When I got off the bus I noticed him standing beside my car. I hoped he’d not been guarding it all night.
‘Hi, Nathan.’
‘Hi, Kat.’
We stood staring at each other awkwardly before I said, ‘I’m hungry.’
‘So am I.’
‘Where will we go, this is your end of town?’
‘There’s a nice place not too far from here, I sometimes take the girls there for lunch.’
‘OK, your car or mine?’
We took mine. We ended up in the Elephant House Café and squeezed into a tight corner table near the toilets. The waitress took our orders and a few moments later delivered us coffee.
‘Why are all these people taking selfies?’ I asked Nathan as he read the menu.
‘This is the place where J. K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books – well, the first one or two at any rate.’
‘Oh.’ I watched lots of foreign tourists come in the door, pose for a selfie and disappear without buying anything.
‘I’m sorry for texting last night. I’m not used to texting girls, except Millie.’
‘Who’s Millie?’
‘My eldest daughter.’
‘Oh, okay.’
‘I hope I didn’t disturb your sleep.’
‘Nah, once I’m out I sleep like the dead.’
‘That’s a gruesome description, Kat.’
‘Thanks.’
‘I’m not sure I meant it as a compliment.’
‘You should have.’
‘Well, all right. That might take some getting used to. Last night, well … I think I was trying to sort out my feelings.’
‘That’ll take more than a few texts to a sleeping girl.’
‘You’re probably right.’
‘I am right. Now, if you want to talk about your feelings, that’s fine, but as you know I like you, and you like me. That’s the easy bit. The more complicated issue is that you’ve got loads of baggage to sort out and I’m YFS.’
‘YFS?’
‘Young, free and single. Well, quite young; younger than you at any rate.’
‘With no baggage, so why would you want to get involved with me?’
‘Oh, I’ve got baggage, but you’re right – you’ve got three children and they might not like me. I’m nothing like their mother.’
‘That’s a big plus for me.’
‘That remains to be seen. Let’s talk about your wife. What’s she up to?’
‘She’s working, in London.’
‘Yeah, you told me that, but what else? Has she got a boyfriend?’
‘Oodles.’
I stared at him for a moment. ‘What, loads of boyfriends?’
‘No, just one called Oodles.’
‘That’s a strange name and, believe me, if I think that, it’s true.’
‘He’s called Simon. He’s got oodles of money – that’s why we call him Oodles.’
‘Who’s we?’
‘Me and Millie.’
‘Ah, your daughter knows.’
‘She told me about him.’
‘Oh.’ I tried to process that. ‘So, your wife’s quite open about it, then?’
Nathan nodded and took a bite from his bagel.
‘If your wife has introduced your kids to her new boyfriend, then your marriage really is a Humpty Dumpty. I was right.’ He nodded again. ‘So you need to move on.’
‘I know.’
‘I assume that’s why she moved to London?’
He frowned. ‘Why?’
‘To be with Oodles.’
‘Laura said she’s just met him.’
‘And you believed her?’
He nodded again. Aw, bless, what a trusting soul. ‘The first thing we should do, if you want to see how things might pan out, is introduce me to your daughters. It will be awkward but necessary if you want to move on.’
‘I want to move on, I think.’
I laughed. ‘That’s an honest answer, at least. I don’t want you to do this for the wrong reason. I don’t want to be used as a pawn or a lure to tempt Laura back.’
‘I don’t think I understand. How would I do that?’
I studied him for a minute to see if he was being obtuse, but he genuinely seemed puzzled, so I let it go. ‘There will be plenty of bumps in the road so be prepared.’
‘Okay.’
I wasn’t completely convinced, but I fancied him, and he needed me. I liked that. I didn’t often feel needed; in fact, I couldn’t remember the last time anyone needed me, apart from Sid to help open up a cadaver or to compare notes on our dysfunctional families.
‘What shall we do, then?’ I asked, sipping my now lukewarm coffee.
‘I had planned on taking them to the safari park on Monday. It’s a school holiday. You could come with us? It’ll be on neutral ground and with other things to occupy their minds. I’ll just say you’re a friend. Oh, but won’t you be working?’
‘One of the good things about shift work, perhaps the only good thing about shift work is that my work-patterns are quite varied. I’m off Monday. As for being a friend, I suppose, for the time being, that’s all I am. It might be fun. I’ve not been there for years and we can visit your relatives.’
‘My relatives?’
‘The chimps.’
‘Are you sure you’ve not been speaking to my wife?’
‘Why?’
‘That’s what she said when we went to the zoo.’
‘Must be true, then.’