Page 40 of Daydreams at the Farm on Muddypuddle Lane
So much for Adam being her prince. He had turned out to be the biggest toad of the lot.
CHAPTER NINE
Adam saw Linda give Karl a nudge and point to something, but he didn’t take any notice until he heard Linda say, ‘I bet Sue is complaining about something. She usually does.’
He glanced around and when he saw that his mum was speaking to Otto, he cringed.Please don’t let her be making a fuss, he prayed, making a mental note to apologise to Otto later if necessary.
Her expression was hard, and he guessed that something had irritated her, but what could have annoyed her during a brief trip to the loo was beyond him. Butneither was he surprised: his mother could be a very demanding and exacting customer.
He saw her thrust a piece of black cloth at Otto and her lips were moving, but it was impossible to make out what she was saying.
The wife of one of Karl’s directors was hovering by her side, looking decidedly uncomfortable, and her gaze kept shooting to Adam and away again.
Adam sent her a sympathetic smile, but she refused to meet his eye.
He wished his mother wouldn’t make a fuss. No matter where she went, she always had to complain about something. She wasn’t usually as blatant though; a quiet word in the ear of one of the serving staff was usually sufficient. Whatever itwas this time, must have really irritated her.
But it was only when Otto looked across the room and his gaze alighted on Adam, did Adam feel a twinge of unease that had nothing to do with embarrassment.
Otto didn’t look happy. In fact, he seemed annoyed.
Adam’s lips twitched in a half smile, and he hoped he looked suitably apologetic as he gave the chef a little wave. All Otto did was frown and briefly shake his head.
‘What?’ Adam mouthed, but his mother had reclaimed Otto’s attention and Adam’s spirits sank even further. He would wait to hear his mother’s complaint, then he’d nip off to the loo and message Maisie to warn her thatOtto might be in a bad mood when he got home.
When his mum returned to the table, Adam was about to ask her what was going on, but his dad got in first.
‘What was all that about? The toilet paper not soft enough? The handwash the wrong fragrance?’ he quipped.
His mum said, ‘You’re not going to believe this, but I’ve just been harangued by a waitress. I think she must have been having some kind of a breakdown, but whatever it was, she yelled at me and then threw her apron in my face.’
‘What did you do to upset her?’ Martin asked.
Sue glared at him. ‘Nothing. We were powdering our noses and she burst out ofone of the cubicles, shouting something about how ‘she’s welcome to him’ and that she isn’t anyone’s ‘wild oats’. I mean, honestly! They should have a separate toilet for staff. She was quite deranged.’
The director’s wife added, looking straight at Adam, ‘What was odd was that she seemed to knowyou.’
Adam was beginning to get a very bad feeling about this. ‘How so?’
‘She referred to someone as a two-timing, lying ratbag and said that your mother could tell you that. Or words to that effect.’
The bad feeling was getting worse. ‘Mum, what did she look like?’
‘I don’t know. What does it matter?’
‘How old was she? Did she have blonde hair?’
His mother shrugged, but the director’s wife said, ‘Mid-twenties, maybe? And she did have blonde hair, now that I come to think about it. Do you know her?’
Adam had a sinking feeling that he did, and he retrieved his phone from his pocket.
‘Adam, not at the table,’ his mother scolded.
His phone to his ear, Adam got to his feet and headed towards the door.
His call went unanswered. As did a second one.
Dread creeping through his veins, he grabbed the attention of a waitress. ‘Please tell me Maisie isn’t working this evening,’ he pleaded.
