Page 71 of Fe
“Remember we have a room for you if you ever need one.”
“Thanks, Alistair. I appreciate it. I hope everything goes smoothly this weekend. If you find that commemorative fifty pence I lost inside the sofa when I was seven, you can keep it. Bye.”
Fen went back into the house. So… He was going to stay here, be with Ripley. Accept the money. He shivered. Fen didn’t want to talk to Ripley about it. He wasn’t sure he could actually sayI’ll be what you want for six months and take the money.It would just make it feel worse. But he was saying yes. By his actions he was agreeing with Ripley’s proposal. Maybe Ripley hadn’t wanted to ask him directly. They’d both slid into this but Fen wasn’t sorry.
By the time Ripley came home, Fen had googled fossil hunting in Dorset and was as much an expert as the internet could make him. He pushed to his feet when Ripley came into the kitchen.
“Hi. All packed?” Ripley asked. He put a paper bag on the granite work surface as he walked towards him.
“Sort of.”
Ripley pulled him into his arms and hugged him and Fen melted.
“You better tell me whatsort ofmeans. We’re both going, right?”
“Yes.” Was that the word Fen hadn’t wanted to articulate? “I put your clothes on your bed. I thought you might like to check I hadn’t chosen stuff that didn’t fit or you didn’t like.”
“No item would be in my wardrobe if it didn’t fit or if I didn’t like it.”
“Why do you need twenty-seven suits?”
That made Ripley give a loud laugh. “You can’t count. Six I think.”
“Or a hundred and twenty-seven ties?”
“Guilty.”
“I didn’t know which toiletries you wanted so I left that for you to do. My stuff is ready but not in a bag. My case is too big to use, even for your things too.”
“I’ll find a bag. Let’s eat.”
He sat on one of the swivel seats and pulled over the food. “Tuna, mayo and cheese on cranberry bread or pastrami on rye. You can choose or we can have half each.”
“I’m not sure I can eat as much as that but let’s share. I’ll get a couple of plates and knives.” Fen’s mouth watered. There was so much filling in the sandwiches.
Ripley put glasses of water next to the plates.
“Mmm,” Fen hummed as he bit into the tuna one.Oh wow. I am ruined for life. Soft, sweet bread and so much tuna.
“Good, isn’t it?” Ripley said. “How did you get on this morning? Where are we going?”
“I couldn’t find a hotel in the perfect spot in the Bahamas, so we’re in an Airbnb in the UK. I’ve packed a few essentials in a cool bag. I thought we could call in at a supermarket and buy pizza for tonight and croissants for breakfast.”
Fen watched Ripley carefully for signs he wasn’t happy but didn’t see any. Then again, he was a barrister and expert at hiding how he felt.
“That sounds fine.”
“I also need to buy boots so we have to stop to do that.”
“Boots? So where are we going?”
“You don’t want it to be a surprise?”
“Yes. You can surprise me now. Where are we heading?”
“I’ll tell you but I want to take your picture so you can see how thrilled you are.” He held up his phone. “Ready? Stoke on Trent.”
Fen caught a lot of expressions ranging from discomfort to amused.
