She dashed outside and continued to call the cat’s name but there was no sign of him, just an empty bowl where the tuna had been.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The silence where either Ros or Cameron were meant to respond to her father’s question had been going on far too long. ‘Erm . . .’ said Ros at last. A blind panic had taken hold inside her head. She had no idea what to say. She glanced at Cameron expecting to see how she felt reflected in his features, but he was his usual smiling chilled-out self.
‘Shall I take this one?’ he asked. Ros could think of a million reasons why that might be a bad idea but at that moment she had no better suggestion so she nodded. ‘Barry, you’re no fool so I’ll not lie to you,’ began Cameron, and Ros had to swallow down a lump that had formed in her throat. ‘I have moved in.’ Barry looked at Ros. His expression was unreadable. ‘But only because I got kicked out of my student digs and it seemed like the most logical place to stay. It’s only until I get my next house arranged, which should be July. However, we thought it would be a great opportunity to see how we got on. Didn’t we?’ he said, putting his arm around Ros and giving her a reassuring squeeze. She had to admit it was very close to the truth.
At last she took a breath and could find enough words to make a sentence. ‘It’s like a test bed to see if we can live under the same roof, temporarily.’
‘Sorry we didn’t mention it but we didn’t want to make a big thing of it because it’s not permanent,’ said Cameron.
‘I was going to let you know at dinner today but with everything, I forgot. And by everything, I mean Mother.’
‘Yeah, I guessed that bit,’ said Barry. He pursed his lips and Ros held her breath. He looked like he was mulling things over and that made her uncomfortable. ‘Loving someone and living with them can be two quite distinctly different things. How’s it going so far?’
‘Really good. Cyril and I feel right at home,’ said Cameron, nodding at the cardboard cyborg.
‘He’s a very good cook. Cameron, not Cyril,’ said Ros.
Barry smiled. ‘I figured that was who you meant.’
‘We’ve not had a row yet,’ said Cameron.
‘That’s better than me and Amanda,’ said Barry with a wince.
‘Why is she staying with you?’ asked Ros.
‘I’ve got the space, and hotels around here cost the earth so—’
‘But why is she here at all?’ asked Ros, hearing the tension in her voice.
‘She wants to help and I don’t want to be a burden to you.’
‘You’re not,’ said Ros. ‘I hope I’ve never made you feel that way.’
‘No, but I know you’re busy and you two have a life and I don’t want to get in the way of that. And on that note . . .’ He stood up and Gazza trotted over to have a sniff of Cyril but thankfully Barry pulled him away before he had a chance to think about cocking his leg. ‘I’d best be getting back.’
They said their goodbyes and both Cameron and Ros were relieved when the door finally closed behind Barry.
‘Thank you,’ said Ros.
‘It’s all part of the service.’
‘I suppose it is,’ said Ros. It was an unwelcome reminder that she was paying for his support.
Ros and Darla decided to meet at the café in Mayflower Park for their usual Wednesday meet-up and take a stroll along the waterfront with their takeaway cups. This was the place Ros called Sunset Shore, it was simply the area along the waterfront with a funny little scrap of beach where she often came to watch the sun go down. There was a breeze but the weather was mild, and Ros always felt April was an unpredictable month so was happy to seize the opportunity to go out in an evening without getting rained on. She unburdened herself to Darla and instantly felt a sense of release. She was beginning to see the value in friendship.
‘He’s never mentioned this Gina to me,’ said Darla. ‘Or any relationship to think of it.’
‘But you’re work colleagues – why would he?’
‘I’m dead nice me,’ said Darla, looking affronted. ‘People like to tell me stuff.’
‘But still, who would discuss things of a personal nature with people they work with?’
‘Most people, Ros.’ Darla gave her one of her looks that made Ros feel like she lived on a different planet.
‘Really? It seems most unprofessional.’
‘It’s quite normal. I think I need to talk to him and get an absolute confirmation of what’s going on with this Gina.’
‘Goodness, no,’ said Ros, her words coming out as quite a high-pitched squeak. ‘He’ll know we’ve been talking. He’ll probably think I’ve asked you to interrogate him. That’s a very bad idea. And I think it’s quite unnecessary, as you only had to look at them to see their connection.’
‘We’ve got a connection,’ said Darla, waving her coffee cup in Ros’s direction.
‘Definitely not the same. Gina said they’d been dating for years and he had a special place in her heart. There was also kissing when she left but I only heard that as I obviously turned away.’
‘Blimey, sounds like they are a thing then.’
They walked in silence and sipped their drinks. Although the silence didn’t last long as Darla had quite a bit to update Ros on. Her download came with violent gesticulations and virtual re-enactment, which made Ros fear for Darla’s coffee. Darla appeared spent by the time she got to the end of her update. She was looking at Ros. ‘This is the bit where you give me the benefit of your insight and wisdom,’ she prompted. ‘Like I did for you.’
Ros supposed she must have missed that part of their earlier conversation but was keen to fulfil her side of the friendship. ‘Well, in summary. Winston is a cat and they are notoriously nomadic and fickle, so it’s likely he will use you and Elliott as he wants and still receive your undying devotion. The chicken coop needs some additional reinforcement to stop the weasel coming back and it probably needs a new latch if they were able to escape. I think there’s something called scree that Elliott might be able to put over the top of the chicken footprints to—’
Darla waved her hands and Ros stopped talking. ‘What about what happens when I go home to Oxford? When my fake year of travelling is done and I go back to normal life. What do I do then?’
‘You mean when you’ve paid off The Wanker’s debts?’
‘Exactly.’
