Short Stack - Lily Morton Page 0,108
come out at the weekends and we’d get a car and explore the place,” Gid says, smiling at me.
I stare at him. For some reason, I’d resigned myself to the fact that Gid would be away a lot. I didn’t even consider that he’d want me to visit. I don’t know why. My smile widens. “That sounds brilliant,” I say warmly.
He grins at me with a relieved edge to his expression. Then he and Asa fall into excited talk about the project.
I sit back and listen, fascinated by Gid in his known element, Confident and assured, a smile plays constantly over his thin lips, his earlier fears apparently forgotten. I’m grateful they’re gone, but I like that he showed me them.
I sip my coffee and wander over to the window. Billy is outside on the drive picking his bike up. I smile as I remember my own childhood, most of which was spent outside avoiding my father’s expectations. Then I look closer and narrow my eyes because he appears to have put Molly, the gerbil, in his bike basket.
There’s the noise of a car engine, and a cherry-red Mini appears on the forecourt. It pulls to a snazzy stop, and a tall, curly-headed man wearing a slim-cut, dark-grey suit climbs out. I blink as I recognise Jude Bailey, or Jude Jacobs, as he is since marrying Asa last year. He was a famous supermodel a few years ago, but I seem to recall that he gave it up to train as a teacher.
Billy exclaims and runs towards him, his face alight with the biggest smile. Jude lowers himself, and when the little boy reaches him, he swings him into the air laughing.
They talk for a few minutes, the little boy’s fingers bracketing Jude’s face, and then he points at his bike. I smile as I see Jude exclaim at the sight of the gerbil valiantly trying to get out of the basket. They walk over to the bike while Jude appears to be lecturing Billy and then after a bit of back and forth Billy scoops up Molly, and they both walk towards the front door.
Asa and Gideon stop talking as the door slams. “Asa,” comes the shout.
Asa’s face immediately brightens. “In here,” he yells.
“Bloody hell, I’m knackered,” comes Jude’s voice. “You know that film we watched the other day about the pod people?”
Asa’s mouth twitches. “Yes.”
“Well, I have to say that parent-teacher consultations would be a lot better if children were hatched from seed pods. What a bloody awful evening. I’d have been questioned less if I worked for Donald Trump.”
He rounds the door and grins when he sees us. “Hello,” he says happily. “Is that your car outside?”
I nod, coming forward to shake hands. “It is. I’m Eli and that one over there is Gideon.” Gideon rolls his eyes and comes over to shake hands. “Thanks for having us to stay for the weekend,” I say.
“Not at all, mate. You’re particularly welcome because Billy tells me that one of you found and rescued Molly.”
“Yes, she escaped again,” Asa says.
Jude shakes his head. “She’s escaped more times than fucking John Dillinger. Maybe we should just leave her wandering around. An hour of this madhouse and she’d be begging for a nice quiet cage.”
His face is merry and intelligent, and I warm towards him immediately. He turns to me. “These two will be discussing business tomorrow, so I wondered if you wanted to come with Billy and me. I’m thinking of taking him coasteering.”
“Is that where you throw yourself off cliffs?” I say enthusiastically.
Gideon promptly looks alarmed, and Asa stirs.
“Relax, Daddy,” Jude drawls. “It’s for kids, so it’s only small rocks.”
Asa shakes his head. “Good luck with that. Billy will never in a million years wear a wet suit.”
Jude twirls his keys around his finger. “Fancy a bet?”
Asa smiles evilly. “Our usual bet and I know I’m going to win. He hates anything tight-fitting.”
“Shit,” Jude says morosely. “I forgot.”
“Suck it up, buttercup,” Asa suggests.
Jude grimaces. “That’s definitely not in the terms of the bet, wankface.”
Asa throws his head back, laughing, and Jude turns to Gideon. “Well, hello, Gideon Ramsay,” he drawls. “Nice to finally meet you with your clothes on.”
Gideon blinks, and Asa sighs. “He watched Arthur and Guinevere last night, and he had control of the remote. We seemed to spend a very long time with the screen paused on the image of you naked. Apparently the remote was malfunctioning.”
Jude chuckles. “We’ve got to work on your trust issues,