Page 9 of Fake Rocks
“I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but…” Jonas threw in a dramatic pause. “There’s talk of cutting your contract if you don’t sort yourself out.”
It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of the room. Was Jonas threatening to sack me? I opened and closed my mouth, but no words came out.
Jonas reached for my hands. “I have had an idea.”
“What? You’re going to fight my corner and make sure they keep me on?”
He shook his head. “Maybe you could get a boyfriend. You know, a fake one? Someone sensible who isn’t in the spotlight and could pretend for a while until you sort things out with Darren and Barney?”
“What? Like the time you ‘dated’ my friend Janine, so no-one suspected you were gay?” I pulled my hands away and used air quotes. “And for your information, Darren, Barney and I are fine. We’re going to audition a drummer and write some new stuff.” I folded my arms across my chest, increasing the number of barriers protecting me. “Besides, where would I find a nice, normal guy to play pretend with?”
There was a tentative knock on the door and Tris poked his head in. “I’m putting the kettle on, wondering if either of you fancy a coffee?”
Jonas looked at me, then at Tris, then back at me. Instantly, I knew what he was thinking.
6
Tris
Jonas Barnes was staring at me with an expression I knew only too well. It was the one that said, ‘you’ve got something I want’. It might have been chocolate or cigarettes or an extra jumper. I hated that look.
What could I have that Jonas would even want?
In comparison, Saff’s face was a mask: expressionless, blank. She stared straight through me as I stood at the door, then, without warning, leaped up and shoved past me.
“Is she okay?” I asked, glancing over my shoulder to see Saff fleeing up the stairs.
“She will be.” Jonas shrugged. “And coffee would be good. Maybe you could take Saff’s up to her? Black, two sugars?”
“Sure.”
Puzzled, I went back into the kitchen where Uncle Col was screwing one of the doors onto a unit. Some of them had been tricky, while others had gone on like a dream. It looked like he was wrestling with one of the former.
“Ah, Tris, good, you’re putting the kettle on. Definitely time for a cuppa once I’ve finished with this bastard.” He wielded the screwdriver like a weapon as he moved on to the next screw. “Everything alright in there?” He motioned his chin in the direction of Jonas’ office. “I saw Saff run out.”
“Don’t know. Think they were arguing about something.” I spooned coffee into three mugs and fished a tea bag out of the container for Uncle Col. “None of my - our - business though is it?”
Uncle Col gave a snort. “When you spend as much time as we do in people’s houses you start to pick up on things. You know, like whether there are problems in a marriage, affairs, that sort of thing. At least here we don’t have any pets to deal with. I spent the whole of one job trying to stop the puppy from humping my leg. Doesn’t make it very easy to paint a ceiling when you’re up a ladder with an over-enthusiastic Labrador trying to jump you.”
I considered what he’d said. He had a point, actually. But it didn’t explain what was going on with Saff and Jonas. They weren’t married and they didn’t have any pets. I’d heard the end of their conversation when she said something about finding a nice, normal guy. Maybe she was having trouble with her love life and Jonas was trying to help. I’d obviously seen stories on the gossip websites about her and her hook-ups. But it wasn’t really any of my business.
The kettle boiled and I sloshed the hot water into the mugs, stirred in the milk and let the tea brew to Uncle Col’s preferred strength. I picked up Jonas’ and Saff’s mugs.
“Jonas asked me to take this up to Saff, so I’ll be back in a minute,” I explained to Uncle Col.
He was already opening the biscuit barrel. “Don’t tell your aunt. She’ll kill me if she knows I’ve been eating chocolate cookies.” He really was like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
The corner of my mouth curled upwards. “Ha ha, I promise. As long as you save some for me.”
I kicked the door of Jonas’ office open with my foot, hearing him on the phone.
“Yes, I think we might have found an answer to that. Just need to convince him it’s a good idea…” Jonas’ voice trailed off as he saw me enter the room. “Thanks, Tris. Shut the door on your way out.”
I did as I was asked and headed up the stairs towards Saff’s room. Taking a breath, I tapped on the door, waiting for permission to enter. Hearing Saff’s approval, I went in.
She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, an ashtray balanced precariously on her left knee. The aroma of perfume and pot hung heavy in the air. At that moment, I wasn’t sure which one I preferred.
“Where do you want me to put this?” I hovered awkwardly in the doorway.
