Page 28 of Ms Perfectly Fine
“I hope you’re right,” Harcroft said, raising his glass. He practically had dollar signs in his eyes. Elijah had no choice but to cheer. “I was hoping to see the trailer today. With the demo on schedule for the end of the month, I hope you aren’t cutting it too close.” He took a sip of champagne. He wanted them to get the game launched by Christmas.
“Not today—we want to keep customers guessing. End of the month, then we can sign on the dotted line,” Elijah assured him. He was afraid that Nirosoft might pull out to spite him for leaving and taking their lead designer with him, but once the game was sure to make money, he doubted Harcroft would give up the golden goose.
“Judging from the profits on your last game, I shall have my pen at the ready,” Harcroft said before he was called away to a group of people waiting outside the hotel bar.
Elijah reached the counter to give his name and groaned when he discovered there was no reservation under the name.
“Try Francis Henderson, Kyloware,” he said, hearing the customers behind him grumble about the wait.
“Sorry, sir, there must be a mix up. I don’t have any listing,” the receptionist said, clicking on his keyboard. “But I have a master suite available. Otherwise, I can recommend another hotel one town over. With the conference, everywhere local is booked.”
Elijah didn’t want to pay for a bad night’s sleep.I’ve seen Harcroft and I don’t have to give another lecture tomorrow, so there’s no point in hanging around.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, slipping his wallet back into his pocket. The receptionist appeared surprised by his lack of irritation, but Elijah was too tired to care.I’m only forty minutes from Mum’s, and I have to pick up Brinkley anyway.
“Thank you for understanding. Here’s a voucher if you would like to visit us again,” the receptionist said quietly, slipping him a voucher.
Elijah moved aside and let the next customer go ahead before heading for the revolving door.
“Mum, you home?” Elijah openedthe front door to his childhood home. His stepdad’s car wasn’t in the drive, so he figured his mum was alone for the weekend.
He felt far more comfortable at home than he did in a busy hotel. When he didn’t get any response, he walked through the Pepto-Bismol-coloured corridor to the kitchen. He didn’t even get a chance to say hello before Brinkley, his four-year-old golden retriever, started barking and slobbered all over him.
“Where’s Mum?” he asked, scratching his furry friend’s ears. It was past eight, but there was no way his mum was in bed yet.
Brinkley barked and ran out of the kitchen to a garden that rivalled those on the cover ofCountry and Home Magazine—not that his mum would even let her garden be photographed, in case anyone tried to steal her gardening secrets. The sun had already set, but the garden was lit up with lamps.
Elijah heard his mum gently scolding Brinkley. “Stop barking, or the neighbours will give out again!” When he turned the corner, he found her knee-deep in the soil. Despite the lack of sun, she was still wearing a giant sun hat.
“Isn’t it a bit late for gardening?” he asked, realising how much she had aged in the time he’d been away. Her dark hair was still long but streaked with grey, and she had more lines around her eyes—deep brown like his own—as she smiled up at him.
“Never,” she said, taking off her gloves. “The prodigal son returns! I’d have thought I’d never see you again if it wasn’t for Brinkley.” She wrapped her arms around him.
“I was in another country! And thank you for minding Brinkley while I got settled. I’m sure she’s been up to mischief.” Elijah glanced over his mum’s head to see Brinkley sticking her snout in the freshly laid soil.
“I can’t plant anything without her digging it up twenty minutes later, which is why I’m still out here this late,” she said, ushering Brinkley away from her bulbs.
“It’s a retriever’s job to retrieve,” Elijah joked, hoping she hadn’t caused too much chaos.
“The fun part is that she takes the bulbs and buries them somewhere else. In a few weeks, I’ll have some plants in some funny places,” she said, obviously slightly irritated. “But it’s impossible to be annoyed at something so cute.”
Elijah understood the sentiment. It was how he had ended up with Brinkley in the first place. A few years after he’d moved to Canada, he’d seen her in a shelter window and couldn’t bear to leave her behind. The first moment she’d snuggled into him with no fear or hesitation, he just had to bring her home.
Thinking of Autumn, he wondered how she would react to Brinkley.Just like her, Autumn is all bark and no bite.Though he should probably never compare Autumn to his dog—then she might actually bite.
“Are you going to stay for dinner? I have a vegetable stew on,” his mother said, placing her sun hat on the kitchen counter as the timer sounded.
The smell in the kitchen made his mouth water. He’d missed her cooking while he was away. She’d learnt everything from old cookbooks they’d found together in a thrift store; it was something to do since they couldn’t afford to do much. He would do his homework and she would cook his favourite meals, making clever substitutions for the more expensive ingredients.
“Sounds great. You have me for the night. I’ll drive back in the morning,” he said, watching as she removed the stew from the oven.
“Great! Frank is at a wine auction for the restaurant, so it’s nice to have company,” she said, filling two bowls with stew.
“How is the restaurant? And Frank?” They sat at the wooden kitchen table.
“He’s good, and excited about opening the new restaurant. I’ll tell him you asked after him,” she said, warmth in her eyes. “I’m more interested in how things are with you. How are you getting on with the house?”
“Fine, but there were some…hiccups,” he admitted, savouring the delicious gravy.
