Page 104 of If I Never Met You

‘Well, that was the most dramatic way to get out of cooking fifty burgers I’ve ever seen,’ Jamie said, joining her five minutes later, a few rusty specks on his sleeves and a massive Nike swoosh across the front as trophy of the evening’s unexpected turn.

‘Your shirt,’ Laurie said, gesturing at its ruin.

‘TM Lewin,’ Jamie inspected it, pulling it away from his abdomen, ‘RIP.’

Laurie had a split second of imagining unbuttoning it before a shower, and wondered if there was something in the adrenaline of emergency that made you randy, because she really wanted to.

Minutes later, Claire found them, looking considerably more composed.

‘They’re giving him a transfusion and they might keep him in overnight for observation, but he’s going to be fine.’

‘See, told you. Let us know how he gets on, won’t you,’ Jamie said, kindly.

‘I can’t thank you enough,’ Claire said, to the Hammer Horror splattered Jamie.

‘No thanks necessary,’ he said, returning her car keys.

‘You were an uncompromising man of action and a general hero tonight,’ Laurie said, as they waited for their taxis.

It was only when Laurie hugged him goodbye, she felt how hard he was trembling. He drew back and could see in her expression, she’d felt it.

‘You OK?’

‘I … I find stuff like this difficult, after my brother.’

Of course.Laurie hadn’t thought of that until this moment, how was that possible? Of course Jamie might have learned what to do, that he’d want some basic skills.

‘But you helped anyway?’ she said. ‘There were tons of people who knew Phil, there, one of them would have stepped in eventually.’

Jamie looked slightly baffled. ‘My dad always says if you can help someone, you should help someone.’

‘I love your dad,’ Laurie said, on reflex.

‘Thank you,’ Jamie said.

‘Can I … will you let me write to them, when we go our separate ways? To tell them how much it meant to me,meeting them? I couldn’t bear for them to think I flitted in and flitted out without a backward glance.’

‘Yes,’ Jamie said, looking drawn. ‘Sorry I’ve put you in that position.’

‘I would rather be in that position than have not met them. That’s the truth.’

Jamie stared at her heavily for a second. ‘There’s something I said. That weekend away. I think I suggested that …’

A car horn interrupted them and a cab driver waved at Laurie.

‘Suggested what?’

‘Ah. It’ll keep,’ Jamie said.

36

As Christmas drew ever closer, Laurie was back on form at work, and it highlighted how unfair it had been to accuse her of falling standards. She’d known this, but it was reassuring to have it confirmed.

She saw Colm McClaverty on the court steps, after her Disturbance of the Peace client had got off with a mere knuckle rap.

‘Thanks for the hatchet job reviews you’ve been giving me,’ she said.

‘It’s just Chinatown, Jake!’

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