Page 120 of Fe
“No. Definitely not.”
“We can’t leave him here on his own. Anyway, if he sees you with someone, he’ll stop pining for you.”
“I don’t want him to come.”
“Fine. What time and where?”
“I’ll text you.”
“Fen? Thanks for inviting us.”
“Don’t let me down. And I don’t just mean by not coming.”
Seth laughed.
Ripley knew he’d come close to upsetting Fen about the food. It wasn’t just that he hadn’t intended for Fen to do all the work, it was more that he wanted everything to be perfect. Someone to come, set it all out and then clean up. High quality food from an experienced caterer. But he’d not been clear so it served him right. At least Fen could cook so hopefully everything would work out okay.
When he opened the fridge to get out the white wine, he saw a chocolate roulade and felt guilty for ever doubting Fen. It was only one thing but it looked fantastic.
“No, you can’t have a slice until tomorrow,” Fen said at his back.
“Just a tiny slice?”
“No.”
Ripley poured the wine and they sat at the table to eat.
“My friends are going to come,” Fen said. “Morgan is a junior doctor. He’s graduated but he’s not yet qualified to work without supervision. Seth wants to be a fashion designer. He works at a tailor’s. I met them at sixth form college.”
“Do you have any friends from ballet school?”
“No. It hurt that I couldn’t do it anymore, so I didn’t try to stay in touch. I felt bad about it but I knew it would be better for me in the long run.”
Ripley reached over and stroked his hand. “This is really delicious, Fen. I’m impressed with your cooking skills.”
Fen smiled. “I’m impressed with your kitchen. I couldn’t do much in my bedsit. I’ve never cooked for anyone but my mum before now. Gnocchi is easy though. I can’t debone anything or cook meat very well. Mum had to be inventive with food. We didn’t have much money.”
“She really didn’t try to pursue your father for maintenance.”
“Not that she ever told me. She said she wanted nothing from him. And don’t assume that means she’d hidden me from him. She didn’t.”
“He should have supported you.”
“I know. It crossed my mind she lied to me about it all. That my father isn’t who she told me he was, but some man she had a one-night-stand with when they were drunk. But she’s never lied to me. The way it is, I feel sad for her and not bitter. Doesn’t matter anyway. Whoever it is, I don’t need him.”
“Film when we’ve cleaned up?”
Fen nodded.
Once the dishwasher was loaded, Ripley grabbed the remote and sat on the couch. When Fen came over with a slice of the roulade, he licked his lips.
“I thought I wasn’t allowed any.”
“If it doesn’t taste good, I’ll make something else tomorrow.”
“The slice is wafer thin,” Ripley said. “How am I going to tell?”
“Try it.”
