as reliant on their parents as she was?
Her mum opened the door. She wore black trousers and a short-sleeved top with blue and white hoops. Her hair was still long, though trimmed on the top. “Good evening, Victoria. Nice of you to finally show up.”
“I’m not late, Mum. Besides, I’ve got a big case on just now.”
“I see.”
“How’s Bella been today?”
“Fine, I suppose. I do worry about the pair of you. She barely gets to see you. If it wasn’t for us, you’d be in real trouble. You need to get yourself a man, Victoria.”
Vicky took a step back onto the paving slabs lining the front lawn. “Is this my day for getting unsolicited advice about what to do with my life?”
“I’m just saying.” Mum folded her arms, loose skin hanging from her upper arms. “You know best, don’t you?”
Vicky pressed her teeth together. “Has Bella had her tea?”
“I gave her a plate of soup when she got in but you know what they’re like at that age.”
“Okay.”
Mum reached to the ledge in the porch. “Here’s a DVD from your brother. Said you’d like it.”
“I told him to stop doing that for me.” Vicky took the disc. Breaking Bad series 4 was written in black marker. “Is he still up?”
Mum put her hands in her pockets. “He’s gone to bed.”
“Well, I’ll speak to him on Sunday, I suppose.”
“You’ll thank him, I hope. He doesn’t do much these days. Giving people CDs and DVDs really helps him.”
“Shame he’s pirating them off the internet.”
Mum ignored the comment. “Your father’s going to put up those shelves for you on Saturday.”
“Is he in?”
“He’s away playing snooker with Eric.” Mum descended to the bottom step, resting a hand on Vicky’s shoulder. “Victoria, what are we going to do with you? You really need a man, you know that?”
Vicky stared at the hand stroking her arm. “I’m fine, Mum. We’re fine.”
Bella came bouncing
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