Page 90 of Between Us

Roisin guessed Matt’s smooth talking on the high street had decontaminated the pub’s rep as one only for the stolid old guard.

Roisin’s meat-free offer proved extremely popular with a village that now contained many more vegans, flexitarians and clean eaters than it used to. Although clean eating didn’t seem to preclude ingesting a river of white rum.

She and Terence were out of produce within two hours.

‘Locusts!’ Terence said. ‘Scenes of unbridled gannetry.’

He had Lorraine’s attitude to people of the world either accepting or declining to spend their money at The Mallory: either way, it was an impertinence.

Matt was busiest of all, with his ‘Five Classic Cocktails, Each A Fiver’ stand, hurriedly hacking limes to pieces and chopping mint whenever he got a spare moment.

‘Want a hand?’ Roisin said, and Matt handed her his ice bucket. ‘Refill that if you would, ta.’

Roisin made a salute.

Terence went inside to help her mother, so Roisin stayed garden side, to roam for empties and play supporting act to Matt. As his platonic friend, she was careful not to reflect or swoon in any way at how he looked with shirt sleeves rolled up, concentrating, a light sweat on his brow.

‘Hiiiiiiiiii, Roisin!’ Grace and Imogen chimed in unison as they lighted upon her.

‘Hello! Very nice of you to come.’

‘Oh we’d not have missed it,’ Grace said, swooping in for a double kiss, Imogen following suit. ‘Not seen you in an age, Roisin.’

Grace and Imogen were always easy and pleasant company, contrary to her mother’s dark mutterings. Roisin supposed Lorraine had long felt banished from genteel society and had made Grace and Imogen erroneously representative of that rejection, as they were also a solo mother and daughter of the same ages. It was as if Lorraine and Roisin were the Slutty Halloween Costume versions of them.

‘This place isheaving. Never seen The Mallory so busy. Love the little spruce you’ve given it. Topsprucing,’ Imogensaid, precisely the kind of remark Roisin was glad her mother wasn’t here to bristle at.

Everything was a slight if you were determined to find one.

Despite being only Roisin’s age, Imogen was in a padded headband, blazer and loafers. She was rather gorgeous in a Ralph Lauren Polo sort of way. Everything about her was either the colour of caramel or the minky-pink of a worn ballet dancer’s shoe. Her mother had the highlighted, layered hair of someone who made weekly salon trips, and a navy dress with a corsage at the waist and a knife-pleat skirt. She twitched at Roisin’s apron and said, ‘Is there some sort of marvellous gown under that? Take it off, let us see!’

‘Oh … I was protecting it from corn cob splatter …’

Roisin unlaced her apron, pulled it away and made a little ‘gameshow hostess girl’ curtsy.

‘Oh my goodness! We don’t often get to see you dolled-up – you look like a real vamp!’ Grace said, approvingly, as Roisin stood slightly sheepishly in her robbed finery.

‘Love those body-con bandage dresses,’ Imogen agreed. ‘People said they were of their time, but they’re a classic now. You’ve absolutely got the curves for it. I’d look like a plastic safety-wrapped suitcase.’

Roisin laughed and felt relieved that Lorraine wasn’t here to fume at any of that.

‘That guy over there. He works here?’ Imogen said, looking over at Matt.

‘Oh, Matt’s my friend,’ Roisin said. ‘Helping out.’

Despite Lorraine’s terrors of their predatory nature aroundthe menfolk, she’d not actually expected this to come to pass.

‘He’sfrightfullygood-looking, isn’t he?’ Imogen said.

‘Oh, if I was twenty years younger!’ Grace said. ‘I do my Kegels. Immo got a Gwyneth Jade Egg!’

‘Mum!’ Imogen barked. ‘How’s Joe?’

She was still looking at Matt, and Roisin caught the implication easy enough.

‘Fine!’ she said brightly.

‘We looooooovedSEEN,’ Grace said. ‘Immo and I were glued to it, weren’t we? We never guessed the courier had cosmetic surgery! Very clever chap, your man. Any chance of making your mother the happiest woman in Cheshire and doing a bit of DUM DUM DE DUM, DUM DUM DE DUM …’ Grace glanced around – ‘Look at the space here!’ – and winked.

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