He smiled graciously at my attempt at banter. ‘Well, now you’re staying, for a while at least, what can I get you to drink?’
‘Okay, I’ll take a vodka and tonic, with a splash of lime, please,’ I said.
‘Good stuff.’ He stood up and edged his way past my chair, which I had to nudge in a bit to let him past. As soon as I saw he was out of sight, I pulled out my phone to see what I had missed since I had last looked, which was just over half an hour ago.
Mrs Clean hadn’t posted any new stories or posts since this afternoon, but there were more comments. I had to scroll down for a good few minutes to find what lucybest65 had been saying.
Just four words stood out.
The woman needs help.
When did the world become so confrontational, why were people constantly looking for the bad in everything and everyone? The connection I felt with Mrs Clean was constantly being marred by this unnecessary unkindness. Yet I couldn’t stop myself from searching for lucybest65’s comments whenever there was a new post. I slammed the phone down. My foot tapped manically under the table as I balled my hands into fists.
‘Everything okay?’ Calvin set my drink down next to me.
I looked up. ‘Oh, yes, yes. Thank you.’ I unclenched my fists and calmed my tapping as I looked at the glass with welcome eyes and even before he had sat himself back down I had taken a long drink.
I subtly wiped my mouth with my hand and watched as he took a sip of his pint of Guinness. He pressed his lips together as he swallowed.
‘Well, thanks for coming. It’s Richmond you live in, you say?’
‘Yes, that’s right.’
‘Very nice. There’s some lovely houses round there, and the parks.’
‘I share a house. With three girls.’
‘Sounds busy. Is the house nice?’
‘Yes, it is actually. It’s pretty old, as you can imagine. Creaky pipes, clunky floorboards. But so much character.’ I could feel the warmth of the vodka penetrating my body. Calvin was nodding.
‘I love old houses, they have so much personality. I love a novel with an old house.’
‘Like Rebecca?’ I offered.
‘Like Rebecca.’
‘Turn of the Screw?’
‘Urgh.’
‘Yep, hated it too.’ I took another long drink of my vodka and Calvin followed suit with his Guinness.
‘The Haunting of Hill House?’ Calvin set down his Guinness.
‘Ooh, creepy.’
‘Ooh, how about The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe?’
‘Of course!’ I said.
‘The Suspicions of Mr Whicher?’
‘I reckon we’ve covered them all,’ I said with a small smile.
‘No, never – there are hundreds, I know there are. Maybe we could make it our challenge to read a selection? Our own little book club.’
‘How very quaint.’ I pushed a stray hair behind my ear and Calvin watched me over his pint glass. ‘I’ve never been in a book club before.’ I knew it was the sort of thing that women my age did. If I was doing school runs and meeting other mums, I supposed I would probably be the founding member of one by now.
‘Well, I think now is the time. I declare this the first meeting of the Old House’s Book Club. You pick the first title.’ Calvin finished his beer with a final gulp. I was surprised at how easily he had finished, but then when I went to pick my own glass up I could see it was empty.
‘Another? Maybe you could think of the first book whilst I am at the bar?’
I smiled and handed him my glass.
I fidgeted in my seat for a moment and then pulled out my phone. I couldn’t keep ignoring these comments from Lucy. I went straight to Instagram and found the most recent comment that she had left. I quickly started typing a reply.
Regitex @lucybest65 Why do you have to keep having a go? Mrs Clean seems to be doing a fab job as far as I can see, and she has to make some money somehow, so a few ads here and there makes sense. I believe what you are is jealous.
I hit the send button before I could change my mind. It was the alcohol; I certainly wouldn’t have made a statement like that to someone I didn’t know without it. Somehow, with the swell of the alcohol inside me I felt I had the right to comment. Now I was as bad as the rest of them. I felt a wave of shame and regret wash over me as I placed my phone down. Calvin appeared next to me with another vodka and tonic and lime.
‘Thanks, you’ll have to let me get the next ones,’ I said.
‘Everything all right?’ He gestured to my phone.
I looked down at my mobile on the table and then quickly picked it up and shoved it in my handbag.
‘Oh, yes, yes, it’s fine, I was, I just had to do something.’
‘You’re not “needed”?’ he said and used his fingers as quotation marks.
I looked down at my bag and then at him. ‘Oh, you mean… Oh right, I get it, God no. I’m a terrible liar – if someone was on the other end pretending to have an emergency, I’m not sure I could keep a straight face.’
Calvin smiled, sat down and took a sip of his Guinness.
‘Besides, you should think a little more of yourself. That’s twice now you’ve presumed I’m doing a runner and we’re only on our second drink. Has that, you know, ever happened before?’
Calvin cleared his throat and looked down at his pint.
‘Once,’ he said coyly.
‘Oh no!’ I said, trying to suppress the laughter. ‘What happened?’
‘Exactly that, her phone rang just after she came back from the loo and she started this over the top dialogue, all “Oh my God, are you okay?” and then said she had to go as her friend had just had a car accident. I mean, it was a bit dramatic.’
‘So how did you know that she was lying?’
‘Apart from the amateur performance? Well, when I went
