Page 45 of For Love or Money
‘I might even make a few scones.’
‘Okay. But I’d better warn you now, he’ll probably call them “scons”.’
There was a moment’s silence.
‘Is he English, then?’ her mother asked warily.
‘He is.’
‘Well, we’ll keep an open mind,’ her mother said gamely. ‘I mean, youarethirty.’
‘Great, you’re here!’Al said, rubbing his hands when she returned to the kitchen. ‘Ready to get started on this lot?’ He gestured to the newly scrubbed table, now covered in a colourful array of fresh vegetables – shiny, dark-purple aubergines, bright red and yellow peppers, deep-green broccoli and spinach, and bundles of fragrant herbs.
‘Um ... I’ve only just had breakfast – it’s a bit early for lunch.’
‘It’s not for you. It’s for Jane – to keep her going when we’re gone.’
‘All this? She’ll never get through it all before it goes off.’
‘Oh, she won’t have to. Anyway, I wouldn’t trust her not to let it all rot and go on living on beans straight out of the can. So we’re going to cook meals and fill up her freezer before we go.’
‘Wow!’ Lesley looked around dazedly. ‘I feel like I’m in a fairy tale.’
‘Oh!’ Al looked surprised but pleased. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah, you know one of those stories where some poor unfortunate girl is held captive by an ogre and forced to spin her weight in gold.’
‘Oh.’ Al’s face fell.
‘Or like Cinderella, having to stay home and peel mountains of vegetables while everyone else goes to the ball.’
‘Sorry,’ Al said. ‘I just worry about Jane. She doesn’t look after herself when she’s close to a deadline. She forgets to eat sometimes. And she needs to get her book finished so she can come to Nice.’
‘So this is my mini-break – cooking and cleaning for your aunt?’ Lesley said indignantly, but more because she felt she should make some token protest. She couldn’t really be angry with Al for being so kind to his aunt. It was touching that he wanted to take care of her.
He sighed, putting his head to the side and looking at her. ‘Sorry. I’m not giving a very good account of myself as your boyfriend, am I?’
Lesley smiled at him. ‘I’ve had worse,’ she said.
‘Really?’ He grimaced. ‘Blimey!’
‘Yeah, the bar isn’t set very high, to be honest. But I could get in a real strop about this, you know, if I wanted to. Just FYI.’ She didn’t want him to get complacent, just because she was being a good sport about it.
‘I know. You’d be perfectly entitled.’ He glanced at his watch. ‘If you’d like to have one now, you could squeeze it in before we start.’
‘Nah, it’s okay. Luckily for you I’m not that sort of girlfriend.’
See, I knew you were the one for me!’ he said with a happy grin.
He hasn’t abducted you,then?Romy texted Lesley later that night.I don’t need to contact the police?
No, the constabulary can rest easy in their beds.
She’d kept in touch with Romy throughout the day on WhatsApp, filling her in on where she was and what they were doing.
Though I could have him up for forced labour, I suppose, she typed.
But it was all part of the mission to get Jane to France and oust Stella, so she couldn’t really complain. Besides, the truth was she’d enjoyed cooking with Al, chatting companionably as they’d worked.
