and the kind-hearted waitress, who for some mysterious reason seemed to have a soft spot for her, sat down beside her and squeezed her arm with her small, bony hand.
‘Oh, my darling, she’ll get better soon, you’ll see. The worst is definitely over.’
‘I hope you’re right, but she’s the only person I have in the world and I have this crazy fear of losing her.’
‘You have Marcus. He’ll help you. He has broad shoulders and a huge heart. You have your grandma, but you have him too now. And me, if you’d like.’
Penny looked at her like a frightened child might stare at a picture of her absent mother, and then suddenly and without warning, her cheeks felt hot and her eyes filled with tears. Because this woman, a former prostitute who should have had a million and one reasons to be cynical, was instead one of the sweetest people she had ever met. Affection from her was a most generous and wonderful gift, but even more wonderful was her taking for granted that Marcus wanted to give Penny his affection too. Neither Sherrie nor Mr Malkovich seemed to have the least idea what Marcus actually planned to do with his future. Did they really think he would stay in this city and become a prisoner of the rat race just to be with her? She was almost tempted to tell Sherrie, to explain to her using the same tone as an adult would in telling a child the truth about the tooth fairy, that magic mirrors, princesses with the glass slippers, and beanstalks reaching for the sky all cease to exist when people grow up. But Sherrie was so convinced and so romantic in her outlook that it seemed cruel to disappoint her, so Penny kept her mouth shut and ordered the cheesecake.
When Sherrie returned with the most enormous slice smothered in blueberries, Penny mustered up her courage and asked, ‘Do you need another waitress here?’
Sherrie immediately grasped the meaning of her question and smiled at her kindly. ‘You need a job?’
‘Yes, but I can’t start for a few days. I’m available once my grandma settles down a little. D’you think you could find something for me?’
‘I’ll talk to Lorna about it and let you know, but I think so. Where there’s room for two, there’s room for three. And if you’re special to Marcus, you’re special to me too.’
Penny thanked her, her eyes wide and limpid and so full of gratitude that Sherrie gave her a gentle pat on the head before going to wait on a table that had been calling her over.
As Penny ate the cheesecake more eagerly now, reassured by the hope of finding a job, she heard her phone ring. She rummaged among the usual millions of things that filled her bag, and somehow wasn’t the slightest bit surprised to see Igor’s name on the display. She answered after a moment’s hesitation, and for a while they chatted about this and that. Suddenly Igor said, all in one breath, ‘So are you coming with me to the theatre or what?’
‘What?’
‘Tomorrow night is the premiere of the show I did the scenography for. Will you be my date?’
‘Er . . . I . . . can’t. My grandma’s in hospital and . . .’
Igor asked a few sensible questions about what had happened, then finally said, ‘Maybe a distraction would be good for you. You can’t be at the hospital after visiting hours anyway, can you? We’ll have a good time together, and that way you won’t be home alone. What do you think?’
‘Actually, I . . .’
‘I get it. The problem is not so much your grandma as Marcus. He’s keeping you company, I guess. I’ll confess, I had hoped you’d finished with him, but clearly you’re still together.’
‘No, he has nothing to do with it, but . . .’ She stopped. As if the mere utterance of his name had conjured up his presence, Marcus, wet with rain, now plopped down opposite her at the same table. A sulky expression on his face, he was staring openly at her. He was wearing a dark blue waterproof jacket with a flame-red zipper. He was holding his customary pack of Chesterfields and flipped it to extract a cigarette, which he put to his lips, although he didn’t light it. Penny remained silent for a moment.
‘Are you still there?’ Igor asked.
‘Yes, I’m here, just . . .’
She heard a sigh from the other end of the